Topics for Review – Exam 1 on Chapters 1-3

These topics are the most important from the first three chapters, but you should read the chapters, review the chapter outlines, and review my notes and Stutz’s notes that are linked to the course syllabus on my home page. You are responsible for any definitions of words that are unique to the field of geography. The exam will have some objective questions (multiple-choice and true-false) and one or two short-answer essay questions.

Chapter 1

1. Summary and discussion of technological factors affecting globalization (media influence on world culture, etc.)

2. Summary of geopolitical factors affecting globalization (demise of Communism and increase in market-based economies, etc.)

3. The nature of transnational corporations: reason for emergence and stages of development; the role of transfer pricing; the dominance of core economies; role for international trade; effect on location specialization of work.

4. The Core/Periphery model and the hierarchy of countries.

5. Sources of growth and problems of NICs

6. Problems from globalization—environmental constraints and disparities in wealth and wealth-creation among and within countries.

7. The four questions for any economy—what, how, where, and for whom?

8. Why is relative location more important than absolute location—the emerging role of New Geography

Chapter 2

1. The role of human population as consumers (savers), and producers (workers)

2. Factors influencing the distribution of population.

3. The demographic transition model to explain population change over time—applying the model to developing countries.

4. The economic causes of migration—push versus pull

5. The consequences of migration for destination countries

6. The age-sex structure of population and the population pyramid—developing versus mature (developed) countries.

7. The impact of the post WWII ‘baby-boomers’

8. Does population growth prevent sustainable development? How does population growth affect an economy’s carrying capacity, poverty, unemployment, and political stability?

9. What is firmography and how is it changing?

Chapter 3

1. What is the link between resources and economic growth?

2. Does economic growth beyond a developed nation’s carrying capacity lower the carrying capacity of developing countries?

3. How are resources classified? What complicates the determination of projected reserves?

4. Can technology solve the problem of resource constraints?

5. What are the fundamental problems leading to worldwide hunger? What problems are economic rather than political?

6. Why are nonrenewable energy supplies (especially oil) of such concern to the U.S. and other developed countries?

7. What future energy policy would you pursue for this country?

8. What determines an efficient environmental policy? Does an equitable environmental policy result in a refocus toward sustainable development rather than high growth development?