Aequitas Fellows Program in Urban Leadership

Year 1

The Wheaton College experience begins with Passage, an orientation program for incoming students. Aequitas Urban Leadership fellows are encouraged to choose the Woodlawn Track of Passage coordinated by HoneyRock Center for Leadership Development, which will introduce them to the neighborhood where they will be living during Wheaton in Chicago.

During the fall semester, fellows will take AQTS 111 Introduction to Urban Leadership. Taught by the Urban Leadership Theme Coordinator, this course studies key themes in urban leadership and fosters community among the cohort. The first year is also a good time for fellows to begin the economics sequence (ECON 211 Principles of Microeconomics and ECON 212 Principles of Macroeconomics).

Fellows are required to spend one summer participating in an international vocational experience at a place-based organization. This experience promotes fellows’ development as leaders by cultivating global perspective, cultural awareness, and workplace maturity. The experience will typically last eight weeks, and it may involve training and orientation prior to the trip. Fellows will receive support for this requirement.

Students will register for this experience through AQTS 112 Aequitas Urban Leadership Summer Experience. It is recommended that fellows participate in this experience the summer after their first year. It is also recommended that fellows fulfill this requirement through a Student Missionary Partners (SMP) trip with the Ministry and Evangelism Office. Fellows who wish to pursue other options for this requirement remain eligible to receive funding for their summer experience.

Pre-med students are advised to begin their chemistry sequence during their first year to participate in Wheaton in Chicago during their second year.

Year 2

The core requirement of Aequitas Urban Leadership is Wheaton in Chicago, a semester-long, residential experience in the historic South Side neighborhood of Woodlawn. Wheaton in Chicago enables students to study the City of Chicago while they are experiencing it first-hand. It also fosters community engagement, spiritual formation, and leadership development. Fellows will typically participate in Wheaton in Chicago their sophomore year, during either the fall or spring semester.

During Wheaton in Chicago, fellows will complete two required courses:

• • URBN 233 Chicago: This course studies the history and social dynamics of Chicago, including contemporary issues such as economics, race and ethnicity, immigration, and the environment.
  • AQTS 496 Aequitas Urban Leadership Internship: Wheaton in Chicago integrates coursework and vocational learning. The internship deepens fellows’ understanding of the urban context; introduces them to people and strategies addressing social, political, and economic challenges; facilitates fellows’ vocational discernment; and develops their professional network.

     

In most cases, fellows will also take BITH 376 Theologies of Transformation, which fulfills the general education core requirement in theology. This course surveys the central doctrines of Christian faith with an orientation toward their application in the city.

To take BITH 376, fellows are advised to complete the general education core requirement in either Old Testament (BITH 211 or 221 or ARCH 211) or New Testament (BITH 213 or ARCH 213 or BITH 317) prior to Wheaton in Chicago.

Year 3

Fellows will typically take AQTS 375 Christian Ethics and the City their junior year, following their Wheaton in Chicago experience. AQTS 375 is an advanced ethics course that addresses issues specific to urban contexts. It builds on fellows’ earlier coursework in Biblical and Theological Studies and helps them develop a biblical and theological foundation for their final projects.

Fellows will also be encouraged to participate in a mentoring program for the first-year cohort. This program fosters student leadership, inter-cohort relationships, and student participation in developing the theme.

Year 4

Fellows will produce an independent and innovative project that relates to the urban context and synthesizes their college learning and experiences. They will also present their work at a public event for the college community. The final project is the culminating experience of the Aequitas Urban Leadership theme. Students will register for the project through a two-semester sequence: AQTS 411 Aequitas Urban Leadership Final Project 1 (Fall) and AQTS 412 Aequitas Urban Leadership Final Project 2 (Spring).

Fellows have considerable flexibility in their topic. Past projects have involved an original musical composition and performance, producing a course in public health, designing eco-friendly affordable housing, analyzing the relation between law enforcement and minority communities, and developing a track of Urban Passage.

