A new geography course to be offered for the first time winter quarter will not only teach students about cartography and map design, but also teach them to benefit the community.
Geography 580S is a service learning course that will use basic map design to address community needs within the Near East Side of Columbus, said Tim Hawthorne, a graduate student in geography, who will be instructing the course.
"[The Near East Side] historically has one of the lowest health care accessibility rates within the city of Columbus," Hawthorne said. The goal of the final project in the course is to have students create maps that illustrate resource facilities such as low-cost health care providers, public transportation locations, food pantries and groceries, so residents know what is available. The final project can take the form of a brochure, wall map or any other creative use of the map.
The maps might provide "compelling visual evidence" that the community lacks necessary resources, said Ola Ahlqvist, an assistant professor in geography who is collaborating with Hawthorne on the class.
Students will take a tour of the Near East Side community to visit places they want to map and familiarize themselves with the community and its needs. They will also use GPS technology and mapping software to create data sets and use existing data from places such as the Center for Urban and Regional Analysis to help them complete their final projects.
The class will work with the Ohio State African American and African Studies Community Extension Center, which will conduct the tour of the near east side of Columbus and will serve as the course's "outreach arm to the community," said Carla Wilks, the center's program coordinator. The center will work with the students to help them distribute their final projects to the organizations and people who would most benefit.
The class will also map community landmarks, such as the Lincoln Theatre.
"The Near East Side has a lot to offer … and is rich in history," Wilks said. "The people who live there have a lot to be proud of."
Funding for the course was provided by OSU's Service Learning Initiative. Service learning courses are available in a variety of disciplines and offer students the opportunity to put their knowledge to use in the real world.
Joseph Krugel took a service learning course through the Department of English and wrote press releases for the United Way.
"I felt just as much a part of the United Way as anyone else," said the senior in English. "They did not have me running to get coffee or anything like that. I felt like I was really doing something to help the community."
Geography 580S has no pre-requisites and is open to all majors.
Photo courtesy of Liz Alcalde
Tim Hawthorne, a doctoral student in geography, stands in front of the Lincoln Theatre, a landmark building in Columbus' East Side. The theatre will be studied by the Geography 580S class, which Hawthorne is teaching winter quarter.Holly Davis can be reached at davis.2345@osu.edu.
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