Symbolizing U.S. International Higher Education: A Semiotic Analysis

• In Event: Journeys of Transformation and Strategy: An Insightful Exploration of Educational Approaches, International Higher Education, and EA Perspectives in a Global Context

Proposal

Looking at international education (IE) through the lens of semiotic theory, this paper focuses on the motifs (i.e., symbols, images, and logos) used by IE teams at higher education institutions (i.e., in international student services, study abroad, internationalization, etc.). Examples of IE motifs might include globes, airplanes, and flags, among others. Where the semiotic theoretical approach prompts us to consider how “signs” hold meaning for those taking them in (Riera, n.d.), a semiotic analysis facilitates “investigating, deciphering, documenting, and explaining the what, how, and why of ‘signs’” (Danesi, 2020, p. 5), or in this case, of motifs used in international educational practice. This study takes as its starting point a review of the literature examining the marketing or branding of international education (Boulden, 2022). These studies, for example, explore the branding of “international education products and services” (Cambridge, 2002, p. 227), examine how education abroad promotional materials might lead to the “othering of peoples and cultures outside the U.S.” (Chakravarty et al., 2020, p. 121), and analyze websites to understand the communication of support for international students (Wang & Sun, 2022).

This research project explores international higher education (IHE) motifs in the U.S. to respond to the following questions: What motifs are used to represent IHE? How do IE motifs for different areas within IE teams (ISSS, EA, etc.) differ from or resemble one another? What themes arise when viewing the motifs published by differing institutions? Tying together semiotic theory, interpretivism, and post-colonial studies, this paper critically examines institutional symbols for IE and the presentation of institutional IE endeavors to audiences external to the international office.

Data for this study will be collected through desk research using publicly available resources found on websites, web materials, and social media, centering IHE at institutions throughout the United States. Depending on the availability of such materials, I will seek a broad institutional representation to include public, private, large, small, rural, and urban institutions, as well as institutions seeking to serve specific populations such as historically Black colleges and universities, minority serving institutions, and religiously affiliated schools. With the data collected, I will turn to a thematic, semiotic analysis (Bishop, 2001; Danesi, 2020), using NVivo qualitative analysis software with the assistance of a coding and analysis protocol to guide the search for relevant themes within and across the collected data (Crumley-Effinger, 2023).

The study’s findings will respond to the research questions above, providing what is likely the first analysis of IE motifs in U.S. higher education while identifying common approaches to visually representing IHE. Such research is valuable to better understand not only the scope of what is happening in IHE, but also to gauge the use of these motifs to share those happenings with broader audiences. Focusing on the U.S. context, this research has the potential to serve as a foundation for further examination of the motifs employed in IHE worldwide, as well as the semiotic bases (for audience and institution) for these images, symbols, and logos.

Author

• Max A Crumley-Effinger, Emerson College