Mimi Cowan, historian
​history​.urbanstudies.chicago.
Field Trips.
Classrooms are only the start! My history and urban studies classes rely on students getting out and exploring the world around them. If you are a student of one of my classes and would like to join a field trip that another class is taking, let me know and we'll try to work it out. Please note that days and itineraries are subject to change.
Wednesday, January 12: Field Museum
Chicago's Field Museum is full of lots of cool stuff but Loop students will be going specifically to see the 1893 World's Fair Exhibition. Your reading assignment, due before the trip, is a selection from Erik Larsen's Devil in the White City. Our field trip day will start with a brief lecture by Dr. Davis Schniederman, professor in the English department at Lake Forest College and specialist on the 1893 World's Fair. Then, we'll explore the exhibit.

Students may choose to take pictures and tweet and/or instagram about the exhibit, in the voice of a visitor from the 1890s. What do you think would have sparked your interest as a 19 year old visiting Chicago and the Fair in 1893? If you had twitter then, what would you have tweeted to your friends about?
Wednesday, March 26: The DuSable Museum of African-American History
The DuSable Museum, on Chicago's South Side, reveals the rich history of African Americans throughout the United States. Exhibits include a history of Harold Washington, Chicago's first black mayor, and his rise through the political ranks; African art & artifacts collected by the Burroughs, the museum's founders; & temporary exhibits on exiled Jewish academics who taught in traditionally black colleges in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s.

We will depart from the hostel at classtime and take the CTA to the museum. After a brief introduction by the museum's education department, students will be free to take in the exhibits. Please note: photographs are not permitted in the museum.
Saturday, April 12: Chicago's Chinatown
Chicago's Chinatown traces its history to the last years of the 19th century, when Chinese-Americans, many of whom had been laborers on the transcontinental railroad, traveled from the west coast, inland. Known among outsiders now for the best place to get dim sum, there's plenty to do & see in one of Chicago's most fabulous ethnic neighborhoods.

This field trip is optional for both Urban Studies & Loop 202 students, but RSVPs must be made in advance. We will take public transportation from the Loop to Chinatown and spend a few hours learning, exploring, and having fun. Bring your cameras!
Saturday, April 19: Amazing Chicago Race
Students in my Loop class will work together (with my assistance) to place a scavenger hunt around the city for student in Intro to Urban Studies. After almost a semester of living in the heart of Chicago, Loop students will know what are Chicago's must-sees and hafta-knows and trivia-tidbits.

Intro to Urban Studies students will work in teams of 3-4 students each to race around the city, solving clues and finding hidden gems, all while practicing their Chicago map skills. Twitter and Instagram will be on fire on April 19th!