University Statements on the Murder of George Floyd: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Author

Alexandria M. Brown, University of Tennessee, KnoxvilleFollow

Date of Award

8-2022

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Major

Sociology

Major Professor

Lois Presser

Committee Members

Michelle Christian, Dorian McCoy

Abstract

Minneapolis police office, Derek Chauvin, murdered George Floyd on May 25, 2020. After this killing, many universities throughout the United States, including all the institutions in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), released public statements about the murder. Over the last few decades, cuts in funding to institutes of higher education have resulted in colleges and universities adopting the managerial and revenue-generating practices of corporations. With corporations as their example, they have also taken to releasing statements about socio-political events, rather than just about incidents pertaining to their immediate stakeholders. Using Critical Discourse Analysis, this paper examines those statements and discusses the discursive practices employed by the SEC university chancellors and presidents.

Recommended Citation

Brown, Alexandria M., "University Statements on the Murder of George Floyd: A Critical Discourse Analysis. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2022.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/6476