I agree with much of what Bauerlein says, but much of it is just a rehash of discussions that have already occured in Composition. Bauerlein says early on that his study and conclusions will focus on "language and literature teachers." Wow, that's great, but this article is really only about Literature teachers. (Capital L intended.)
Alright, so he plays in to the classic, and seemingly neverending, Lit/Comp divide. The larger issue with this study is the way he conflates all types of faculty, particularly adjunct factuly and graduate students. Sure, there are ways in which the two groups are the similar, but there are FUNDAMENTAL differences between adjunct and graduate student populations. Those differences change from department to department. In our department you could begin with pay. Graduate student are paid significantly less than adjunct faculty (here I think they are all called Lectureres.) The benefit to less pay, if there is one, is a lighter course load. Right now, one benefit to Grad Student status is less interference with your course. We talked about that yesterday.
Before Bauerlein is ignored completley, which would be a mistake, I need to acknowledge an important point. Bauerlein says,
The MLA Committee questions whether English and foreign language departments do, in fact, require publications for entry-level positions, but truth or falsity doesn't matter.
Bauerlin goes on to say that since graduates believe publishing matters they continue to publish. This is where there is more to say about this problem and possible solutions. This point also struck home for me. At the end of Spring Break I had to send an email turning down the opportunity to write a book chapter. I put off that decision as long as possible becuase I understood that it meant not having a significant publication on my CV. I guess only time will tell how that will affect my ability to find a job.
Posts
