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Part-Time Faculty: PHI 107: Philosophy - Theories of Knowledge and Reality (Fall 2026)

higheredjobs.com

A part-time philosophy post teaching Theories of Knowledge and Reality reveals how academia staffs its deepest questions on contingent, low-security contracts.

Principal-Agent ProblemPrecariat TheoryLabor Market SegmentationSocial Contract Theory

Theory Briefing

  • Part-time faculty now teach a large share of college courses, including foundational philosophy classes on knowledge and reality.
  • Hiring adjuncts for epistemology courses creates an irony: instructors questioning certainty have little certainty about their own employment.
  • The adjunct model keeps labor costs low but raises questions about continuity and investment in student learning outcomes.