Conceptualizations of the international student in international migration law, diplomacy and higher education economya transatlantic perspective

Abstract

Despite the relevance of international students to various academic disciplines and the important implications for policy, comprehensive analyses of the international student within certain fields of research are lacking. Accordingly, this dissertation considers the figure of the international student in the United States and the European Union across three different academic disciplines: from an international migration law perspective, as an agent of cultural diplomacy within international relations, and as an instrument of higher education economy. This research endeavors to address the concept of the student migrant, and how student migrants are regulated within the international legal framework; the international student as a cultural diplomat, historically and presently; as well as the international student as a crucial economic commodity for institutions of higher education. Ultimately, the entirety of this work will consider how these conceptualizations at once occupy the same space, but often differ greatly in discourse and understanding.