GEOG 2053: MAPPING A CHANGING WORLD

Maps Designed to Persuade and Mislead

Search in newspapers, magazines, or other printed sources for one map or image of a globe used either:

1. In advertising to persuade consumers to purchase a good or service.

2. In an editorial or article intended to persuade or sway readers to a particular point of view, to mislead readers, or to inflame debate on an issue.

Very often maps are used in advertising and news articles to convey factual information--where stores are located, how to get to a new subdivision, and so forth.  However, in this assignment I want you to focus instead on examples of maps used: 1) as advertising images that make goods or services for attractive and desirable to consumers; and 2) as tools to sway opinion or even as propaganda to mislead readers.

The map you select must have been published after 1 January 2011 in either paper or digital format.  Please be sure to document that your map has been published after this date.

I am giving this assignment early so that you can look for a good example as you read newspapers, magazines and websites over the next two months.  If you don't find a good example immediately, you may wish to browse systematically through: 1) back issues of newspapers and magazines at the library; or 2) websites.  You can target your search toward magazines, newspapers, and websites that have a lot of advertising or are aimed at a particular market such as travel or have a particular political viewpoint such as websites maintained by special-interest and political groups.

In addition to turning in a copy, scan or original of the map, please answer the following questions:

1) Where did the map appear including the publication, date and page number?

The Economist, The Afghan Plague, 24 July 2003, p. 65.
The New York Times, Advertising for Gucci watches, 28 September 2003, p. B8.

2) To what audience or group of consumers to the advertising or article directed?  How can you tell, for instance by the type of publication, the type of product, or other evidence?

3) How does the map or globe function in the advertising or article to sell or persuade?  In effect, "deconstruct" the map image to identify what elements of its composition and layout are being used to sway readers.  Is a world map used, for example, to convey a sense of international glamour or cosmopolitan living?  Have map features been simplified, highlighted, or even eliminated to convey a slanted message?

What to hand in

Hand in a one-page essay answering the questions found above along with a copy of your map.

Grading Rubric