Students can apply for Semester in Detroit program

Grand Valley students can participate in a cultural immersion program without leaving Michigan.

Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies has partnered with the University of Michigan to offer a "Semester in Detroit" program. Beginning in the fall 2016 semester, Grand Valley students who are accepted into the program would live in Detroit, take courses taught by U-M faculty members and engage in an internship in the Detroit community.

Ellen Schendel, associate dean of Brooks College, said the program is open to all Grand Valley students. She said students who are interested in social justice work, community engagement or who had taken the civil discourse class are good matches for the program.

"This program offers students a unique, place-based educational experience," Schendel said. "Students in the program study and experience how the history of Detroit and the engagement of the community shape the city’s future. They learn from the people of Detroit how to make change in the world."

Housing would be in Midtown Detroit, through an agreement with the Cass Corridor Commons, or home stays in other parts of the city. Cost for the semester is regular tuition cost for 13-18 credits, housing, plus a $491 program fee. There are three need-based scholarships available to cover the program fee cost.

Four courses are required, including a history of Detroit course, field internship and a one-credit Detroit Speakers Series, in which prominent leaders give presentations for Semester in Detroit students.

The deadline to apply is February 29. For more information about Semester in Detroit, visit www.gvsu.edu/sid. For information about the program, contact Kate Vanderkolk, Brooks College Office of Integrative Learning and Advising, at [email protected] or call 331-8200.