First SemesterUnit 1: IntroductionChapter 1 - This is Geography
1) Identify the five themes of geography. Explain how concepts such as location, place, scale and pattern underly the geographic perspective. Explain how spatial thinking (why of where) can be applied to interpret and understand the world. 2) Describe how maps are used to represent spatial patterns and processes at different scales. Identify types of maps: reference (physical/political), thematic (choropleth, dot, graduated symbol, isoline, cartogram). 3) Define region as a concept, identify world regions. Describe the regionalization process (formal, functional, perceptual). 4) Describe how human geography will emphasize interconnections among places using specific examples from our study of globalization (distance decay & space-time compression go here). 5)Scales of analysis include global, national, regional and local. Patterns and processes at different scales reveal variations in, and different interpretations of, data. Apply the concept of changing scales of analysis to specific examples. 6) Define and identify examples and sources of quantitative and qualitative data. Identify census data as an important source. Explain the role of geospatial technologies such as GIS, GPS and Remote Sensing; and field work, in data collection. 7) Compare and contrast Environmental Determinism with Possibilism, citing examples. (see Rubenstein pp. 37-40); describe some physical changes taking place to Earth's physical systems due to human activities (pp 34-35). Unit 2: Food & AgricultureChapter 9
1) Compare and contrast the First and Second Agricultural Revolutions. Where did each originate (hearths) and when? Be able to describe the causes and effects for each. 2) Describe and map the agricultural regions of the United States and the world. 3) Apply Von Thunen's model of land use to agricultural location in the United States today. Describe how the model can be applied at the national scale? (Where does the model accurately predict agricultural location and where does it fall short (some things are not where predicted) and why?) 4) a. Compare and contrast subsistence agriculture and commercial agriculture. b. Describe the subsistence regions of the world today. c. Distinguish intensive agriculture from extensive agriculture and be able to provide examples and categorize examples given to you. 5) Explain the historical causes and contemporary effects of plantation agriculture? Identify some common plantation crops? Describe who benefits most from the system and why? Make a case that today's plantation agriculture is a form of neocolonialism. 6) Describe fair trade agriculture. Compare and contrast it with free trade. Explain why fair trade can be described as both an economic development strategy and an environmental sustainability strategy? 7) Define agribusiness. Explain how vertically integrated agribusinesses affect agricultural production in MDC's like the U.S.? How do horizontally integrated multi-national corporations affect agricultural production globally? 8) Describe the effects of the Green Revolution (3rd Agricultural Revolution). Does it fit the description of "Green" in the context that we usually use the term today? (See the "Praise and Criticism" handout) 9) Make a case for or against the use of genetic modifications to crop plants. Describe the social, environmental and economic effects of GM technology as it exists in our food system today. 10) What is the future of food? Explain some ways humanity might be able to feed ten billion sustainably by 2050. Be able to justify your explanation using evidence from the unit. Development & Gender (mini unit)Chapter 10 (only pages 350-367)
1) Define Primary, Secondary & Tertiary (Quaternary and Quinary). Be able to apply them to a product. 2) Compare/Contrast More Developed Countries with Less Developed Countries (developing). Describe characteristics of each, relating these characteristics to demographic data. 3) Describe the Human Development Index and explain why the UN chose each of the three indicators and four measures to be the best measures of human development. 4) Explain why workers in MDC's are more productive than workers in LDC's by the productivity measure that is used? (value added is important to this) 5) Explain how a country's overall level of development can mask inequalities in the status of men and women. Describe measures of gender inequality. Explain why reproductive health, indices of empowerment and female labor-market participation are included (why are these important development indicators?) 6) Explain why educating girls has been identified as a key strategy to raising the development level of LDC's. How does educating girls affect other aspects of development such as adolescent fertility rate, infant mortality rate, maternal mortality rate, etc.? 7) Be able to explain the relationship between the demographic data you learn in this unit and the overall development level of a country. Explaining how and why means being able to go into detail about the reasons or processes that are involved. This is the skill you learned through the development infographic project. 8) Describe the concepts of core/periphery as they relate to the geography of development. Unit 3: Population & MigrationPopulation & Health - Chapter 2
1) Identify the world's four major population clusters (concentrations)? 2) Describe factors (physical and human) that explain patterns of population distribution? (climate, water, land forms, etc.) 3) Describe the three methods for calculating population density? 4) Explain the concept of carrying capacity and relate it to the concept of "overpopulation." Describe how the population density affects the need for infrastructure and provision of services such as sanitation, etc. 5) Explain how population pyramids are used to project population growth and decline as well as predict markets for goods and services. 6) Describe demographic factors that determine population growth. Explain why rates of natural increase and doubling times are used. Identify social, cultural, political and economic factors that influence fertility and mortality. 7) Explain how the Demographic Transition Model may be used to explain population growth over time and space. Identify the stages of the transition and describe economic and social factors that contribute to the transition. 8) Describe the epidemiologic transition and how it explains causes of changing death rates. 9) Explain reasons for changes in fertility rates in different parts of the world, including social values, access to education and the roles of women. 10) Explain the causes and implications of an aging population. Identify countries with aging populations and countries with young populations (dependency ratio). 11) Describe Malthusian theory and explain how it is used to analyze the consequences of population change. 12) Describe types of population policies (pro and anti-natalist) and evaluate their results and effectiveness. 13) Describe the political effects of population growth, young populations, population policies, etc. Migration - Chapter 3 1) Define push and pull factors. Identify current push and pull factors involved in today's migration streams? 2) Describe forced and voluntary migration. Apply those concepts to both current and historical examples. 3) Analyze major historical migrations, including forced migration of Africans to Americas, immigration waves to the US, and emigration from Europe and Asia to colonies abroad. 4) Define refugee accurately (in detail) and in the context of international law. Describe the process for claiming asylum. Identify current major refugee streams and streams from history. 5) Explain the role of governments in migration (expansive versus restrictive policies, processing of migrants, creating push factors) and identify examples. 6) Describe the consequences of migration (remittances, diffusion of culture, innovations and disease). Identify differing consequences for countries that are sources of migrants and those that receive migrants. Describe the demographic equation. 7) Describe the current global migration crisis and explain the implications for international relations, international cooperation, humanitarian issues, etc. 8) Identify key terms such as chain migration, rural to urban migration, internal migration, transnational migration. Recognize examples of each when described. Unit 4: Culture (2nd Sem.)Folk & Popular Culture - Chapter 4
