(Ebook) Is College Worth It?: Class and the Myth of the College Premium by Richard Ohmann, Ira Shor ISBN 9781421448800, 1421448807

(Ebook) Is College Worth It?: Class and the Myth of the College Premium by Richard Ohmann, Ira Shor ISBN 9781421448800, 1421448807

What is the true value of a college education?
In this thought-provoking book, acclaimed cultural critic and professor of literature Richard Ohmann and noted critical scholar and pedagogue Ira Shor challenge the widely accepted notion of the "college premium": the economic advantage associated with obtaining a college degree. The authors show how the idea of a college premium is often merely a myth that furthers the commercialization of education.
Drawing on historical analysis and keen insights, they expose the underlying neoliberal ideology that has transformed universities into vehicles for profit-driven corporations. They argue that the college premium confirms class hierarchies in the United States while claiming to apply to everyone. This compelling narrative uncovers the reshaping of our perception of the value of higher education. From the casualization of academic labor to the mounting burden of student debt, from the erosion of academic freedoms to the rise of vocational curricula, Ohmann and Shor connect the dots to illustrate how economic imperatives have influenced university life.
Is College Worth It? is a must-read for students, parents, policymakers, and anyone concerned with the future of education. Ohmann and Shor's erudite analysis challenges conventional wisdom and offers a fresh perspective on the true meaning and worth of a college education.
Review
A major (indeed, final) statement from one of the most trenchant and influential critics of American higher education―a pioneer in the field of critical university studies for decades before anyone thought there might be a thing called 'critical university studies.'
―Michael Bérubé, Pennsylvania State University; coauthor of It's Not Free Speech: Race, Democracy, and the Future of Academic Freedom
I wish that more of my colleagues in economics who write about the returns to education could analyze the relevant issues as coherently and write as clearly as Richard Ohmann. Ohmann's survey and critical
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