Course Description:
Interested in learning about global trade and making maps at the same time? In this class we will look at fifteen major commodities that changed the economic landscape of the modern world: chocolate, coffee, cotton, fur, opium, oil, porcelain, silver and gold, spices, sugar, tea, timber, tobacco, wheat, and wine. Then we will take one step further, using ArcGIS to translate our book knowledge into creative digital maps. There are no prerequisites required; just bring your curiosity.
Assignments:
Students revolved their spatial analyses around fifteen global commodities in order to explain how the five continents were bound into one global economic entity since the 1400s. They drew primary sources from the “global commodities” collection in Adam Matthew Digital Archives to construct their research essays. They also followed examples from the “Persuasive Cartography” collection (Cornell University Library) to create their own “persuasive” commodity maps.