Chicago Studies makes it easier for students and instructors in the College to study, teach, and collaboratively learn about our amazing city. Part of the Office of Research and Teaching Innovations in the College Dean’s Office, we support faculty and course instructors in developing and executing innovative, hands-on curricular and research experiences, especially those that directly engage the diverse communities of Chicagoland. We also provide specialized, direct support to students as they develop questions about and then focus their studies on Chicago.
Although a small team, we multiply the impacts of our work by cooperating with a wide range of departmental, on-campus, and civic/institutional partners. These inform the themes and methods of the classes and research we support and help us promote core principles of epistemic justice, respectful place-based engagement throughout the Chicago region, and high-impact teaching and learning wherever these may take place.
Get to know Chicago with our Fall Urban Hikes & Bikes series, led by UChicago faculty and Chicago Studies staff. Explore Chicago history, Batman movies, ghost stories, photography, disability and LGBTQ+ rights, and more in guided small-group tours!
Chicago Studies offers course instructors one-on-one pedagogy consultation, financial and logistical support for experiential learning across the city, and connections to relevant Chicago partners and institutions for classes in any discipline. Help your students learn MORE from Chicago.
Opportunities to explore Chicago history, ecosystems, cultures, and neighborhoods
Standalone classes, course sequences, and immersive quarters about the Windy City
Grants, logistical support, and pedagogy consulting for classes that engage Chicago
Specialized advising and funding to support student scholarship about Chicago
Transcript recognition for students who build their own Chicago-focused programs of study