Here are some projects that can be adapted for use in courses or can inspire different projects responsive to your research and teaching needs. Please see below also the link to more projects created by others.
A wide variety of projects for different skill levels, most under two hours.
Story maps are a very approachable way to integrate GIS and text
This population density map can be completed in about 2 to 3 hours and covers many of the basic skills in GIS. This is a good introductory exercise and can be adapted for mapping other topics like race, age and many other demographic variables. This project uses very accessible and easy to use Census data.
This project is similar to the foregoing and uses census data from 1940 to map the number of households that have a radio.
This food desert map combines data from a variety of sources including Census and state and local courses. This project is an intermediate skill level and provides a good overview of basic GIS skills and utilizes several data processing techniques. It can be completed in about 2 to 3 hours.
This map uses local and census data to generate quantitative measures of high and low crime areas. This is a more advanced level course and requires more than a basic understanding of GIS skills. This project can be completed in about 2 hours.