Unit III CG

SOC 2010, Cultural Geography 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit III Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Discuss key concepts in human geography. 1.1 Discuss push and pull factors in internal migration. 1.2 Explain environmental and economic impacts of migration.

Course/Unit Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

1.1

Unit Lesson Videos in Unit Lesson Chapter 3, pp. 55-78 Chapter 4, pp. 83-108 Unit III Essay

1.2

Unit Lesson Videos in Unit Lesson Chapter 3, pp. 55-78 Unit III Essay

Required Unit Resources Chapter 3: Population and Migration, pp. 55–78 Chapter 4: Geographies of Language, pp. 83–108

Unit Lesson Geographies of Language In the last unit, we learned about the connections between culture and place. An important element of culture and identity is language. Greiner (2018) states “Language provides a basis for communication, shapes peoples’ identities, and reflects their relationship with place” (p. 83). The Chapter 4 reading covers the types of language, globalization (diffusion) of language, and the threat to language diversity. As cultures become more and more integrated due to rapid globalization, thousands of languages are being lost. Greiner (2018) notes that a language is lost every two weeks, that half of the world’s languages are endangered, and that in the next 50 years most languages will be lost. How does a language get lost? A dominant culture’s language is used in commerce, politics, and media. The dominant language takes over as the main form of communication in an area. As the smaller-sized culture with less political and economic power becomes more integrated with the dominant culture, they use their native language less and less. As the younger generations become more fully integrated and the older generations die out, the language dies out. In many cases, the languages do not have a written component, so when the language is no longer spoken it is extinct. Why does it matter if cultures lose languages and adapt to the dominant language in the area? This video clip explains why losing these languages is a problem. The transcript for this video can be found by clicking the “Transcript” tab to the right of the video in the Films on Demand database.

UNIT III STUDY GUIDE

Population, Migration, and Language

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Danish Broadcasting Corporation (Producer). (2005). When linguistic heritage is lost (Segment 1 of 14) [Video]. In Voices of the world: The extinction of language and linguistic diversity. Films on Demand. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=http://fod.infobase.com/PortalPla ylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=36090&loid=523256

The Naqxi people in Thailand are in danger of losing their native language called Mlabri. This video does a good job incorporating the impact of losing the language, how globalization impacts language loss, and steps that are being taken to preserve dying languages. The transcript for this video can be found by clicking the “Transcript” tab to the right of the video in the Films on Demand database. Danish Broadcasting Corporation (Producer). (2005). How to save languages (Segment 9 of 14) [Video]. In

Voices of the world: The extinction of language and linguistic diversity. Films on Demand. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=http://fod.infobase.com/PortalPla ylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=36090&loid=41951

Population Fundamentals Population geographers look at the demographics of the population, the impact of migration, and population size changes (Greiner, 2018). It is important to study the characteristics of the population groups and population changes in size and location to help determine the impact humans are having on the planet and each other. Two of the key fundamentals in population geography are population density and population changes (births and deaths). The textbook defines two types of population density. Arithmetic density is defined by Greiner (2018) as “the number of people per unit area of land” (p. 57). Physiological density is the number of people per unit of arable land. It is important to calculate the physiological density to get a more accurate picture of the resources being used and the resources available for future use. Geographers that study population look at both birth and death rates to understand the population changes and impact. Greiner (2018) discusses fertility and some of the social, cultural, political, economic, and cultural factors that impact fertility. For example, a political factor could be a public policy like the one-child policy previously in place in China. Besides creating policy to help reduce births, there are also policies meant to encourage more births such as tax credits for large families or subsidized day care. It is important to study more than just the death and birth rate. It is important to look at the demographics of population. Watch this short video explaining what demographics encompasses in the study of population. The transcript for this video can be found by clicking the “Transcript” tab to the right of the video in the Films on Demand database. Video Education America (Producer). (2009). Demographics (Segment 2 of 6) [Video]. In Population

geography. Films on Demand. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=http://fod.infobase.com/PortalPla ylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=41105&loid=89441

Watch this video clip that showcases the importance of studying demographics and the impact of the some of the current demographic trends in our world. The transcript for this video can be found by clicking the “Transcript” tab to the right of the video in the Films on Demand database. Bloomberg (Producer). (2016). Demographics (Segment 1 of 4) [Video]. In To live long and prosper: The

demographic timebomb. Films on Demand. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=http://fod.infobase.com/PortalPla ylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=145031&loid=477108

Demographic Cohorts When looking at demographics, it is interesting to look at age cohorts and their impact on society. Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), Generation X (born between1965-1980), Millennials (born between 1981-2000), and Gen Z (born 2001 or later) cohort have different cultural identities, trends, stereotypes, and traits. To which demographic cohort do you belong? What stereotypes or traits are often assigned to your age cohort? Studying demographic cohorts is useful because understanding the group characteristics can help

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improve communication and understanding between the different groups. Information on cohorts also impacts political policy, marketing, social policy, and cultural trends. Watch this short video on the characteristics of the different cohort groups. The transcript for this video can be found by clicking the “Transcript” tab to the right of the video in the Films on Demand database.

