Standards 9-13:  Human Systems
From Geography for Life: National Geography Standards 1994,
National Council on Geographic Education
 
Standards 9 through 13 of the NCGE's national geography standards emphasizes human systems.  Regarding Human Systems, the geographically informed person is able to:
9. Characteristics, distribution and migration of human populations
A) Predict trends in the spatial distribution of population on Earth, e.g., develop and defend hypotheses on how
     a. the spatial distribution of population may change in response to environmental changes;
     b. the spatial distribution of population may change in response to sociocultural changes;
     c. changes in the spatial distribution of population may result in changes in social and economic conditions.
B) Analyze population issues and propose policies to address such issues, e.g.,
     a. evaluate past and present government policies designed to change a country's population characteristics;
     b. explain how government population policies are linked to economic and cultural considerations;
     c. describe the reasons why a government's population policy may be opposed by the people.

C) Explain the economic, political, and social factors that contribute to human migration, e.g.,
     a. how human mobility and city/region interdependence can be increased and regional integration can by facilitated by improved transportation systems;
     b. how international migrations are shaped by push and pull factors;
     c. why countries develop emigration and immigration policies.
D) Evaluate the impact of human migration on physical and human systems, e.g.,
     a. describe how mass migrations have affected ecosystems;
     b. describe how large-scale, rural-to-urban migration affects cities;
     c. describe the socioeconomic changes that occur in regions that gain population and those that lose population.

10. Characteristics, distribution and migration of cultural mosaics
A) Compare the role that culture places in incidents of cooperation and conflict, e.g.,
     a. identify the cultural factors that have promoted political conflict;
     b. identify the cultural characteristics that link regions;
     c. explain how Americans would have to adjust to living and working in foreign countries.

B) Analyze how cultures influence the characteristics of regions, e.g.,
     a. analyze demographic data;
     b. compare the economic opportunities for women in different regions
     c. describe the relationship between patterns of in-migration and cultural change in large urban and manufacturing centers (especially near international borders).

C) Explain how cultural features often define regions, e.g.,
     a. Identify the human characteristics that make specific regions of the world distinctive;
     b. Explain the importance of religion in identifying a cultural region;
     c. Explain why great differences can exist among culture regions within a single country.

D) Investigate how transregional alliances and multinational organizations  can alter cultural solidarity, e.g.,
     a. explain the adaptation of non-governmental organizations (NGSs) to different cultural contexts;
     b. identify and map changes in the nature of selected international partnerships and alliances;
     c. predict how evoloving political and economic alliances affect the traditional cohesiveness of culture regions.

E) Explain the spatial process of cultural convergence and divergence, e.g.,
     a. describe how communications and transporation technologies contribute to cultural convergence
     b. analyze technologies may stimulate cultural divergence;
     c. evaluate examples of the spread o culture traits that contribute to cultural convergence.

11. Patterns and networks of economic interdependence
A) Classify and describe the spatial distribution of major economic systems and evaluate their relative merits in terms of productivity and the social welfare of workers, e.g.,
     a. describe the characteristics of traditional, command and market economic systems and describe how such systems operate in specific countries;
     b. use multiple points of view to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of different economic systems;
     c. identify geographic problems in the transition period as a country shifts from one economic system to another.

B) Identify and evaluate the spatial aspects of economic systems, e.g.,
     a. identify market areas around major business establishments;
     b. explain how market areas are examples of functional regions;
     c. explain shy some places have locationa advantages as assembly and/or parts distribution centers.

C) Analyze the relationships between various settlement patterns, their associated economic activities, and the relative land values, e.g.,
     a. analyze the spatial relationships between land values and prominent urban features;
     b. explain the spatial relationships between the zoned uses of land and the value of that land;
     c. relate economic factors to the location of particular types of industries and businesses.

D) Identify and analyze the historical movement patterns of people and goods and their relationships to economic activity, e.g.,
     a. analyze the spatial patterns of early trade routes in the era of sailing ships;
     b. discuss the land-use patterns that resulted in a system of monoculture;
     c. compare global trade routes before and after the development of major canals and develop. hypotheses to explain the changes that occurred in world trade.

E) Analyze and evaluate international economic issues from a spatial point of view, e.g.,
     a. explain how land values in an area may change owing to the investment of foreign capital;
     b. formulate reasoned arguments regarding the causes and geographic consequences of an international debt crisis;
     c. evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of allowing foreign-owned business to purchase land, open factories, or conduct of other kinds of businesses in a country.

 

12. Processes, patterns, and functions of human settlement
A) Analyze the functions of cities, e.g.,
     a. analyze the site and situation of selected cities in different regions of the world;
     b. explain how the functions of cities differ from those of towns and villages;
     c. explain how the functions of present-day cities differ from those of cities in earlier times.

B) Analyze the internal structure and shape of cities, e.g.,
     a. use aerial photographs, topographic maps, and census data to learn about land uses in a city and speculate about the city's primary function within its region;
     b. analyze and compare the shapes of cities to identify factors that influence urban morphology;
     c. identify those ways in which a city has remained the same for many years and those ways in which it has changed.

C) Classify the characteristics of settlements in developing or developed countries, e.g.,
     a.
     b.
     c.
D) Describe the nature, causes, and geographic impact of change in urban areas, e.g.,
     a.
     b.
     c.
E) Evaluate the physical and human impacts of emerging urban forms in the present-day world, e.g.,
     a.
     b.
     c.

13. Forces of cooperation and conflict
  A) Analyze how cooperation and conflict influence the development and control of social, political, and economic entities on Earth, e.g.,
     a. explain how cooperation and/or conflict can lead to the allocation of control of Earth's surface;
     b. identify the causes of boundary conflicts and internal disputes between culture groups;
     c. skipped.

B) Skipped
C) Explain how external forces can conflict economically and politically with internal interests in a region, e.g.,
     a. describe how new technologies, new markets, and revised perceptions of resources act as agents of change in a region;
     b. explain how a country's ambition to obtain markets and resources can cause fractures and disruptions in areas of the world that are targets of its ambition;
     c. illustrate how religious conflict can cause political and cultural changes in a region.