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Mountaineer Undergraduate Research Review

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Since its conception in the 1960s, Geographic Information Systems or Science (GIS) has revolutionized how people make maps and utilize geospatial information. GIS, a tool typically used in quantitative applications, has vastly expanded mapping and computing capabilities and undoubtedly transformed the field of geography. In addition to its technical origins, GIS has more recently been explored as a social or cultural tool to share stories and collect qualitative data. In the Fall of 2021, the authors of this paper explored this emerging facet of GIS through a cultural geography course offered at West Virginia University. We, a group of university geography students, examined the social dimensions of GIS through a class project that incorporated topics in emotional geography, object mobility, and digital storytelling. In this paper, we draw on our experiences from this course to examine our learning outcomes and post-class experiences. Ultimately, our autoethnographic method (paired with our exploration of ArcGIS StoryMaps) allowed us to understand our online experiences during/post-pandemic, connect with each other virtually, and share unique stories using GIS software. We end the paper with a suggestion for applying what we learned from this experience to different learning contexts.

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