Unit 3
Cultural Patterns and Processes
This is an important concept in geography because it symbolizes how humans interact with their surroundings. Distinguished by a set of cultural traits like language, beliefs, customs, norms of behavior, social institutions, way of life, artifacts, etc. The geography of culture is rich with opportunities for students to explore the world on many different scales, from local to global.
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Unit 6
Industrialization and Economic Development
This unit focuses on models of economic development like Rostow’s stages of economic growth and Wallerstein’s World Systems Theory to help to explain why the world is described as being divided into a well-developed core and a less-developed periphery. Students also study the impact of deindustrialization, the disaggregation of production, and the rise of consumption and leisure activities.
Unit 1
Geography: Its Nature and Perspectives
The concepts of location, space, place, scale, pattern, regionalization, and globalization are fundamental to the study of geography, and this section of the course is compulsory. Subsequent sections will provide many opportunities to apply these tools and concepts, thus reinforcing students’ understanding of them. Students learn how to use and interpret maps and to understand the role of mental mapping.
Unit 4
Political Organization of Space
This part of the course focuses on political such as the differences between a nation, a state, and a nation-state, as well as issues beyond the state: regional alliances like the EU and NAFTA, international cooperation, and local issues related to electoral districts, municipal boundaries, and ethnic territories.
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Unit 7
Cities and Urban Land Use
Are you a city person? Whether you like it or not, you are probably like more than half of the population of the United States and live either in a city or close enough to quickly travel to one. Cities are growing much faster than rural areas, and it is important for students to learn about the dynamics of urban geography. In this unit students will learn the several classic models used to understand and explain the internal structures of cities and urban areas.
Unit 2
Population
The population section allows students to revisit previous lessons about slavery, migration, or environmental hazards, for example, but this time from a geographical perspective. The interconnections between population and other geographic topics enhance students’ understanding of today’s world.
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Unit 5
Agricultural and Rural Land Use
Topics in this unit explore four basic themes: (1) the origin and diffusion of agriculture, (2) its characteristics in different parts of the world, (3) rural land use and settlement patterns associated with major agricultural systems, and (4) characteristics of modern agribusiness. All of these themes emphasize concepts and models that help explain diffusion, agricultural location (the von Thünen model), and culture