The Occupied Times writes that "critical cartography is the idea that maps – like other texts such as the written word, images or film – are not (and cannot be) value-free or neutral. Maps reflect and perpetuate relations of power, more often than not in the interests of dominant groups." Jumping off from this point, we want to interrogate the way maps are used (and misused) to create a dominant narrative about our society. In this class, we will be analyzing different ways of communicating information through maps; different manifestations of cartography (literal, epidemiological, even literary); along with various methodologies of cartographical critique. We will end our session together by testing out our own mapmaking abilities, taking pen to paper and enacting our own cartographic visions on the page.