Examines the crisis as well as the promise of professionalism in contemporary society. This book argues for the importance of a civic professionalism that reflects the ideals of democracy and public service in a complex economic environment. It also explores the rise of complex institutions of industrial and postindustrial society.
A Constructive Response to the Current Crisis of Confidence in the Professions
"For generations the professions have combined expert knowledge with public service in a proud sense of calling. Now the market economy threatens to reduce professions, along with every other sector of modern life, to a lowest common denominator. Sullivan's book offers understanding and hope to professionals seeking to recover their true calling."
--Robert N. Bellah, professor of sociology, emeritus, University of California at Berkeley and coauthor, Habits of the Heart and The Good Society
"Writing in the tradition of social critics as distinctive as Emile Durkheim, William Morris, and John Dewey, and drawing on recent research on the mastery of complex bodies of knowledge and traditions of practice in professional education, William Sullivan in Work and Integrity has given us an indispensable interpretation of the meaning of work for our time."
--Bruce Jennings, senior research scholar, The Hastings Center
"The mission of professional training is typically understood as developing expertise. In Work and Integrity, William Sullivan persuasively shows that those who educate the next generation of professionals should also be nurturing an ethic of 'civic professionalism, ' an understanding that the professions have a vital public responsibility. This is valuable, eye-opening reading for anyone who teaches--or depends on the professionalism of--professionals."
--David L. Kirp, professor, Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California at Berkeley
"Work and Integrity provides an invaluable lens for understanding the role of professions in American society. By placing the contemporary challenges of professionals in broader historical and social context, William Sullivan offers a highly insightful analysis of how best to promote their highest ethical aspirations."
--Deborah Rhode, Ernest W. McFarland Professor of Law, Stanford University
