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HIGH CULTURE AND POPULAR CULTURE.   Term Paper ID:29422 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Applies concepts to professional field of education.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Applies concepts to professional field of education. Tenured professors as representative of high culture, and associate and/or adjunct professors as representative of popular culture. The greater freedom of tenured professors. Possible negative effects. Use of nontenured professors as a cost reduction measure. Paper Introduction: In his book, Popular Culture and High Culture: An Analysis and Evaluation of Taste, Herbert J. Gans distinguishes between producers and consumers of high and popular culture based on the disparities of educational attributes and class. Applied to the professional field of education in which tenured professors are representative of high culture and associate and/or adjunct professors are representative of popular culture, the disparity between the two groups in terms of both criteria is subtle (xv). In fact, tenure and associate professors who are equally educated are distinguished chiefly by tenure. Both tenure and associate professors have undergone four to eight years of graduate studies. However, tenured professors had also survived three to seven years of probation in tenure-track positions and Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. With theirprivileged position, these tenured professors have lifetime job securityeven when their performance falls below expectations (Scheuerman 65).Furthermore, since faculty members are not fearful of dismissal, they abusetheir privilege by advocating radical ideas to indoctrinate impressionablecollege students (Allen 82). At the same time, it isimportant to note that college students are able to determine whether theyagree or disagree with their professors before embracing certainideologies. "Misconceptions About Tenure." Trusteeship Jan./Feb. Gans distinguishes between producers andconsumers of high and popular culture based on the disparities ofeducational attributes and class. The ability oftenured professors to contradict dominant or popular ideologies in theirquest for knowledge lies at the heart of their role to preserve highculture that does not serve popular or powerful interests (Allen 84). Without erecting and enforcing suchstandards through the system of tenure that distinguishes outstandingscholars from their colleagues and protects them from outside interests,the pursuit of knowledge will be severely undermined. The absenceof a tenure system to ensure the consistency of these projects canjeopardize a society's quest for knowledge and development. The Academic Life. It is likely thatthe absence of a tenure system will not produce sufficient incentives forindividuals to pursue their talents in the field of education and provide asupportive environment that promotes academic inquiry. On the other hand, tenured professors can be totally committed totheir research even if it generates controversy in the public withoutfearing the repercussions of dismissal. Thus, they are susceptible to the vagaries of the outsideinterests and are more responsive to popular culture. Professorswithout the prospect of tenure can hardly be expected to produce anythingconcrete if they know that they can be dismissed at any time (Scheuerman72). Applied to the professional field ofeducation in which tenured professors are representative of high cultureand associate and/or adjunct professors are representative of popularculture, the disparity between the two groups in terms of both criteria issubtle (xv). In fact, tenure and associate professors who are equallyeducated are distinguished chiefly by tenure. Evidently, Gans raises an important argument by considering theenforcement of high culture as an elitist tendency that is a remnant of thepast. Professors willnot have to give up research into certain areas because they risk offendingtheir corporate sponsors. At the same time, they will not be subjected tothe pressure of university administrators to give out more 'A's in order toincrease enrollment. Because tenured professorsdo not have to be responsive to public interests, they may not have a goodunderstanding of the needs of society. Both tenure and associateprofessors have undergone four to eight years of graduate studies.However, tenured professors had also survived three to seven years ofprobation in tenure-track positions and undergone assessments and annualevaluations of their overall performance in teaching, research andrelationships with their peers. AsGans indicates in his book, one of the criticisms of the popular culture isthe overall decrease in the quality of society (55). "Public Higher Ed: Battleground in the Tenure Wars." The NEA Higher Educational Journal Fall 1997: 63-73. With excessive supervision and control,creativity and independence will be adversely affected. 1995: 15-21.Boorstin, Daniel J. Finally, they had also passed thechallenging tenure review in which their performance was scrutinized by thedepartment chair, dean, college provost, president and outside faculty.Tenured professors have thus demonstrated their commitment to their fieldof study and the teaching of their students throughout their academiccareer. The Discoverers: A History of Man's Search to Know His World and Himself. Most tenured professors are responsible and productiveindividuals who strive hard to fulfill their multiple responsibilities ofteaching and research. Therefore, by holding onto these rigid divisions, tenured professorsmay not recognize the needs of society while they work in their ivory towerof academic inquiry and generate work that lacks relevance to the rest ofsociety. New York: Basic Books, 1999.Scheuerman, William E. However, according to the critics of the tenure system who call forthe elimination of the division between tenured and associate professors,the tenure system protects failing professors from dismissal. The existence ofassociate and adjunct professors who have to be responsive to popularculture and