GENERIC STRUCTURE POTENTIAL OF COURSE DESCRIPTION
Main Article Content
Abstract
Generic Structure Potential (GSP), which is a “range of textual structures available within a genre” (Hasan, 1984, p. 79) was developed based on the need for a “generic structure” of a text to gain a comprehensive understanding of a genre (Halliday, 1978). Despite various research into different types of academic and promotional genres, there has been little attention given to the course description. This research seeks to unveil the GSP of course description and identify differences between formal course descriptions and online ones, analyzed based on a fourteen-element analytical framework. The findings revealed four more elements apart from those available in the original analytical framework. Most importantly, the course description was discovered to play the role of both informing and promotional, yet the former role is dominant. Regarding the difference between conventional and online descriptions, online ones were found to possess a higher number of promotional elements but still focus on informing students and promoting the course at the same time. The sequence of these elements seems to resemble the purchase decision-making process of customers significantly. On the contrary, the traditional description puts major emphasis on the informative purpose and shows negligence to the promotional aspects.
Article Details
Keywords
GSP, course description, traditional courses, online courses
References
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Askehave, I. (2007). The impact of marketization on higher education genres - the international student prospectus as a case in point. Discourse Studies, 9(6), 723–742. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461445607082576 
Bawarshi, A. S., & Reiff, M. J. (2010). Genre: An introduction to history, theory, research, and pedagogy. Parlor Press.
Bhardwa, S. (2018, March 27). Students place higher value on course content when choosing a university. Timer higher education. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/news/students-place-higher-value-course-content-when-choosing-university
Bhatia, V. K. (1997). Genre-mixing in academic introductions. English for Specific Purposes, 16(3), 181-195. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0889-4906(96)00039-7
Bhatia, V. K. (2002). Applied genre analysis: a multi-perspective model. Ibérica, 4, 3-19.
Borzovs, J., Niedrite, L., & Solodovnikova, D. (2016). Strategies to reduce attrition among first year computer science students. In M. M. Pinheiro & D. Simões (Eds.), Handbook of research on engaging digital natives in higher education settings (pp. 98-120). IGI Global.
Bożykowski, M., Izdebski, A., Jasiński, M., Konieczna-Sałamatin, J., Zając, T., & Styczeń, M. (2014). Educational and occupational progression - following graduates from the University of Warsaw. Edukacja, 6(131), 23-38.
Callaghan, M., Knapp, P., & Noble, G. (1993). Genre in practice. In B. Cope & M. Kalantzis (Eds.), The powers of literacy: A genre approach to teaching writing. The Falmer Press.
Chapman, M. L. (1994). The Emergence of Genres. Written Communication, 11(3), 348-380. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741088394011003003
Coe, R., & Freedman, A. (1988). Genre theory: Australian and North American approaches. In M. L. Kennedy (Ed.), Theorizing composition: A critical sourcebook of theory and scholarship in contemporary composition studies (pp. 136-147). Greenwood Publishing Group.
Dudley-Evans, T. (1994). Genre analysis: An approach to text analysis for ESP. In M. Coulthard (Ed.), Advances in Written Text Analysis (pp. 219-228). Routledge.
Fairclough, N. (1995). Critical discourse analysis: The critical study of language. Pearson Education Limited.
Gibson K., & Walters J. (2002). Access and guidance in tutor-student relationships. Journal of Access and Credit Studies, 4(1), 20-31.
Halliday, M. A. K. (1978). Language as social semiotic: The social interpretation of language and meaning. Arnold.
Halliday, M. A. K., & Hasan, R. (1989). Language, context, and text: Aspects of language in a social-semiotic perspective. Oxford University Press.
Hasan, R. (1979). On the notion of text. In J. S. Petofi (Ed.), Text vs sentence: Basic questions of textlingusitics (Vol. 2, pp. 369-390). Helmet Buske.
Hasan, R. (1984). The nursery tale as a Genre. Nottingham Linguistic Circular, 13, 71-102.
Hyland, K. (2002). Genre: Language, Context, And Literacy. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 22, 113-135. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0267190502000065
Hyon, S. (1996). Genre in three traditions: Implications for ESL. TESOL Quarterly, 30(4), 693-722. https://doi.org/10.2307/3587930
Johns, A. M. (2012). Genre and ESL/EFL composition instruction. In B. Kroll (Ed.), Exploring the dynamics of second language writing (pp. 195-217). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781139524810.014
Knapp, P., & Watkins, M. (1994). Context - text - grammar: Teaching the genres and grammar of school writing in infants and primary classrooms. Text Productions.
Kuh, G. D., Kinzie, J., Buckley, J. A., Bridges, B. K., & Hayek, J. C. (2006). What matters to student success: A review of the literature. Commissioned report for the National Symposium on postsecondary student success: Spearheading a dialog on student success. National Postsecondary Education Cooperative.
