No Republicans were found in six humanities departments at UNC Chapel Hill

ANALYSIS: More than half of the humanities departments surveyed lack a single Republican at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

Students hoping to hear from a Republican professor in the philosophy, classics and history department will likely be disappointed at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

This is because there apparently are no Republican professors in these faculties. According to a study by , the same applies to the departments of studio art, art history and American studies The college fix.

The solution searched for professors’ political party affiliation using the North Carolina State Board of Elections voter search tool.

The solution identified affiliations of 239 of the 333 professors in 11 public university departments. Most departments were humanities, although economics was also included. The full breakdown can be found at the end of the article.

Of these 239, The solution found only six Republicans. In contrast, 203 identified professors are Democrats. Another 30 are not affiliated with the organization, while 88 have not been identified. Some of the professors are registered as “unaffiliated” professors but regularly vote Republican or Democrat. In these cases The solution They voted for the party they normally voted for in the primaries. The ratio of Democrats to Republicans is about 34 to 1.

The solution sent an email to five Republicans and one unaffiliated party who voted Republican in their only registered primary. The independent Republican did not respond. A Republican responded and made comments. The solution did not email any of the Republicans who previously indicated they did not want to comment in a 2022 article.

The solution matched with public information such as resumes and research papers to match names with registrations. The solution only considered professors, not lecturers, adjuncts or lecturers emeritus. In some cases, The solution compared a professor’s voter registration date to the date he started at UNC.

There may be overlaps in some departments. If professors are listed in multiple departments, The solution places them under what appears to be their primary discipline. Republicans from other majors may also teach in these departments alongside those from other political parties.

The history department has at least 50 professors, but no Republicans. However, there are 41 Democrats. The political science department has one Republican among its 24 Democrats.

There are 13 Democrats in the American Studies department, but there did not appear to be a Republican among the 17 professors. Likewise, the Classics Department has nine Democrats among its twelve professors, but no Republicans.

Classics chairman Donald Haggis said The solution:

Our department does not apply any bias in its search or select based on any political party, belief or perspective. In no part of our application process do we take political affiliation into account or are we aware of an applicant’s political beliefs. As an academic department at a research university, our interest lies in developing groundbreaking research in our field. Applicants will demonstrate exceptional education, skills and publications consistent with the research specialization appropriate to the position. Our basic hiring criteria include a doctorate in Classics (ancient Greek and Latin languages ​​and literature and/or classical art and archaeology); While we consider applications from candidates in related fields (e.g. art history, history, philosophy, religious studies, comparative literature, archaeology), we require expertise and experience in classical studies or classical studies relevant to the specific specialization of the job description.

Daniel Cobb, vice chair of American studies, did not respond to two emailed requests for comment in the last week and a half. Chairwoman Patricia Sawin did not respond to a request for comment earlier this week. The solution asked all non-Republican department chairs if they were surprised by the results, their thoughts on why there might be a bias and whether they would be interested in studying the inequality more closely.

Philosophy Chair Matthew Kotzen (16 Democrats, no Republicans), History Chair Miguel La Serna and Studio Arts Chair Annette Lawrence (1 Democrat) did not respond to requests for comment. There are at least seven Democrats majoring in art history, which appears to be in a department along with studio art.

There are Republican professors in the fields of communication, economics and theater

Students seeking a Republican professor may be able to find one in the communications and business departments and two in the theater arts departments. There is also one in the Department of English and Comparative Literature and one in the Department of Political Science.

One of those professors responded to an inquiry about his affiliation without directly addressing questions. Other Republican professors did not respond to an email seeking comment in the last week and a half about their registration and thoughts on campus climate.

Another professor expressed concerns about political hostility in his department.

This scholar said that although they were not sure whether their colleagues were aware of their beliefs, “I doubt they would be respected… unless someone took the time to talk to me about them.”

“That is, I think many would pigeonhole me (that is, put me in a category of what they consider right-wing extremist) if they knew that I represented conservative positions,” said the professor The college fix by email.

“I’m not at all surprised that almost every professor with any discernible (voter) affiliation is a Democrat,” the professor said. “I know very few professors on this campus with conservative leanings.”

“I would like to add that many of my liberal/progressive colleagues talk incessantly and dismissively about the authority and privileges of the ‘majority group’ (i.e. white, male, Christian),” the professor said.

“Yet they don’t realize that their kind is clearly a dominant majority on my campus and at many universities,” the professor said.

They described themselves as “secret” when it came to their worldview. “The pervasive dogma, inflexibility and lack of interest in discussing a different point of view will keep me from science.”

Think tank and economics professor report on current activities and other ideas

A marketing professor who runs Heterodox Heels offered further comments The solution.

“UNC and other institutions will not specifically seek to add conservative faculty. However, one goal we are focused on is improving freedom of expression, diversity of opinion and constructive dialogue,” said Professor Mark McNeilly The solution by email. His group supports an “open investigation.”

He released a report on the university’s progress, which included recognition of the board’s work by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni.

“Among the (UNC Board of Trustees) accomplishments referenced during the ceremony were the adoption of a resolution on institutional neutrality, the adoption of the Chicago Principles, the ban on compelled speech and the creation of the UNC School of Civic Life and Leadership “says an announcement from November 2023.

The president of the North Carolina-based James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal offered additional comments The solution by email.

“These results are not surprising. Data from schools across the country shows the same thing, particularly in the humanities and social sciences,” said Jenna Robinson The solution by email.

She said the university has taken positive steps by eliminating DEI disclosures in hiring.

“In the past, these litmus tests could be used to weed out conservative professors,” Robinson said. “I advise all schools to do the same.”

She also said the university should protect faculty free speech to boost the trust of conservative professors.

“There is a serious political imbalance at most elite universities,” Robinson said in closing comments. “UNC-Chapel Hill, itself an elite institution, often hires faculty from other elite schools. There is an imbalance in the pipeline.”

This is just the latest College fix Report finds divide between Democrats and Republicans at major universities. A 2022 report found that there were 98 Democrats compared to one Republican at Cornell University.

The solution To date, it has been determined that there are 204 Democrats and 13 Republicans at UNC Chapel Hill, although the 2022 article included some departments that were not used this year.

Recently, The solution found that there are six of 13 departments examined at the University of Oklahoma that lack a Republican professor.

The solution has decided not to publish its table of specific names to protect the identities of Republican professors.

Tear down:

American studies:
Democrats: 13
Republicans: 0
Not connected: 2
Unknown: 2
Overall: 17

Art history:
Democrats: 7
Republicans: 0
Not connected: 1
Unknown: 3
Overall: 11

Classic:
Democrats: 9
Republicans: 0
Not connected: 0
Unknown: 3
Overall: 11

Communication:
Democrats: 17
Republicans: 1
Not connected: 1
Unknown: 8
Overall: 27

Dramatic art:
Democrats: 13
Republicans: 2
Not connected: 1
Unknown: 5
Overall: 21

Business:
Democrats: 14
Republicans: 1
Not connected: 6
Unknown: 15
Total: 36

English and comparative literature
Democrats: 48
Republicans: 1
Not connected: 4
Unknown: 20
Total: 73

Story:
Democrats: 41
Republicans: 0
Not connected: 3
Unknown: 6
Total: 50

Philosophy:
Democrats: 16
Republicans: 0
Not connected: 4
Unknown: 11
Overall: 31

Political science:
Democrats: 24
Republicans: 1
Not connected: 6
Unknown: 8
Overall: 39

Studio art:
Democrats: 1
Republicans: 0
Not connected: 2
Unknown: 7
Overall: 10

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