[Marxism] [PEN-L] Taylorized Academic Labor

[Mark Lause]

Understated and a generation late.  None of the professional
associations or faculty unions were ever very concerned about this
problem until it began to effect the elite universities which
predominate in those bodies.

Almost thirty years ago, I worked in a department which only had eight
tenure stream positions in a faculty of 54.  Right now, most places
with any reputation have half their survey classes taught by
part-timers.  These are often as qualified and sometimes more
qualified than the tenured faculty.

The degeneration of standards and expectations has declined
accordingly. When I was an adjunct, I couldn't be very demanding.
Whether or not you got called back was simply a function of whether
the students found you user-friendly.  As these became the dominant
form of academic labor, the standards for all tended to be reset.

ML