Course Syllabus AP Human Geography




Grading Policy


 

K. Davies- Room 3218

2022-2023 School Year

E-Mail:   daviesk@fultonschools.org

RISE hours:  Thursdays and by appointment

Web page: https://sites.google.com/site/ahskurtdavies/home  

Course Description: 

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the study of patterns and processes that have influenced human use, understanding, and alteration of the Earth’s surface. A global perspective is critical for understanding population dynamics, growth, and movement; cultural patterns and processes; the political organization of space; agricultural and urban land use; as well as industrialization and economic development across the globe. Human Geography is a college course that uses a college level text and has college level expectations. Critical thinking and excellent writing skills are required. 


Assessment: 

There will be numerous ways in which student achievement will be checked during the course of each semester. There will be tests, homework, writing assignments, practice free response questions, quizzes, projects, etc.  

Unit tests will be structured similar to AP Human Geography Exam. Expect each unit test to incorporate a multiple choice section and a free response question, each comprising half of your test grade.  A “Practice” cumulative AP Exam will be given at the end of each semester and will count as your midterm.  The Mid-term will count the same as every other major grade and be averaged into your major grade category.

Tests will be announced at the beginning of each unit, at least two weeks in advance and posted both in the classroom and on my web page. Tests may include any material that was covered during the current or past units, as well as assigned readings. Tests dates are subject to change.  Quizzes may be announced or unannounced. 


GRADING SCALE

Letter grades will be assigned according to Fulton County’s approved grading scale, which is as follows:  A—100-90, B—89-80, C—79-70, F—69-0.  Honors points are added by the county at the end of each semester.

Late Work Policy:


Late work will be penalized 15% immediately upon being late.  If late work is not submitted by the end of the unit the deduction will be 25% off. If it is not submitted within 10 days of the due date it will become a 0 and no longer be allowed to be submitted.


If students are absent, they will receive the same number of days they were absent to complete the assignment without penalty.   If students are turning in work late due to an absence, they are asked to put the dates they were absent at the top of their work.


CELL PHONE POLICY

Fulton County Schools has adopted a new policy that does not allow students to be actively using their phones during class periods.  In accordance with this, all students will be asked to put their cell phones in a cell phone holder.  Students will not be able to take their cell phones with them to the restroom.   Students will have time at the end of the period to collect their phones.


Home Access Center:  See Common Syllabus

Textbook: ($187.61) 

Rubenstein, James M. The Cultural Landscape : an Introduction to Human Geography. Upper Saddle River, NJ :Prentice Hall, 2002. 

Lost/Damaged Book Policy: See Common Syllabus

Supplemental Texts: 

De, Blij H. The Power of Place: Geography, Destiny, and Globalization's Rough Landscape. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print.

Diamond, Jared M. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. New York: Viking, 2005. 

Horwitz, Tony. Baghdad Without a Map, and Other Misadventures in Arabia. New York, N.Y., U.S.A: Dutton, 1991. 

Kuby, Michael, John Harner, and Patricia Gober. Human Geography in Action. New York: Wiley, 1998. 

De, Blij H. J. Why Geography Matters. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.

National Geographic. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 1959.


Required Supplies: 

Three-ring binder with dividers for ancillary materials, chapter review notes, map exercises, etc. 

3 x 5 cards for vocabulary 

Colored Pencils 

 

Goals

The particular topics studied in an AP Human Geography course should be judged in light of the following five college-level goals that build on the National Geography Standards developed in 1994 and revised in 2012. On successful completion of the course, students should have developed skills that enable them to:

 

·       Interpret maps and analyze geospatial data. 

·       Understand and explain the implications of associations and networks among phenomena in places. 

·       Recognize and interpret the relationships among patterns and processes at different scales of analysis.

·       Define regions and evaluate the regionalization process.

·       Characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places.

 

 

Assignments will include reading from the Fellmann textbook, Collapse by Jared Diamond’s and other readings as appropriate. Reading assignments, projects, quizzes and unit test dates are provided several weeks in advance of the due date.  If a student is absent one day he or she is expected to keep up with all assignments. In compliance with the College Board Advanced Placement Program, a comprehensive course description is attached. 

 

Units Covered:

1st Semester

 

Unit I. Core Geographic Concepts Fellmann Chapters 1 and 2 

A. Evolution of key geographic concepts and models 

B. Key concepts of location, space, place, and pattern 

C. Key geographic skills 

D. New mapping technologies: GIS and GPS 

 

Unit II. Population World Patterns Fellmann Chapter 4 

A. Density, distribution, and scale 

B. Case Study - Rwanda/Burundi fr. Collapse 

C. In-migration, out-migration, refuges 

D. Models of population change including demographics 

 

Unit III. Cultural Patterns Fellmann Chapters 3, 5, 6, and 7 

A. Language, religion, race, ethnicity and gender roles 

B. Cultural diffusion and cultural differences 

C. Culture shapes human-environment relationships 

D. Representation of culture in the built environment 

 

2nd Semester

 

Unit IV. Political Ordering of Space Fellmann Chapter 12 

A. Organization of territories on different scales 

B. Political geography of the “nation-state” 

C. Religious and ethnic separatism and the role of globalization 

 

Unit V. Agricultural/ Rural Land Use Fellmann Chapter 8 

A. The origin and spread of agriculture 

B. Characteristics of the world’s agricultural regions 

C. Reasons why these regions function as they do 

D. Impact of agricultural change on quality of life and environment 

 

Unit VI. Industrialization/Economic Develop. Fellmann Chapters 9 & 10 - 

A. Geographic elements of industrialization and development 

B. Location theories of Weber and van Thunen 

C. Economic development models of Rostow and Wallerstein Interdependence in the global economy 

 

Unit VII. Cities and Urban Land Use Fellmann 11 

A. Current and historical distribution of cities 

B. Political, economic and cultural function of cities 

C. Form, internal structure and landscapes of cities 

D. Edge cities, gentrification and urban planning 

 

Unit VIII. Impacts on Natural Systems Fellmann Chapter 13 

A. Industrialization and Biotechnology 

B. Population dynamics and sustainability 

C. Epidemiological transitions 

 

Projects: Students and parents are encouraged to visit my website for current information about projects that are in progress. As stated above, parents can email me to receive their parent code.  This code will link you with the student and all classes that they are associated with on edmodo.   Projects MUST be turned in on or before the due date to receive full credit on the project. If the student is absent on the date the assessment is due, the assignment must still be in by the beginning of class or it will considered late.  A 10% penalty will be applied per day on all late work. 