1) Compare/contrast folk & popular culture with regard to the following: hearths, means of diffusion, impact on the environment, material culture, distribution (urban v. rural). 2) What role does technology (the internet, television, radio, etc.), play in the diffusion of popular culture? (Describe the origin and diffusion of these different means of communication.) 3) Explain why folk culture is threatened by popular culture? Be able to give specific examples (of cultures, not just general reasons). Explain how folk culture seeks to protect itself? (use specific examples) 4) Explain how the diffusion of popular culture contributes to uniform landscapes. Language - Chapter 5 1) a. Explain why the study of language flows naturally from migration? b. Explain the process of language formation and language divergence, applying the terms language family, branch, group, dialect, accent, pidgin & creole. 2) Study the language tree and language map as well as the bar graph that shows the percentage of the world's people who speak languages belonging to each family. Know the top four families with the most speakers, know the top five languages with the most speakers. Know which families those top languages belong to. 3) Describe the Indo-European language family. Within that family, be able to identify the most widely spoken languages for the following branches - Romance, Germanic, Indo-Iranian, Balto-Slavic. 4) Describe the origin (parent languages), diffusion and current distribution of English. Define "official language" and differentiate it from "standard language." Be able to explain the process that has made English the world's lingua franca today (global scale). Be able to name a few other historic lingua francas at regional scales. 5) Apply the language chapter vocabulary in explanations of the following case studies - Switzerland, Canada, Nigeria & Belgium. |
Second SemesterCulture (continued)Religion - Chapter 6
1) Name the hearth, methods of diffusion, cultural landscape features and general spatial distribution of the following religions/belief systems: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Confucianism, Taoism, Shintoism, Animism (traditional religions) and Secularism. 2) Categorize the religions above as either ethnic or universalizing. 3) Recall & Describe the pie graph from the power point that shows the numbers of adherents by religion. 4) For Christianity, know the three major branches, their hearths and the spatial diffusion of the branches and denominations within the United States (maps in book and on power point). 5) Discuss the current and potential impact of migration on the religious makeup of Europe and the United States. How might this impact culture and/or social cohesion? 6) For the following religious conflicts, be able to classify the conflicts as either intra or inter-faith, know the religions or branches involved, and be able to discuss the current status of the conflict. North Africa (Nigeria, Sudan), Israel & Palestine, The former Yugoslavia (Bosnia, Serbia), and Northern Ireland. There is a notes organizer for this. See me if you don't have it. 7) Compare and contrast fundamentalism with extremism. Know the impact of each. Unit 5: Political GeographyEthnicity - Chapter 7
1) Explain how ethnicity compares to nationality? 2) Explain the concepts of nation, state, nation-state & nationalism. Explain the rise of the modern state system. 3) Explain the process of residential segregation in the United States. How was ghettoization a result of policies and practices such as redlining, blockbusting, restrictive covenants, etc.? How does segregation negatively impact marginalized groups (African Americans in America)? 4) Describe the spatial pattern with regards to American ethnic groups at the national and urban scale. (Hispanic, Asian, African-American, Native American). 5) Distinguish between centripetal and centrifugal forces. Explain how ethnicity, language, religion, economic status, symbols and symbolic landscapes can serve as one or the other and impact the viability of a state. 6) Recognize the "big picture" issues related to ethnicity and state viability in the following case studies: -Nigeria, India, Rwanda, East Timor, Sudan Political Geography - Chapter 8 7) Define state. Explain the difference between sovereignty and autonomy in the process. Explain why a colony isn't a state and why a state in the United States isn't a state. 8) Describe the rise of the nation-state and its diffusion. Be able to explain why nation-states are so difficult to create and maintain. 9) Compare and contrast nation-states with multi-national and multi-ethnic states. 10) Describe colonialism (1400's-1800's) including when and why it came to dominate the political geography of the world? Which European countries had the largest empires? Contrast it with Imperialism (1800's-post WWII). 11) Explain how boundaries function. Describe the different types of boundaries. Be able to categorize different political boundaries as cultural or physical, subsequent, consequent, antecedent or relic. 12) Explain how the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea sometimes facilitates cooperation and sometimes fuels territorial disputes. Know the 12 mi TW & 200 mi EEZ rules. 13) Discuss the Unitary and Federal approaches to organizing state governments. 14) Discuss forms of competition and reasons for cooperation between states (Supranationalism), and the future of the state system. How does Supranationalism weaken state sovereignty? Know the Supranational organizations you researched and know the most about the purposes of the EU and UN. 15) How have advances in communication technology facilitated devolution, supranationalism, and democratization? Be able to explain. 16) Describe the political geography of indigenous people and explain the concept of autonomous regions (Nunuvut especially). 17) Explain forces of devolution. Describe its consequences using examples. 18) Explain Gerrymandering. How can electoral boundaries be manipulated in order to circumvent democracy? Unit 6: Industry & DevelopmentPages 368-379 AND Chapter 11 - Industry & Energy
1) Describe the origin and diffusion of industry. Explain the location factors involved in the development of industry in the 18th and 19th centuries.
