Overview

Faculty

Program

Internships

Wheaton in Chicago

Wheaton in Chicago 
Wheaton in Chicago presents all students with the opportunity to spend a semester living and learning in the world-class city of Chicago.  During the semester, students study the causes and consequences of urban conditions through coursework tailored to this unique experiential curriculum. And while many Wheaton students visit the city for ministry, service, or cultural events, Wheaton in Chicago represents an opportunity to explore the contours of the city from the inside. Students live in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood, learn their way around on public transportation, and worship in the city.  Through a combination of coursework and discipline-specific internships, students gain insight into cutting edge issues that are shaping life in the city.  Students visit churches, ministries, and community development organizations on a weekly basis, while also taking advantage of the city's wide range of museums, theaters, and musical venues.  Wheaton in Chicago equips students for a wide variety of future careers in urban planning, economic development, ministry, legal services, health care, teaching, social services, counseling, communications, and many other exciting fields. For more information about Wheaton in Chicago, read our brief description below or click here.

The Uptown Neighborhood
Wheaton in Chicago students live in a newly renovated facility in the Uptown neighborhood, one of Chicago's most diverse communities.  The neighborhood serves as a port of entry for many new immigrants to the United States, with over 40 different languages spoken on its streets and in its small shops.  Uptown is located along the city's north lakefront with easy access to public transportation that connects students to the rest of the city.

Living in Community
Wheaton in Chicago students become part of three communities: the Wheaton in Chicago community, the neighborhood, and the city of Chicago as a whole.  Students are able to connect and contribute to the Wheaton in Chicago community through classes, shared meals, worship and recreation.  They become part of the city's neighborhoods through their internships, church attendance, and volunteer opportunities.  They encounter the city by attending citywide events and participating in its social and political life.  All of these community experiences are integral to the learning experience, where students are challenged to see the world around them from new perspectives, gaining exposure to issues and people with which they are unfamiliar.

Program of Study
Wheaton in Chicago students can receive a full semester's worth of credit.  A typical load consists of 16 to 17 credit hours.  Students generally spend three days a week at their internship sites and two days a week in class and on field trips. Courses offered through the program inlude

• URBN 231     Chicago*
• URBN 321     Urban Issues and Active Faith
• URBN 451     The City in a Social Science Perspective
• URBN 496      Internship**
• BITH 315       Christian Thought***
  
  *For non-Wheaton students only; Wheaton students must take this course on campus before participating in Wheaton in Chicago.
  **Students must have junior standing to receive internship credit. Students typically earn between 6 and 8 internship credit hours (one for each 40 hours worked during the semester). These may be divided between a student's major and Urban Studies. When registering for internship credit through the major department, internships must meet standards set by the major department. However internship credits are taken, whether through the major department or Urban Studies, all internship credits may be counted toward the completion of an the Urban Studies Certificate.
  ***The Christian Thought course is a General Education requirement.  Bible and Theology majors and students who have already taken Christian Thought can receive BITH independent study credit for taking the class in Chicago. 

Wheaton in Chicago Faculty and Staff

Dr. Noah Toly
Director of Urban Studies
Assistant Professor of Politics and International Relations

Sean Young
Assistant Director of Urban Studies

Dr. Vincent Bacote
Assistant Professor of Theology
Dr. Bacote is an Assistant Professor of Theology at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL.  He has a Ph.D. in Theological and Religious Studies from Drew University, an M. Div. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (emphasis in Urban Ministry) and a B.S. from the Citadel.  He has spoken at conferences and churches, and in February 2000 was the first ever Black History Month speaker at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, GA.

He has contributed articles to books such as What Does it Mean to be Saved? (Baker, 2002), Building Unity in the Church of the New Millennium (Moody Press, 2002 - edited by Dwight Perry) and The Best Christian Writing 2000 (Harper, 2000).  He has also had articles appear in magazines such as Christianity Today and re:generation quarterly and journals such as Urban Mission and the Journal for Christian Theological Research.

He is Co- Vice President of the Christian Theological Research Fellowship, and is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and the American Academy of Religion.

Expenses
The tuition and room charges for the program are the same as those for students living in off-campus College-owned housing.  The tuition also covers the cost of using public transportation in Chicago.  Students pay for their own meals while in the program.  Anyone eligible for financial aid will be able to use it to pay for this semester.  

The Application process
Students considering the residential program should sign up to take Chicago (URBN 231) in the B Quad of either fall or spring semester.  It is suggested that students apply to the program well in advance of the semester in which they intend on participating in the program.  Applications, along with a $100 non-refundable deposit, must be received no later than the end of A Quad of the preceding semester.  The fee is applied to program costs.  The Urban Studies department makes every effort to accommodate all students who apply.

Urban Studies Certificate
Coupled with URBN 231 and the Integration Seminar, most Wheaton in Chicago students need only one other 2 credit hour course to complete the certificate.