I. General Information

1. Course Title:
Maps and Places

2. Course Prefix & Number:
GEOG 1410

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 3

Lecture Hours: 3

4. Course Description:

Basic geographic literacy is essential for the modern world citizen. We study the world's regions, countries, capitals, mountains and rivers so we know where places are. We also study and make many types of maps to see the ways they can be used, the kinds of information they can convey and how to create the best maps for given purposes.

5. Placement Tests Required:

Accuplacer (specify test):

Reading College Level CLC or Reading College Level

Score:

6. Prerequisite Courses:

There are no prerequisites for this course.

9. Co-requisite Courses:

There are no corequisites for this course.

II. Transfer and Articulation

1. Course Equivalency - similar course from other regional institutions:

St. Cloud State University, GEOG 216 Principles of Geographic Information Science, 3 credits
Normandale Community College GEOG 1050 Introduction to Maps and Places, 3 credits

2. Transfer - regional institutions with which this course has a written articulation agreement:

III. Course Purpose

1. Program-Applicable Courses – This course is required for the following program(s):

2. MN Transfer Curriculum (General Education) Courses - This course fulfills the following goal area(s) of the MN Transfer Curriculum:

• Goal 5 – History and the Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Goal 8 – Global Perspective

IV. Learning Outcomes

1. College-Wide Outcomes

College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies	Students will be able to:
Demonstrate written communication skills	Write essays to explain the process of making a particular map and to explain in words the visual content contained in the map
Analyze and follow a sequence of operations	Gather data (on income by state or county, for example), sort data, arrange data into some defensible groupings, map those data and explain both the process of doing the above and the map that results from the data so grouped.
Apply abstract ideas to concrete situations	Map data and draw conclusions from spatial relationships

2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of the course:

• Employ the methods and data that historians and social and behavioral scientists use to investigate the human condition. MnTC Goal 5
• Use and critique alternative explanatory systems or theories. MnTC Goal 5
• Develop and communicate alternative explanations or solutions for contemporary social issues. MnTC Goal 5
• Examine social institutions and processes, specifically maps and mapping, across a range of historical periods and cultures to understand the development of mapping as an art and science over time. MnTC Goal 5
• Analyze maps and mapped content to decide if the map accurately portrays its content or if there are biases or inaccuracies in the presentation. MnTC Goal 5
• Examine the ways in which maps are used to deceive the viewer or obfuscate information. MnTC Goal 5
• Demonstrate knowledge of the world's cultural, social, religious and linguistic differences and how maps can be useful in adding to this understanding. MnTC Goal 8
• Understand the role of a world citizen and the responsibility world citizens share for their common global future by examining regional conflict hot spots and their background through maps. MnTC Goal 8
• Create and use maps to explain given social and/or physical phenomena and write an essay to allow the viewer to understand the mapped content and its implications, for example, the current extent and the reasons for and possible spread of an infectious disease such as West Nile Virus. MnTC Goal 8

V. Topical Outline

Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.

1. Lecture Sessions

1. Thinking Geographically
   • Spatial thinking
   • Regional concepts
   • Mapping
2. Introduction to Maps and Concepts: navigation
   • Longitude and Latitude
   • Time zones
   • Earth movements
3. Map Projections
   • Distortions
     • Area
     • Distance
     • Shape
     • Direction
     • Projections
       • Cylindrical
       • Conical
       • Planar
4. Mapping your place
   • Concepts of place
   • Map symbols
   • Google maps vs. hand drawn maps
5. Psychogeography
   • Mapping consciousness
   • Other mapping strategies
6. Map Scale and Measurement
   • Using map scale
   • Measuring distance and routes
7. Surveying and Land division
   • Survey techniques
   • Understanding land measurement
   • Township and range system
8. Topographic Features
   • Understanding topography
   • Interpreting topographic maps
9. Terrain and Contour
   • Drawing contour
   • Imagining terrain
   • Slope and drainage patterns
10. USGS topographic maps
    • Using topographic maps
    • Map symbols
    • Landscape understanding
11. Getting your bearings
    • Azimuth
    • Bearings
12. How to Lie with Maps
    • Map misinterpretation
    • Misleading symbols
    • Misleading quantities
    • Emotional content
13. Cartograms and Choropleth maps
    • Understanding quantitative information
    • Grouping data
    • Color in cartography
14. Cartograms and Choropleth maps
    • Mapping data
    • Interpreting spatial relationships from choropleth maps
    • Inferring causal relationships
15. Geographic Information Systems
    • Use of computers in geography
    • Accessing geographic information
    • Managing GIS data
    • Careers in GIS
    • Mapping the World by Region
      • Minnesota
      • Canada
      • United States
      • Middle America
      • South America
      • Europe physical features
      • Europe political
      • Russia & the CIS
      • Africa physical features
      • Africa political
      • Southwest Asia (Middle East)
      • South Asia
      • Southeast Asia
      • East Asia & Oceania

2. Laboratory/Studio Sessions