CMC Professor Jon Shields at NYT:
Every American university should offer a course on what is best in conservatism. That means teaching conservative intellectuals, not just the history of the G.O.P. or right-wing populism. Perhaps this campaign could be led by a group like Heterodox Academy or the American Political Science Association, either of which could partner with a politically diverse network of scholars with expertise in this arena. Those scholars might offer summer crash courses for professors and develop model syllabuses. Universities might also give course development grants to develop this curriculum.
A national campaign could do more than just improve the next generation of Republican leaders. It might also restore some semblance of lost faith in higher education as a whole. A substantial majority of Republicans now believe that universities have a negative influence on the country. That distrust will only encourage more DeSantis-style attacks on these institutions, especially the public ones. If professors want to defend the legitimacy of universities against the charge that they are simply leftist indoctrination centers, they should relentlessly broadcast the new efforts they’re making to mentor their conservative students.
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