A few years ago, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill instituted a new program: its School of Civic Life and Leadership. Leftists on campus were all upset because the school was not their idea and wouldn’t be part of their ideological project.

How is it working? In today’s Martin Center article, Jenna Robinson gives a glowing assessment.

First, she sat in on a class where the topic for the day was abortion. She writes, “The students exceeded my expectations. They were willing to share their own positions, admit when they weren’t sure of things, and disagree without rancor. How is this possible? In part, the answer is that students had chosen to be in a course that openly advertised that it would tackle hard topics; they were up for the challenge.”

At least those UNC students were open-minded, willing to listen and debate. Could this possibly spread?

Robinson also attended a course where the students were reading and discussing Democracy in America. It was similarly worthwhile:

On the day I attended, students were discussing a section of Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America. I was impressed to discover that the students had actually done the required reading. Moreover, they were able to discuss the day’s reading with nuance and tie it back to previous themes and ideas from earlier in the book. The conversation flowed naturally, with Professor James guiding the students through the text rather than lecturing.

Well done, UNC!