 | Composition in the Age of Austerity Subjects: English language -- Rhetoric -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- Political aspects -- United States; English language -- Rhetoric -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- Economic aspects -- United States; In the face of the gradual saturation of US public education by the logics of neoliberalism, educators often find themselves at a loss to respond, let alone resist. Through state defunding and many other "reforms" fueled by austerity politics, a majority of educators are becoming casual labor in US universities while those who hang onto secure employment are pressed to act as self-supporting entrepreneurs or do more with less. Focusing on the discipline of writing studies, this collection addresses the sense of crisis that many educators experience in this age of austerity. The chapters in this book chronicle how neoliberal political economy shapes writing assessments, curricula, teacher agency, program administration, and funding distribution. Contributors also focus on how neoliberal political economy dictates the direction of scholarship, because the economic and political agenda shaping the terms of work, the methods of delivery, and the ways of valuing and assessing writing also shape the primary concerns and directions of scholarship. Composition in the Age of Austerity offers critical accounts of how the restructuring of higher education is shaping the daily realities of composition programs. The book documents the effects and implications of the current restructuring, examines how cherished rhetorical ideals actually leave the field unprepared to respond effectively to defunding and corporatizing trends, and establishes points of departure for collective response. Nancy Welch is professor of English at the University of Vermont, where she helped to found the faculty union and is active in region-wide labor solidarity. Among her books are Living Room: Teaching Public Writing in a Privatized World and The Road from Prosperity: Stories . Tony Scott is associate professor of writing and rhetoric at Syracuse University where he directs the writing program. He is the author of Dangerous Writing: Understanding the Political Economy of Composition and coeditor of Tenured Bosses and Disposable Teachers . |
