Claremont McKenna College: Professors Banned from Quoting Historical Works of Literature

Three Claremont McKenna College professors — Christopher Nadon, Robert Faggen, and Eva Revesz — reported being investigated, warned, and non-renewed, respectively, after teaching excerpts from historical works of literature such as “Huckleberry Finn,” and “The Color Purple,” which contained the word “nigger.” On August 22, 2022, FIRE wrote to CMC explaining that the college’s strong policies and commitments to safeguard academic freedom for its faculty and students prohibit it from sanctioning professors for exercising their pedagogical autonomy to decide how to teach material that may be challenging, upsetting, or even deeply offensive.