Description: In this collection of essays, some of which have run in "Harper's" and "The New York Times, " one of the country's great professors reminds readers that there is more to education than greater productivity. With an exacting optimism that never feels hokey or clich, Edmundson argues forcefully that the liberal arts are more important today than ever.
Brief description: Mark Edmundson teaches at the University of Virginia, where he is university professor. A prizewinning scholar, he is the author of Why Write?, Why Teach?, Why Read?, Teacher, The Death of Sigmund Freud, and The Fine Wisdom and Perfect Teachings of the Kings of Rock and Roll. His writing has appeared in such publications as the New Republic, the New York Times Magazine, the Chronicle of Higher Education, the Nation, the American Scholar, Raritan and Harper's. He lives in Batesville, Virginia.
Review Quotes:
"WHY TEACH? is a heartfelt and provocative book that will interest anyone who wonders what happened to the idea that college should be a life-altering, mind-expanding experience. With wry humor and hard-won wisdom, Mark Edmundson offers an inspiring vision of the liberal arts as a vehicle for personal transformation." --Tom Perotta, author of LITTLE CHILDREN and THE LEFTOVERS
"In prose so fresh and personal it leaps off the page, Mark Edmundson launches a stinging critique of higher education today. Everywhere he sees teachers flattering students, confirming their prejudices, and training them for the success game rather than opening their minds to new ways of looking at the world. His teaching ideal, developed here in exemplary detail, is at once utopian and absolutely essential. This book deserves to be widely read." --Morris Dickstein, author of GATES OF EDEN and DANCING IN THE DARK "Mark Edmundson obviously missed the intellectual timidity gene that's so helpful for an academic career. He has the audacity to argue in this book that universities should not be business and consumer training facilities, internet hookup sports, and workout centers, but places where students grapple with 'perspective-altering intellectual challenges."" --Gerald Graff, Professor of English and Education, University of Illinois at Chicago, former President, Modern Language Association "Edmundson's accessible prose will motivate both students and teachers. Highly recommended for all involved in higher education; an enjoyable and inspiring read." --Library Journal "A heartfelt, beautifully written, profound, and often hilarious appeal to rage against the machinery of modern education." --Booklist (starred review) "If I meet any students heading to the University of Virginia, I will tell them to seek out Mark Edmundson...Mr. Edmundson reminds us of the power strong teachers have to make students rethink who they are and whom they might become." --Michael S. Roth, New York Times