Includes bibliographical references and index.

Machine generated contents note: -- AcknowledgementsIntroduction: Th e Ersatz Crisis and the Real One 1. Value and Values2. Slow Death and P ainful Labors 3. From Professionalism to Patronage4. On the Rails Appen dix: Implementing a Teaching-Intensive Tenure Track at Portland State U niversityBibliography Index.

"This book is a lively, passionate defence of contemporary work in t he humanities, and, beyond that, of the university system that makes su ch work possible. The book's stark accounts of academic labor, and its proposals for reform of the tenure system, are novel, controversial, an d timely. Very few people understand what has happened to the humaniti es, and to higher education more generally, over the past 40 years. In this book, Michael Be;rube; and Jennifer Ruth explain why it is worth p aying attention to debates about such concepts as universalism and defi nitions of the human; more audaciously, they also explain why it is imp ortant that college professors should have the professional working con ditions necessary for them to do their jobs. In a clear, compelling, an d sometimes surprising narrative, Be;rube; and Ruth show why the deprof essionalization of college teaching matters -- and what can be done to reverse it. "-- Provided by publisher.