Generic Syllabus for GEOG 321
Cartography -- Maps and Map Construction
Taught by Dr. Cynthia Brewer, Penn State Geography
Prerequisite: GEOG 121 GS : Mapping our Changing World
Course information for the current semester of both GEOG 321 and 121 are on ANGEL, the University course management system at cms.psu.edu
Course Description:
Mapping is crucial to exploring and understanding distributions of geographic
phenomena. It is also an important phase of many database-intensive analyses
because a map is often the best way to visualize results and show them to
others. Our emphasis in this course will be on designing and producing both
thematic and reference maps that use symbols and visual hierarchies that
allow the content of the map to be readily understood. Maps are often built
from existing line work and images created by government mapping programs
and from GIS databases and remote-sensing software. Therefore, your hands-on
computer work this semester will involve working with varied digital data
sources in ArcMap, which has sufficient design tools to allow excellence
in cartographic production.
Generic course outline with links to some of the examples shown in class:
| Lectures | |
| introduction | |
| design for purpose, layout and hierarchy --[design topic list] | |
| typography basics, label placement --[type topic list] | |
| color basics, color schemes and specification --[color topic list] | |
| choropleth mapping, data classing | |
| proportional point symbols | |
| terrain representation | |
| isolines and interpolation | |
| choosing symbols | |
| multivariate symbols | |
| map projections | |
|
|
| gallery of final projects | |
| Reviews for Midterm and Final exams | |
| Miscellaneous past topics: | |
| editing | |
| compilation & copyright | |
| 3-D symbols | |
|
Required Text:
Slocum,
Terry A., Robert B. McMaster, Fritz C. Kessler, and Hugh H. Howard, 2005, Thematic Cartography and Geographic Visualization (2nd
edition), Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 518 pp.
Brewer, Cynthia A., 2005,
Designing Better Maps: A Guide
for GIS Users, ESRI Press, Redlands CA, 203 pp.
Academic Integrity:
Please act with personal integrity and be respectful of other students. Do
not engage in, or tolerate, acts of falsification, misrepresentation, or
deception. Your ArcMap exercises and the final project must be your own work.
A first infraction will lead to a grade of zero on the assignment or exam
on which you cheat; a second incident will result in course failure. The
EMS College policy on Academic Integrity, that we will follow, is explained
in more detail at www.ems.psu.edu/students/integrity