Environmental Studies 377 - Cartography & Explor/N America

This course examines the history of mapping: what maps show, and what places the practice of cartography tends to erase, distort, or conceal. It focuses on the landscapes of early North America, where the representation and use of space was hotly contested by Natives, European settlers, and Africans. The course's topics include indigenous mapping traditions and concepts of sacred space, European navigational strategies during the 'Age of Discovery,' early urban planning, and scientific/military depictions. The course will teach strategies for employing maps as primary sources, and ways of understanding the historical and ideological circumstances of their production and circulation.

This course is open to Juniors and Seniors.