The AP® Human Geography course, designed to meet the needs of highly motivated students, is organized around the major themes of human interactions within a shared world that considers the questions, where and why. Where do people live and why or how do cultures influence human behavior? Students will study the elements of sociology, anthropology, religion, politics, economics, and psychology that help students understand how to make sense of others and themselves in a locality, region and the world. The course is offered at a college level class and will require rigorous work and effort. Students should expect to complete a variety of readings, writings, and practice exams as well as to participate in many discussions and activities. It is expected that students will take the Advanced Placement® Human Geography exam in May, as preparation for this exam is one of the major goals of the course.

The course will introduce students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth’s surface. Students will employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine human social organization and its environmental consequences. They will also learn about the methods and tools geographers use in their science and practice. The seven topics include Geography: Its Nature and Perspectives, Population, Cultural Patterns and Processes, Political Organization of Space, Agriculture and Rural Land Use, Industrialization and Economic Development and Cities and Urban Land Use. A significant outcome of the course is students’ awareness of the relevance of academic geography to everyday life and decision making. This combination of the academic and the applied gives students a sophisticated view of the world and an understanding of the manifold applications of what they have learned in the course.

Students enrolled in Advanced Placement® VHS courses are expected to take the AP® exam, and to report their AP® exam scores to VHS. By enrolling in an AP® VHS class, the student authorizes their school administration to report AP® exam scores to VHS. Exam results will not affect the student's VHS grade or future enrollment in VHS courses.

This AP® course has a required summer assignment. Students are expected to complete their summer assignment before the course begins and submit their work by the end of Week 1. Students who register on or after September 1st will receive an extension to complete the summer assignment by the end of Week 3. The summer assignment is intended to review crucial content associated with pre-requisite knowledge for the course, where applicable, as well as to allow students to better understand the rigor associated with the content.

In addition to providing a systematic study of human geography, the goals of this class are to develop:

• an understanding of the use of spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine human organization of space
  
• an understanding of spatial relationships at different scales ranging from the local to the global.
  
• an ability to interpret maps, data sets, and geographic models using atlases, graph, charts, tables, photographs, and the Internet.
  
• an ability to read critically.
  
• an ability to express the skills listed above in writing.
  

Technology requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader and Flash Microsoft Word or Windows Wordpad Windows Media Player External headset and microphone High speed internet connection.

This AP® course has a required summer assignment. Students are expected to complete their summer assignment before the course begins and submit their work by the end of Week 1. Students who register on or after September 1st will receive an extension to complete the summer assignment by the end of Week 3. The summer assignment is intended to review crucial content associated with pre-requisite knowledge for the course, where applicable, as well as to allow students to better understand the rigor associated with the content.