God and Man at Harvard

In today's Washington Post, Notre Dame's president and provost applaud a Harvard committee's proposal that every student be required to take a course exploring the subject of "faith and reason."  They explain:

It's time for universities to explore the reasoning that is possible within a tradition of faith, and to help their students appreciate this possibility and the rich resources in great religious traditions. Such efforts would enhance the ability of those with faith to engage in thoughtful, reasoned and self-critical spiritual reflection.

I share their enthusiasm for any prospect of greater openness toward religious traditions at elite universities.  But it is not an unrestrained enthusiasm.  When I was entering the legal academy, I shared with one of my Harvard profs my interest in focusing on law and religion.  He responded, with the tone of someone who had just seen a unicorn, "You know, I've found that quite a few of my students are actually religious!"  If Harvard can find professors who can lead students to an understanding of the faith-reason dynamics from within a tradition, great.  But as a young, believing Christian (or Muslim or Jew), I'm not sure how I'd feel about having my tradition poked and prodded like an animal in the zoo.  Campuses can be brutally hostile to religious believers.  Would this reduce the hostility or just give it official academic cover?

Rob