Honors Living-Learning Community (HLLC) scholars participate in a shared interdisciplinary curriculum built upon themes related to local citizenship in a global world. The curriculum promotes critical intellectual inquiry, increases cultural competence, and explores what it means to be a responsible citizen, both locally and globally. Rutgers University–Newark faculty members have been critical partners in the development of the HLLC and will continue to play central roles as collaborators in its growth and success, including the creation of the HLLC curriculum.

The HLLC curriculum serves as a second concentration and seamlessly intersects with each scholar's major curriculum, encouraging scholars to critically engage in how local and global issues emerge in their various fields of study. The curriculum also engages HLLC scholars in existing anchor institution collaborations in Newark, allowing them draw out the local-global connections in publicly engaged scholarship and education. The HLLC curriculum consists of a minimum of 18 credits in HLLC-designated courses (with the timing of courses subject to students' major and/or status as a first-year or transfer student). The curriculum includes four core classes and a combination of HLLC inter-disciplinary elective courses taught by world-reknowned faculty from various academic departments, local community leaders, and public scholars.

REQUIRED HLLC CORE COURSES

21:526:301  Negotiating Space, Place, and Identities (1.5 credits)
This course is designed to allow scholars to gain insight into themselves, others, and their relationship to the communities around them. Through individual and group activities, scholars actively engage in what it means to be a culturally competent member of a diverse learning environment, and explore issues related to individual power and leadership, social and emotional intelligence, and group dynamics.

21:526:302  Voice, Citizenship, and Community Engagement (1.5 credits)
Through student involvement initiatives, special projects, and university collaborations, this course offers a variety of opportunities for scholars to explore and develop their voices, interests, and skills as community engaged citizens. This course challenges scholars to be active participants in the design and implementation of projects that contribute to the greater good of the campus community and help them to enact change based on shared passions and interests.

21:526:303  Local Citizenship in a Global World (4 credits)
An intensive semester-long course designed to give scholars an understanding of the impact of local citizenship on social and institutional change over time. Scholars are introduced to, and provided readings and assignments on perspectives of social justice and community activism, how local citizens have impacted social change, the history of Newark, national and international movements on educational reform, and the role of youth in social movements. Guest lecturers from local/national/international organizations speak to issues of school reform, eminent domain, environmental racism, etc.

Capstone (3/4 credits)
This capstone experience builds upon the foundations of both HLLC 301/302 and Local Citizenship in a Global World (HLLC 303) to engage scholars more deeply in how issues of social inequity can be addressed through the lens of their specific academic disciplines and community-engaged scholarship. Each scholar is expected to create a capstone project to be conducted at Rutgers University–Newark, in a local community (preferably Newark), or at an international site. Scholars may be involved in research projects, intern with local not-for-profits or government agencies, or engage in international academic or service learning projects, among others. Each project will be targeted to high-impact, cross-disciplinary community engagement or community-engaged scholarship. Each scholar is guided through this process by a faculty adviser and a secondary faculty "reader." Products of this project are negotiated with and evaluated by the two faculty members for a letter grade. Examples might include, but are not limited to: (1) creation and implementation of a mentoring program for local children; (2) spin-off independent projects in partnership with seed grants (with summaries); (3) research or policy white papers; (4) digital art or media advocacy projects.

HLLC ELECTIVES--SPECIAL TOPICS COURSES (9 Credits)

All HLLC elective courses are focused on themes related to local citizenship in a global world and course offerings vary from semester to semester. HLLC elective courses provide scholars with opportunities for intellectual exploration, as well as an introduction to advanced techniques in critical analysis, research, or fieldwork. Elective courses are intentionally cross-disciplinary and may satisfy requirements in a variety of academic majors.