1st Student's Major
Communication Studies, Marketing and International Business
1st Student's College
Arts and Humanities
Students' Professional Biography
Shelbi Schadendorf graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato in May 2018 with her Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies and Marketing. During her time in university she studied abroad in Scotland and South Korea at the University of Stirling and the University of Seoul, respectively. Her areas of interest in academic and research pursuits include international relations, immigration, class, and gender. Post graduation, Shelbi will be serving as an English professor in the Republic of China through the Peace Corps.
Mentor's Name
James Dimock
Mentor's Email Address
james.dimock@mnsu.edu
Mentor's Department
Communication Studies
Mentor's College
Arts and Humanities
Abstract
Conducted through the qualitative research method of autoethnography, and presented through the lens of critical analysis, this study explores the oppressive experience as a low income student in an institute of higher education. Written as an attempt to make the struggle as a low income students more visible, the focus of this study is both an exploration into the commodification of higher education and the culture surrounding how we treat, or don’t acknowledge, low income students.
Through the presentation of the author’s experience as an autoethnography, the insight gained from first hand experience can be shared through an accessible, but still academic, medium. By reflecting on this experience using the critical paradigm, the oppressive nature a low income student has with their institute of higher learning is revealed, explored, and critiqued.
The results of this study have shown that while some institutes of higher education may be skillful in attracting low income students, they are not necessarily equipped to serve low income students. Even more troubling, on an interpersonal level its entirely possible that those who serve the institute may not even be aware enough to recognize, considerate enough to care, or empathetic towards understanding low income students.
Recommended Citation
Schadendorf, Shelbi M.
(2018)
"Somebody Has to Pay Rent: The Critical Autoethnography of a Low Income Student,"
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato: Vol. 18, Article 6.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56816/2378-6949.1209
Available at:
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/jur/vol18/iss1/6
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License