Framing the Academy: Graduate Student Unions, International Students, and the Social Role of the University

• In Event: Equitable Education Systems and Comparative Organizational Perspectives

Abstract

This study examines graduate student unionization and the role of international students within these movements. Through 41 interviews with domestic and international graduate students as well as discourse analysis of over 240 administrative documents, this study investigates conflicts between graduate student workers and university administrations, focusing on the way various stakeholders engage in ideological framing. These moments of conflict offer a window of insight into how the university, graduate study, and academic work are being framed and re-framed in different contexts. Drawing upon theories of ideological framing (McAdam & Scott, 2005) this research contributes to our understanding of higher education organizations as workplaces but also generates insight into the ways social movements redefine postsecondary education.

Author

• Leandra M. Cate, University of Washington