What sorts of cultural criticism are teachers and scholars to produce, and how can that criticism be "employed" in the culture at large? In recent years, debates about the role and direction of English departments have mushroomed into a broader controversy over the public legitimacy of literary criticism. At first glance this might seem odd: few taxpayers and legislators care whether the nation's English professors are doing justice to the project of identifying the beautiful and the sublime. But in the context of the legitimation crisis in American higher education, the image of English departments has in fact played a major role in determining public attitudes toward colleges and college faculty. Similarly, the changing economic conditions of universities have prompted many English professors to rethink their relations to their "clients," asking how literary study can serve the American public. What sorts of cultural criticism are teachers and scholars to produce, and how can that criticism be "employed" in the culture at large? In The Employment of English, Michael Bérubé, one of our most eloquent and gifted critics, examines the cultural legitimacy of literary study. In witty, engaging prose, Bérubé asserts that we must situate these questions in a context in which nearly half of all college professors are part-time labor and in which English departments are torn between their traditional mission of defining movements of literary history and protocols of textual interpretation, and their newer tasks of interrogating wider systems of signification under rubrics like "gender," "hegemony," "rhetoric," "textuality" (including film and video), and "culture." Are these new roles a betrayal of the field's founding principles, in effect a short-sighted sell-out of the discipline? Do they represent little more that an attempt to shore up the status of--and student enrollments in--English? Or are they legitimate objects of literary study, in need of public support? Simultaneously investigating the economic and the intellectual ramifications of current debates, The Employment of English provides the clearest and most condensed account of this controversy to date.

Although few taxpayers and legislators care whether the nation's English professors are doing justice to identifying the beautiful and the sublime, conversely the image of English departments plays a major role in determining public attitudes toward colleges and college faculty. Investigating the ramifications of current debates, this book provides the clearest and most comprehensive account of this controversy to date.

This textbook acquaints readers with the major federal statutes and regulations that control management and employment practices in the American workplace. The material is presented from the perspective that the human resource professional is the employer's representative and is, therefore, responsible for protecting the employer's interests and reducing the employer's exposure to litigation through monitoring activities and viable employee policies. The book is designed as a tool for today's business and management professionals, and unlike some other texts in the field, maintains a pro-business or pro-management approach. The authors have skilfully crafted Employment Regulation in the Workplace to be an effective learning tool. Each chapter opens with learning objectives and an example scenario, and each chapter contains plenty of illustrative figures, boxes, and diagrams. Chapters conclude with a listing of key terms, questions for discussion, and two case exercises. The book also includes a comprehensive bibliography.

Employment Law (in Plain English)®provides both employers and employees the information they need in order to understand the law as it relates to their working relationship. This helpful guide will enable readers to identify and prevent many of the issues which can and do occur in the employment context, thus saving everyone valuable time and money and establishing a stronger workforce. While this book is not intended to replace the reader’s employment lawyer, it will provide the ability to assist one’s lawyer in litigation should the need arise. Chapters discuss a variety of topics including: Advertising for new positions and vacancies Interviewing, hiring, and other pre-employment considerations Employment contracts Union shops Collective bargaining agreements Employee handbooks First day on the job Wages hours and other terms and conditions of employment On-the-job rights and responsibilities Employee dignity, privacy, and reputation Ownership of work created by employees Private employment versus public employment Internet concerns Virtual offices Employees versus independent contractor statutes Discipline and termination of the employment relationship Dispute resolution Fringe benefits How to find a lawyer In easy-to-understand terms and with plenty of examples, this essential handbook supplies readers with invaluable insights on the legal nature of their working relationships.