Marketing Aspirations: Narratives of Morality and Worth in Higher Education Advertising
Strengthen and apply social science research skills to a study of the role and meaning of higher education in today's society.
Project description
Advertisements for universities and their programs are ubiquitous on television, radio, billboards, social media, and streaming platforms. How do U.S. universities market the value of their offerings in a period marked by shrinking public funding, rising costs, and ongoing debates over the value of a college degree? This project will examine how themes of morality and worth through the pursuit of education are conveyed through advertisements in an era of mass higher education and mega-universities. The project aims to build a qualitatively coded database of advertising campaigns from several U.S. colleges and universities with some of the largest student enrollments. This data will then be analyzed using an innovative plan that combines exploring new A.I. tools with traditional content analysis methods.
Project outcome
Student will be expected to produce, in collaboration with faculty PI, a scholarly article with the aim of presenting it at a major research conference and submitting for publication in a peer-reviewed research journal.
Project details
| Length of commitment | Year-long |
| Start time | Spring |
| In-person, remote, or hybrid? | Hybrid |
| Level of collaboration | Individual student project |
| Benefits | Stipend |
| Who is eligible | Juniors and seniors that demonstrate:
Proficiency in Microsoft Office
Strong critical thinking, communication, and proactive mindset
Ability to meet deadlines
Familiarity with and interest in generative AI |
Project mentor
Phoebe Ho
Assistant Professor
Educational Leadership & Policy
Email: phoebeho@buffalo.edu
Start the project
- Email the project mentor using the contact information above to express your interest and get approval to work on the project. (Here are helpful tips on how to contact a project mentor.)
- After you receive approval from the mentor to start this project, click the button to start the digital badge. (Learn more about ELN's digital badge options.)
Preparation activities
Once you begin the digital badge series, you will have access to all the necessary activities and instructions. Your mentor has indicated they would like you to also complete the specific preparation activities below. Please reference this when you get to Step 2 of the Preparation Phase.
The specific preparation activities for this project will be customized through discussions between you and your project mentor. Please be sure to ask them for the instructions to complete the required preparation activities.
Keywords
sociology, education, marketing, social sciences, college, political science, communication, business, anthropology