Ethics in Our Community:

Freedom Scholars

Freedom Scholars aims to expand the traditional reach of a liberal arts education and engage the university in service to the community.  The program provides the unique opportunity for UNC faculty to teach humanities and social science courses at a local halfway house.  The initiative is modeled closely on the Hope House Scholars program at Stanford University which has been very successful over the past ten years.

The program proceeds from the conviction that studying the liberal arts can not only strengthen job and communication skills, but can also usher in the intangible benefits of intellectual curiosity, increased self-esteem, and an enriched experience of the world.  In the words of one woman who participated in Stanford's program:

“No one ever asked me my opinion before and if they had, they would never have followed that by asking me why.”

Course Details:
 
Courses are held on-site at TROSA (http://www.trosainc.org/) in Durham.  TROSA is a comprehensive, long-term, residential substance abuse recovery program located in Durham, North Carolina. 

One course is offered each academic semester and the topic will be determined by faculty interest.  Last year, Professor Sharon James of the Classics Department taught a course on family conflict in Greek Drama.  The course meets once a week for eight weeks and is taught by one or two faculty members (graduate and undergraduate students can serve as tutors as needed).

For a sample course syllabus, click HERE.

How to get involved:

Freedom Scholars is an excellent way for faculty to engage their unique talents in service to the community.  The program is currently seeking faculty members who are interested in serving as teachers sometime in the next five years. If you would like to get involved or would like more information, please email Program Director, Kristen Bell: kbell05@email.unc.edu. 

Freedom House Scholars is being planned in conjunction with the Parr Center for Ethics. It received initial funding from the Carolina Center for Public Service through a Robert E. Bryan Public Service Fellowship