Date of Award

5-2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Arts and Communication

First Advisor

Dzmitry Yuran

Second Advisor

Jessica Wildones

Third Advisor

H.H. Edwards

Fourth Advisor

R. Taylor

Abstract

This study investigates the meaning international students at Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) gave to candidate and President Donald J. Trump’s political discourse on immigration; along with their reaction to FIT’s response to President Trump’s executive orders, Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States. In conducting a qualitative study, a series of one-on-one interviews were held with voluntary participants. The researcher discovered FIT international students sought out a variety of news sources in order to stay informed of not only local news, but also international news, particularly news pertaining to their regional area of origin. The data also determined that this group of international students found President Trump’s political discourse divisive as they had been personally affected by his presidential executive orders. Nonetheless, they stated FIT’s response to the executive orders met their needs, making them feel supported in providing them with a sense of belonging. As a result, they planned to continue enrollment at FIT and expressed an interest in participating in the Optional Practical Training program after they completed their course of study at the university.

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