The objective of this qualitative study was to explore if the cultural immersion process to which American Universities subject their international students leads to their long-term adoption of American values and opinions. Grounded upon the concept of smart power, Nye argued that the attractiveness of shared values can contribute to the…

This dissertation project explores the research question of whether or not legislators in democracies act on their own genuine pro-trade preferences. For several decades, the International Political Economy literature has been dominated by an assumption that legislators, particularly in democracies, are merely conduits for the preferences of…

In the expanding landscape of transnational higher education (TNHE), cases have begun to emerge that serve as possible bellwethers for future challenges. These challenges include geopolitical conflicts and concerns over foreign influence that threaten the viability of continued TNHE delivery. To explore this issue in depth, this study focused on a…

Arguing for the importance of decolonial pedagogy in human rights education, this research is located at the intersection of human rights education, pedagogy, and justice studies, and is situated in the context of a contested neoliberal university in order to learn about and understand some of the challenges in implementing pedagogical change…

This project is a regional case study of higher education institutions, employees, and students in the occupied Palestinian town of Bethlehem. A three-article format, this project employs autoethnography to explore the ways the author's religious community conceived of the holy land; mapping and photo documentation to explore the infrastructures…

Over the last twenty years, the digital technologies of the information revolution have fundamentally impacted the nature of modern warfare and introduced significant uncertainty about capabilities, intentions, and the limits of conflict. How do these digital advances and the explosion of cyber technologies on and off the battlefield impact…

Researchers have found that higher education is known to stabilize political opinions and thought to enhance critical thinking skills. The role that an individual's level of education plays in shaping public opinion during a foreign affairs crisis, within the context of repetitious and uniform news media coverage, has yet to be determined. The…

The purpose of this study is to illustrate that travel as experiential education, though not always obvious, often has political or cultural intent or ramifications. Objectives such as promoting cosmopolitanism, nationalism and imperialism, and colonialism may then become obvious by examination of various experiential education travel programs,…

In this dissertation, I will identify and analyze the serious problems that have arisen in the Caribbean due to the imposition of European colonial languages as languages of instruction in the education systems of those territories of the region where the majority of the population speak a creole language. I will also identify and analyze the…

The dominant discourse on midwifery has been characterized by myths that have been constructed and perpetuated through oral and written discourse. The purpose of this research is to engage in a critical analysis of that discourse, with special focus on Hispanophone, Anglophone, and Francophone contexts in the Caribbean from colonial times to the…

The purpose of this study was to provide a deeper understanding of the lived experiences and identity formation of Indigenous Mexican students in U.S. higher education. Latinx critical race theory and critical Latinx Indigeneity served as conceptual frameworks for this study, and a decolonial lens was employed to distinguish the unique educational…

The increasing numbers in adult immigrant population in the United States urge educators and scholars to explore and analyze the programs that are available for this population in their efforts to acquire English. Historically, the main objective of these programs was the acquisition of basic English skills deemed necessary to survive in the…

Considering the signifying power of visuality to function as language as it constructs, fashions, and alters conceptualizations, and focusing on the Caribbean woman for my research, this study explored the dynamics involved in the construction of the Other by means of the colonial visual imagery and written discourse deployed by Europe and the…

Internationalization of higher education is a major characteristic of China's higher education policy. Accordingly, the Chinese government is fervently encouraging the spread of Chinese language and culture through Confucius Institutes, student exchange programs, recruitment of international students, and international collaborations. South Asia…

This dissertation is a local, specific study on the Chamorro language policies of Guam. Scholars have noted since the beginning of the American occupation that the Indigenous Chamorro language of Guam is dying and is in danger of becoming extinct within the next generation. As the hub of American military presence in the Asia Pacific region, the…