Adjuncts, Revenge, and Adaptation
I've tried my hand at adaptation here: http://www.amazon.com/Professor-Montg...
For those of you who may not know, over 2/3 of faculty in the US are precariously employed and underpaid adjuncts. Many are the stories of these educational champions who are forced to collect food stamps, have no benefits coverage, and can be fired at the whim of universities and colleges. The situation in Canada is only slightly better, at about 50%. The availability of tenure-track jobs has been steadily drying up, and yet enrolments continue to grow. Administrators love the academic reserve army of adjunct labour because they are cheap and disposable. This is higher education's shame.
My attempt here has been to adapt Alexandre Dumas' Count of Monte Cristo to tell a story about higher education. At first I was thinking it would be too difficult to entwine Dumas' revenge epic with a retelling from the higher education context. However, it fit much better than I could have imagined.
If you are an adjunct, enjoyed the original novel by Dumas, or both, you might want to give this one a read.
For those of you who may not know, over 2/3 of faculty in the US are precariously employed and underpaid adjuncts. Many are the stories of these educational champions who are forced to collect food stamps, have no benefits coverage, and can be fired at the whim of universities and colleges. The situation in Canada is only slightly better, at about 50%. The availability of tenure-track jobs has been steadily drying up, and yet enrolments continue to grow. Administrators love the academic reserve army of adjunct labour because they are cheap and disposable. This is higher education's shame.
My attempt here has been to adapt Alexandre Dumas' Count of Monte Cristo to tell a story about higher education. At first I was thinking it would be too difficult to entwine Dumas' revenge epic with a retelling from the higher education context. However, it fit much better than I could have imagined.
If you are an adjunct, enjoyed the original novel by Dumas, or both, you might want to give this one a read.
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by
Eckhard
(new)
May 14, 2014 07:14AM
Bravo, Kane!
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I couldn't help thinking of you and many of my other brothers and sisters while writing it, comrade! In solidarity!
Are you going to do a book version of it, or will it remain just virtual?
I'd love to get a copy, but I can't read books on a screen.
Hi Eckhard!Yes, a physical copy should be out in the next few weeks once the proofing for it is done. Some other good novelists out there who talk about adjunct issues include Gordon Haber and Julie Schuman.
Any plans to attend COCAL in August? Oh, and I thought I'd pass along this petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/conti...
Power to the people indeed! And solidarity for all!
Very nice! I just ordered a copy! I am really eager to see it!
I don't have plans for COCAL, but one of my authors, Frederick Mark Kramer, teaches at John Jay College. Maybe you'll see him there.
Wish you could come! A little solidarity around the table is a nice relief from the way so many admins treat their adjuncts. And, hey, muchas gracias for the purchase! And if ever you need to vent on the adjunctivitis life, you know I'm just an email away.