interests can thus serve as a bridge that links tenuredprofessors who are representative of high culture with society as a whole. The continuous existence of a separateclass of academics-tenured professors-highlights the emphasis of theindividual development and the elitist tendency without the acknowledgementof the cultural progress in society as a whole (Gans 64-5, 73). Princeton: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 1987.Gans, Herbert J. The enforcement of the high and low divisions through the system oftenure is vital in order to protect the academic freedom of professors fromthe manipulation and control of political, social and business interests.As Dwight MacDonald points out, popular culture, in contrast to highculture, promotes the mass production of standardized products that lackscreativity and uniqueness, thus benefiting only business interests (in Gans3 ). Popular Culture and High Culture: An Analysis and Evaluation of Taste. On the other hand, associateprofessors who do not have the same level of protection may be more awareand receptive to new trends and cultural developments in society. The current policy ofemploying adjunct faculty and relying on non-tenure associate professors toreduce costs has certainly undermined the quality of academic standards.Part-time faculty members that are not given any college resources such asoffice space and opportunities to interact with their peers cannot beexpected to achieve high academic standards. Furthermore, without the rigorous evaluation process that occursthrough the tenure system, potential students and their parents are unableto determine whether universities truly have high quality instructors. Furthermore, it is important to emphasize that tenuredprofessors can lose their privileges if they demonstrate a lack ofcommitment to the field of education (Allen 82-3). Thetrends of convergence and divergence suggest that the divisions between thehigh and low culture may not be as clearly demarcated as before (Gans 1 -1). Because of their protection from the manipulation and control ofoutside interests, tenured professors are free to conduct research andteach their students in accordance with their perceptions of the highstandards of academic excellence. "Tenure: Why Faculty, and the Nation, Need It." The NEA Higher Educational Journal Fall 1997: 75-88.Benjamin, Ernst. In fact, the work created by tenured professors is often notcomprehensible to the majority of the public that does not have theexpertise to understand their work. In his book, Popular Culture and High Culture: An Analysis andEvaluation of Taste, Herbert J. Open communication between colleagues can also occurbecause tenured professors are not worried about losing their jobs.Essentially, tenured professors are not subject to the whims andmanipulation of powerful members of the public. Because of the nature of the academic inquiry, professors requireacademic freedom to investigate various phenomena that may challenge thestatus quo. Furthermore, these part-timeor temporary faculty members who do not have the prospect of obtainingtenure will be distracted by the need to look for work in otherinstitutions that can provide better pay (Scheuerman 7 , 73). In addition, the system of tenure that divides tenured professorsfrom other types of professors can enhance the stability of long-termresearch projects. New York: Random House, 1983.Clark, Burton R. On the other hand, associate professorsmay need to modify their work in response to university administrators,corporate sponsors or even students in order to ensure that they are notterminated. The academic freedomenjoyed by these professors is thus critical in ensuring that theprofessors maintain the highest standards in their work as teachers andresearchers. Their commitments leave them little opportunity toengage in radical groups and support such causes. Finally, the system of tenure also serves as an incentive for adjunctfaculty or associate faculty members to strive for tenure positions.Therefore, they are willing to work hard in their field of study andcompete with their peers in order to earn the tenure positions. Works CitedAllen, Henry Lee. Although there are a few tenured professors who will abuse theirprivileges, one cannot attribute their behavior to the existence of thetenure system. Ultimately, the modification of research work to conform tothe tastes and expectations of the public can only lead to the adulterationof the quality of the original work (Scheuerman 67-8, 72-3; Benjamin 15-21;Allen 76-7; Gans 35, 38). However, the professional field of education and the realm ofacademic inquiry do require high standards of excellence in order togenerate progress for society. Because they are protected by thetenure system, these professors do not have to compromise their work inresponse to the ideological transitions in the political system and thefunding of their institutions by specific corporations. Unlike associate professors, tenured professors have the freedomto pursue their academic work without fearing the consequences of dismissal(Scheuerman 66). Typically, the discovery of high quality products orknowledge requires time and a steady investment of resources. Essentially, their work has littlesignificance to the general public (Gans 4 ). Themaintenance of this division between tenured and associate professors thuscreates a conducive environment for productive competition among peers. Although the research may seem radical at the time, itssuccess has the potential of improving the quality of life for society.Therefore, tenured professors need to be protected from conservativeinterests who are threatened by change and possess the power to suppressacademic activities (Boorstin). Onthe other end of the spectrum, tenured professors are also motivated toconduct research and improve their teaching strategies to maintain theirtenured status (Clark). Another criticism of the division between tenured and associatefaculty members is the estrangement of the tenured faculty members from thedevelopments in the general society. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.