Unit I: World Geography

World Civilizations
Fall 2008

Tues. Aug. 26, 2008 Introduction to class: How can we imagine the past?

--Historical artifacts: who are these people?!
--My Daily Dives in Dumpsters: What do we learn about ourselves?
--Current Events: the Democratic Party National Convention


Thurs. Aug. 28 How does geography affect human experience and interaction?

--Discussion of dumpster evidence
--Introduction to Atlas
--Freehand Map Step 1


DUE:
1) Bring your atlases to class today.

2) We read “My Daily Dives in the Dumpster” today on Tuesday and talked about why we live the way we live. Now, you will get a chance to do some dumpster diving of your own! Take a look at the assignment, located in the list of links to the right "My Dumpster Diving". Complete this assignment for today.

Tues. Sept. 2 Latitude and longitude: Where in the World is the MA Wildcat?

DUE: Complete Freehand Atlas part 2



Thurs. Sept. 4 More Geography...

--Review Atlas Scavenger Hunt
--Seasons and Time Zones
--Close reading and note taking

Due: Atlas Scavenger Hunt AND finish latitude/longitude sheet

Mon. Sept. 8 The Shape of Africa: How does geography affect human subsistence and interaction?
-Mapping Africa: a look at the physical and political landscape
-Film: The Journey of Man pt. 1

Due: Close read The Shape of Africa article

Wed. Sept. 10 The Peopling of the World
-Where and when do humans originate?
-Film: The Journey of Man pt. 2
Due: work on map of Africa

Fri. Sept. 12 Where do we all come from? How did we get to where we are today?

Due:Close read The Greatest Journey article and finish the map of Africa; also BINDER CHECK: make sure that your history section is organized! 5 pts for an organized binder

Tues. Sept. 16 "Cultural Evolution" and "Cultural Diffusion"

Due: 1) Close read (highlight/margin notes) the last article in the packet, "Cultural Evolution Contrasts with Cultural Diffusion". Be sure to read the introduction which begins in the upper left hand column of the first page of the article. Then 2) write out definitions of the following terms:
evolutionism
diffusionism
cultural diffusion
acculturation
cultural evolution
historical materialism
Karl Marx
Malthusianism

A more complete reading guide is listed in the right column. You do not have to write out answers to all of the questions, but try to read the article carefully enough (with good highlights/margin notes) that you COULD answer these questions if asked!

Thurs. Sept. 18 Geography Unit quiz

Due: Study for quiz on geography terms, atlas, cultural / physical adaptation, Journey of Man, cultural evolution and cultural diffusion. Look at the study guide in the right column of links.