This unit explores urban growth in three western metropolitan regions: Phoenix, Arizona, Calgary, Alberta, and the Bay Area, California. Students investigate the roots and ramifications of urban growth.

This unit explores the role that mapmakers have played in imagining the West. Students encounter dozens of maps spanning several centuries. They learn to read the maps as historical artifacts.

This unit explores the role that the cowboy has played in the historical myth of the West. Students trace the emergence of the cowboy myth in the late 19th century. They learn to read popular culture critically.