And by the way, we are very elegantly extorted into working for free. I will be teaching this French course for no compensation. Zero dollars zero cents will come my way. But it’s either that or the French program will be closed. My German professor teaches 6 courses every semester, half of them for absolutely no compensation because if he refuses, the program will be closed. This dramatically reduces the quality of education because people are overburdened and teach the stuff they are not qualified to teach.
This is extremely widespread at universities attended by normal students and not the spoiled rich brats that are featured constantly in news items about higher education. This is a real problem, a real injustice, and nobody – either on the Left or on the Right – gives a crap.
Clarissa's Blog 
Yep. This happens in all of the smaller programs at my university. I am aware of several programs that are only viable because faculty are doing a ton of independent studies and teaching extra courses for no extra pay.
I think people can develop good courses in areas that are outside their areas of expertise, but it takes time to do that and it’s usually the people who are stretched the thinnest who wind up being asked to do it.
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“reduces the quality of education”
Look at it this way… Americans have never gone all in on education for the sake of education. It needs something else to get people to back it.
Back during the Great Compression, the idea of making the country stronger and beating the russkies in space was enough.
During the Reagan revolution universities as money making machines was floated.
Now, universities are platforms for the well-connected to make political statements.
The dedicated few who believe in education for the sake of education end up carrying the whole thing on their back.
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