Sermo Interruptus

A blog about talk in the news, mostly


About me

I received my Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1999, and have taught at Columbia, Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton (but just for a year), and, since 2013, Notre Dame.

My research is mostly about deliberation in political and legal settings. I am the author of Talk at the Brink: Deliberation and Decision during the Cuban Missile Crisis (Princeton 2012). It is high time I wrote another book.

Somewhat to my dismay, I’m best known to the media for a somewhat tongue-in-cheek journal article I wrote years ago on queuing in 30th Street Station, Philadelphia. But that was not nearly as silly as this.

My CV:

Looking for David Gibson, the journalist of the Catholic Church? I’m not him, to the disappointment of some people. You can find him here.

Looking for Notre-Dame, the cathedral in Paris? You can find that here.

Contact me: