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Dear AP Human Geography Teacher:
®
In our decades of combined teaching experience and attending AP® Readings, we have all
come to the same conclusion: The AP® Human Geography course needs a new textbook—
one with pedagogy that focuses on essential content, where skills are presented in an
accessible manner for all students.

As veteran AP® Human Geography teachers, table and question leaders, development
committee leaders, and assessment specialists, we believe that we are uniquely positioned
to address this need. Like you, we have experienced firsthand the challenges in teaching
this course, especially as the curriculum framework and student needs continue to change.
Thus was born our new book: Human Geography for the AP® Course. This is not just
another repackaged college textbook with a few AP® features. We crafted this text specifically
for AP® students, with a narrative that is both engaging and rigorous. But we also wrote it for
you—this book’s organization aligns exactly with the seven Units in the new Course and Exam
Description, which are broken into short Modules that cover every topic in the framework.
We don’t have to tell you that the vast majority of AP® Human Geography test takers are
underclassmen, many of whom are tackling their first ever AP® course. In 2019, an astounding
83% of test takers were freshmen or sophomores. Therefore, we incorporate supportive
background information before introducing complex ideas. This strategy prepares students to
apply concepts in both theoretical and practical contexts. We also provide helpful AP® Exam
Tips to alert students of potential pitfalls and to place emphasis on concepts that frequently
appear on the exam.
For any student, be they upper- or lower-classmen, analyzing quantitative and qualitative
geographic data can be a steep learning curve. To help them learn how to interpret data,
we’ve paired each map, graph, and chart throughout the text with questions to give students
continuous practice with spatial, data, source, and scale analysis. We also provide opportunities
throughout the textbook for engaging class discussion through the synthesis of thoughtful
arguments and structured debates, as well as the analysis of geographical patterns and trends
found in photos, because, well, human geography should be fun!
We invite you to open this sample and explore what Human Geography for the AP® Course
can do for you and your students. We hope that along the way we’ll help to inspire a new
generation of informed global citizens.
Sincerely.

Barbara S. Hildebrant Max Lu Kenneth H. Keller Roderick P. Neumann

About the Authors

BARBARA S. HILDEBRANT MAX LU
ETS (Retired) Kansas State University
Barbara started her career at Max has attended the APHG® reading
ETS in 1999 as an Assessment since 2003, serving as an exam reader,
Specialist responsible for the table leader, and question leader.
launch of APHG®. She continued He served on College Board’s APHG®
on to serve as the Senior Test Development Committee and
Assessment Director for APHG® was co-chair for the final three years
at ETS until her retirement in 2019. of his service.