Date of Award
Spring 2022
Document Type
Honors Thesis
Department/Major
English
First Advisor
John Howe
Second Advisor
Prentiss Clark
Third Advisor
Timothy Schorn
Keywords
higher education, South Dakota, political rhetoric, critical race theory, opportunity center, fairness in women's sports, 2021, document analysis
Subject Categories
American Politics | Education Policy
Abstract
This study is a document analysis in an attempt to understand political rhetoric from four main players from the end of the 2021 South Dakota Legislative Session to the end of the 2022 Legislative Session. These four players are 1) Governor Noem, 2) the Board of Regents, 3) the South Dakota Legislature, and 4) the Argus Leader. One-hundred eight documents from these sources were analyzed, and deemed “rhetorically political” by presence of the phrases “fairness in women’s sports,” “critical race theory,” or “opportunity center,” or deemed “rhetorically apolitical” by the absence of these phrases. The rates of rhetorically political documents, by source, are then compared, and questions are asked about what it all means for South Dakota higher education moving forward.
Recommended Citation
Sehr, Carson M., "A Document Analysis of Political Rhetoric in 2021-22 South Dakota Higher Education" (2022). Honors Thesis. 269.
https://red.library.usd.edu/honors-thesis/269