Northwestern University plans to double the capacity of the “men’s project” that it launched last year to help male students “deconstruct their own masculinity.”

Each quarter since spring 2016, “NU Men” has offered 12 openings for a six-week program where men can learn how “oppression is impacted by their male or masculine identity” and how they can “contribute to stopping violence.”

“It was a really good space to be able to share in those conversations that you normally wouldn’t have."

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The program was launched by Paul Ang, the school’s Director of Men’s Engagement, immediately after the university received a $300,000 “violence prevention” grant from the Department of Justice, though a school official told Campus Reform that the program is entirely funded by the university itself, and is not supported by the federal grant.

While NU Men initially offered one course per semester, that will change during the approaching winter quarter, according to The Daily Northwestern, which reports that the program will now host two courses per quarter, with a total capacity for 24 students whose “gender identity, expression, and/or biological sex align with male-ness, man-ness, and masculinity.”

The first workshop of the winter quarter will begin in November, featuring a two-hour discussion on “combatting toxic masculinity.”

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Over the course of the six-week program, participants will be guided through a series of discussions related to masculinity, including “positive ways” they can cope with the daily stresses of life, and “the relationship between masculinity and violence.”

Additionally, they will be asked to keep a personal journal through the course, turning it over to school’s administration for “assessment” upon its conclusion.

“Engaging men, particularly college men, in conversations around what it means to be a man…can reduce gender-based violence and develop healthier relationships with masculinity,” explained Dan Amato, a facilitator of the course, adding that they are “always looking for opportunities where we can engage more men in that conversation.”

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Student David Gleisner, a member of the inaugural class, praised the program in an interview with The Daily Northwestern for helping him learn about the “patriarchy.”

“It was a really good space to be able to share in those conversations that you normally wouldn’t have with other men—talking about emotions, talking about rape culture, talking about how masculinity relates to the patriarchy,” he said.

Notably, faculty members are encouraged to nominate students who might benefit from the program, but individual applicants are also welcome to apply.

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @Toni_Airaksinen