AP Human Geography - Unit 3 Review Notes

Warm Up and Agenda

  • Warm up sessions held on April 26 & April 29, focusing on Unit 3.
  • Key Objective: Students will be able to recall key ideas and vocabulary essential to Unit 3.
  • Activities included a completion of Unit 3 review graphic organizer and participation in Kahoot quiz related to Unit 2.

Overview of Culture

  • Definition of Culture:

    • Set of beliefs, values, practices, behaviors, and technologies shared within a society.
    • Transmitted across generations.

  • Cultural Traits Include:

    • Architecture
    • Food
    • Land Use

Types of Culture

  • Pop Culture Examples include:

    • Media: Star Wars, Avengers, Nike, Coca-Cola, Netflix, YouTube,
    • Gaming: Fortnite, Xbox, Nintendo
    • Fast Food: McDonald's

  • Traditional Culture:

    • Reflects the heritage and practices of a society over generations.

Understanding Different Cultures

  • Ethnocentrism vs Cultural Relativism:
    • Ethnocentrism: Viewing other cultures through one’s own cultural lens.
    • Cultural Relativism: Understanding and interpreting a culture in its own context.

Cultural Landscapes

  • Definition:

    • Cultural landscapes refer to the visible imprint of human activity on the landscape.

  • Key Concept - Sequent Occupance:

    • The sequential layering of cultural imprints on a landscape, reflecting periods of human activity.

Patterns Creating Place

  • Centripetal Forces:

    • Forces that unify people or encourage cohesion within a society.

  • Centrifugal Forces:

    • Forces that divide people or create division within a society through factors like poverty, racism, sexism, etc.

Understanding Diffusion

  • Definition:

    • Process by which cultural traits spread from one society to another.

  • Types of Diffusion:

    • Relocation Diffusion:
    • Traits spread through the movement of individuals.
    • Expansion Diffusion:
    • A broader category that encompasses:
      • Contagious Diffusion: Direct spread from person to person (regardless of status).
      • Hierarchical Diffusion: Spread from powerful or influential groups to others.
      • Stimulus Diffusion: Modifications of a trait as it spreads to a new cultural context.

Language and Religious Diffusion

  • Language Diffusion:
    • Examples of language interaction including dialects and borrowing words from other cultures.
  • Religious Diffusion:
    • Distinguishes between universalizing religions (e.g., Christianity, Islam) and ethnic religions (e.g., Hinduism, Judaism).

Historical Context of Diffusion

  • Factors influencing diffusion throughout history included military conquests, trade routes, and imperialism.

Contemporary Causes of Diffusion

  • Modern factors driving diffusion include globalization, urbanization, technology advancements, and migration.

Cultural Interaction Outcomes

  • Possible Interactions Between Cultures:
    • Assimilation: - Adoption of the host culture.
    • Integration: - Combining of both cultures.
    • Marginalization: - Rejection of both cultures.
    • Separation: - Preference for one culture over another.

Events of Cultural Convergence and Divergence

  • Cultural Convergence:
    • When different cultures begin to share and adopt similar traits.
  • Cultural Divergence:
    • When cultures become distinct from one another, often due to social or political factors.