Jonah Patel
AP Human Geography is an introductory college-level course in human geography that investigates population trends, cultural landscapes, and spatial patterns. The course focuses on the tools and methods geographers use to study places, including spatial concepts and landscape analysis. Students explore patterns associated with human populations, the spread of language and religion, political organization, urbanization, industrialization, and agricultural development. While the course does not specifically cover the US Constitution, it provides valuable skills in analyzing data, drawing conclusions, and connecting concepts to real-life scenarios, which can be applied to understanding constitutional topics. The exam for this course consists of multiple-choice and free-response questions, assessing understanding of human geography and its applications.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Course level | Introductory college-level course |
| Target students | High school freshmen in the US |
| Course format | Data and geographic analyses |
| Curriculum | Population trends, cultural landscapes, spatial patterns, human populations, cultural practices, political organization, agriculture, urbanization, industrialization |
| Skills learned | Analyzing data, drawing conclusions, connecting concepts to real-life scenarios, interpreting maps and tables |
| Exam format | 60 multiple-choice questions, 3 free-response questions |
| Exam resources | AP Central website, practice tests |
| Exam weightage | Thinking Geographically (8-10%), Units 2-7 (12-17% each) |
| Passing score | 3 or higher out of 5 |
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What You'll Learn
Human populations and migration
AP Human Geography is an introductory college-level course that explores human geography through data and geographic analysis. The course focuses on patterns and spatial organisation, human impacts and interactions with their environment, and spatial processes and societal changes.
One of the key topics covered in the course is human populations and migration. Students will explore the patterns associated with human populations, including how and why language, religion, and other cultural practices spread over space and time. They will also learn about the origins and influences of urbanization and industrialization, which are important factors in understanding human migration.
In addition to studying the historical spread of cultural practices, students will also investigate current population trends and explore diverse cultural landscapes. This includes examining the diverse interactions that people have with their environment, from bustling cities to rural areas. By understanding these interactions, students can gain insights into the factors that drive human migration.
The course also encourages students to develop their analytical skills by understanding information presented in maps, tables, charts, graphs, infographics, and images. These skills can be applied to studying human migration patterns and understanding the spatial relationships involved in population movements. By connecting geographic concepts and processes to real-life scenarios, students can make informed interpretations of data and draw conclusions about human population and migration trends.
Overall, the AP Human Geography course provides a comprehensive framework for understanding human populations and migration. By cultivating their knowledge of population trends, cultural landscapes, and spatial processes, students can develop a deeper understanding of the complex dynamics that shape human migration patterns and their impact on societies and environments worldwide.
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Agriculture and urbanisation
AP Human Geography is an introductory college-level course that explores human geography through data and geographic analyses. The course covers topics such as patterns and spatial organization, human impacts and interactions with their environment, and spatial processes and societal changes. One of the key topics within AP Human Geography is urbanization and its relationship with agriculture.
The development of agriculture has played a crucial role in the formation and growth of cities. Settled agriculture allowed humans to sustain larger populations, leading to the emergence of bigger villages and eventually cities. The earliest known city, Çatalhöyük, established in 7100 BCE in modern-day Turkey, was home to around 5,000 to 7,000 people. Other ancient cities include Uruk in ancient Sumer (modern-day Iraq) with a population of 40,000, Memphis, the ancient capital of Lower Egypt, with 30,000 residents, and Yin, China, with a population between 50,000 and 150,000.
Agriculture and the production of food surpluses played a key role in the development of cities. As farmers produced more food than they needed, it allowed for the emergence of non-farming roles and specializations. People could now take on jobs unrelated to agriculture, including those in politics and other service industries. This division of labor and economic development facilitated the growth of cities.
The location of cities was also influenced by agricultural practices and the need for efficient transportation of perishable goods. According to the Von Thunen model, land closest to urban centers is typically used for dairy and intensive agriculture as these products spoil quickly and need to be transported to markets rapidly. Similarly, livestock and grazing are often located near urban areas as meat products are perishable, especially in the absence of proper refrigeration. Cereal grains are also commonly produced near cities as their market price tends to fluctuate, and proximity to the marketplace ensures farmers get the best price for their crops.
Urbanization, driven by economic growth and industrialization, has had a significant impact on agriculture and food production. The increasing demand for food from growing urban populations has led to changes in agricultural practices to meet these demands. However, this has also raised concerns about the sustainability of these practices, the need to reduce rural and urban poverty, and build resilience in agriculture and urban development to climate change.
In conclusion, the relationship between agriculture and urbanization is complex and interdependent. Agriculture played a crucial role in the formation and growth of cities, while urbanization has influenced the practices and demands of agriculture. Understanding this dynamic interplay between agriculture and urbanization is a key aspect of AP Human Geography, providing insights into the patterns and processes that shape our world.
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Industrialisation and economic development
AP Human Geography is an introductory college-level course that explores human geography through data and geographic analyses. One of the topics covered in the course is industrialisation and its role in economic development.
