This dissertation examines post-secondary education (PSE) through six case studies of criminal justice departments found in Canadian universities. It argues that post-secondary education is highly marketized in terms of demand but is more immune to market influences at the level of the state. The dissertation uses a relational analysis to examine relations between the state and post-secondary institutions. It identifies three primary markets in post-secondary education including academic labour and research markets, institutional finance markets, and student /labour and credential markets.
Utilizing the concept of marketization, defined as a host of policy changes which seek to make institutions more accountable, the study assess the shift of post-secondary education toward a commercial and corporate form. I consider the institutions of post-secondary education as a constellation of power relationships between the state and institution, between institutions themselves, between professors and institutions, between professors and students, between institutions and students and between external forces such as markets and states, markets and institutions, markets and students, and
markets and professors. The content of these relationships is determined by the intensity, character, and nature of their interdependences. This work seeks to reveal these relationships by examining the role of the state and various markets that constitute post-secondary education, what this looks like and its effect on the constitution of liberal arts education. This thesis argues that the current post-secondary academic form in Canada may be considered as a reflection of market practices and the operation of the state in a relational manner.