A letter to Professor Watchlist

Recently, an organization called Turning Point USA unveiled Professor Watchlist, a website listing the names of professors “that advance a radical agenda in lecture halls” of U.S. colleges and universities. Notre Dame professors are among those listed as advancing “leftist propaganda” in their classes. In response, a number of Notre Dame faculty sent the letter below to Professor Watchlist.

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Dear Professor Watchlist,

We, the undersigned faculty at the University of Notre Dame, write to request that you place our names, all of them, on Professor Watchlist.

We make this request because we note that you currently list on your site several of our colleagues, such as Professor Gary Gutting, whose work is distinguished by its commitment to reasoned, fact-based civil discourse examining questions of tolerance, equality and justice. We further note that nearly all faculty colleagues at other institutions listed on your site, the philosophers, historians, theologians, ethicists, feminists, rhetoricians and others, have similarly devoted their professional lives to the unyielding pursuit of truth, to the critical examination of assumptions that underlie social and political policy and to honoring this country’s commitments to the premise that all people are created equal and deserving of respect.

This is the sort of company we wish to keep.

We surmise that the purpose of your list is to shame and silence faculty who espouse ideas you reject. But your list has had a different effect upon us. We are coming forward to stand with the professors you have called “dangerous,” reaffirming our values and recommitting ourselves to the work of teaching students to think clearly, independently and fearlessly.

So please add our names, the undersigned faculty at the University of Notre Dame, to the Professor Watchlist. We wish to be counted among those you are watching.

Signed:

Encarnación Juárez-Almendros, Spanish

Ani Aprahamian, Physics

Francisco Aragón, Institute for Latino Studies

Doug Archer, Hesburgh Libraries

Carolina Arroyo, Political Science

Katrina Barron, Mathematics

Kevin Barry, Kaneb Center

Christine Becker, Film, Television, and Theatre

Gail Bederman, History

Patricia Blanchette, Philosophy

Susan D. Blum, Anthropology

Catherine E. Bolten, Anthropology and Peace Studies

John G. Borkowski, Psychology

Bruce Bunker, Physics

Elizabeth Capdevielle, University Writing Program

Matthew Capdevielle, University Writing Program 

Robert Randolf Coleman, Art, Art History & Design

Brian Collier, Institute for Educational Initiatives

Philippe Collon, Experimental Nuclear Physics

Michael Coppedge, Political Science

David Cortright, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies

Mary D'Angelo, Theology

Antonio Delgado, Physics

Denise M. Della Rossa, German

Michael Detlefsen, Philosophy

Tarek R. Dika,  Program of Liberal Studies

Jane Doering, Gender Studies

Jean Dibble, Art, Art History & Design

Margaret Anne Doody, English

Kevin Dreyer, Film, Television, and Theatre

John Duffy, English

Amitava Krishna Dutt, Political Science

Stephen M. Fallon, Program of Liberal Studies and English

Stephen Fredman, English

Christopher Fox, English

Judith Fox, Law School

Mary E. Frandsen, Music

Jill Godmilow, Film Television & Theatre

Karen Graubart, History

Stuart Greene, English and Africana Studies

David Hachen, Sociology

Matthew E.K. Hall, Political Science

Darlene Hampton, First Year of Studies

Susan Harris, English

Randal Harrison, Hesburgh Library

Anne Hayner, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies

Peter Holland, Film, Television, and Theatre

Romana Huk, English

Charlice Hurst, Mendoza College of Business

Lionel M. Jensen, East Asian Languages and Cultures

Debra Javeline, Political Science

Claire Taylor Jones, German and Russian

Michael Kackman, Film, Television, and Theatre

Asher Kaufman, History and Peace Studies

Mary Celeste Kearney, Film, Television, and Theatre; Gender Studies

Micha Kilburn, Physics

Janet Kourany, Philosophy

Thomas Kselman, History

Greg Kucich, English

Rev. Donald G. LaSalle, Jr., First Year of Studies

Daniel Lapsley, Psychology

Erin Moira Lemrow, Institute for Latino Studies

Neil Lobo, Biological Sciences,

George Lopez, Peace Studies

Cecilia Lucero, First Year of Studies

Collette Mak, Hesburgh Library

Julia Marvin, Program of Liberal Studies

Maria McKenna, Institute for Educational Initiatives and Africana Studies

Sarah McKibben, Irish Language and Literature

Erin McLaughlin, University Writing Progra,

Joyelle McSweeney, English

Stephen Miller, Music

Ann Mische, Sociology and Peace Studies

Leslie L. Morgan, Hesbuirgh Library

Brian Ó Conchubhair, Irish Language and Literature

Lisa Joy Oglesbee, Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures

Kathleen Opel, Notre Dame International

Jessica Payne, Psychology

Catherine Perry, Romance Languages and Literatures

Dianne Pinderhughes, Political Science

Pierpaolo Polzonetti, Program in Liberal Studies and Sacred Music

Margaret Porter, Hesburgh Library

Clark Power, Program of Liberal Studies

Ava Preacher, College of Arts and Letters

William Purcell, Center for Social Concerns

Benjamin Radcliff, Political Science

Steve Reifenberg, Kellogg Institute for International Studies

Karen Richman, Institute for Latino Studies

Charles Rosenberg, Art, Art History & Design

Deborah Rotman, Anthropology

David F. Ruccio, Arts and Letters

Valerie Sayers, English

Catherine Schlegel, Classics

Roy Scranton, English

Susan Sharpe, Center for Social Concerns

Kristin Shrader-Frechette, Biological Sciences and Philosophy

John Sitter, English

Cheri Smith, Hesburgh Library

Donald Sniegowski, English (professor emeritus)

Thomas A. Stapleford, Program of Liberal Studies

James Sterba, Philosophy

Susan St. Ville, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies

Maria Tomasula, Art, Art History & Design

Steve Tomasula, English

Ernesto Verdeja, Political Science

Henry Weinfield, Program of Liberal Studies and English

John Welle, Italian

Michael Wiescher, Physics

Pamela Wojcik, Film, Television, and Theatre

Christina Wolbrecht, Political Science

Martin Wolfson, Professor of Economics Emeritus

Danielle Wood, Center for Social Concerns