Representing the Urban Landscape
   

Just because this section of PLS 392 is online doesn't mean we can't get together, have fun, and learn stuff in the process!  How's that, you may ask?  Enter the Humanities Field Trip Experience.  Such excursions are not only fun learning experiences, but also great opportunities to get class credit for getting out and exploring some of Chicago's great cultural resources.  Besides that, they help foster a sense of community and camaraderie among you and your fellow classmates.  While you are encouraged to attend both trips, you are only required to attend (and discuss) one.  Which one is up to you. 

: : A quick qualification -- although I strongly encourage all of you to attend the field trips, I'm realistic enough to know that not everyone will be able to make the scheduled dates for either one, given your commitments for work, family, and school -- not to mention geographic location.  That's why I always have a few alternatives available, whether "in the field" or on the web, for those folks with scheduling conflicts (see below).

The Chicago River, Sunday 10/25 (1-4pm)

Last spring Roosevelt students from my PLS 394 (urban sustainability) and PLS 391 (natural science) seminars made history:  we took a canoe trip down the South Fork of the South Branch of the Chicago River, a 1.2-mile urban waterway better known as "Bubbly Creek."  This semester, in conjunction with RU professor Kristen Leckrone's quantitative chemistry class, we have an opportunity to revisit Bubbly Creek and explore its cultural and environmental history.  Our trip will be led by the local environmental organization, Friends of the Chicago River.

Paddling Bubbly Creek (May 2009)

Chicago Humanities Festival, Saturday 11/14, 12-4pm

One of the great things about teaching 392 in the fall semester is that we have a chance to attend the annual Chicago Humanities Festival, a several-week-long celebration of the Arts and Humanities that takes place at several cultural institutions around the city.  A quick scan of the Festival program reveals a host of fascinating and entertaining programs.  For our class, I've selected a couple of Saturday afternoon programs at the Harold Washington Library (at Congress Ave. and State St., downtown Chicago) that are connected with the Burnham Plan Centennial for 2009 in Chicago.

       
A drawing from The Plan of Chicago (1909)

The first of the two programs is "Bold Plans," a roundtable discussion that addresses the question, "What will Chicago look like in 2109?" (12-1:30pm).  Soon afterward is the presentation "The Future of Chicago," another roundtable panel which "considers practical and immediate solutions to questions about housing, education, transportation, and the environment and sustainability in and around our fair city" (2:30 to 4pm).  These exciting programs not only tie in beautifully to our material for week 7 ("Planning Chicago") but they're free.  I look forward to seeing you there!

Logistics and Alternative Activities

We will discuss logistical information for the trips as they come up in the semester.  I encourage people to form carpools based on where you're located in the Chicago area, and will set up a discussion forum to facilitate making contact with your classmates and arranging rides.  

For those unable to attend the scheduled trip, you've got plenty of options to get in on the action.  For the Chicago River trip, you may explore another urban or suburban waterway of your choice, whether in person or on the web.  One good online exhibit is that of the Bridgehouse and Chicago River Museum. For the CHF trip, you may either attend another session of the Humanities Festival on a date convenient to you; choose another institution or event to attend (an excellent alternative is the "Chicago:  Crossroads of America" permanent exhibit at the Chicago History Museum or the Art Institute's exhibit of illustrations from Burnham's 1909 Plan); or find and explore a web resource related to the theme/topic of the Plan of Chicago / urban planning.  Since we'll chat about our field trip experiences in the Discussion Board after the trip, it's actually great to have the added variety and perspectives of those folks who pursued an alternative activity.

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Last Updated:  11 October 2009