Chicago Investigative Prep Course

1 unit.

This course is the first part of the Medill Investigative Lab-Chicago, where students will work as a team on an in-depth investigative project for publication, over the course of two academic quarters, while also producing their own in-depth investigative story and learning investigative skills applicable to all topics.

The program is based in Chicago and investigations are national, with travel possible. This course combines both undergraduate and graduate students; students will work together with the professor and media partners to report, write and produce stories for publication in professional outlets. This year’s lab will focus on reporting on immigration court, as part of a collaboration with other universities nationwide; and students will also do investigations on other aspects of immigration, including mental health care for immigrants.

This winter-quarter course is a mandatory component of the Medill Investigative Lab-Chicago, where we will begin the team investigation that will be completed during the 2-credit spring-quarter course.

In 2022, the Medill Investigative Lab-Chicago worked with Detroit Public TV and Energy News Network to produce a package of investigations about toxic coal ash. In 2023, 2024 and 2025, the Medill investigative Lab-Chicago worked with various local and national media outlets on stories investigating police response to mental health crises, with students traveling to report in locations including Puerto Rico, Atlanta, Rapid City, Charlottesville, Chapel Hill and Minneapolis. In 2025 the lab did a deep dive into policing of mental health crises in Chicago, and the city’s alternate response program, with stories published in the Chicago Sun-Times, MindSite News and South Side Weekly.

In 2026, the lab reported on Chicago’s immigration court and published a series of stories with Borderless Magazine. In 2027, the lab will again focus on immigration court and immigration-related stories.

While reporting on the focus topic, students will use investigative tools and techniques including FOIAs and public records, court documents, data, mapping, on-the-ground scouting, interviews and other research, developing skills that are transferable to other topics as well.

The program involves a systematic team investigation, wherein students will take ownership of different pieces of the investigation and also produce their own stories ideally for publication as part of the larger project.