Re-thinking Latin American Geographies through Social Mapping

Catalog description

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. Intermediate knowledge of Spanish is required for conducting readings and class-discussion. This course is appropriate for students who have taken AP Spanish, heritage speakers, and students who have taken or placed in 500-level Spanish language classes at Brown. Previous knowledge of maps not required.