I am surprised no one has mentioned that college should be a time where people explore a bit outside of their comfort zone. This is one of the things that is always talked about as what the college experience gives people outside of the classroom. I think a classroom setting, viewing a film outside of a comfort zone while exploring a topic of interest is the perfect way to step outside that comfort zone in a safe space.
We often talk about finding electives that are “different”. The engineer taking a film class or the STEM major taking an exploring world religions class. It is all about personal growth. Even at a christian college I would think exploring topics outside of the christian norm would be encouraged; be it examination of evolution, sexuality in the modern era, sexuality of Shakespeare, or exploring other world religions. Staying in the bubble of our upbringing will not help society evolve.
One of the last conversations I had with my oldest before he left for school was to try new things, explore other ideas, step outside of his norm; this is what this time of life is about. I knew he would have a hard time with this but not in the traditional sense. He is a very outgoing person that is never afraid to try new things but is also very opinionated, especially around politics. He is very much on the right side of the spectrum and is not afraid to share his point of view. I knew, going to a very liberal leaning university this would offer plenty of opportunities to step outside his comfort zone and wanted him to seize that opportunity.
His first year was a challenge and he butted heads with many people. He even dropped a class because he disagreed with the professor’s politics that were constantly inserted as fact into lectures, in a nutrition class of all things. Fast forward a year and he was afraid he was going to run into the same problem this semester. Instead of running away from the class, he started sharing his perspective when appropriate. The professor called him up after class one day to talk about some of the points he had made. The professor also suggested that he come to office hours to discuss in more detail and they have made it a weekly “debate” as the professor loved discussing politics but had no one in his life to take the other side. In the end my son now has a more well rounded view of the political spectrum, has softened his stance on some items, and is now actually open to considering some of the more liberal political ideas. In addition to this growth he now has a professor as an ally, mentor, reference, or resource should he ever need anything. This never would have happened without stepping outside of his comfort zone. A big win in my book and well worth the tuition dollars we have spent.