Rate My Professor William Umphres

William P. Umphres is an Associate Professor-Educator in the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Cincinnati. A political theorist, his research focuses on norms of deliberation, theories of inclusion, and questions of equality and inequality in democratic institutions. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, where his dissertation addressed the legitimacy of the use of religious and non-shared reasons and justifications in political discourse. Umphres investigates how democratic processes of debate and deliberation can yield inclusive outcomes that uphold democratic norms of equality and self-government.

In the classroom, Umphres teaches courses at the intersections of law, politics, and society, emphasizing political theory and constitutional law. His offerings include History of Political Thought, Law and Society, Constitutional Law, and Courts and Judicial Politics. Students explore theoretical and historical underpinnings of the American legal and constitutional regime, examining ideas such as human nature, the purpose of politics, freedom, equality and inequality, free speech, punishment, freedom of religion, separation of powers, and executive privilege. He facilitates discussions on racial and gender inequality, mass incarceration, access to healthcare, basic income, and courts, tying concepts to the American political context and encouraging civic application. Umphres has published in prominent journals such as Constellations and Political Theory. His current research project employs a systems-focused view of democratic deliberation to make a normative case for silence, listening, and ceding deliberative space among historically privileged groups. As principal investigator, he leads grants from the American Association of Colleges and Universities for TRHT-Focused Campus Climate Assessment Toolkit projects, funded at $10,000 each from 2022-2023 and 2023-2024. He also serves as program director for the Legal Studies certificate in the School of Public and International Affairs.