The implications of the funding crisis in American postsecondary education for critical teaching are considered, and potential transformations in the role of professional sociologists and the legitimate uses of social science knowledge are addressed. The structural basis for the uneven distribution of funding for the social, physical, and natural sciences at the postsecondary level is explored at both the 50-state and federal levels. A critical teacher may find it necessary to advocate replacement of current linkages between state and corporate sector with linkages serving broader, community interests. It is claimed that states that successfully market themselves as sites for capital investment will likely have growth of the academic science infrastructure but also exploitation of workers. Suggestions are given for critical teaching and practice (documenting working conditions, providing instructional programs for workers, and gathering support from a coalition of science educators for emerging popular movements such as disarmament) and for the critical teacher (to promote a science in the service of people rather than profit). For the 50 states, relationships are shown between high and low: unionization, job growth, postsecondary growth, and federal research and development funds. (SW)