Summer info for DA Humanities students

Dear Future Student, Welcome to DA 9! Congratulations on entering the Dimensions Academy High School Humanities program. I am excited to work with you, both as your social studies teacher and as the high school gifted and talented coordinator. I think we are going to have a lot of fun digging deep into AP Human Geography and AP Comparative Politics together. To prepare for our coursework together next fall I am asking you to read The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After by Clemantine Wamariya this summer. The book is a memoir written by a woman who survived the Rwandan genocide. This is my first time using this text so I’m really interested in hearing what you think of it. I picked this book because it introduces you to a lot of Human Geography terminology through her story which I think will make these terms more accessible for you as we work with them this fall. Please read the book this summer and come prepared to discuss it on our second day of class. Our department has purchased copies of the book for you to use over the summer (you can also get it from the library, on Audible, or at a new or used bookstore). I will be at the Kennedy High School parking lot on Wednesday, July 21st from 5 - 6:30 pm. If that doesn’t work out for you, I will leave copies at the front desk for the district office for Bloomington Public Schools for you to pick up. Please let me know if you’d like me to do that for you. I am also giving you a list of countries to study so that you can easily identify them on a map. This summer preparation will allow us to jump into the content on day 1 and give me an opportunity to assess your study skills. Lastly, many students enjoy owning their own copy of AMSCO’s Advanced Placement Human Geography by David Palmer (2020 edition) so they can mark it up and use it more easily to study for the AP exam in the fall. If you want to do that you can order yourself a copy this summer. I will provide you with a copy in the fall but you won’t be able to write in that copy. I apologize for getting this out to you late. I have been traveling this summer and taking a geography class this summer. I check my email frequently over the summer. Feel free to reach out to me at maby@isd271.org if you have any questions. Have a great summer! I look forward to working with you in September. Sincerely, Meredith Aby-Keirstead Gifted and Talented coordinator and social studies teacher AP Human Geography concepts in The Girl Who Smiled Beads Ethnicity identity with a group of people that share distinct physical and mental traits as a product of common heredity and cultural traditions. Refugees people who are forced to migrate from their home country and cannot return for fear of persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a social group, or political opinion. Internally displaced persons (IDP) have not crossed a border to find safety. Unlike refugees, they are on the run at home. IDPs stay within their own country and remain under the protection of its government, even if that government is the reason for their displacement. Colonialism the control or governing influence of a nation over a dependent country, territory, or people. Genocide the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation Ethnic separatism advocacy of a state of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental, or gender separation from the larger group Ethnic cleansing the attempt to get rid of (through deportation, displacement or even mass killing) members of an unwanted ethnic group in order to establish an ethnically homogenous geographic area. Terrorism the calculated use of violence to create a general climate of fear in a population and thereby to bring about a particular political objective. Centripetal forces an attitude that tends to unify people and enhance support for a government. Centrifugal forces a force that divides people and countries. Pull factors factors that induce people to move to a new location. Push factors incentives for potential migrants to leave a place, such as a harsh climate, economic recession, or political turmoil. Intervening opportunities the presence of a nearer opportunity that greatly diminishes the attractiveness of sites farther away. Intervening obstacles an environmental or cultural feature that hinders migration. Acculturation the modification of the social patterns, traits, or structures of one group or society by contact with those of another. Assimilation adopting the traits of another culture. Often happens over time when one immigrates into a new country. Multi- culturalism culture found in a large, heterogeneous society that shares certain habits despite differences in other personal characteristics. Supranational organization organization of three or more states to promote shared objectives. (Example U.N. or E.U.) AP Human Geography: 50 Must Know Countries The Americas Mexico Honduras Cuba Haiti Jamaica Dominican Republic Guatemala Nicaragua Costa Rica Panama Brazil Argentina Chile Colombia Venezuela Europe Iceland United Kingdom France Germany Switzerland Spain Italy Sweden Russia Greece Turkey Southwest Asia/Middle East Israel/Palestine Iran Iraq Syria Saudi Arabia Africa Egypt Libya Tunisia Nigeria Somalia Kenya South Sudan Democratic Republic of Congo South Africa Rwanda Asia Afghanistan Pakistan India China North Korea South Korea Japan Indonesia Vietnam Sri Lanka *We assume that you know where the United States, Canada, and Australia are located. Please don’t prove us wrong… :) **Please be prepared for a map test the first week of class. Thanks.