Coursework

Slides

Week Topic Date
01 Welcome 08/25/26
01 Process 08/27/26
02 Basemaps 09/01/26
02 Naming stuff 09/03/26
03 Symbols 09/10/26
04 Colors 09/15/25
04 Cartography and design 09/17/26
05 Census 09/22/26

Mapping activities

Mapping activity Topic Due
Activity 01 Process 9/1/26
Activity 02 File naming 9/8/26
Activity 03 Color 9/17/26
Activity 04 Census readings and questionnaire 9/24/26
Activity 05 Introduction to Adobe Illustrator 10/19/26
Activity 06 Final project proposal 10/29/26
Activity 07 Narrative 11/12/26
Activity 08 Exhibition prep #1 11/19/26
Activity 09 Exhibition prep #2 12/1/26
Activity 10 Exhibition prep #3 12/8/26
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Labs

Lab Topic Due
Lab 1 Arctic sea ice decline 9/15/26
Lab 2 Data and civics 9/29/26
Lab 3 Illustrator for Cartography Fundamentals 10/20/26
Lab 4 Digital exhibition 10/27/26
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Cartography challenges

Challenge Topic Due
Challenge 1 Base-mapping campus differently 9/8/26
Challenge 2 Variations on a color ramp 9/22/26
Challenge 3 Text on maps 11/3/26
Challenge 4 Final project draft map 11/17/26
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Curatorial reflection

On Thursday, October 8, you will submit a curatorial reflection which considers and contrasts two maps of your choosing, using principles learned in class.

District profiles

On Thursday, October 8, you will submit a district profile for one of Richmond’s city council districts. This is essentially your midterm assessment.

Final map project

A final map project is the cornerstone assignment of GEOG 248. Focusing on a topic within their area of research/scholarly interest, students will use geospatial data to tell a place-based story through a thoughtfully-designed map. In addition to adhering to general principles of cartographic design, final map projects must reflect some kind of quantitative or qualitative analysis. Very short (~250 word) write-ups will accompany the submission of the final maps.

Students will use the geographical keywords below to guide their selection of a topic. These keywords will factor into the organization of the digital exhibition:

Table 1: Some geographical keywords
Environments Concepts Processes Representations
Landscape Place/belonging Bordering Figure-ground
Earth system Region Heterogeneity Projections
Watershed Gradient Connectivity Colors
Sustainability Scale Narrative Maps as art
Urban systems Power Justice Lettering

Note that you must submit a final map project to receive a passing grade.

Digital exhibition

In the final weeks of the semester, we’ll work together to create a digital exhibition.