Degree Name

MA in International Education

First Advisor

Karla Giuliano Sarr

Abstract

Higher education in the U.S. is becoming increasingly internationalized, a process which is necessitated by the global economy and the increase in communication and mobility across borders. The process of internationalization has many effects on institutions, programs, faculty, and students. It also has many purposes, among them to improve students’ future employability and to foster understanding of social issues. The communication discipline, which encompasses a variety of studies ranging from media production to interpersonal communication, has seen the effects of internationalization. Those effects are evident in evolving curriculum and pedagogy that reflect the shifting dynamics of the media landscape and the changing interactions between individuals and organizations. This qualitative study sought to answer the question of how faculty and administrators approach the internationalization process in an undergraduate communication program at a mid-sized public university. The research, completed through a series of interviews and document analyses, illuminates the successes and challenges of internationalization in this communication program. The findings of this study show that both building students’ employability and giving students tools to understand social justice issues are key components of internationalizing the discipline. Understanding the relationship between those components is essential for the discipline to educate future communication professionals to become responsible global citizens.

Disciplines

Communication | Critical and Cultural Studies | Curriculum and Instruction | Curriculum and Social Inquiry | Higher Education | International and Comparative Education | International and Intercultural Communication

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