GEG 100 ONLINE!

Cultural Geography

Chapter 2
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Layers of Tradition: Culture Regions at Different Scales

READ:

ACTIVITIES:

We will do the American Southwest culture region.

Read: pp. 39-46

Items to Hand In:

Activity 1: • Questions 1.1–1.6, including your overlay map for Question 1.3

Activity 2: • Questions 2.1–2.8

Activity 3: • Questions 3.1–3.6, including the 5 postcards of dominant regional themes

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY
Activity 4: Harperland [See: harperland.htm]

  • Hand in your map
  • and a short typed paper with your rationale

Estimated Time Requirements

Activity 1: Mapping Culture Regions: 30 minutes

Activity 2: Culture Traits of Your Culture Subregion: 40 minutes

Activity 3: Regional Imagery: 1 hour plus travel to store

Points

This assignment will be graded on a PASS/FAIL basis. Everyone must get a "PASS" and you will be given the chance to RE-DO the assignments until you get a PASS.

CONCEPTS / VOCABULARY

All "Keyterms"

Plus:
(Textbook page numbers in parentheses.)

  • Fertile Cresent (42)
  • Palestinians (42)
  • Gaza Strip (42)
  • West Bank (42)
  • 5 Pillars of Islam (43)
  • nomadism (44)
  • horizontal nomadism (44)
  • vertical nomadism (44)
  • true desert (44)
  • steppe (44)
  • Four Corners (45)
  • physiographic (landform province (46)
  • adobe (47)
  • homogeneous (48)
  • Hispanos (48
  • Anglo (48)
  • Sun Belt (49)
  • vernacular region (49)

INSTRUCTOR'S NOTES and/or ADDITIONS TO TEXT READING

This chapter disscusses two important concepts in human geography: Culture and Regions.

OPTIONAL: I do have some online lectures for my GEG 101 World Regional Geography class that you might like to look at. These are optional and they are written to correspond to a different textbook, but you may still find them useful.

Our textbook mentions the book by Joel Garreau, "The Nine Nations of North America". This is a topic that is also discussed in my online GEG 101 World Regional Geography. It is OPTIONAL. but you may want to see: http://www.harper.cc.il.us/mhealy/g101ilec/namer/nac/nacnine/na9intro/nacninfr.htm. I do plan on sending an additional reading on the "Nine Nations" to each of you when I returen your chapter 1 activities.

 

INSTRUCTOR'S NOTES and/or ADDITIONS TO ACTIVITIES

Since we have so little reading to do in this course, I want you to read the whole case study background (pp. 39-46) which discusses two rculture egions:(1) the Middle East and (2) the American Southwest, even though we are only going to do the activities for the American Southwest region. There may be questions about the Middle East on the exams.

See:

REMEMBER: we are discussing CULTURE regions. In chapter one you should have read: What is "culture"? If not, do so now. Keep the concept of culture in mind as you do these exercises

Activity 4 - Harperland

The is the most RE-DONE part of this assignment. Be sure to keep the following in mind:
  • Regions are used to SIMPLIFY an area. If you have more regions than there are countries in Harperland, then you did not make it more simple.
  • We are discussion CULTURE REGIONS, not physical regions. Even though at timew the physical geography of an area has an impact on the culture of the people, do NOT create physical regions. Base your regions PRIMARILY on cultural characteristice.
  • The ECONOMIC DATA is very important. Be sure to use it when defining your regions and include it your discussion.

 

CHAPTER OUTLINE

I. Culture defined

II. Regions

1. Formal regions
2. Functional regions
3. Perceptual regions
a. Vernacular regions

III. Culture Regions

1. Culture traits

2. Symbols

3. Regional identity (awareness of belonging to a group united in a common territory)

4. ways of life and the culture/landscape interface

 

IV. Cultural Landscape

1. Cultural values and the landscape

2. Symbols

3. Regional identity

a. The problematic nature of one all-encompassing regional identity (multiculturalism)

 

V. Defining Culture Regions

1. Core
2. Domain
3. Sphere
4. Syncretism

VI. The Middle East

1. Media stereotypes and perceptions

2. Terrorism and U.S. armed intervention

3. Fertile Crescent and empires

4. Judaism and Islam

5. Ecological Trilogy

6. Natural landscapes

7. Colonialism

VII. The American Southwest

1. Vegetation and climate

2. Topography and physiographic provinces

3. Three cultures:

  • Native American,
  • Hispanic and
  • Anglo-Americans

4. Economy

 

 

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