Chicago Studies

Chicago Studies Chicago Studies offers curricular and co-curricular opportunities to discovery, study, engage with, and positively impact the diverse communities of Chicago.

Looking ahead to summer in Chicago, explore the 2026 Film Fair Expo, or try out 's upcoming Zine Workshop, and join Joab...
05/25/2026

Looking ahead to summer in Chicago, explore the 2026 Film Fair Expo, or try out 's upcoming Zine Workshop, and join Joabe for the last stretch of his run across Chicago!

The Midwest Film Festival’s 2026 season will launch on May 31 at the Chicago Cultural Center. The Film Fair Expo is an immersive environment transforming the space into an interactive “set” representing key filmmaking departments. Participants include university film programs, vendors, set designers, wardrobe, artists, actors, writers, post-production teams. Each department offers hands-on engagement and insight into their craft, reflecting a real-world film set ecosystem.

What are your most indelible Southwest Side memories? Your current favorite spots? Your dreams of what this area could become? Join Zine Club Chicago for a creative exploration of the past, present, and future of our neighborhoods at the Mapping Our Southwest Side Zine Workshop! At this cartography-inspired zinemaking event, we’ll each be creating a personal map of an area on the Southwest Side that is meaningful to us and transforming it into a mini zine.

Having gone viral on Instagram for his goal to run every block in the city, Joabe Barbosa will achieve his goal this summer on Sunday, June 14th. The event is bitter sweet, because while this is an accomplishment he's been working towards for years, he'll be leaving Chicago soon due to his visa expiring. Barbosa invites everyone to join him on the last stretch of his run, to both celebrate the accomplishment and bid him farewell.

05/16/2026

Evan recently joined an Urban Hike led by about the movable bridges in Lincoln Park!

This week in Chicago, check out Kusanya Cafe at the Chicago Cultural Center, or take a stroll through Millenium Park on ...
05/15/2026

This week in Chicago, check out Kusanya Cafe at the Chicago Cultural Center, or take a stroll through Millenium Park on an outdoor art walking tour, or explore the collection of the Hyde Park Garden Fair!

The Chicago Cultural Center’s Neighborhood Spotlight features people, places and organizations nominated by Chicagoans for their cultural contribution to their neighborhood’s vitality. This weekend they're featuring Kusanya Cafe. Kusanya is a 501(c)(3) non-profit sustained by cafe sales, individual donations, and small grants. They exist to provide the place where great people can come together over great food, and community-born events can take place.

Get an intro to the art of Millennium Park with this 45-60 minute docent-led tour, covering a distance of approximately one-half mile. The docent will provide brief information about works of public art and the artists who created them around the Chicago Cultural Center and in Millennium Park. These tours are offered the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month from May 16 to October 17.

Since 1959, Hyde Park Garden Fair members have visited nurseries across the Midwest to curate a plant selection, emphasizing varieties suited for urban gardens. This year, the Hyde Park Garden Fair weekend, which will be hosted by Kimbark Plaza this year (Woodlawn/53rd). Find varieties of every size and color to get the right fit. Proceeds from the Fair go to support local parks and schools on the South Side of Chicago.

This week in Chicago, enjoy arts and crafts in Canaryville, origami in Garfield Park, a hat walk near Magnificent Mile, ...
05/09/2026

This week in Chicago, enjoy arts and crafts in Canaryville, origami in Garfield Park, a hat walk near Magnificent Mile, and tennis all around!

Why should kids have all the fun? This weekend, the Canaryville Public Library branch is distributing free craft kits put together especially for adults. You can make the craft at the library or take it to go. Make a quick and easy trip to Bridgeport, enjoy the dynamic neighborhood (and great Chicago architecture!), then plan a follow-up craft night with your friends! You can pick up the craft kit any time of the day, while supplies last.

If you’re interested in creating animals, dinosaurs, flowers, decorative boxes and various other models, this is for you! Every second Saturday of the month, the Chicago Area Origami Society (CHAOS) presents a drop-in Origami Open House. All are welcome. Origami Open House is included with registration to visit the Conservatory and Gardens. Chicago residents can use the code CHICAGO at check
out to waive the admission fee.

Join Chicago hat lovers at the 3rd Annual Chicago Hat Walk as part of World Hat Walk Day! Wear a hat! New hats, vintage hats, cosplay, pets in hats, steampunk, cowboy hats, top hats, all are welcome and meet at the Jane Byrne Plaza park, just east of the Chicago and State CTA Red Line station).

May is National Tennis Month! Whether you are a coach ready to host the action or a player—new, experienced, or returning—ready to hit the court, it’s time to get moving. This nationwide celebration brings tennis players together all across the U.S. From organized events to casual hits with friends, there is something for everyone.

