Effective: 2023-05-01

Course Description

The course outline below was developed as part of a statewide standardization process.

General Course Purpose

This course applies geographical concepts to analyze events and issues in contemporary or historical contexts. It is designed to enhance the knowledge and understanding of various themes in each major region of the world with a focus on the geographical context of events. It also demonstrates the increasing role globalization plays in forming interconnections between places and regions.

Course Objectives

• Written Communication
• Effectively communicate spatial observations in the realm of geography through written and/or oral communication
• Critical Thinking
• Locate, evaluate, interpret and combine credible sources of information to describe and explain current world events within a geographic context.
• Scientific Literacy
• Use geographic tools, including maps, charts, images and technologies to process and analyze spatial data.
• Interpret data using maps, charts or geospatial images to solve geographical issues in a global setting.
• Professional Readiness
• Recognize problems and propose solutions that are appropriate for a given context
• Display situationally and culturally appropriate behavior
• Civic Engagement
• Apply geographic concepts to understanding current events, conflicts and issues in a regional context.
• Identify concepts of civic engagement and reflect on one?s role at different scales of community
• Quantitative Literacy
• Interpret quantitative information
• Apply and analyze relevant numerical data
• Use data to support conclusions

Major Topics to be Included

• Geography Concepts and Skills
• Some learning outcomes that could satisfy this topic include:
• Apply geographic concepts (such as region, networks, place, space, cultural landscape, etc.) to real world situations and current events in order to demonstrate the relevance of spatial reasoning
• Identify the different components of globalization and the impacts globalization has on the changing world
• Use geographic tools and data sources to profile a place or region
• Physical and Environmental
• Some learning outcomes that could satisfy this topic include:
• Describe regional plate tectonics and hazards
• Describe the world's major climate regions
• Discuss impacts of climate change in regions of the world
• Describe the global distribution of energy resources
• Describe important physiographic regions and major physical features using standard physical maps.
• Identify critical areas and the causes of global water stress, and discuss current and potential solutions
• Population and Settlement
• Some learning outcomes that could satisfy this topic include:
• Explain how demographic concepts and data are use to document changes in global population (distribution, density, fertility, mortality, life expectancy, demographic transition model, population pyramids)
• Discuss the reasons for migration (push and pull factors, voluntary and forced) and the impacts the movement of people have around the world (displaced persons, refugees, diaspora)
• Differentiate between rural and urban settlement trends as they apply to various world regions
• Culture Elements and Society
• Some learning outcomes that could satisfy this topic include:
• Define culture, cultural hybridization and cultural imperialism
• Explain how colonialism impacted indigenous, religious, and linguistic landscapes
• Identify current trends in popular culture
• Geopolitics
• Some learning outcomes that could satisfy this topic include:
• Consider the political organization of space (such as shapes, territoriality, sovereignty, federalism) to better explain the geopolitical context of current events.
• Define and apply concepts of nation, state, nationalism, and citizenship.
• Discuss territorial outcomes as effects of colonialism (such as the scramble for Africa, Opium Wars, Monroe Doctrine, Partition, Aboriginal Land Claims, etc.)
• Discuss how global security positions have shifted in response to conflict, insurgency, and terrorism.
• Examine important alliances and agreements between different countries as they form new relationships.
• Analyze Geopolitical theories (such as Heartland theory, Brandt Line, Rimland theory, world systems theory, etc) as they relate to political organization and reorganization of space.
• Economic and Social Development
• Some learning outcomes that could satisfy this topic include:
• Identify the concepts and data important to documenting changes in the economic and social development of more and less developed countries.
• Compare models of economic development (world systems theory, dependency theory)
• Use economic and human welfare indicators to evaluate levels of regional development (such as imports, exports, economic sectors contribution to GDP)
• Identify critical areas and causes of Poverty
• Explain inequities as they relate to gender, income, race, sexual orientation and others.