Introduction to AP Human Geography

Objectives: To know what geography is and how to distinguish between human and physical geography To know what the Five Themes of Geography are and to be able to identify them when analyzing geographical issues To understand how and why geographers use scale and connectedness to understand the world around them. To understand what geographical enquiry is and how geographers use questioning

What is Human Geography? Human Geography is the study of: how people make places and develop places how we organize space and society how we interact with each other in places and across space and how we make sense of others and ourselves in our locality, region, and world. Q: how is this different to physical geography? Are they connected?

Geographers like asking questions… Why do people migrate? When will india’s population exceed china’s? Where are cities located and why? Who will be living in the downtown eastside in 50 years? What role does religion play in political conflicts? How do places affect peoples identity? You are now a geographer! What kinds of questions would you ask about people and places?

Geographic inquiry focuses on the spatial: the spatial arrangement of places and phenomena (human and physical). how are things organized on Earth? how do they appear on the landscape? why? where? so what?

in London’s Soho District Spatial distribution What processes create and sustain the pattern of a distribution? Map of Cholera Victims in London’s Soho District in 1854. The patterns of victim’s homes and water pump locations helped uncover the source of the disease. What other spatial distribution patterns might we be interested in?

Five Themes of Geography The Five Themes of Geography act as a foundation for our study of people and the world we live in… 1. Location 2. Place 3. Human-Environment Interaction 4. Movement 5. Region

1. Location How the geographical position of people and things affects what happens and why Location Theory questions/predicts trends

2. Place A place is defined by it’s unique physical & human/cultural characteristics. Allows places to develop a special/unique character People attach emotion to these places to create a Sense of Place Perception of place: belief or understanding of what a place is like, often based on books, movies, stories, or pictures.

3. human-environment interaction Builds on spatial perspective to understand how humans interact with their environment Recognize three key concepts: Humans depend on the environment. Humans adapt to the environment. Humans modify the environment. Why are geographers concerned with this behaviour?

4. movement the mobility of people, goods and ideas across the earth’s surface Movement is an expression of the interconnectedness of places or Spatial Interaction. This depends on: Distance Accessibility Connectivity

5. Region Formal region: defined by a commonality, typically a cultural linkage or a physical characteristic. e.g. German speaking region of Europe Functional region: defined by a set of social, political, or economic activities or the interactions that occur within it. e.g. an urban area Perceptual Region: ideas in our minds, based on accumulated knowledge of places and regions, that define an area of “sameness” or “connectedness.” e.g. the South the Mid-Atlantic the Middle East

Applying the five Themes Watch the video clip of flooding in North Korea: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0Yx7aC9cmQ How do the Five Themes relate to this story? What questions could you ask to learn more? Can you think of other issues in the news that we could apply this model to? Are there any limitations of using the Five Themes model when trying to understand an issue?

What’s missing? The Cultural Landscape… the visible human imprint on the landscape Layers of imprints from years of human activity Changes in technology and cultural traditions Occupiers use what they find and add to it This is known as Sequent Occupance Can you think of a place that has imprints from different types of human activity?

Why are Geographers Concerned with Scale and Connectedness? Scale is the territorial extent of something. The observations we make and the context we see vary across scales, such as: - local - regional - national - global

Scale is a powerful concept because: Processes operating at different scales influence one another. What is occurring across scales provides context for us to understand a phenomenon. People can use scale politically to change who is involved or how an issue is perceived. Can you think of any examples of issues in the news where understanding scale is relevant?

Activity In small groups of 2-3, study the resources for your given topic. As a group, create a poster that highlights the following: What is your issue about? (What, where, when, why, how) Can you apply the Five Themes to your issue? Can your issue be viewed at different scales? What geographical enquiry questions could you ask to learn more about your topic?

Groups – articles http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british- columbia/vancouver-looks-to-laneways-to-increase- downtown-density/article15514652/ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british- columbia/mines-await-mount-polley- assessments/article20129842/ http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29001596 http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2014/08/things-about-burger- king-buying-tim-hortons/ http://metronews.ca/news/vancouver/1111192/gaybourhoods- are-losing-their-cultural-identity-ubc-researcher/

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