Talk:HSC Geography

This will serve as a basic outline for the book.

The book is intended as a supplementary textbook to students in NSW Australia studying the Geography HSC course []. So basically it needs to cover all the topics covered in the course. Each topic is supposed to cover certain outcomes and involve certain skills, so it would be good to figure out how those outcomes are recognized in the content of each topic.

Each topic should have exercises in it like simple questions and stuff, and maybe questions involving skills work, but maybe skills would be better off done separately from the actual coursework. Extended response questions should be left until the end of the topic.

This outline will break the course up into the preliminary and HSC courses, and then further split them up into the individual topics contained in each course. The topics will be divided into outcomes which describe what the student is expected to be able to do upon completing the topic, and content, which is the stuff (what to learn, maybe skills as well) that students need to learn to do what is described in the outcomes.

Introduction
Explain what geography is all about, and maybe give a simple intro to HSC and syllabus terminology.

Outcomes
The student:
 * H1 explains the changing nature, spatial patterns and interaction of ecosystems, urban places and economic activity
 * H2 explains the factors which place ecosystems at risk and the reasons for their protection
 * H5 evaluates environmental management strategies in terms of ecological sustainability
 * H6 evaluates the impacts of, and responses of people to, environmental change
 * H7 justifies geographical methods applicable and useful in the workplace and relevant to a changing world
 * H8 plans geographical inquiries to analyse and synthesise information from a variety of sources
 * H9 evaluates geographical information and sources for usefulness, validity and reliability
 * H10 applies maps, graphs and statistics, photographs and fieldwork to analyse and integrate data in geographical contexts
 * H11 applies mathematical ideas and techniques to analyse geographical data
 * H12 explains geographical patterns, processes and future trends through appropriate case studies and illustrative examples
 * H13 communicates complex geographical information, ideas and issues effectively, using appropriate written and/or oral, cartographic and graphic forms.

Content
Students Learn About:

ecosystems and their management
 * biophysical interactions which lead to diverse ecosystems and their functioning
 * vulnerability and resilience of ecosystems
 * the importance of ecosystem management and protection
 * evaluation of traditional and contemporary management strategies

case studies of ecosystems The selected ecosystems at risk could include areas such as coastal dunes, freshwater wetlands, inter-tidal wetlands, coral reefs, arid areas, alpine areas, rainforests, temperate forests.
 * TWO case studies of different ecosystems at risk to illustrate their unique characteristics including:
 * spatial patterns and dimensions: location, altitude, latitude, size, shape and continuity
 * biophysical interactions including:
 * the dynamics of weather and climate
 * geomorphic and hydrologic processes such as earth movements, weathering, erosion, transport and deposition, soil formation
 * biogeographical processes: invasion, succession, modification, resilience
 * adjustments in response to natural stress
 * the nature and rate of change which affects ecosystem functioning
 * human impacts (both positive and negative)
 * traditional and contemporary management practices.

Outcomes
The student:
 * H1 explains the changing nature, spatial patterns and interaction of ecosystems, urban places and economic activity
 * H3 analyses contemporary urban dynamics and applies them in specific contexts
 * H5 evaluates environmental management strategies in terms of ecological sustainability
 * H6 evaluates the impacts of, and responses of people to, environmental change
 * H7 justifies geographical methods applicable and useful in the workplace and relevant to a changing world
 * H8 plans geographical inquiries to analyse and synthesise information from a variety of sources
 * H9 evaluates geographical information and sources for usefulness, validity and reliability
 * H10 applies maps, graphs and statistics, photographs and fieldwork to analyse and integrate data in geographical contexts
 * H11 applies mathematical ideas and techniques to analyse geographical data
 * H12 explains geographical patterns, processes and future trends through appropriate case studies and illustrative examples
 * H13 communicates complex geographical information, ideas and issues effectively, using appropriate written and/or oral, cartographic and graphic forms.

Content
Students Learn About:

world cities
 * the nature, character and spatial distribution of world cities
 * the role of world cities as powerful centres of economic and cultural authority
 * the operation of global networks
 * the relationships of dominance and dependence between world cities and other urban centres and the changing role of regional centres and the demise of the small town.

mega cities
 * the nature, character and spatial distribution of mega cities in the developing world
 * the challenges of living in mega cities such as housing, traffic infrastructure, water and power supplies, sanitation services, employment, and other social and health issues
 * the responses to these challenges such as self-help projects, community self-government, cooperation from NGOs, urban protest and the operations of informal economies.

urban dynamics
 * the urban dynamics of change: suburbanisation, exurbanisation, counterurbanisation, decentralisation, consolidation, urban decay, urban renewal, urban village, spatial exclusion
 * a case study of the results of the urban dynamics in a large city selected from the developed world including its
 * social structure and spatial patterns of advantage and disadvantage, wealth and poverty, ethnicity
 * changing economic character, nature and location of residential land, commercial and industrial development
 * culture of place as expressed in the architecture, streetscape, heritage architecture, noise, colour, street life, energy, vitality and lifestyles
 * growth, development, future trends and ecological sustainability
 * a case study showing one of the urban dynamics listed above, operating in a country town or suburb.

Outcomes
The student:
 * H1 explains the changing nature, spatial patterns and interaction of ecosystems, urban places and economic activity
 * H4 analyses the changing spatial and ecological dimensions of an economic activity
 * H5 evaluates environmental management strategies in terms of ecological sustainability
 * H6 evaluates the impacts of, and responses of people to, environmental change
 * H7 justifies geographical methods applicable and useful in the workplace and relevant to a changing world
 * H8 plans geographical inquiries to analyse and synthesise information from a variety of sources
 * H9 evaluates geographical information and sources for usefulness, validity and reliability
 * H10 applies maps, graphs and statistics, photographs and fieldwork to analyse and integrate data in geographical contexts
 * H11 applies mathematical ideas and techniques to analyse geographical data
 * H12 explains geographical patterns, processes and future trends through appropriate case studies and illustrative examples
 * H13 communicates complex geographical information, ideas and issues effectively, using appropriate written and/or oral, cartographic and graphic forms.

Content
Students Learn About:

global economic activity
 * a description of the nature, spatial patterns and future directions of ONE economic activity in a global context. The economic activity selected can be from a wide range of activities such as wheat farming, hydroponics, viticulture, textiles, tourism, advertising, retailing, wholesaling, information technologies, financial and business services industries
 * factors explaining the nature, spatial patterns and future directions of the selected economic activity such as
 * biophysical: climate, soils, topography, site
 * ecological: sustainability and resource use
 * economic: competitive advantage, consumer demand, mobility of labour and capital
 * sociocultural: tradition, changing lifestyles, labour participation rates
 * organisational: ownership, decision making and control
 * technological: transportation, information transmission and flows, biotechnology
 * political: quotas, tariffs, compacts, agreements
 * the environmental, social and economic impacts of the economic activity such as pollution, resource depletion, labour exploitation, cultural integration, provision of infrastructure, job creation, transfer pricing.

local case study
 * a geographical study of an economic enterprise operating at a local scale. The business could be an individual enterprise, firm or company such as a family farm, a mine or mining corporation, a hotel, chain of hotels, heritage or tourist site. The case study should explore
 * the nature of the economic enterprise
 * locational factors
 * ecological dimensions including environmental constraints, climate, and human impacts on the environment such as pollution and ecological sustainability
 * internal and external linkages and flows of people, goods, services and ideas
 * effects of global changes in the economic activity on the enterprise.