Fellows who plan to graduate early should communicate as early as possible with the Theme Coordinator about the timeline for their final project.

Year 1: Cities, Society, and Service

Aequitas Fellows are encouraged to begin their Wheaton experience in the Urban Track of Passage at the HoneyRock Center for Leadership Development, which includes a significant community service component. Fellows will then complete three foundational courses their first year:

• AQTS 111 Introduction to Urban Leadership (Fall): This course, taught by the Urban Leadership Theme Coordinator, introduces key themes in urban issues and leadership, and fosters community among the first-year cohort.
• URBN 114 Social Life of Cities (Spring): This course is the prerequisite for Wheaton in Chicago. It teaches students to study cities from a social sciences perspective informed by Christian convictions.
• AQTS 112 Aequitas Urban Leadership Summer Experience Requirement (Summer): Students will receive support to help with participation in an international travel experience in partnership with Ministry Trips in the Office of Ministry and Evangelism.

Year 2: Economics and Leadership

During their second year, Aequitas Fellows complete an economics course sequence and participate in a year-long reading group with their cohort:

• ECON 211 Microeconomics and ECON 212 Macroeconomics (Fall or Spring): These courses introduce students to economic concepts crucial for understanding the complexities and interdependencies of urban contexts.
  
  
• AQTS 211 and 212 Aequitas Urban Leadership Reading Group: Aequitas Fellows will meet throughout the year for a reading group on urban issues and leadership. Readings will be chosen according to the interests of the Center for Urban Engagement’s featured lecturers for that year. Fellows may participate in roundtable discussions with the lecturers during their visit to campus. These courses will count for one credit per semester, two credits total for the year.

Following the completion of their second year, Aequitas Fellows will have preferential opportunity to staff the Urban Track of Passage, facilitating the transition of new students into the college and developing their interest in urban issues.

Year 3: Ethics and Community

During their third year, Aequitas Fellows participate in Wheaton in Chicago, a semester-long, residential experience in Woodlawn, a historic neighborhood in the South Side of Chicago. Students will benefit from opportunities in community engagement, spiritual formation, and leadership development.

Aequitas Fellows may complete Wheaton in Chicago in the Fall and/or Spring. Fall participants will attend the annual conference of the Christian Community Development Association (the conference location varies year to year), and Spring participants will travel to Los Angeles to engage a comparative urban context.

During Wheaton in Chicago, Aequitas Fellows will complete these required courses:

• AQTS 496 Aequitas Urban Leadership Internship: Internships will deepen students’ understanding of the urban context, introduce them to people and strategies addressing social, political, and economic challenges, and develop their sense of vocation and professional network. Students can receive 4 to 8 credits for their internship.

• AQTS 311 Community-Based Research: Fellows will learn the practice of community-based research by conducting projects in collaboration with local community organizations. This opportunity integrates academic study and community engagement to help address concrete urban concerns. Students can take this course for either 2 or 4 credits.

Fellows will also take courses from the following electives (each course is 4 credits; electives offered will vary by semester):

• URBN 233 Chicago (DUS, SI)
• BITH 376 Theologies of Transformation (Christian Theology)
• URBN 371/BITH 378 Race, Class & Justice
• URBN/BEC 381 Community Economic Development & Enterprise
• CORE 308 Engaging Arts in the City (AIS, VPA)
• ENGW 233 Writing Chicago (LE)
• PSCI 324 Black Political Thought (DUS, PI)

Year 4: Capstone and Launch

• AQTS 411 Aequitas Urban Leadership Final Project Requirement: Fellows will produce a project focusing their Aequitas studies on a specific area of interest. They will present their projects for a Spring symposium. Past projects have included musical performances, designing a new course, establishing a women’s mentorship program, and developing an additional site for the Urban Track of Passage.

Beginning in the fall semester, students will have the opportunity to work with their Aequitas theme coordinator, Aequitas alumni, and the CUE Advisory Board to plan their next steps after graduation.