Coursework
Readings
Readings are assigned every few weeks, sometimes incorporated into the lab or other assignment. Just keep an eye out for these.
Slides
| Week | Topic | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Welcome | 08/24/26 |
| 01 | Geography and geographic information systems | 08/26/26 |
| 02 | Data | 08/31/26 |
| 02 | Naming stuff | 09/02/26 |
| 03 | Distortion | 09/07/26 |
| 04 | Making data work for you | 09/14/26 |
| 04 | Cartography and design | 09/16/26 |
| 05 | Census | 09/20/26 |
| 05 | Witch maps and census chats | 09/23/26 |
| 06 | Exam review | 09/30/26 |
| 06 | Vector analysis | 09/30/26 |
| 07 | Final project soft launch | 10/05/26 |
| 08 | Final project kickoff | 10/14/26 |
| 09 | Raster data | 10/19/26 |
| 09 | Deep research | 10/21/26 |
Labs
| Lab | Topic | Due |
|---|---|---|
| Lab 01 | Assessing the terrain | 8/31/26 |
| Lab 02 | Power plants vs. plant power | 9/7/26 |
| Lab 03 | You’re projecting | 9/14/26 |
| Lab 04 | Counting people | 9/28/26 |
| Lab 05 | Environmental distress in Virginia | 10/9/26 |
| Lab 06 | Final project pitch | 10/19/26 |
| Lab 07 | Raster analysis | 11/2/26 |
| Lab 08 | Spatial statistics | 11/9/26 |
| Lab 09 | Spatial data viz | 11/16/26 |
Sketches
Midterm
On Monday, October 5, we will have a midterm exam. Please reach out to me as soon as possible if you need to coordinate accommodations.
Curation
Starting in Week 4, we’ll kick off some of our class meetings with a short curatorial introduction to a geospatial project, process, or product. In small groups, students will briefly and collaboratively present a “curation” of their choice, explaining (among other things) how their chosen project was created, what kinds of spatial data were required in order to make it, and what kind of argument or intervention the project is making. Additionally, group curations will identify areas of growth for the project, carefully interrogating its data and design elements.
Final
Beginning officially in Week 7—although you can, and should, start to think about it earlier—you will begin working on a final project. Using concepts and methods learned in class, you will create a large-format infographic that presents original geospatial research into a topic of your choosing.