Since the 1970s, working-class individuals have made up an increasing proportion of students enrolled in institutions of higher education. At the same time, working-class studies has emerged as a new academic discipline, updating a long tradition of scholarship on labor history and proletarian literature to include discussions of working-class culture, intersections of class with race and ethnicity, and studies of the representation of the working class in popular culture. These developments have generated new ideas about teaching that incorporate both a sensitivity to the working-class roots of many students and the inclusion of course content informed by an awareness of class culture.

Linda Adler-Kassner is an assistant professor of composition at the University of Michigan, Dearborn Anne Aronson is an associate professor in the writing department at Metropolitan State University, Saint Paul, Minnesota Kelly Belanger is an associate professor of English at the University of Wyoming Joanna Brooks is a Charlotte W. Newcombe fellow and a doctoral candidate in English at the University of California, Los Angeles Robert Bruno, is an assistant professor of labor and industrial relations at the University of Illinois Fern Cayetano is a senior at the University of California, Los Angeles Renny Christopher teaches American literature at California State University, Stanislaus Terry Easton is pursuing a Ph.D. in American studies in the Graduate Institute of the Liberal Arts at Emory University Anthony Esposito is an assistant professor in the speech and communication studies department at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Eileen Ferretti is an assistant professor of English at Kingsborough Community College of the City University of New York Elizabeth A. Grant is an assistant professor of English at the State University of New York, Morrisville Ann E. Green is an assistant professor of English and director of the writing center at St. Joseph's University Richard Greenwald is an assistant professor of history at the State University of New York, Morrisville Laura Hapke is professor of English at Pace University in New York Joseph Heathcott, is a writer, a community activist, and a doctoral student at Indiana University Colette A. Hyman teaches history and women's studies at Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota Charles Johanningsmeier is an assistant professor of English at the University of Nebraska, Omaha Lisa Jordan is the director of Gender and Diversity Programming in the Labor Education Service at the University of Minnesota Sherry Lee Linkon is a professor of English and coordinator of the American studies program at Youngstown State University Jennifer Lutzenberger is a Ph.D. candidate and an instructor in literature and rhetoric at the State University of New York, Binghamton Caroline Pari is an assistant professor of English at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, part of the City University of New York system John Russo is director of the Center for Working-Class Studies and Coordinator of the Labor Studies Program at Youngstown State University John Streamas is a doctoral student in American culture studies at Bowling Green State University, a teacher in ethnic studies, and a fiction writer Linda Strom is an associate professor of English at Youngstown State University Tom Zaniello is a professor of English and director of the Honors Program at Northern Kentucky University and a visiting professor at the National Labor College of the AFL-CIO