GIS Historical Atlas Assignment

Curatorial note from Digital Pedagogy in the Humanities: Students delve into historical census data to produce a small atlas that addresses questions about race and slavery in mid-nineteenth-century America. They produce not only maps but also tables and charts, consistent with the census’s emphasis on quantitative data. Students begin with a question that they wish to answer, comparing variables across different geographies, across time, or exploring possible correlations. This models a good practice for census data: to have a specific question that data will help address. Otherwise, census data can readily become overwhelming in its specificity and abundance. The GIS “codebook” facilitates the use of the “real” data, which is necessarily obtuse and confusing in its authenticity. Rael chose to do extensive out-of-class work to prepare supporting instructional materials so that students focus on the analysis while minimizing time spent grappling with data. This assignment could be adapted for census data from any time period