Kwong, J. (2000). Introduction: Marketization and privatization in education. International Journal of Educational Development, 20(2), 87-92. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0738-0593(99)00060-7
Maringe, F. (2006). University and course choice: Implications for positioning, recruitment and marketing. International Journal of Educational Management, 20(6), 466-479. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513540610683711
Martin, J. R. (1984). Language, register and genre. In F. Christie (Ed.), Children’s writing: Reader (pp. 21-30). Deakin University Press.
Martin, J. R., Christie F., & Rothery J. (1987). Social processes in education: A reply to Sawyer and Watson (and others). In I. Reid (Ed.), The place of genre in learning: Current debates (pp. 58-82). Deakin University Press.
Mautner, G. (2005). The entrepreneurial University: A discursive profile of a higher education buzzword. Critical Discourse Studies, 2(2), 95-120. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405900500283540
Mohawk College. (n.d.). How to write a course description. https://www.mohawkcollege.ca/employees/centre-for-teaching learning/curriculum-development/how-to-write-a-course-description
Mok, K. H. (2003). Globalisation and higher education restructuring in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mainland China. Higher Education Research & Development, 22(2), 117-129. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360304111
Osat, F. N. (2012). Generic structure of introductions in entrepreneurship research articles [Unpublished master’s thesis]. University of Malaya Kuala Lumpur.
Osman, H. (2006). An investigation of socio-cognitive strategies in university brochures. ESP Malaysia, 12, 39-51.
Osman, H. (2008). Re-branding academic institutions with corporate advertising: A genre perspective. Discourse & Communication, 2(1), 57-77. https://doi.org/10.1177/1750481307085577
Paltridge, B. (1993). Writing up research: A systemic functional perspective. System, 21(2), 175-192. https://doi.org/10.1016/0346-251x(93)90040-n
Stanford University. (n.d.). What is a course description? https://registrar.stanford.edu/staff/courses-scheduling-and-bulletin/courses/what-course-description
Swales, J. (1990). Genre analysis: English in academic and research settings. Cambridge University Press.
Teo, P. (2007). The marketisation of higher education: A comparative case-study of two universities in Singapore. Critical Approaches to Discourse Analysis across Disciplines, 1(1), 95-111. http://hdl.handle.net/10497/4674
Wernick, A. (1991). Promotional culture: advertising, ideology, and symbolic expression (Theory, Culture & Society). Sage Publications, Inc. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-22346-6_17
Yang, W. (2013). ‘Why choose us?’ texts in university websites: A genre analysis. Taiwan International ESP Journal, 5(1), 45-80.
Yorke, M. (1999). Leaving early: Undergraduate non-completion in higher education. Falmer Press.
Yunick, S. (1997). Genres, registers and sociolinguistics. World Englishes, 16(3), 321-336. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-971x.00067.
Zając, T. Z., & Komendant-Brodowska, A. (2018). Premeditated, dismissed and disenchanted: Higher education dropouts in Poland. Tertiary Education Management, 25, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11233-018-09010-z
Askehave, I. (2007). The impact of marketization on higher education genres - the international student prospectus as a case in point. Discourse Studies, 9(6), 723–742. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461445607082576
Bawarshi, A. S., & Reiff, M. J. (2010). Genre: An introduction to history, theory, research, and pedagogy. Parlor Press.
Bhardwa, S. (2018, March 27). Students place higher value on course content when choosing a university. Timer higher education. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/news/students-place-higher-value-course-content-when-choosing-university
Bhatia, V. K. (1997). Genre-mixing in academic introductions. English for Specific Purposes, 16(3), 181-195. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0889-4906(96)00039-7
Bhatia, V. K. (2002). Applied genre analysis: a multi-perspective model. Ibérica, 4, 3-19.
Borzovs, J., Niedrite, L., & Solodovnikova, D. (2016). Strategies to reduce attrition among first year computer science students. In M. M. Pinheiro & D. Simões (Eds.), Handbook of research on engaging digital natives in higher education settings (pp. 98-120). IGI Global.
Bożykowski, M., Izdebski, A., Jasiński, M., Konieczna-Sałamatin, J., Zając, T., & Styczeń, M. (2014). Educational and occupational progression - following graduates from the University of Warsaw. Edukacja, 6(131), 23-38.
Callaghan, M., Knapp, P., & Noble, G. (1993). Genre in practice. In B. Cope & M. Kalantzis (Eds.), The powers of literacy: A genre approach to teaching writing. The Falmer Press.
Chapman, M. L. (1994). The Emergence of Genres. Written Communication, 11(3), 348-380. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741088394011003003
Coe, R., & Freedman, A. (1988). Genre theory: Australian and North American approaches. In M. L. Kennedy (Ed.), Theorizing composition: A critical sourcebook of theory and scholarship in contemporary composition studies (pp. 136-147). Greenwood Publishing Group.
