Malcolm Rivera
AP Human Geography is an introductory college-level course in human geography. It is not a US Constitution class. 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 and explore topics like patterns and spatial organization, human impacts and interactions with their environment, and spatial processes and societal changes. The course is designed to help students build college-level skills in high school and show college admissions counselors that they take their academics seriously.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Course type | Introductory college-level human geography course |
| Target students | High school freshmen in the US |
| Course content | Human populations, cultural patterns, political organization, urbanization, industrialization, agriculture, tools and methods used by geographers, etc. |
| Curriculum | Informational book-related homework, teaching about diffusion, human traits, religion, and population clusters |
| Exam format | 60 multiple-choice questions and 3 free-response questions |
| Exam administration | Administered by the College Board |
| Exam resources | Practice tests available on the College Board's AP Central website |
| Exam weightage | Units 2-7: 12-17%; Unit 1: 8-10% |
| Passing score | Most colleges require a minimum score of 3 or 4 |
| Benefits | Opportunity to gain college credit, demonstrate academic rigor, and develop college-level skills |
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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 analyses. The course covers topics such as patterns and spatial organization, human impacts and interactions with their environment, and societal changes. One of the key focuses of the course is on human populations and migration.
The concept of a demographic transition model (DTM) is introduced, which suggests that nations go through four distinct stages of demographic change. In the first two stages, countries have a large youth population and a smaller elderly population. As they progress through the stages, the youth population decreases, and the elderly population grows. This has implications for the dependency ratio, which is the number of people dependent on the workforce due to age.
Additionally, students learn about population pyramids, which are visual tools used by geographers, demographers, and social scientists to understand a region's demographic structure regarding gender. The shape of the graph provides insights into the region's population growth or decline. For instance, a bell-shaped graph suggests high population growth in the past but a slow decrease in the present.
The course also covers migration patterns and their impact on population distribution. Students explore different types of migration, including interregional migration, transnational migration, forced migration, and step migration. They examine historical examples, such as the migration of the Pilgrims to America in the 17th century due to religious persecution, and the Indian Removal Act, which forced the displacement of Native Americans.
Furthermore, AP Human Geography students delve into theories of migration, such as Ernst Ravenstein's "Laws of Migration," which highlights the inverse relationship between migration distance and volume. They also discuss the potential ramifications of a growing global population and the concerns of ecologists about the Earth's carrying capacity.
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Agriculture and industrialisation
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 the environment, and societal changes. One of the key topics within the course is agriculture and its industrialization.
Agriculture is the methodical cultivation of plants and/or animals for human sustenance. The history of agriculture is divided into three agricultural revolutions. The First Agricultural Revolution marked the transition from hunting and gathering to planting and sustaining. The Second Agricultural Revolution, coinciding with the Industrial Revolution, employed mechanization and improved transportation to increase farm productivity. This revolution also saw the loss of the family farm due to the rise of feedlots and mega-farms, which produced large quantities of agricultural goods. The Third Agricultural Revolution, also known as the Green Revolution, witnessed the widespread use of hybridization, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers, leading to exponential population growth.
Industrialization in agriculture refers to the replacement of labor-intensive work with technology-intensive practices. This shift began during the Second Agricultural Revolution, where increased technology and mechanization were utilized to enhance farm productivity. Modern agriculture continues to become more industrialized and specialized, with the integration of biotechnology and genetic engineering to increase productivity.
The industrialization of agriculture has had significant impacts on farming practices and rural communities. Agribusiness, or large-scale commercial agriculture, has led to the mass production of agricultural goods. This has resulted in competition with traditional family farms, prompting them to adopt sustainable practices, organic agriculture, and local food movements to stay competitive. Additionally, industrialization has influenced settlement patterns, with many areas in the United States being shaped by their agricultural potential.
In conclusion, the industrialization of agriculture has transformed farming practices, leading to increased productivity and specialization. While it has brought about advancements, it has also resulted in the decline of family farms and reshaped rural communities. Understanding the industrialization of agriculture is crucial within the context of AP Human Geography as it explores the interplay between ecology, culture, economics, and society, and how these factors influence agricultural production, environmental sustainability, and the well-being of farming communities.
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Urbanisation and globalisation
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 the environment, and societal changes. One of the key focuses of the course is urbanization and its role in globalization.
Urbanization refers to the process of population and economic growth in urban areas, leading to the expansion of cities and the development of new urban areas. This process has been occurring worldwide, with urban land ranging from 0.2% to 2.4% of the Earth's land surface. However, it is important to note that urban land is not equally distributed globally due to geographic, climatic, and resource-related factors. For example, urban expansion has been more prominent along coastlines and low-lying coastal zones.
