The first guest in the PEAR fall speaker series is Dr. Dominique J. Baker, associate professor of education policy at the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development at Southern Methodist University and a faculty affiliate of the university’s Data Science Institute. The event is co-sponsored by PEAR and the Economics & Education Program.
Location: Zankel Hall, Room 212C, or on Zoom at https://
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Abstract
Systemic racism creates an environment in which students of color disproportionately struggle with student loans. The media discourse on student loans, including the way that race, racism, and student loans intersect in the framing of the issue, plays a significant role in the public's and policy actors’ understanding of student loans’ challenges and potential solutions. We examine the racialized framing of student loans using natural language processing techniques applied to fifteen years’ worth of news articles. We investigate the use of racialized language terms (determined based on prior research and revised based on inductive examination of the news articles) and the words or phrases used to describe those terms within each news outlet and over time. Focusing on policy communication through the media will help to ensure that the public and policy actors do not rely on decontextualized and race-neutral understandings of student loan debt.
To request disability-related accommodations, contact OASID at oasid@tc.edu, (212) 678-3689, as early as possible.
