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Overview
Recognizing
that cities are at the core of the modern global community,
Wheaton's Urban Studies Program is an expression of the college's
commitment "to help build the church and improve society worldwide
by developing whole and effective Christians." Believing that
Christ calls us to a life of active engagement with the world
around us, Wheaton seeks to prepare its graduates to become
partners in the renewal of urban life.
 Cities
are viewed as dynamic, living testimonies of God's creative
energies and therefore knowing the city necessitates experiencing
it and living within it. For that reason, completing an urban
internship, which places students into the midst of the city
for an extended period of time, is also integral to the educational
vision of the program. Through Wheaton in Chicago,
its residential semester program, Urban Studies offers students
a unique opportunity to learn about and experience life in
the city first hand. By combining classroom work, internships,
and field visits in Chicago, Wheaton in Chicago has proven
to be a transformative learning environment for many of the
students who have enrolled in it.
Urban
Studies, while not necessarily a separate academic discipline,
exists as a sub-field within numerous disciplines such as
political science, sociology, education, psychology, and missions
and intercultural studies. Therefore, the Urban Studies program
at Wheaton emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach, encouraging
students to draw from numerous disciplines and integrate them
into a holistic understanding of the city.
The Urban
Studies Program contributes to the college's General Education
curriculum by offering the introductory Urban Studies course
entitled CHICAGO. The course is a two-credit hours course
offered in the B Quad of both semesters.
The Urban
Studies Program offers all Wheaton students the opportunity
to receive a certificate in Urban Studies upon graduation.
There are two options for obtaining the certificate: either
On-campus
or through Wheaton in Chicago.
In addition
to course work and learning experiences in Chicago, the Urban
Studies Program seeks to serve as a bridge between the city
and the Wheaton community by arranging for speakers, writing
articles and speaking on campus, and conducting various immersion
experiences for faculty and staff.
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Overview
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