This paper introduces a new teaching method, poetry, into the geography classroom, accompanied by an out-of-class discussion on a blog, and finds that its effects are rather different from those of traditional teaching methods, as it allows new perspectives on instructional content related to migrant workers' lives and identities in China. The…

''Agriculture, Food, and Rural Land Use" constitutes a major part of the AP Human Geography course outline. This article explores challenging topics to teach, emerging research trends in agricultural geography, and sample teaching approaches for concretizing abstract topics. It addresses content identified as "essential knowledge"…

The study of world population integrates so many themes and disciplines in the social studies because it encompasses all of human history--the rise of agriculture and civilizations, scientific progress, territorial conflicts, changing gender roles and more. It is also at the heart of human geography and how people came to dominate and alter the…

Teaching economic geography is not a matter of replicating textbook models. It requires engagement with the ever-changing global economy, which often puts the lie to existing theory. It demands that the teacher break down the economy into its major parts, in a way that students can grasp. This does not mean abandoning theory; on the contrary, it…

Discusses the four sections of the Advanced Placement (AP) human geography course focusing on agriculture: (1) development and diffusion of agriculture; (2) major agricultural production regions; (3) rural land use and change; and (4) impacts of modern agricultural change. Includes references and a resource list. (CMK)

Focuses on the industrialization and economic development section of the Advanced Placement (AP) human geography course, addressing four specific aspects: (1) the character of industrialization; (2) spatial aspects of the rise of industrial economies; (3) contemporary global patterns of industrialization and resource extraction; and (4) impacts of…

Describes the development of an introductory undergraduate geography course that applies human and physical geography to an environmental problem. Discusses reasons for the course and its content and structure. Identifies the focus on a single environmental problem, emphasis on both physical and social processes, and course design as the program's…

Argues that fieldwork develops student understanding of various concerns in social and cultural geography. Recommends using a new approach that focuses on the role of fieldwork in the research process and illustrates this approach by describing an account of a residential field class to Los Angeles (California) and Las Vegas (Nevada). (CMK)

Introduces this special issue of "Journal of Geography" focusing on the teaching of Advanced Placement (AP) human geography. States that essays were developed by members of the AP Human Geography Development Committee focusing on areas in the human geography course outline which are included in the appendix. (CMK)

Explores the concept of culture focusing on how to demonstrate the complexity of cultural patterns and processes in the Advanced Placement human geography course. Describes key concepts and approaches such as cultural differences, environmental impact of cultural attitudes, cultural landscapes, and cultural identity. (CMK)

Explores the political geography aspect of the Advanced Placement (AP) human geography course that provides students with an understanding of the nature and significance of political organization of territory. Focuses on issues such as the nature and significance of political boundaries and the evolution of the contemporary political pattern. (CMK)

Discusses the cities and urban land use section of the Advanced Placement (AP) human geography course, focusing on the: (1) definitions of urbanism; (2) origin and evolution of cities; (3) functional character of contemporary cities; (4) built environment and social space; and (5) responses to urban growth. (CMK)

Illustrates a model for integrating urban fieldwork into a human geography class project. Reports on a project in which students explored the interaction between Atlanta (Georgia) and its five target suburbs, and their interactions among each other. (CMK)

Describes what is meant by border pedagogy stating that it focuses on the politics of difference, a central part of human geographical research. Discusses how this pedagogy and an alternative classroom culture were used when teaching a multicultural historical geography course, "Histories and Cultures of the Transatlantic." (CMK)

Discusses the challenges facing teachers with the introduction of the Advanced Placement (AP) human geography course and offers solutions for each of the challenges. Highlights issues such as: offering this course when it does not fit the prescribed curriculum, how to encourage students to enroll, and finding textbooks. (CMK)