A criteria framework for critical cartography education

Abstract. The need and potential for implementing critical praxis in holistic, contemporary education curricula has long been argued for by critical education theorists and practitioners. In the field of cartography, our research finds that such discourses are limited, or altogether missing, especially when it comes to the critical dissemination of cartography in formal, higher education settings. Adopting contemporary, critical, feminist, and decolonial pedagogical frames, our research starts with an extensive literature review on existing critical education criteria that provide a basis for how to implement critical praxis in the curriculum. Specifically, we aim to compile criteria for implementation across four central curricular elements: explicitly outlined (1) content, (2) instruction methods, (3) learning outcomes, and (4) assessment techniques. Focusing on the synthesis of these elements, our research builds off the literature in our development of a critical criteria framework specifically for cartography education. Developed with an evaluation of widespread university-level critical cartography courses and interviews with course developers, the framework outlines five criteria for critical cartography content, six criteria for critical cartography instruction methods, and provides an overview of aligning critical cartography learning outcomes and assessment techniques. The final synthesized criteria framework presented in this paper is envisioned for aiding in the evaluation of critical praxis in existing cartography curricula, and for fostering the development of new, critical, cartography education material.