2) Explain the effects of industrialization on the global economy. Identify industrialization as a reason for colonialism and imperialism. 3) Identify and describe the sectors of the economy as primary, secondary and tertiary (quaternary & quinary). Describe the evolution of a country's workforce as it moves from primary sector employment to secondary and tertiary sector employment. Explain reasons for this shift and connect this to the new international division of labor. 4) Use Weber's model of industrial location to explain the location of heavy industry (historically) and current industry. Describe reasons for agglomeration. 5) Compare and contrast Rostow's stages of economic growth with Wallerstein's World Systems Theory. Describe each theorist's explanation for spatial variations in economic development. 6) Explain how core countries achieved dominance in the global economy through industrial production of goods. 7) Describe the UN's Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals. Describe progress that has been made in development and identify NGO's as important in global development work. 8) Explain how complementarity and comparative advantage establish the basis for global trade. Describe the role of trading blocs such as the EU and NAFTA in a globalized economy. 9) Identify some newly industrialized countries (BRIC) and recently industrialized countries (Asian Dragons/Tigers). 10) Explain the process of deindustrialization and describe outsourcing, and economic restructuring of the global economy. 11) Describe the role of governments in promoting or hindering economic development. Identify manufacturing zones (free trade zones, Maquiladoras, special economic zones), and promotion of technopoles (such as Silicon Valley and the Research Triangle) as government initiatives. 12) Explain how sustainable development addresses issues such as natural resource depletion, pollution, climate change, human well-being and social and economic equity. Identify ecotourism as a sustainable development strategy. 13) Describe the role of women in the global economy. Identify microloans and fair trade as strategies that promote women's empowerment. Unit 7: UrbanServices Ch. 12 & Urban Patterns Ch.13
1) Explain how site and situation influence the origin, function and growth of cities? Discuss Central Place Theory in the context of explaining the distribution and size of cities. Explain the role cities play in providing for their hinterlands (market areas). 2) Describe what Borchert's Epochs of transportation teach us about the ways transportation & communication have facilitated urban growth in the US? When and how did the automobile affect urban morphology? 3) Describe the role "World Cities" play in driving globalization? Why are they considered at the top of the urban hierarchy? Can you define and identify some world cities? 4) Describe factors that are driving the growth of megacities in countries of the periphery and semi-periphery? Can you both define & identify some megacities? 5) Describe how the gravity model explains interactions among cities? 6) Describe and explain the classic models of internal city structure? (These are Concentric Zone (Burgess), Sector (Hoyt), and Multiple Nuclei (Harris-Ullman)? What do these models highlight as being important in terms of urban development within metro areas? 7) Explain how the Galactic City, (aka Peripheral) Model is useful for explaining urban development and internal city structure for a post-industrial city? 8) Describe how world-regional models such as Latin American, SE Asian and African city models are useful for explaining land use and urban development outside of the US? Compare/contrast with US models. 9) Compare/contrast the structure of US cities with European cities and explain reasons for differences? 10) Explain the role governments play in the success of cities? Describe ways they impact urban development and address the problems of urbanization? List the pros and cons of gentrification? 11) Describe how the built landscape and social space reflect the values and attitudes of a population? 12) Explain how infrastructure such as public transportation, airports, roads, communication systems and water and sewer systems impact economic development and connection within an urbanized area? 13) Describe the elements of sustainable urban design? Can you identify some smart-growth policies? How do concepts such as greenbelts, New Urbanism, and slow growth cities fit into concept of "smart growth." 14) Explain how the geographic fragmentation of governments in metro areas (cities, counties, townships, etc.) affects the ability of governments to tackle regional planning challenges? Describe some regional planning challenges. 15) Identify some sources of qualitative and quantitative data that urban planners can use when addressing urban issues? |