TOPICS, GEOGRAPHY 201This is a brief description of the topics which will be discussed in Human Geography. You may wish to usethis to structure your study for exams. Are you familiar with each concept/generalization?Unit 1: What is Geography?Definitions of geography as two perspectives (spatial and ecological), five themes (location, place, human-environment interaction, movement, regions), five amplifiers (pattern, perspective, scale, change, systems),and eighteen national standards. Developing a sense of where. Issues of scale: understanding the world fromthe local scale to the global. Developing a fluency in considering issues and problems at a variety of scales,local to global, core to periphery.Unit 2: Cultural GeographyDefinitions of culture: mentifacts, sociofacts, artifacts; institutions, beliefs, technology, language. Collectivistvs. individualist cultures: distribution, characteristics. Using these definitions of culture to explain worldculture patterns, including variations in gender roles. Culture change: independent invention and diffusion.Diffusion of culture traits. Acculturation, assimilation, syncretism. Cultural convergence and interdependencewith improved global communication and transportation networks. Culture regions: local to global scale.Unit 3: Cultural Geography: LanguageTaxonomy of languages. Distribution of languages worldwide. Language as a clue to cultural diffusion andinterchange: Africa. Toponyms. Language as a clue to culture: structure, vocabulary, social status, genderdifferences. Multilingualism in the United States and other nations. Causes of multilingualism. Lingua francaand pidgin. Language, territoriality, and identity.Unit 4: Cultural Geography: ReligionTypes of religions: universal, ethnic, animist. Distribution, origin, and diffusion of specific religions. Effects ofreligion on patterns of life (daily schedule, food preferences, role of women, importance of education, workethic and business practices, political conflicts, etc.) Cultural landscapes produced by specific religions,including burial practices, attitudes toward the environment, calendar.Unit 5: Political GeographyEvolution of the modern state. Nation vs. state vs. nation state. Centripetal and centrifugal forces in modernnations: the rise of nationalism vs. regionalism. Political systems at a variety of scales: local to global.Characteristics of states: shape, size, location of capital, core vs. periphery. Types of boundaries andboundary disputes. Analysis of current world crises using above concepts.Unit 6: Economic GeographyThe world system(s) of making a living: subsistence, market, planned. World distribution of economicsystems. Agriculture: variations among systems in different world regions. Von Thunen theory of agriculturallocation. Location of economic activities in each system. World economic systems: specialization,comparative advantage, interdependence, trade, movement of capital to peripheral regions. Characteristicsof developed and developing world. The "rich" north vs. the “poor" south. Sustainability.Unit 7: Population GeographyBasic concepts of population: distribution, density, growth rate, interpreting population pyramids. Historicalpatterns in population growth: the J curve and the S curve. Demographic transition: will it predict futurepatterns of population growth? Factors which affect population growth in the developing world: the Cycle ofDoom. Gender roles and world population growth.Unit 8: MigrationMigration as an enduring theme of human history: migrations in ancient times, the historical past, and thepresent. Migration at a variety of scales: local, regional, and international. Types of migrations. Patterns ofmigration: step migration, chain migration, channeled migration. Role of distance decay and information flowin migration patterns. Barriers to migration; inducements to migration. How is the decision to migrate made?Push and pull factors, voluntary and involuntary migration. Rules of migration: who, what, when, and why.Unit 9: Urban GeographyWhat is a city?: functions and purposes. Land value and urban growth in the United States. Systems of citiesand central place theory: threshold and range. World patterns in urban growth: links between economicdevelopment and urbanization. World urban morphology: diversity in the United States, Europe, SouthAmerica, Africa, and Asia. The primate city vs. rank size rule. Social areas in North American cities.Unit 10: Human Impact on the EnvironmentInteraction of human systems and physical systems. Ways humans adapt to, modify, and use theenvironment. Issues of pollution, resource use and management in the developed and developing world.Perceptions of natural hazards at a variety of scales. Cultural reactions to hazards: planning for disaster inJapan vs. So. California. Variations in world patterns of technology and consequent effects on environment.Global solutions to global problems: climate change, ozone depletion, land