Social Studies Curriculum

Area Studies Electives

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Adopted January 1999

US Regional Studies

Course Description:

U.S. Regional Studies will focus on the physical geography and cultural factors that characterize sub-regions in the United States.  In this course, students will examine the geographic, political, cultural and economic diversity of the United States.  Each region (e.g. Northwest, Southwest) will be examined for its uniqueness and its influence over other parts of the country.  Students will analyze the evolution of American culture from an agrarian society to a technological-industrial society and investigate how this evolution has developed regional characteristics in areas such as foods, clothing, traditions, festivals, vocabulary, and dialects.

The course title and description have been approved by the Anchorage School Board.  This course outline is meant to serve as an example of one possibility for organizing this class.  It does not represent the only way the course may be organized.  Each course outline has been written by a different teacher so there will be differences in the approach used from one course to another.

Course Goals:

Through this course students will:

• Gain understanding of the physical and human characteristics of various regions in the United States.
• Develop an awareness concerning how history, culture and experience influence peoples perceptions of the regions they live.
• Develop understanding of the similarities and differences between political and economic systems of region.
• Improve skills in the use of maps, tables, graphs and other geographic representations, to acquire, process, and report information concerning a regions social, political, cultural and economic similarities, differences and interdependence with other areas.
• Develop appreciation for contributions of a region’s history to understand to its contemporary affairs, issues, and problems.
• Acquire understanding of the interdependence of people throughout the United States and gain appreciation for differing customs, traditions and values among regions.
  

Course Objectives:

The student will:

• Develop maps and graphs to show spatial relationships within and between regions of the United States.
• Identify the differences among formal, functional and perceptual regions.
• Identify the physical or human factors that constitute a region of the United States.
• Identify and explain the criteria that gave regions their identities in different periods of U.S. history.
• Interpret how people express attachment to a region through essays, novels, poems, films or songs.
• Identify the cultural characteristics that link regions of the United States.
• Analyze the ways in which the character of a region relates to its economics, political, and demographics.
• Develop maps to illustrate how population density varies in relation to resources and types of land use in the United States.
• Compile and analyze economic, demographic and social data for region and make comparisons.
• Review the highlights of regional histories and describe the same place at different times in its history.
• Evaluate the effects of population growth and urbanization in places such as New York City and Los Angeles.
• Compare attitudes toward the environment and resource use among regions.
• Identify how regions have been altered by major technological changes.
• Analyze problems of a region suggest long-range solutions.

Course Outline:

1. Overview of geographic concepts and terms of place and regions.
   1. The meaning and significance of place
   2. The changing physical and human characteristics of regions
   3. The multiple criteria used to define region
   4. The structure of regional systems
2. Produce and interpret maps and other graphic representations which depict different types of regional characteristics (formal, functional, perceptual)
3. Review regional histories/characteristics (e.g. music, clothing, foods, etc.)
4. Develop and analyze geographic questions about specific regions of the United States.
   1. Acquire information concerning regions.
   2. Organize information
   3. Analyze information
   4. Answer questions