By David Alvarez, Depauw University & Ian MacInnes, Albion College

Resources — (the actual teaching module)

This module gives instructors both an introduction to the tools of digital mapping and a complete template for integrating a 1-2 week unit on digital mapping into the content of an existing humanities course.

The information age has increasingly privileged the virtual over the physical, from social media to digital archives, but historically humans have defined themselves through a sense of place. Geography has been one of the foundations of cultural and individual identity throughout history, from Homer and Luo Guanzhong to modern urban architecture. Perhaps because of the growing tension between virtual and physical worlds, the study of space has witnessed a steady resurgence across the disciplines in what has been called the “spatial turn.” Concepts like “neogeography,” “webmapping” and “geospatial humanities” have begun to transform our fields. Digital mapping offers a way of bridging the gap between virtual and real. It enables us to use digital worlds to tell compelling stories about physical ones, both ancient and contemporary.