The impacts of urbanization are diverse and far-reaching. One notable impact is the development of new urban policies and governance approaches to accommodate the different trajectories of urbanization and the various types of cities. These approaches must consider spatial, temporal, and institutional scales and aim to empower stakeholders and enhance public participation. Additionally, there is a growing emphasis on promoting specific urban design movements, such as New Urbanism, which advocates for a mix of housing types, green spaces, pedestrian-friendly streets, and efficient public transportation.
Globalization, facilitated by urbanization, has led to the spread of cultural practices, including language and religion, across space and time. It has also influenced the political organization of the world and the economic development driven by industrialization. Examining cities' roles in globalization is a crucial aspect of understanding the complex interplay between urbanization and globalization.
The interaction between urbanization and globalization is a dynamic process that shapes human geography. By studying these concepts, students can gain insights into the patterns and impacts of human settlements on a global scale, preparing them for advanced geography coursework and active global citizenship.
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Political systems and institutions
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. While it does not specifically focus on the US Constitution, the course does provide an overview of the political organization of the world and explores the political systems and institutions that shape human geography.
Political geography, a subfield of human geography, examines the spatial aspects of political systems and institutions. It focuses on the ways in which political power is distributed and exercised across space, including the impact of borders and boundaries on human settlements. Political geography also encompasses the study of state formation and the evolution of political institutions over time. For example, the Greeks were the first known civilization to explicitly formulate a political philosophy of the state, and the Medieval state was organized by Estates or parliaments that negotiated with the king on legal and economic matters. Feudalism furthered the rationalization and formalization of the state, and since then, states have continued to become more rational and bureaucratic, with expanding executive bureaucracies.
The politics of scale is another important concept in political geography, referring to the strategic choices of geographical and social scale at which groups pursue their agendas or interests. For instance, the movement for same-sex marriage in the United States initially targeted the state scale, taking advantage of state-level policymaking to gain victories in more liberal states. The creation and use of different scales, such as the "global" scale, are also influenced by human activities and agendas.
Additionally, international relations play a significant role in shaping political systems and institutions. The end of the Cold War, for instance, coincided with the rise of organizations that facilitate cooperation among world nations, such as those focused on resource allocation and environmental protection. Constructivism is a theory that argues that culture, social structures, and institutional frameworks are key factors in international relations, shaping the foreign policies of nations.
Overall, the study of political systems and institutions in AP Human Geography provides insights into the complex interactions between politics and geography, including the impact of borders, the evolution of states, the politics of scale, and the influence of international relations.
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Tools and methods of geographers
AP Human Geography is an introductory college-level course that provides students with an understanding of human geography through data and geographic analysis. The course explores topics like patterns and spatial organization, human impacts and interactions with their environment, and spatial processes and societal changes.
Geographers use a variety of tools and methods to study places and answer the questions "What is where, why there, and why care?". Mapping is one of the key methods used by geographers to represent the world. The art and science of creating maps are known as cartography. Maps can be created at local, regional, and international scales, and they can be used to depict various types of information. Different types of projections are used for different purposes, such as the Mercator and Gall-Peters projections for navigation and the Azimuthal projection for maps of the polar regions.
Geospatial technologies, such as GIS maps, are also used to collect and analyze large amounts of data, leading to a revolution in spatial decision-making. GIS maps support geovisualization, which involves creating visuals for geographic analysis using maps, graphs, and multimedia. Remote sensing is another method used to collect data without making physical contact, such as through satellite images.
In addition to mapping and geospatial technologies, geographers also employ qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. Qualitative data is descriptive and often based on people's opinions, while quantitative data is objective and numerical. Interviews, surveys, and text analysis are examples of qualitative data collection methods, while population data is an example of quantitative data. Geographers analyze data at various scales, from global to local, and seek patterns, relationships, and connections to gain useful geographic knowledge.
Overall, the tools and methods used by geographers in AP Human Geography enable students to cultivate their understanding of human geography and apply it to real-world contexts.
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Frequently asked questions
Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography is an introductory college-level human geography course for high school students, usually freshmen in the US, that culminates in an exam.
Students learn about the tools and methods geographers use in their study of places, patterns associated with human populations, the spread of language, religion, and other cultural practices over space and time, the political organization of the world, the origins and influences of urbanization and industrialization, and more.
The exam consists of two sections. The first section has 60 multiple-choice questions, and the second section has 3 free-response questions, with one, one, and two stimuli, respectively. The sections are 60 and 75 minutes long, respectively.
The course is organized into seven commonly taught units of study, with the flexibility to organize the content as needed. The units cover topics such as Thinking Geographically, patterns and spatial organization, human impacts and interactions with the environment, and spatial processes and societal changes.
AP US Government and Politics focuses on the political system and culture of the United States, including the study of the US Constitution and other documents. AP Human Geography, on the other hand, focuses on human geography and spatial concepts, exploring how humans have used and changed the Earth's surface.
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