GEOG518 (HAM)
Advanced Cartographic Theory and Practice
30 points
Lecturer: Dr Russell Kirkpatrick
Email: russellk@waikato.ac.nz
Paper Overview
This paper will have a close relationship with the graduate GIS paper GEOG517. It also draws from the Department's tradition of critical and post-modern thought. Together we will explore the role and practice of cartography in contemporary society, with an emphasis on producing cartography relevant to the physical and human geographical themes.
Objectives
The purpose of this paper is to equip students with advanced cartographic techniques based on sound cartographic theory. It will service students coming through the GIS, REP and Geography streams as well as from Earth and Ocean Sciences and the private sector.
Professional cartographers in New Zealand have lamented the lack of any professional qualification for the last decade or more. This paper will help position Waikato as an important provider of training in spatial manipulation.
Practical teaching emphasises working with graphic elements, page layout and fonts. Students will be able to take a theme of their choice and illustrate it using a wide variety of maps, graphs and other graphical elements they have produced.
Underpinning this practical teaching will be a broad theoretical base. Students will be exposed to cartographic communication theory, including process theory, gestalt theory and semiotics. Particular emphasis will be placed on developing methods to illustrate thephysical and human dimensions of geography.
- A thorough knowledge of cartographic theory;
- The ability to select the most appropriate method for representing spatial data;
- Practical experience in constructing a variety of cartographic elements, using software packages such as FreeHand and Photoshop;
- Page layout
skills
Required Book
Kirkpatrick, 2005: Contemporary Atlas New Zealand
Assessment
Internal assessment/examination ratio is 70:30
The most important assessment component is a professional-quality double-page spread supplemented by explanatory documents and working sketches. To meet University regulations this will be divided into three sections: working drawings (20%), explanatory documents (20%) and the finished poster (30%) which includes a seminar presentation. The theoretical component will be examined (30%).
Timetable and Organisation:
Refer to the Online Timetable
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