AP Geography -- Proposed Course Outline
Textbook -- An Introduction to Geography: People, Places & Environment (1995), Renwick & Rubenstein, Prentice Hall
The following outline is designed for an 18 week semester using an 80 minute class block schedule.
Week Chapter Topics
1. Course Introduction Course topics
Course expectations
Reading requirements
Skills checks
2. World Regional Overview (Prerequisites) Themes of geography
Geographic skills
Pre-test
3. Basic Concepts Ch. 1 Maps
Scale
Vocabulary
Geographic data
4. Physical Geography Ch. 2, 3 Solar energy
Circulation patterns
Climate patterns
Past & future climate changes
5. Physical Geography Ch. 4, 5 Plate tectonics
Landforms
Biospheres & hydrospheres
Soil and biomes
6. Natural Resources Ch. 6 Energy resources
Mineral resources
Food resources
Forest resources
7. Population Ch. 7 Using population data
Population trends and projections
Population policies
Demographic transition models
8. Languages & Religions Ch. 8 Language origins
Language spread and change
Distribution of languages
Classification and distribution of religions Religious impact on the land
Religious conflicts
9. Social Customs & Diversity Ch. 8 Innovation
Diffusion
Acculturation
Cultural diversity
10. Political Geography Ch. 9 Political systems
Boundaries
Geographic characteristics of states
Political cohesiveness
11. Development Ch. 10 Indicators of development
Regional development
Promoting development
12. Agriculture Ch. 11 Development and diffusion of agriculture
Subsistence and commercial farming
Intensive and extensive agriculture
Agricultural models
13. World Supply of Food Ch. 11 Problems for subsistence farmers
Problems for commercial farmers
Increasing the world supply of food
14. Industry Ch. 12 Origination and diffusion of industry
Locational considerations
Manufacturing regions of the world
Models of industrialization
15. Settlements Ch. 13 Why are settlements established
Rural vs. urban
Growth of settlements
Central place theory
16. Suburbs Ch. 13 Urban land use and planning
Systems of urban settlements
Causes and consequences of suburbanization
World urban diversity
Inside the modern city
17. Research Projects
18. Course Review All previous material