Literature : an embattled profession / Carl Woodring.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Woodring, Carl, 1919-2009.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Literature--Study and teaching (Higher)--United States.

Literature.

Literature--Study and teaching (Higher).

United States.

Critical theory.

College teachers--Tenure--United States.

College teachers.

College teachers--Tenure.

Physical Description:

xiv, 220 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Columbia University Press, [1999]

Summary:

Carl Woodring -- who played a central part in organizing Columbia University's Society of Fellows in the Humanities, which oversees the core program devoted to monumental works of civilizations and art -- casts an astute eye on the culture wars, chastising both the radicals who have jettisoned humanism and the conservatives who reject any challenge to prevailing tastes.

After tracing the past, present, and future of literary studies in America, Woodring turns to the university itself. From the role of technology in classrooms and libraries, to needed changes in the tenure system, to helpful advice for young teachers, he offers critical insights for community colleges and major research institutions alike. Finally, he provides a devastating analysis of the bloated administrations that act as Ph.D. factories and show no regard for the future of the scholars they produce.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [195]-210) and index.

ISBN:

0231115229

OCLC:

40251710