GEOG 161
Rethinking Latin American Geographies Through Social Mapping
Maps are important tools for our daily activities and spatial imaginaries; however, the ways in which official and dominant Western maps organized the information about the world occludes other ways of knowing territories. How are these “other” geographies represented? How are maps re-designed and appropriated to visualize different spatialities? In this course, students will be introduced to key themes and design practices in social cartography in Latin America. These reflect on collective or individual mapping practices to represent and increase the visibility of social issues and ways of knowing and being in this region. Previous knowledge of maps not required.
Topics
- Examine the diversity of geographies and ways of understanding territories, landscapes, and space through communities and social movements in the region. Become familiar with a range of theoretical and practical perspectives on social mapping in the Latin American context. Develop a toolkit of key terms and methodologies in social mapping that will allow them to work collaboratively utilizing an interdisciplinary perspective. Develop a critical approach to Western/hegemonic mapping and cartography. Contrast written materials about maps and visual representations from a variety of Latin American countries.
Official catalogue course objectives and student learning outcomes
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026-2027