Source: UM-Dearborn
UM-Dearborn students toured Eastern Market during the fall in preparation for conducting research and making podcasts for COMP 110. Photo courtesy of P.F. Potvin
UM-Dearborn students toured Eastern Market during the fall in preparation for conducting research and making podcasts for COMP 110. Photo courtesy of P.F. Potvin
With 150-plus businesses, Detroit’s Eastern Market is the largest historic public market district in the U.S. Each year, millions visit the market, taking in its grand size and rich history, making it a popular attraction for guided tours — and UM-Dearborn students play a role in the information that’s shared.
Students in Lecturer P.F. Potvin’s Honors Writing and Rhetoric project-based learning course have partnered with Preservation Detroit, the city’s largest and oldest nonprofit preservation organization, which offers lectures, walking tours and historic awareness programs. UM-Dearborn students contribute to the organization’s Eastern Market tours by researching and writing about different aspects of the market’s past and present. The course takes place during the fall semester.
“When Preservation Detroit does tours, we get people from everywhere — born Detroiters, people from around the state, country and world, as well as history buffs and food enthusiasts. We hear a lot of stories about Eastern Market that they heard through the grapevine. It’s fascinating stuff, but we can’t share it during a tour until it’s researched. These students are doing that work and they are good at it,” says Lisa Rush, who facilitates Preservation Detroit’s Eastern Market tours and co-authored the book “Detroit’s Historic Eastern Market.”
