Honors Unbound and Common Read

Honors Unbound

Every two years we select a theme as a community focus, which will then be used to shape our calls for Interdisciplinary Honors Seminar topics, assemble faculty panels, and select our guests for lectures, as well as determine our Common Read selection.

This is a way for us to ensure that our interdisciplinary approach to learning is sustained not only in formal and curricular structures, but also through our co-curricular, extra-curricular, and social programming. It is also a way to set a habit of being a life-long learner who is interested in the multiplicity of ways that various issues and topics manifest themselves in our lives—from personal to political, work to leisure, and across all cultures and communities.

Common Read

Each year we select a common reading (monograph or novel) that is intended to spark discussion, exchange, and connections across the disciplines in a thematic way.

The reading is mandatory for our incoming first-year students but also highly recommended for all Honors College students, and is used to foster a community-wide discussion focused on a contemporary social issue or theme, which changes every two years, that is deeply intertwined with social impact and inclusive excellence. The Common Reading approach has been a longstanding program at Rutgers and within the Rutgers honors community, and remains one of the most high-impact approaches to learning and involvement that we offer.

Through deep reading and related discussion and exploration in Honors coursework, students develop traits and non-cognitive skills, such as critical thinking, empathy, collaboration, respect, problem solving, persistence, understanding, and introspection—skills that will help students learn how to transform their ideas into action so they may contribute meaningfully to society and develop their purpose.

2026-2027 Common Read

The information about the new book is forthcoming.

Recommend a Book for the Common Read

Each year we assemble a committee of students, faculty, and interested staff who will work within some prescribed parameters to choose the Common Read work. If you would like to participate on the committee, please connect with one of the following Honors College team members:

Dr. Trip McCrossin, Residential Faculty Fellow | Department of Philosophy
Ms. Kathleen Sadowsky, Assistant Advising Dean | School of Arts and Sciences

Participation on the committee takes about 10 hours per week for a period of eight weeks in the spring semester, including reading agreed-upon works, discussions and deliberations, and final selection voting. Once the choices are narrowed down to the final three or four books, all committee members receive a free copy of each for their work and efforts.