Life of Wheaton in Chicago

Wheaton Courses in a Unique Context

During their time, WIC students take Wheaton courses specifically tailored to the program’s unique location in Chicago. Every semester, students live together in apartments in the historic neighborhood of Woodlawn, intern several days per week at various organizations around the city, and experience urban contexts through trips locally and nationally.

Wheaton in Chicago apartments at 500 E. 61st St., located on the second floor above Sunshine Gospel Ministries.

Costs

Wheaton in Chicago tuition and room costs — and financial aid — are the same as a semester on Wheaton’s campus. However, students do not pay for board during their WIC semester; instead, students purchase their own groceries from and cook their own meals. Part-time jobs on site are also available for WIC students with Federal Work Study (FWS) eligibility.

Daily Life

Students

• Cohort rhythms: the WIC cohort meets together regularly for weekly community dinners, social outings, retreats, and Woodlawn Wednesdays, an opportunity for field trips to various organizations, as well as spiritual formation and processing experiences.
• Trips
• The WIC cohort regularly travels around Chicago via public transit for internship commutes, field trips, and other outings.
• In the fall semester, the WIC cohort attends the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) conference, located in a different major U.S. city every year, which allows students to connect with Christian community development practitioners and join in on current conversations of faith in practice through housing, education, economic development, and many other layers of community wellbeing. In the spring semester, the WIC cohort travels for a comparative urban studies trip to Los Angeles, California, visiting non-profit organizations, government agencies, museums, parks and more to explore comparisons and contrasts between Chicago and LA.

Classes

Evening classes: all classes are 4 credits, except internships (4, 6, or 8 credits)

• Every semester:
  • BITH 376 Theologies of Transformation: Public & Political Theologies in Urban Context, Christian Thought tag
  • URBN 233 Chicago, SI/DUS tags
  • CORE 308 Engaging Arts in the City, AIS/VPA tags
  • URBN/XXX* 496 Internship
    *Students may register for internship credit with any department at Wheaton College.

All classes are 4 credits, except internships (2, 4, 6 or 8 credits).

• Rotating courses (offered every other year):
• BEC/URBN 381 Community Economic Development & Enterprise, BEC and URBN credit
• BITH 339 Religion in the Public Square, PI tag
• ENGW 233 Writing Chicago, LE tag
• PSCI 324 Black Political Thought, PI/DUS tags
• For more specifics on which classes will be offered in a given semester, please email WIC staff [hyperlink “email WIC staff” to: mailto: wheaton.in.chicago@wheaton.edu).

Internships

• During Wheaton in Chicago, students intern at various organizations in Woodlawn and the greater Chicago area. Internships are an important aspect of a student’s experience in the city as they consider questions of calling and vocation, Christian work, and the importance of location in everyday life.
• Advocacy • Counseling, Mental Health and Substance Abuse • Community Art • Community Development • Community Organizing • Cultural Affairs • Economic Development • Education • Environmental Justice • Ministry • Planning • Policy and Politics • Public Health • Research • Refugee Resettlement and Immigration • Social Enterprise • Social Work
• Past internships:
• By The Hand Club for Kids
• Chicago Area Writing Project
• Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives (CNI)
• Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago
• Latino Policy Forum
• Lawndale Christian Health Center
• One on One Chicago
• Rebuild Foundation
• Salaam Wellness Center
• South East Chicago Commission (SECC)
• South Side Community Arts Center
• Sunshine Enterprises
• Sunshine Gospel Ministries
• The Chicago Council on Global Affairs
• The Field School
• World Relief
• See more at the WIC Internship Database.