Shows why English department chairpersons feel that they are under a state of siege; suggests that chairpersons form bonds with other humanities chairpersons, help faculty members understand current difficulties, take the idea of accountability seriously, focus on student writing skills, and try to determine which courses are educationally…

Argues that lack of faculty consensus, combined with a multiplication of university programs, has convinced the public that universities serve secular needs and that their priorities should be established by the marketplace. Argues the key to preserving faculty control is for the faculty to take the agenda of practicality and remake it in a…

Compares British and American higher educational systems and describes the benefits of a foreign exchange professorship program. (AEA)

Examines the possibility of a university based on dissensus, disagreement, and diversity. Deconstructs the traditional English major, noting the inappropriateness of studying British literature as a substitute for a national cultural whole. Notes that the United States has never really had cultural unity and has always looked to the future for it.…