Conservatism 101

The fight to plant the conservative flag in American college course books. We’ll look at the push for Conservatism 101.

They call it “Conservatism 101,” a course on modern conservative thought and voices. And every time it arrives at a campus, it’s news.

The latest venue: Brown University. Conservative students asked for it. Now it’s on, with a reading list that includes Robert Bork, Ayn Rand, Milton Freedman, Charles Krauthammer.

For years, conservatives have complained that American universities don’t welcome their perspective. So what happens when their “101” shows up? Is it a bombshell? A bridge? An agenda? No big deal?

This hour On Point: Conservatism 101 goes to school.
- Tom Ashbrook

Guests:

Katie Pavlich,  the press secretary for Conservatism 101, which aims to provide students with the opportunity to study conservatism at campuses across the country.

Terrence George, sophomore at Brown University.   He created the independent study course offered this semester on conservative thought at Brown University.

Katherine Bergeron, Dean of the College at Brown University.

Michael Berube,  professor in English Literature and Science, Technology, and Society at Penn State University. He is author of "What's Liberal About the Liberal Arts?: Classroom Politics and 'Bias' in Higher Education."