Instead of being encouraged to act in a professional manner, graduate students are continually reminded of their professional inferiority by the English department. (HOD)

Argues that a paradox exists in humanities departments when such departments, which are the custodians and beneficiaries of literacy, fail to concern themselves with reading, writing, and pedagogy. (DF)

Exposes the myth of the department chairperson as omnipotent. Demonstrates that by identifying the common interest of the myriad components of an English department, a chairperson can unify them into a successful, dynamic department by power of the faculty members themselves. (HTH)

Examines the composition of the faculty and instructional staff in English, 1996-97 and examines the average percentage of undergraduate course sections taught. Analyzes the staffing of undergraduate courses in baccalaureate-, master's-, and doctorate-granting institutions. Considers the use of full-and part-time adjunct faculty members and the…

Describes the kinds of teaching jobs that most recent doctorates in English attain. Discusses the role of the English professor at regional universities. Considers how it is different from the role of professor at a larger state university or at a smaller private college. (HB)

Outlines two major problems facing English department administrators in their attempts to hire adequate new faculty: (1) reduced institutional resources; and (2) the complex problems connected with faculty retirements. Suggests methods by which administrators can best cope with limited hiring opportunities. (HB)

Recounts the rapid rise and recent decline of the once highly regarded Duke University (North Carolina) English department, characterized by disaffection and defection to other institutions of a large proportion of the faculty, disorganized teaching, and an unsettled curriculum. The perceptions of a number of the faculty involved are presented.…

The PhD dissertation is the ultimate educational product. It reflects the training of its author and the technical, analytical, and writing skills he or she developed in a doctoral program. Successful completion of the dissertation and the award of the PhD certify that the degree recipient can do independent scholarly work. That much is generally…

This scripted dialogue is a fully documented story about the history and conditions of one group of post-secondary teachers of English. The narrative focuses on the proposal of this group of "permanent" temporary writing instructors from Western Illinois University to convince administrators to change their status to tenure track by…

Within the academy the commonly held definition of plagiarism--using another's words, ideas, or stylistic individuality without attribution--is widespread, appearing on most English course syllabi. Judicial guidelines are followed: neither stealing nor ignorance of the law is to be sanctioned. Furthermore, penalties for students can be severe: a…

Between budget cutbacks, fewer students, and more competing majors, English departments and faculty are in serious danger. (JH)

Offers advice to English department administrators on how to respond to lawsuits both from within and outside the department. (AEA)

Maintains that one of the most difficult problems faced by English department chairpersons arises from the widely divergent theoretical or ideological positions of faculty members. Argues for faculty to stop abusing one another and illustrates departmental discord in an imaginative fiction involving "Roger" and "Rose." (HB)

Describes staffing of United States four-year college English departments. Notes the multitiered structure of professorial rank that has formed as a result of 20 years of increasing enrollment, and static or decreasing levels funding. Concludes that four-year English institutions are limited in their capacity to staff the full range of their…

This is an interview between Teacher Librarian and Chris Crowe. Chris Crowe's first novel won the International Reading Association's Children's Book Award. He is a fellow professor of YA Literature and a past-president of the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the National Council of Teachers of English. Some interview questions include:…