Industrialisation is the process by which economic activities shifted from producing basic, primary goods to using factories for mass-producing goods for consumption. This process has always been a major theme in economic geography, with the Industrial Revolution in the 1700s marking the beginning of social changes such as the rise of wage labour and large-scale urbanisation. Primary or traditional industrial regions were, for almost 200 years, largely limited to northern Europe, East Asia, and North America, with Britain, France, the US, Russia, Germany, and Japan leading the way.
Economic development is studied by economic geographers, who aim to understand why the world is divided into relatively rich and poor countries. One of the latest development strategies, sustainable development, aims to improve people's lives without depleting resources for future generations. This approach often succeeds on a small geographic scale. Natural resources are either renewable or non-renewable, and the burning of fossil fuels and extraction of natural resources can have negative environmental consequences.
The location of industries is influenced by several factors, including the cost of land, labour, and capital. Labour-intensive industries, for example, need to be located close to workers, while primary industries develop around the location of natural resources. As transportation improves, secondary industries emerge, which are less dependent on resource locations. The five main means of industrial transportation are trucks, trains, airplanes, pipelines, and ships.
Various models of economic development exist, such as Rostow's Stages of Economic Growth and Wallerstein's World Systems Theory, which help explain the spatial and functional relationships within the world economy. The Core-Periphery Model, for instance, describes economic spatial patterns, with the "core" representing rich societies, and the "periphery" representing less-developed countries with low standards of living and lacking infrastructure.
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Political systems and institutions
One key aspect is the understanding of political geography, which focuses on the spatial dimensions of political phenomena. This includes the study of borders and boundaries, often defined as the lines dividing distinct political, social, or legal territories. The impact of international boundaries on spatial interaction is a core concern, influencing migration, trade, and state sovereignty. For instance, the rise of human smugglers along the US-Mexico border illustrates how rigid boundaries can generate new ways of life and challenge governance systems.
The formation and evolution of states are also crucial. Theories suggest that state formation is a gradual process of rationalization and bureaucratization, influenced by historical events like the invention of writing and the emergence of feudalism in Medieval Europe. The Greeks were pioneers in formulating a political philosophy of the state, and the concept of a nation-state, where a single nation wields power, gained prominence in modern times.
Additionally, the politics of scale plays a significant role in political systems. It involves the strategic choice of geographical and social scales at which groups pursue their agendas. For example, the movement for same-sex marriage in the United States initially targeted the state scale, leveraging the federalist system to gain recognition in more liberal states. This demonstrates how political actors navigate centralized and federalist systems to advance their interests.
Lastly, international relations and globalization are integral to understanding political systems. The end of the Cold War, for instance, coincided with the rise of new organizations fostering cooperation among nations. Constructivism, a theoretical lens in international relations, emphasizes the role of culture, social structures, and institutions in shaping global politics. Political geography, therefore, encompasses a diverse range of topics, providing insights into the complex interplay between geography and political power.
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Tools and methods of geographers
AP Human Geography is an introductory college-level course that explores human geography through data and geographic analyses. The course covers the tools and methods used by geographers to study places and understand the world.
One of the fundamental tools used in geography is mapping, which is a way to visually "write the world" and represent geographical information. The creation of maps is known as cartography, and these maps can be in various formats, such as GIS maps, reference maps, and political maps. GIS maps, or Geographic Information System maps, support geovisualization, allowing geographers to create visuals for geographic analysis using maps, graphs, and multimedia. GIS maps also utilize computer programs to represent geographical processes and data through color, tint, shading, and symbols. Reference maps, on the other hand, focus on the location of places and illustrate the boundaries, names, and identifiers of regions. Political maps are a type of reference map that shows the boundaries between governmental units.
Geospatial technologies, including GPS, play a significant role in collecting and analyzing vast amounts of data, leading to improved spatial decision-making. Satellites, for example, can capture images of the Earth's surface at regular intervals, enabling geographers to track changes over time.
Beyond mapping and geospatial technologies, geographers employ additional tools and methods for data collection and analysis. They may conduct interviews, surveys, and textual analysis of historical documents and environmental impact statements. The data collected can be quantitative, involving numerical measurements such as population sizes, or qualitative, involving descriptive interpretations based on people's opinions and experiences. Geographers then analyze this data by seeking patterns, relationships, and connections, utilizing spatial perspectives to understand the interplay between humans and their environment.
By utilizing these tools and methods, geographers in AP Human Geography can explore topics such as population and migration patterns, cultural practices, urbanization, and the political organization of the world, gaining insights into the patterns and processes that shape human understanding and use of Earth's surface.
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Frequently asked questions
Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography is an introductory college-level social studies course in human geography. The course introduces students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth's surface.
Students learn about the tools and methods geographers use in their study of places, patterns associated with human populations, and the political organisation of the world. They also learn about the origins and influences of urbanisation and industrialization.
No, AP Human Geography is not a US Constitution class. While it is a social studies course, it focuses on human geography, including topics such as patterns of human population, migration, and land use. However, AP United States Government and Politics is a course that covers the US Constitution.
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