Listen Here! Remembering Eddie Harris with the Junius Paul SextetDate and time: June 6, 2026 from 11 am - 1 pm Venue: Oa...
05/06/2026

Listen Here! Remembering Eddie Harris with the Junius Paul Sextet
Date and time: June 6, 2026 from 11 am - 1 pm

Venue: Oak Woods Cemetery Chapel (1035 E 67th St. Chicago IL, 60637)

We celebrate the Chicago-born musician Eddie Harris (1934 - 1996) at his resting place, Oak Woods Cemetery, with a conversation on his musical impact between Professors Travis Jackson and Adam Green, followed by a performance by the Junius Paul Sextet. Free and open to all, followed by lunch.

Each year, the College Dean's Office, Office of Research & Teaching Innovations, and Chicago Studies welcome student sel...
05/04/2026

Each year, the College Dean's Office, Office of Research & Teaching Innovations, and Chicago Studies welcome student self-submissions and faculty/departmental nominations for the Chicago Studies Undergraduate Research Prize, which is awarded for the outstanding BA thesis or capstone project from that academic year that focuses on Chicago or considers Chicago in comparison to other urban areas.

Students from all academic disciplines in the College are eligible to submit qualifying theses/projects for review by our committee. Students who submit Chicago-focused projects also receive our signature "I Studied Chicago..." tote bag -- see image!

Student self-submissions due this Friday!

How did you spend your May Day? Prof. Bharani's Architecture of Memory course class spent it at the , the National Publi...
05/04/2026

How did you spend your May Day? Prof. Bharani's Architecture of Memory course class spent it at the , the National Public Housing Museum. Students went on the museum's historic apartment tour, in which they got to enter and interact with exhibits comprised of items donated by previous public housing residents. Each home's story is told with the help of the guide and, most importantly, audio from the families themselves. Beyond the tour, exhibits are curated by donations to the museum, labelled with stories about the artifacts written by the doner. Honestly, there is so many more wonderful things we could write about this museum, but you're just going to need to go see everything yourself!

Admission to the museum is free, and tours are $15 for students. Make sure you check out all their free events on their website, too. If you haven't been yet, this museum is an absolute must!

This week, get involved with Community Stewardship Days! Alternatively, explore the Volunteer Fair or Solidarity Bike Ri...
05/01/2026

This week, get involved with Community Stewardship Days! Alternatively, explore the Volunteer Fair or Solidarity Bike Rides to connect with communities across Chicago.

All are welcome to community stewardship days, regardless of age, background, or experience level. Stewardship day activities vary by site and time of year, but include tasks like litter pickup, trial mulching, invasive plant removal, native plant planting, habitat monitoring, and more. This weekend, team up to help restore and care for Marquette Park Natural Area! Find other dates on the Chicago Park District website.

The Volunteer Fair is back this spring with more ways to make an impact in Chicago. Whether you're passionate about the environment, mentoring youth, or social justice, there's an organization that needs you! The Volunteer Fair makes it easy to connect with inspiring community groups making our city stronger. Alongside 20+ groups, plenty of networking opportunities are available with others passionate about building a better Chicago.

The Connecting Neighborhoods Solidarity Ride is looking for volunteer bike marshals for their event. The ride will start and end at Logan Square Plaza. If you are available to serve on Squad as a volunteer bike marshal, please confirm your attendance directly to Emily Soriano: [email protected] and Alex Wilson (West Town Bikes): [email protected].

Join the Midwest Underground Railroad Network (MURN) for an illuminating presentation by UChicago intern Ella Wilborn an...
04/30/2026

Join the Midwest Underground Railroad Network (MURN) for an illuminating presentation by UChicago intern Ella Wilborn and historian/UChicago alumnus Dr. Larry McClellan, author of Onward to Chicago: Freedom Seekers and the Underground Railroad in Northeastern Illinois. This session will explore the profound history of Freedom Seekers in the region, uncovering the local narratives that shaped the journey toward liberty. We invite the UChicago community to engage with these vital histories, to discuss the enduring legacy of the Underground Railroad today, and to learn how they can contribute to ongoing Network-sponsored research and public education projects.

Refreshments will be served. Free to the public - all are welcome.

04/28/2026

Evan recently explored Chicago's Adler Planetarium. Check out their great exhibits and advanced telescope!

This week in Chicago, enjoy a conversation with Chicago artist Victor Hugo Enriquez, Chicago's jazz scene, and the 32nd ...
04/24/2026

This week in Chicago, enjoy a conversation with Chicago artist Victor Hugo Enriquez, Chicago's jazz scene, and the 32nd annual Sor Juana festival!

Join Harold Washington Library Center for an artist talk with Chicago-based artist Victor Hugo Enriquez, whose practice is a modern testament to the endurance of classical craft. Enriquez honors the medium through a mastery of material science and archival foundations, developing custom pigments and ash-based paints to achieve depth and permanence.

Chicago West Community Music Center will showcase an intergenerational performance that highlights the roots and development of Jazz in Chicago, and its influence around the world. This event celebrates the 15th Annual International Jazz Day.

The National Museum of Mexican Art is hosting the 32nd annual Sor Juana Festival, honoring one of Mexico’s greatest writers, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. A 17th-century Mexican nun who valued and fought for a woman’s right to education, Sor Juana continues to inspire women to this day.

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