A Critical Policy Discourse Analysis of Language Usage in PhD Departmental Handbooks

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 1:45 pm - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Shaping Graduate Success: Relationships, Writing, & Institutional Culture

Abstract

This study employs critical policy discourse analysis to examine how language usage in departmental handbooks of eleven physical science PhD programs reflects the departmental culture surrounding inclusivity, support, and belonging for Black, Indigenous, and Latine doctoral students. By analyzing the linguistic choices, assumptions, and framing within these foundational documents, we illuminate how seemingly neutral institutional texts may function as cultural gatekeepers that either facilitate or hinder BIL students' integration into academic communities. Findings reveal patterns in institutional communication that have broader implications for how universities can create more inclusive environments through thoughtful attention to the cultural messages embedded in their official documents.

Authors

• Joy Nwannediya Emmanuel, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Aireale J. Rodgers, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Brian A. Burt, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Xiaohan Liu, University of Wisconsin - Madison