How Maps Work

Class Description

For centuries, maps have decorated homes, traveled around the world in pockets, and sat on negotiating tables. This class will trace the development of maps and mapping in Europe and the Americas by looking at what, at different points in the last 500 years, has made a map a map. In this journey, we will read instructional texts that outline the formal elements, like lines, colors, points, polygons, and, yes, even sea monsters, that have gone into mapping. We will also look at how maps can carry with them evidence of how people have used them and what that can tell us about their history. Finally, in conjunction with the exhibition "Mapping Outside the Lines," we will engage with some contemporary artists’ work with maps to think about why maps continue to matter to us in the digital age.

David Weimer is the Robert A. Holland Curator of Maps and Director of the Hermon Dunlap Smith Center for the History of Cartography at the Newberry Library. He is the curator of the exhibition Mapping Outside the Lines, on view at the Newberry from October 9, 2025 to February 14, 2026.

What to Expect

Format: In Person

Class Capacity: 18

Class Style: Mix of lecture and discussion; participation encouraged

Materials List

Required

• Digital Course Packet

First Assignment

• Send the instructor a picture of a map. This could be your favorite map, a map that makes you nostalgic, a map on your wall, a map that irritates you, a map you're not sure is even a map.

A Brief Syllabus

1. What is a map? How have maps changed over time?
2. What goes into making a map?
3. How have people used maps and why?
4. Why do maps matter to us?

Cost and Registration

4 Sessions, $220 ($198 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.

We offer our classes at three different price options: Regular ($220), Community Supported ($205), and Sponsor ($235). Following the models of other institutions, we want to ensure that our classes are accessible to a wider audience while continuing to support our instructors. You may choose the price that best fits your situation when registering through Learning Stream.

To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.

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Call us at (312) 255-3700 or send us an email at adulteducation@newberry.org.

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