Orchestrating "Student Wellness" in Higher Education: International Graduate Student Experiences and University Wellness Discourses and Practices
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Authors
Oncil, Gozde
Date
2025-02-26
Type
thesis
Language
eng
Keyword
Higher education , Student wellness , Student experiences , International students
Alternative Title
Abstract
Drawing on official planning documents and student (n=20) and staff interviews (n=7), this study explores the phenomenon of student wellness and how it is utilized by a mid-size Ontario university to shape international graduate students into “well” subjects. Using Foucauldian discourse analysis, I examine: 1) how Queen’s University, my chosen site for this research, defines, orchestrates, and produces “student wellness” through its policies and wellness programming; and 2) how this phenomenon is experienced by international graduate students. My analysis is organized into three main chapters, which explore in turn: 1) the impact of a shift in university discourses from a focus on internationalization (2015) to a focus on globalization (2023), probing how this shift shapes visions of student wellness and how international graduate student wellness gets deprioritized in the process; 2) the cultural specificities of “wellness” and competing notions of responsibility expressed by staff and students; and 3) the implications of an instrumentalist focus on outdoor recreation and leisure activities in the context of settler colonialism. In each case, I show how international graduate student wellness is a contested phenomenon. While wellness discourses are inextricable from neoliberal, individualistic expectations that require students to be informed and self-responsible, the extent to which these discourses align with student and staff experiences and perspectives varies. Given that I examine wellness in practice, I conclude by providing recommendations on the types of revisions the university could implement and suggest changes to better support student health and wellness.
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Queen's University's Thesis/Dissertation Non-Exclusive License for Deposit to QSpace and Library and Archives Canada
ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International