Applying for Justice? A Critical Discourse Analysis of Community College Grant Applications for Justice-Impacted Student Program Funding

Abstract

This study uses Critical Discourse Analysis through a Critical Race Theory lens to analyze grant applications of community colleges that applied for funding to build or support programs for justice-impacted students. I analyze how colleges problem-frame the need for their program, finding that 'colleges' use of race-evasive and ahistorical discourse is potentially detrimental to the larger goals their programs seek to address.

Keywords

• justice-impacted students
• Community Colleges
• critical discourse analysis
• grant funding
• Critical Race Theory