The Geographer's Craft, Fall 1997
Schedule by Week (Subject to Change)
Click here to view the index of lecture
and discussion notes, a list of warmup
exercises and assignments or study
and review questions .
August 27: Introduction
Topics and tasks: Introduction to course. Windows and Internet quiz. Complete
final enrollment. Overview of laboratory resources, access, and use.
September 1: Exploring the Internet
Topics and tasks: Practice with Internet resources. Introduce electronic
mail and the telnet and ftp commands. Overview of file use, transfer, conversion,
compression, and decompression. Discuss problems involved in navigating
the Internet. Demonstrate how to access and use on-line class materials.
Establish IF accounts. Assign accounts and electronic mail addresses. Establish
lab teams. No class Monday due to Labor Day Holiday.
Required Reading:
September 8: Introduction to Web Publishing and HTML
Topics and tasks: Overview of the HTML and the basics of Web publishing.
Design first homepage for final Web project. All sections of Digital
Aerobics exercise finished by Monday.
Required Reading:
Supplemental Reading:
September 15: Research Concepts and Resources
Topics and tasks: Consider the revolution in information technology and
the way it is changing research methodologies in the sciences and geography.
Introduce the idea of the electronic classroom including the Internet,
Worldwide Web, and library resources. Consider the issue of research methodology
and various models of analytic and scientific reasoning. Web Search
project due on-line on Friday.
Required Reading:
-
Leedy, Paul E. 1997. Practical Research: Planning and Design,
6th ed. Chapters 3 and 4, pp. 45-91.
-
Educational Multimedia Fair Use Guidelines Development Committee. 1996.
Fair Use Guidelines for Educational
Multimedia. http://www.indiana.edu/~mediares/mmfairuse.htm.
September 22: Overview of GIS as an Integrating Technology in Geography
Topics and tasks: Overview of categories of application software used in
geography and the social and natural sciences. Introduction to GIS and
comparison to other systems. Introduction to basic GIS concepts and definitions.
The idea of GIS as a model or representation of reality. Overview of applications.
Introduction to the first GIS warm-up exercises. Statement of
research topic on-line by Friday.
Required Reading:
Supplemental Reading:
-
Antenucci, John C; Brown, Kay; Croswell, Peter L.; Kevany, Michael J.;
and Archer, Hugh N. 1991. "Introduction" and "Evolution of the Technology."
Chaps. 1 and 2 in Geographic Information Systems: A Guide to the Technology.
New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
September 29: Getting Started with GIS: Data Entry, Display, and Query
Topics and tasks: Introduction to ArcView and its data handling capabilities.
Demonstration to TA of progress through end of Inside ArcView GIS,
Chapter 3.
Required Reading:
-
Hutchinson, Scott and Larry Daniel. 1997. Inside ArcView
GIS, 2nd ed. Chapters 4, 5, and 6, pp. 75-167.
October 6: GIS Layouts, Themes, and Analysis Tools
Topics and tasks: Overview of thematic mapping using GIS and of a variety
of GIS analysis tools. Demonstration to TA of creation of IHOP map at
end of Inside ArcView GIS, Chapter 6. Web project due
on-line by Friday.
Required Reading:
-
Hutchinson, Scott and Larry Daniel. 1997. Inside ArcView
GIS, 2nd ed. Chapters 7, 8, and 9, pp. 169-254.
October 13: Texas Campaign Strategy
Topics and tasks: Introduction to Texas electoral and demographic dynamics
and Clinton campaign strategy of 1992. Explore ways in which the Clinton
strategy can be applied to Texas. Develop strategy based upon recent electoral
returns and demographic data from Texas counties. Overview of advanced
AcrView data handling and analysis functions. Contrast the advantages and
disadvantages of cartographic versus database solutions. Plot market
survey map at end of Inside ArcView GIS, Chapter 6.
Required Reading:
October 20: Issues of Cartographic Communication
Topics and tasks: Introduction to thematic cartography applied to first
maps. Overview of cartography as a form of visual communication. Definition
of audience and theme. Overview of general principles, composition of map
elements, and visual hierarchy. Experiments with point symbols and color.