 

Homework: Homework will generally be reading or a supplemental assignment to correspond with what is being covered in class.  This may include online simulations, article reviews, data analysis, personal reflections, etc.  All writing should be done as neatly as possible in paragraph format. 

 

Video Viewing Guidelines:

To supplement the reading and classroom discussion, different forms of technology such as video and DVDs may be introduced into the classroom. At times, the viewing of films, either in clips or in its entirety, may be pertinent. Possible film offerings include, but are not limited to: 

 

Harrison, Cassian, Jared M. Diamond, Peter Coyote, Tim Lambert, and Jared M. Diamond. Guns, Germs, and Steel. United States: National Geographic, 2005. 

 

Power of Place. Santa Barbara: Annenberg/CPB Project, 1996.

 

Classroom Procedures and Expectations:

 

All students are expected to be on time, in their desks when the bell rings. Students who are not in their desks ready to learn will be considered tardy. Having your foot in the door is not enough. Attendance will be taken by students “tapping in” with their student ID’s.  

 

Tardiness to class during any semester will result in the following disciplinary actions: 1st through 3rd tardy will be handled by the classroom teacher. Subsequent tardies will be referred to the administration for disciplinary action. 

 

Students should write down any assignment given in their agenda, and have any required homework from the night before ready to be checked. Students should have out whatever supplies will be needed for that day. Any writing assignment that is turned in should have the student’s name, the teacher’s name, the name of the course, and the date turned in written on it. 

 

Assignments will include reading from the Fellmann textbook and other readings as appropriate.   If a student is absent one day, he or she is expected to keep up with all assignments. 

 

AP Human Geography requires critical-thinking essays that will be evaluated on your analysis of the material.  Proper grammar and essay organization is also considered in the grading process.

 

Please read through this entire syllabus with your parent(s)/guardian(s) to make sure that you, the student, and your parent(s)/guardian(s) understand the policies of this course.

 

Parents: I strongly advise you to register for Home Access Center through the front office. It is updated live, and is a great way to check on how your student is doing in class. 

 

The AP Exam: Please keep in mind that the Advanced Placement Human Geography Exam is given Thursday, May 4th, 2023 at 8:00 a.m. The score on the AP exam is reported to the high school and to the student’s college but will not be a component of a student’s grade. Doing well in the AP class is your best strategy for doing well on the AP exam. 

 

AP Requirements 

Any student failing the AP class one month prior to testing (and thereafter) must pay for their AP exam ($91). The state will not pay for a student’s AP exam if they are failing the course. All failing students that decide NOT to take their AP exam must pay the returned/unused exam fee of $15. Any student that is passing an AP class (even if it is with a 70) must take their AP exam. 

 

The AP Exam 

The AP Human Geography Exam tests your knowledge of the patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth's surface. You have a chance to earn college credit in geography before you ever begin your formal college studies! 


About the Exam 

The two-and-one-quarter-hour exam includes a 60-minute, 75-question multiple-choice section and a 75-minute three-question free-response section. The multiple-choice section accounts for half of the examination grade and the free-response section for the other half. 

 

Section I: Multiple-Choice 

The multiple-choice section is designed to measure your knowledge of human geography through a broad range of topics and types of questions. You should expect questions that test your ability to use and think about maps and spatial data, your understanding of how the world looks from a spatial perspective, your ability to interpret patterns and processes at different scales, your understanding of regions, and finally, your ability to characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places. The topic outline for AP Human Geography details the percentage of the course -- and the exam -- devoted to each content area. 

Since no two AP Human Geography classes are exactly alike, you are not expected to know the answer to every question. Although haphazard or random guessing is unlikely to improve your score, if you have knowledge of the topic in a question and can eliminate one or more answer choices, you might find it advantageous to select an answer from the remaining choices. The AP Exam, as of this year, will no longer deduct for incorrect answers, so if you do not know an answer, guess. 

 

Section II: Free-Response 

In the free-response section, you will be asked to write cogent answers to three constructed response questions. The questions may require you to interrelate different topical areas and to analyze and evaluate geographical concepts. Questions may be based on stimulus material such as verbal description, maps, graphs, photographs, and diagrams. You are expected to use your analytical and organizational skills to formulate answers in writing your essays. 

The free-response section usually includes one question that tests a specific concept in geography and its application to real-world situations, one question that tests your ability to pull together and synthesize material from across the course, and one question that tests your depth of knowledge of a topic and gives you an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to apply and analyze geographic concepts across geographic contexts. 

Remember to answer each question in the way it is structured. Points are allocated for sub-parts of the question and not for the overall answer. Your answer should be in essay form. Outlines and unlabeled diagrams and maps are not acceptable final answers. Learn to think outside of the box, and you will have the opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of key concepts in geography. 

 

Scoring the Exam 

The multiple-choice and free-response sections each account for one-half of your AP exam grade. The three questions in the free-response section are weighted equally. 


Alpharetta High School Common Syllabus