Dudley-Evans, T. (1994). Genre analysis: An approach to text analysis for ESP. In M. Coulthard (Ed.), Advances in Written Text Analysis (pp. 219-228). Routledge.
Fairclough, N. (1995). Critical discourse analysis: The critical study of language. Pearson Education Limited.
Gibson K., & Walters J. (2002). Access and guidance in tutor-student relationships. Journal of Access and Credit Studies, 4(1), 20-31.
Halliday, M. A. K. (1978). Language as social semiotic: The social interpretation of language and meaning. Arnold.
Halliday, M. A. K., & Hasan, R. (1989). Language, context, and text: Aspects of language in a social-semiotic perspective. Oxford University Press.
Hasan, R. (1979). On the notion of text. In J. S. Petofi (Ed.), Text vs sentence: Basic questions of textlingusitics (Vol. 2, pp. 369-390). Helmet Buske.
Hasan, R. (1984). The nursery tale as a Genre. Nottingham Linguistic Circular, 13, 71-102.
Hyland, K. (2002). Genre: Language, Context, And Literacy. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 22, 113-135. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0267190502000065
Hyon, S. (1996). Genre in three traditions: Implications for ESL. TESOL Quarterly, 30(4), 693-722. https://doi.org/10.2307/3587930
Johns, A. M. (2012). Genre and ESL/EFL composition instruction. In B. Kroll (Ed.), Exploring the dynamics of second language writing (pp. 195-217). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781139524810.014
Knapp, P., & Watkins, M. (1994). Context - text - grammar: Teaching the genres and grammar of school writing in infants and primary classrooms. Text Productions.
Kuh, G. D., Kinzie, J., Buckley, J. A., Bridges, B. K., & Hayek, J. C. (2006). What matters to student success: A review of the literature. Commissioned report for the National Symposium on postsecondary student success: Spearheading a dialog on student success. National Postsecondary Education Cooperative.
Kwong, J. (2000). Introduction: Marketization and privatization in education. International Journal of Educational Development, 20(2), 87-92. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0738-0593(99)00060-7
Maringe, F. (2006). University and course choice: Implications for positioning, recruitment and marketing. International Journal of Educational Management, 20(6), 466-479. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513540610683711
Martin, J. R. (1984). Language, register and genre. In F. Christie (Ed.), Children’s writing: Reader (pp. 21-30). Deakin University Press.
Martin, J. R., Christie F., & Rothery J. (1987). Social processes in education: A reply to Sawyer and Watson (and others). In I. Reid (Ed.), The place of genre in learning: Current debates (pp. 58-82). Deakin University Press.
Mautner, G. (2005). The entrepreneurial University: A discursive profile of a higher education buzzword. Critical Discourse Studies, 2(2), 95-120. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405900500283540
Mohawk College. (n.d.). How to write a course description. https://www.mohawkcollege.ca/employees/centre-for-teaching learning/curriculum-development/how-to-write-a-course-description
Mok, K. H. (2003). Globalisation and higher education restructuring in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mainland China. Higher Education Research & Development, 22(2), 117-129. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360304111
Osat, F. N. (2012). Generic structure of introductions in entrepreneurship research articles [Unpublished master’s thesis]. University of Malaya Kuala Lumpur.
Osman, H. (2006). An investigation of socio-cognitive strategies in university brochures. ESP Malaysia, 12, 39-51.
Osman, H. (2008). Re-branding academic institutions with corporate advertising: A genre perspective. Discourse & Communication, 2(1), 57-77. https://doi.org/10.1177/1750481307085577
Paltridge, B. (1993). Writing up research: A systemic functional perspective. System, 21(2), 175-192. https://doi.org/10.1016/0346-251x(93)90040-n
Stanford University. (n.d.). What is a course description? https://registrar.stanford.edu/staff/courses-scheduling-and-bulletin/courses/what-course-description
Swales, J. (1990). Genre analysis: English in academic and research settings. Cambridge University Press.
Teo, P. (2007). The marketisation of higher education: A comparative case-study of two universities in Singapore. Critical Approaches to Discourse Analysis across Disciplines, 1(1), 95-111. http://hdl.handle.net/10497/4674
Wernick, A. (1991). Promotional culture: advertising, ideology, and symbolic expression (Theory, Culture & Society). Sage Publications, Inc. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-22346-6_17
Yang, W. (2013). ‘Why choose us?’ texts in university websites: A genre analysis. Taiwan International ESP Journal, 5(1), 45-80.
Yorke, M. (1999). Leaving early: Undergraduate non-completion in higher education. Falmer Press.
Yunick, S. (1997). Genres, registers and sociolinguistics. World Englishes, 16(3), 321-336. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-971x.00067.
Zając, T. Z., & Komendant-Brodowska, A. (2018). Premeditated, dismissed and disenchanted: Higher education dropouts in Poland. Tertiary Education Management, 25, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11233-018-09010-z