Researching Chicago

History and Initiatives

Since its inception in 2007, Chicago Studies has promoted undergraduate research about Chicago under the direction of the University's faculty and researchers. The first volume of the Chicago Studies Annual, a prestigious edited journal of undergraduate research about Chicago, came out in 2008 and continues to be published to this day.  We began offering an interdisciplinary Certificate in Chicago Studies (which recognizes long-term academic engagement with the city) in 2017, and our Undergraduate Research Prize in 2018.  In Winter 2023, we launched our inaugural research cohort, focused on the history of 55th Street, to help students build skills for historiographical and spatial investigations in the city.  In Winter 2024, we began exploring the history of 63rd St, following on the same model, and now branded as the Chicago Centuries Project.  In Spring 2025, we are launching two new projects, focusing on the histories and geographies of Chicago's Black Southland and on the shape of Chicago's built environment during the "Roaring 20s" (that is, 1920s Chicago).  See below for additional details about these initiatives!

Resources and Project Support

Chicago Studies can provide one-on-one advising on Chicago research, including local data sources and archives, potential collaborators, research mentors, primary/secondary sources, and more.  To arrange one-on-one advising about a Chicago research project, schedule an appointment with Chris Skrable, Chicago Studies' Executive Director and Assistant Dean of the College.

Effective Fall 2023, Chicago Studies also began providing micro-grants (usually capped at $1000) for in-person, independent (capstone/BA-level) research in the Chicago region.  Micro-grants may be used to provide small honoraria to acknowledge Chicago-based interviewees' time, transportation assistance, purchasing support (e.g. to provide food at community meetings or public presentations), and reimbursement for the costs incurred while doing fieldwork in the city.  These grants are intended to be supplemental, and secondary to any funding provided by students' home departments/programs.  Students interested in a micro-grant to support their thesis or capstone work may reach out to us via chicagostudies@uchicago.edu.

In addition to advising, promotion, and funding, Chicago Studies also helps students prepare to present their work at the College's Undergraduate Research Symposium in Spring, and curates a collection of undergraduate research about the city on Knowledge@UChicago.  These general resources and those that follow are meant to inspire interest in studying the city, and are by no means exhaustive.