Problems of realizing goals with automated systems: "Never Trust Defaults."
Required Reading:
Supplemental Reading:
-
Monmonier, Mark, Mapping It Out, Chapters 3 and 4 (pp. 55-117).
October 27: Issues in Demographic Mapping
Topics and tasks: Overview of issues relating to demographic mapping: statistical
generalization, classification, and symbolization. Overview of problems
of data classification and of strengths and weaknesses of various methods.
Perform experiments with area patterns and further tests with layout and
color. Introduce new issues relating to verbal content and lettering. Review
of descriptive statistics.
Required Reading:
Supplemental Reading:
-
Coulson, Michael R.C. 1987. In the matter of class intervals for choropleth
maps: With particular reference to the work of George F. Jenks. Cartographica
24 (2): 16-39. (On reserve in EISLab.)
-
Jenks, George F. 1963. Generalization in statistical mapping. Annals
of the Association of American Geographers 53: 15-26. (On reserve in
EISLab.)
-
Evans, Ian S. 1977. The selection of class intervals. Transactions of
the Institute of British Geographers New Series 2: 98-124. (On reserve
in EISLab.)
-
Monmonier, Mark Mapping It Out, Chapters 6 (pp. 157-185).
November 3: The Resurgence of Cholera in Peru
Topics and tasks: Introduce geography's spatial and ecological contributions
to the study of disease. Consider the history of cholera in the 19th and
20th centuries. Examine the resurgence of cholera in Latin America. Raise
questions of where and why. Begin to devise plan for studying the resurgence
of cholera in Peru. Begin to gather sources. Begin digitizing warm-up exercise.
Texas Campaign Strategy Report due on Friday.
Required Reading:
-
Medical
Geography and Cholera in Perú.
-
Leedy, Paul E. 1997. Practical Research: Planning and Design,
6th ed. Chapter 5, pp. 93-121.
-
Hutchinson, Scott and Larry Daniel. 1997. Inside ArcView
GIS, 2nd ed. Chapters 10 and 11, pp. 255-335.
November 10: Project Planning and Preparation
Topics and tasks: Develop plan for cholera study. Consider map and data
sources and decide how these will be used. Address difficulties of gathering
information from varied sources and of data quality. Develop scheme for
organizing and coding data. Begin digitizing map coverages. Complete
digitizing tutorial by Friday.
Required Reading:
November 17: Database Concepts and Design
Topics and tasks: Consider more general issues of project planning. Examine
how databases model real-world phenomena and processes. Organize attribute
information. Develop scheme for analyzing and symbolizing relationships.
Map coverages completed.
Required Reading:
-
Skim Database
Concepts
-
Antenucci, John C; Brown, Kay; Croswell, Peter L.; Kevany, Michael J.;
and Archer, Hugh N. 1991. "Data Base Concepts." Chap. 5 in Geographic
Information Systems: A Guide to the Technology. New York: Van Nostrand
Reinhold.
November 24: Spatial Analysis
Topics and tasks: Introduce several spatial analysis techniques for examining
cholera epidemic. No Class on Friday for Thanksgiving break.
Required Reading:
-
Leedy, Paul E. 1997. Practical Research: Planning and Design,
6th ed. Chapter 11, pp. 243-277.
December 1: Coordinate Systems
Topics and tasks: Raise issue of establishing and measuring location. Address
issue of how and why coordinate systems differ. Survey major issues and
terms. Introduce principle land survey and coordinate systems employed
in Texas. Raise issues of accuracy and precision. Raise further issues
in cartographic design and composition.
Required Reading:
Supplemental Reading:
-
Muehrcke, P.C. 1986. "Locational Reference Systems." Chap. 7 in Map
Use: Reading-Analysis-Interpretation, 2d ed. Madison, WI: J.P. Publications.
Cholera Project Due by Friday, 12 December at Noon.
Last revised 30 January 1998. RRR.