History of Cartography

This course introduces students to the history of maps as historical documents, records of social values and worldviews, instruments of power, and expressions of human perception and experience. Course topics will include indigenous mapping, the pegging out of empires, the ways cartography has served the interests of nation states, scientific revolutions in mapping technologies, and maps in art. The overall goal is for students to learn to read maps deeply and understand how they have influenced and reflect major social trends.