While having two degrees in English, and trying for a third, I hope I am still not asking why English majors exist. Wait, there is no money in this degree. That being said, I totally identify with the Miller and Jackson piece. I spent over two years as one of those "temp" working trying to pay my bills.
Also, I concur that more pedagoical concerns should be addressed for students at the BA level: "Perhaps the greatest weakness in English majors is their limited attention to the needs of the many majors who plan to teach"(684). To all my MFA brothers and sisters, YES, we should bring in more creative, non-fiction. If we are to help students find a "voice," as it were, this is an effective tool to ensure some level of success. I got lost in some of the stats., but I am down with the "collective enterprise"(703).
As to the second essay, I am having nightmares of being back in the Ulysses seminar: like trying the find the five periods in the last chapter of Joyce's novel. Fulkerson is comparing two time periods: 1980 and 2001. The more things change, the more they stay the same, hence, we are still arguing over pedagogy. In his extended essay, he shows us four views on teaching comp. I will defer to the Rhet/Comp people on this one. However, I did like Durst's approach with the two quarters of writing (663). I guess that puts me in the "cultural studies" group by default. As well, I hope I am not turning my students into Leftist because they need to come to their own consenses about the world. Lastly, could someone tell me if we at South Florida are "post-everything"(680).
Forgive any type-o's: not enough sleep. Best, Alan