Learning & Leadership for a Changing World
First-Year Seminar
The First-Year Seminar – during the first semester of freshman year – introduces the RJ Fellows to the work of critically exploring change through readings and activities. Students intensively analyze, interpret, and discuss academic and social issues, thereby developing tools to identify, conceptualize, and meaninfully encounter the many manifestations of change in the world.
In addition, the RJ Fellows FYS, Writing For a Change", is a service-learning course. Students interact with and participate in a variety of community settings, and use their experiences as a starting point to analyze the dynamics of change on a community-wide scale. In the process, students recognize the possibilities and limits of their role as agents of change.
RJ-Designated Courses
Between sophomore and senior year, RJ Fellows take at least three RJ-designated courses. These are generally interdisciplinary, and fulfill other College requirements. Previous courses with this designation have included:
- Anthropology 112: Cultural Anthropology – Dr. Kovats-Bernat
- Media & Comm. 201: Media & Society – Dr. Kahlenberg & Dr. Pooley
- Biology 114: Concepts of Biology: Humanity and the Biological World – Dr. Niesenbaum
- Political Science 303: Gender, Politics and Policy – Dr. Mathews-Gardner
- Political Science 312: The American Presidency – Dr. Mathews-Gardner
For a list of current courses, please visit the RJ Course List Page.
Capstone Senior Seminar
This team-taught senior seminar serves as a culminating experience for the years of change-oriented learning that the RJ Fellows have undertaken. A team of interdisciplinary faculty members share responsibility for two or three weeks of instruction and discussion in their respective areas of expertise.
In addition, the seminar serves as a space for RJ Fellows to reflect on their previous course and research experiences, and to develop a presentation based on this work to be presented at the annual RJ Program Symposium.
Annual RJ Symposium
At the RJ Symposium, senior RJ Fellows present their work and interests in a formal setting. The symposium also features round-table discussions led by prominent leaders, activists, and scholars who are nominated and selected by the RJ Community. RJ Fellows play a leading role in planning & organizing the symposium.

The RJ Fellows Program is more than a set of requirements – It's a community to engage, participate in, and help shape.
With that said, the following requirements comprise the RJ Experience.