diff --git a/.jshintrc b/.jshintrc
index e23416c9d3..40b096c7cd 100644
--- a/.jshintrc
+++ b/.jshintrc
@@ -142,8 +142,12 @@
         // Django i18n catalog globals
         "interpolate",
         "gettext",
+        "ngettext",
 
         // Miscellaneous globals
-        "JSON"
+        "JSON",
+
+        // edX globals
+        "edx"
     ]
 }
diff --git a/common/static/common/js/common_libraries.js b/common/static/common/js/common_libraries.js
index 1e935d6821..57ffa5ce1e 100644
--- a/common/static/common/js/common_libraries.js
+++ b/common/static/common/js/common_libraries.js
@@ -1 +1,21 @@
-define(['domReady!', 'jquery', 'backbone', 'underscore', 'gettext']);
+define([
+        'edx-ui-toolkit/js/utils/string-utils',
+        'edx-ui-toolkit/js/utils/html-utils',
+        'domReady!',
+        'jquery',
+        'backbone',
+        'underscore',
+        'gettext'
+    ],
+    function(StringUtils, HtmlUtils) {
+        'use strict';
+
+        // Install utility classes in the edX namespace to make them
+        // available to code that doesn't use RequireJS,
+        // e.g. XModules and XBlocks.
+        if (window) {
+            window.edx = window.edx || {};
+            window.edx.StringUtils = StringUtils;
+            window.edx.HtmlUtils = HtmlUtils;
+        }
+    });
diff --git a/lms/envs/common.py b/lms/envs/common.py
index e7aa79ac59..c8b16a4e11 100644
--- a/lms/envs/common.py
+++ b/lms/envs/common.py
@@ -1252,6 +1252,13 @@ base_vendor_js = [
     'js/vendor/url.min.js',
     'common/js/vendor/underscore.js',
     'js/vendor/underscore.string.min.js',
+
+    # Make some edX UI Toolkit utilities available in the global "edx" namespace
+    'edx-ui-toolkit/js/utils/global-loader.js',
+    'edx-ui-toolkit/js/utils/string-utils.js',
+    'edx-ui-toolkit/js/utils/html-utils.js',
+
+    # Finally load RequireJS and dependent vendor libraries
     'js/vendor/requirejs/require.js',
     'js/RequireJS-namespace-undefine.js',
     'js/vendor/URI.min.js',
diff --git a/lms/static/lms/js/build.js b/lms/static/lms/js/build.js
index eb61aaafd1..747097574d 100644
--- a/lms/static/lms/js/build.js
+++ b/lms/static/lms/js/build.js
@@ -70,7 +70,11 @@
             'logger': 'empty:',
             'utility': 'empty:',
             'URI': 'empty:',
-            'DiscussionModuleView': 'empty:'
+            'DiscussionModuleView': 'empty:',
+
+            // Don't bundle UI Toolkit helpers as they are loaded into the "edx" namespace
+            'edx-ui-toolkit/js/utils/html-utils': 'empty:',
+            'edx-ui-toolkit/js/utils/string-utils': 'empty:'
         },
 
         /**
diff --git a/lms/static/lms/js/require-config.js b/lms/static/lms/js/require-config.js
index e2ec12ad32..e7838b06ca 100644
--- a/lms/static/lms/js/require-config.js
+++ b/lms/static/lms/js/require-config.js
@@ -4,13 +4,23 @@
     // into the optimized files. Therefore load these libraries through script tags and explicitly define them.
     // Note that when the optimizer executes this code, window will not be defined.
     if (window) {
-        var defineDependency = function (globalVariable, name, noShim) {
-            if (window[globalVariable]) {
+        var defineDependency = function (globalName, name, noShim) {
+            var getGlobalValue = function(name) {
+                var globalNamePath = name.split('.'),
+                    result = window,
+                    i;
+                for (i = 0; i < globalNamePath.length; i++) {
+                    result = result[globalNamePath[i]];
+                }
+                return result;
+            },
+                globalValue = getGlobalValue(globalName);
+            if (globalValue) {
                 if (noShim) {
                     define(name, {});
                 }
                 else {
-                    define(name, [], function() {return window[globalVariable];});
+                    define(name, [], function() { return globalValue; });
                 }
             }
             else {
@@ -30,6 +40,10 @@
         defineDependency("URI", "URI");
         defineDependency("Backbone", "backbone");
 
+        // Add the UI Toolkit helper classes that have been installed in the "edx" namespace
+        defineDependency("edx.HtmlUtils", "edx-ui-toolkit/js/utils/html-utils");
+        defineDependency("edx.StringUtils", "edx-ui-toolkit/js/utils/string-utils");
+
         // utility.js adds two functions to the window object, but does not return anything
         defineDependency("isExternal", "utility", true);
     }
@@ -84,9 +98,6 @@
             // end of files needed by OVA
         },
         shim: {
-            "gettext": {
-                exports: "gettext"
-            },
             "annotator_1.2.9": {
                 deps: ["jquery"],
                 exports: "Annotator"
@@ -94,9 +105,6 @@
             "date": {
                 exports: "Date"
             },
-            "jquery": {
-                exports: "$"
-            },
             "jquery.cookie": {
                 deps: ["jquery"],
                 exports: "jQuery.fn.cookie"
@@ -117,13 +125,6 @@
                 deps: ["jquery", "tinymce"],
                 exports: "jQuery.fn.tinymce"
             },
-            "underscore": {
-                exports: "_"
-            },
-            "backbone": {
-                deps: ["underscore", "jquery"],
-                exports: "Backbone"
-            },
             "backbone.paginator": {
                 deps: ["backbone"],
                 exports: "Backbone.Paginator"
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index ba4272a987..494145643d 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
   "dependencies": {
     "coffee-script": "1.6.1",
     "edx-pattern-library": "0.10.4",
-    "edx-ui-toolkit": "~0.8.0",
+    "edx-ui-toolkit": "0.9.0",
     "requirejs": "~2.1.22",
     "uglify-js": "2.4.24",
     "underscore": "~1.8.3"