Are Generalists Mere Performers?
Chair and Organizer: Ken Egan Jr.
Department of English, Drury University,
900 N. Benton, Springfield, MO 65802
kegan@drury.edu
417-873-6941

Faculty teaching in small departments (say, 10 full-time faculty and fewer) often take pride in being “generalists.”  In the case of a department of English, a faculty member may well teach beginning and advanced writing courses, survey courses in both British and American literature, courses on special topics, senior seminars, and cross-listed courses with other departments.  When an instructor carries a 4/4 load, that range can translate into as many as 15-20 courses over a five-year period.  Add to this number of preparations the ever-proliferating theoretical/critical positions available to the interpreter of texts in English.

The question we pose: Can a generalist responsible for covering such a vast range do more than “perform” the part of an expert?  Or is the role of “expert” appropriate at all, especially on a liberal-arts campus?  More practically, are there techniques and strategies for “covering” our courses in a meaningful, engaging, professionally respectable way?  Or are we condemned to the role of “enthusiastic amateur” in many of these courses?  This panel will feature four faculty in distinct positions within the teaching ranks: Ken Egan Jr., a full professor and chair of a department; Peter Meidlinger, an “advanced” associate professor; Randall Fuller, an assistant professor entering his tenure-decision year; and Kevin Henderson, an instructor who covers an enormous number of courses.  Each participant will reflect on the challenges of “generalism,” using actual classroom experiences to exemplify strengths and weaknesses of the generalist life.  The presenters will take varied approaches to these pressing questions, opening up a space for dialogue with the audience.

Is There a Text in this Class I Haven’t Taught?

Kevin Henderson
Drury Univ.

Generalism on the Tenure Track

Randall Fuller
Drury Univ.

Mocking Cultural Theory: Learning to Say What Matters in Ways that Matter

Peter Meidlinger
Drury Univ.

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Range

Ken Egan Jr.
Drury Univ.