Blue Ant Media Solutions (Producer). (2013). Characteristics of generations (Segment 8 of 50) [Video]. In It's

all about me. Films on Demand. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=http://fod.infobase.com/PortalPla ylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=65001&loid=296846

Overpopulation and Population Related Social Issues An important area of study in population geography is population ecology. This is the study of the impact of populations on the earth and the Earth’s impact on populations. One of the big questions in population ecology is whether or not our Earth can handle the current rate of population growth. There is debate over this. Some feel our population growth rate will have catastrophic repercussions on people and the environment, while others feel our world will adapt and that technologies will be created to address any issues associated with a huge population size. There is also the belief that population growth will not be that big of an issue because global population numbers are starting to level off. Even if our Earth can handle a 7.5 billion and growing population, there are still many social issues surrounding the size and distribution of population. Our textbook mentions the term food insecurity. While our planet can produce enough food, there are still those that do not have adequate physical or financial access to food in their area (Greiner, 2018). There are several social, environmental, economic, and political issues that are exacerbated by a high population density. Watch this video on the challenges of overpopulation in Lagos, Africa. The transcript for this video can be found by clicking the “Transcript” tab to the right of the video in the Films on Demand database. Bloomberg (Producer). (2016). Overpopulation challenges (Custom segment) [Video]. In Growing pains:

Managing megacities. Films on Demand. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPl aylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=145033&loid=569723

Population and Migration In Unit I, we were introduced to the concept of spatial diffusion and the different types. We learned that the most common form of relocation diffusion is migration. Cultural geographers look at the impact migration has on the home and host country. Greiner (2018) notes, “Migration matters because it can lead to the redistribution of people in a country or region and may alter ethnic, linguistic, or religious composition” (p. 70). Greiner (2018) presents six principles that migration is built around:

• Most migration is within a nation and not international.

• There are dispersion and absorption components to migration.

• There are counter flows of information and goods due to migration.

• Most international migration happens to urban areas.

• Rural residents migrate more than urban ones.

• Women migrate internally more while men migrate internationally more. Keeping these principles in mind helps build a framework of understanding the migration process and impact. Another key part of understanding migration is to understand why people migrate. There are some common reasons for why people tend to migrate. These reasons are labeled as either push factors or pull factors. Push factors are the negative things about a home country situation that are pushing people to want to leave their home country. Pull factors are the opportunities people envision that are pulling them toward a new area (Greiner, 2018). Our textbook gives a good list of these push and pull factors in figure 3.12 on page 71.

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Internal Migration Most migration is internal. Greiner (2018) notes that age, employment, and a location’s physical environment are the top three reasons that people are moving internally in their country. Greiner (2018) also discusses that internal migration can be classified as rural-out and urban-out migration, which are associated with the reasons for internal migration. For example, developing nations typically have greater rural-out migration to cities due to the greater economic opportunities and services offered in the urban areas. Have you migrated internally in the United States from state to state? If we have not done this ourselves, chances are we know several people who have done this. The greatest population shifts internally in the United States are moves from the Northeast and Midwest to the West and South. Factors like economic opportunity, weather, tax rates, and culture are some of the major drivers in internal migration. We often look at our moves from a personal level, but we often do not think about it on a bigger scale. We do not think about the trends in population shifts in the United States and the impact these might have on us or the nation. These shifts can have negative and/or positive impacts on communities. There can be environmental issues, cultural changes, economic changes, and political shifts due to these internal population shifts. An example would be the population shift from Puerto Rico to Florida due to environmental and economic push factors. Has there been significant population movement in or out of your state? How does this impact your town, state, or region? International Migration Human geographers study migration patterns on a global, regional, national, and local level. Greiner (2018) noted that 35% of all migrants move from developing to developed countries and 34% of migrants move from developed countries to other developed countries. Greiner (2018) stated, “Twenty percent of all international migrants reside in the United States” (p. 79). Immigration is a hotly debated topic in the United States and around the globe because immigration is a complicated social issue. How should the United States handle legal and illegal immigration? To research the immigration debate more, go to the Opposing Viewpoints database at the CSU Online Library and search the topic. Here you will find videos, editorials, and research supporting the varying views on immigration.

Reference Greiner, A. L. (2018). Visualizing human geography: At home in a diverse world (3rd ed.). Wiley.

Suggested Unit Resources In order to access the following resources, click the links below. The transcript for each video can be found by clicking the “Transcript” tab to the right of the video in the Films on Demand database. Watch this video on the problems Lagos is encountering as a result of the severe impacts of overpopulation. Bloomberg (Producer). (2016). Problems in expanding cities (Segment 3 of 4) [Video]. In Growing pains:

Managing megacities. Films on Demand. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=http://fod.infobase.com/PortalPla ylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=145033&loid=477118

The following video discusses demographic changes in the United States and the impact of the changes. PBS (Producer). (2014). America’s “new mainstream” (Segment 1 of 6) [Video]. In Mainstream, USA. Films

on Demand. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=http://fod.infobase.com/PortalPla ylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=151355&loid=507326

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Learning Activities (Nongraded) Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information.

1. Answer the Concept Check questions for Chapter 3 on pages 62, 67, 70, and 78. Answer the Concept Check Questions for Chapter 4 on pages 91, 101, and 108.

2. Complete the Chapter 3 Self-Test on pages 81-82 of the textbook. Complete the Chapter 4 Self-Test on pages 111–112. (Answers to the Self-Test for Chapter 3 and 4 are on page 359).