College English Sep 2017

Freshman Composition as a Precariat Enterprise

James Rushing Daniel

Abstract

Drawing from recent work in the areas of economics and sociology, this article applies theories of precarity and the precariat, terms that denote the marginalized status of contingent workers, to the composition classroom. Reviewing the economic and social conditions precipitating workforce casualization, the article argues that theories of precarity support the efforts of scholars in composition studies thinking beyond the concept of social class and toward models of solidarity. Building upon the work of these scholars, the article advocates attention to the shared precarity of students and proposes methods of enhancing solidarity at the university.

Journal
College English
Published
2017-09-01
DOI
10.58680/ce201729261
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
first-year composition writing pedagogy labor and working conditions
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (5)

  1. Skinnell (2023)
    Why Are There So Many English PhDs, Anyway?
    College English
  2. Bernard-Donals (2022)
    Commonplaces of Governance and the Vulnerability of Faculty Work
    Rhetoric Society Quarterly
  3. Gentry (2021)
    From Thought to Action: Developing a Social Justice Orientation
    Reflections: A Journal of Community-Engaged Writing and Rhetoric
  4. Bernard-Donals (2019)
    Rhetorical Movement, Vulnerability, and Higher Education
    Philosophy & Rhetoric
  5. Bollig (2019)
    “People Like Us”: Theorizing First-Generation College as a Marker of Difference
    Literacy in Composition Studies

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