Marketization of University Brochures in Korea and the US: From a Genre Analysis Perspective

Jeong Eun Kim & Chul Joo Uhm*

* The first author is Jeong Eun Kim and the corresponding author, Chul Joo Uhm.

https://doi.org/10.24303/lakdoi.2017.25.1.93

(Chonnam National University)

∣ Jeong Eun Kim & Chul Joo Uhm

Marketization of University Brochures in Korea and the US: From a Genre Analysis Perspective ∣

Kim, Jeong Eun & Uhm, Chul Joo. (2017). Marketization of University Brochures in Korea and the US: From a Genre Analysis Perspective. The Linguistic Association of Korea Journal, 25(1), 93-115. The aim of this study is to investigate a generic structure of university brochures in the US and Korea and to determine how universities represent themselves to prospective students. Results indicate that all brochures share in common the rhetorical structures of promotional discourse, advertisements. The differences in the relationship constructed between the universities and the prospective students reside in the school authority and identity. US universities focus on forming personal and solidary relationships and emotional links. However, Korean universities make impersonal relationships and, at the same time, reveal the authority over students. Even though Korean university brochures maintain promotional generic structures, their phraseology still stays in the old fashion. These results suggest that Korean universities need to use more appropriate linguistic promotional strategies to accomplish the purpose of the brochures.

Key Words: Marketization of higher education, genre, brochures

1. Introduction

Over the decades, higher education has undergone many changes. The discursive practices (order of discourse) of higher education are in the process of being transformed through the increasing salience within higher education of promotion as a communicative function (Fairclough, 2013a). Along with these changes, many students consider looking through a university brochure (usually in Korea) or a viewbook (in the US), one of the university’s advertisement tools, to get information about their preferred universities.

Marketization in education refers to the adoption of free market practices in running schools (Kwong, 2000). Schools now try to attract more students to enroll nationally and internationally, which helps make more income to operate the universities. They also eliminate less popular departments or programs and support the ones which are favored among students. Universities do not teach courses to students; they sell courses to their clients and they write texts which draw upon textual, visual, and design features widely used in advertising and promotional material (Askehave, 2007).

Researchers have conducted analyses of university brochures or prospectuses adopting genre analysis or critical discourse analysis (Askehave, 2007; Hartley & Morphew, 2008; Kheovichai, 2014; Osman, 2008; Teo, 2007; Yang, 2013). As university brochures are an international genre, they have been analyzed in EFL or ESL situations (Han, 2014; Teo, 2007) or compared cross-culturally (Bano & Shakir, 2015; Hui, 2009). Previous studies in Korea rarely investigated promotional discourse of university brochures from a genre analysis perspective. Such a focus could explain whether or not universities in Korea have indeed adopted marketized discourse in university brochures and how they position themselves to prospective students.

The focus of this study is to investigate a generic structure of university brochures in the context of the US and Korea and determine how universities represent themselves to prospective students with the view of promotion. This study aims at finding answers to the following research questions:

a) What are the similarities and differences of generic structure and the communicative functions between US and Korean university brochures?

b) How is the relationship constructed between the two main participants – the university and the prospective students in US and Korean university brochures?

2. Literature Review

2.1 Marketization of Higher Education

Fairclough's (1993) seminal work is the starting point of marketization of higher education. He points out institutions of higher education in the UK have come increasingly to operate (under government pressure) as if they were ordinary businesses competing to sell their products to consumers. Due to the shortage of governmental funds, universities have been forced to have alternative sources for support. With budget cuts and decentralization in education, school authorities or schools are left to their own devices (Kwong, 2000). Therefore, universities need to attract more students, compete with each other to get more funds from government research grants, and establish well-made “products.” Universities reconstruct their professional identities on a more entrepreneurial (self-promotional) basis, with the foregrounding of personal qualities (Fairclough, 1993). As students are targeted as consumers, prospectuses now provide more than just information. In this sense, the lines between 'telling' and 'selling' therefore have become blurred (Teo, 2007). At the discourse level, terms like “customers,” “clients,” “markets,” “corporate identity,” “mission statements,” and “strategic plans” have been found in university discourse (Connell & Galasiński, 1998).

Under marketization of higher education, Fairclough (1993) claimed that there is a transformation of higher education discourse. He employed critical discourse analysis (CDA) to compare university undergraduate prospectuses for the years 1967-8 and 1993. The 1967-8 entry gave information on a take-it-or-leave-it basis whereas the 1993 entry was designed to ‘sell’ the university and its courses to potential applicants, as an “interdiscursively hybrid quasi-advertising genre” (Fairclough, 1993). The 1967-8 entry maintained impersonality by using agentless passive verbs and nominalization. On the other hand, the 1993 entry was personalized using first (we) and second person (you) which are widely used in advertising (Fairclough, 1993). In marketing language, pronouns contribute to create a cordial atmosphere to induce the addressees (Bano & Shakir, 2015). This can also be concerned with the authority relations. Traditionally the authority resided within the university, but it has more recently been turned over to applicants/students. The rhetorical purposes of addressing readers directly using inclusive or second person pronouns are to effect interpersonal solidarity (Hyland, 2001). Hui (2009) also highlighted the frequent use of the corporate we and the singular you in university prospectuses to refer to the university and individual students, respectively.

2.2 Genre Analysis and University Brochures

A genre is a set of communicative purposes that performs a coherent communicative function in a written or spoken discourse (Swales, 1990). A key concept of genre analysis is to see these communicative purposes in the genre. To capture them, texts can be analyzed in terms of a move which is defined as a discoursal segment that performs a particular communicative function (Swales, 2004). Researchers have looked into the linguistic and cultural variation by comparing texts of native and non-native writers. Recently, genre studies range from a close linguistic study of texts as a product to a broad understanding of socio-cultural and critical procedures used to interpret these textual genres in real life (Bhatia, 2002).

It may be helpful to see the definition of a brochure to understand the genre analysis of university brochures. A brochure is a printed document of six or more pages, used to introduce an organization, published only once and distributed to special publics for a single purpose (Newsom & Haynes, 2007) including forms like booklet, flyer, leaflet and pamphlet. The company brochure is a ‘promotional genre’ and consequently its communicative purpose is that of ‘promoting something’ (Askehave & Swales, 2001).

Osman (2008) analyzed 11 Malaysian public university brochures using genre analysis and investigated the process of re-branding. She noted that corporate brochures from academic institutions are promotional in nature with the use of promotional strategies apart from corporate and informative strategies. Table 1 lists the structural organization of university brochures. The term ‘service’ in the moves refers to the educational services and the support services given by the universities.

Table 1. Structural organization of university brochures (Osman, 2008)

Section	Move Identification
Name of the university	Identifying the service
University slogan or motto	Attracting reader attention
Mission/vision statement	Targeting the market
Profile or background of the university	Establishing credentials
Location and size of the university	Locating the service
Academic programs offered at the university	Describing the service
Facilities available to support the academic programs	Justifying the service
Entry requirements, fees charged and duration of the programs	Indicating the value of the service
Career opportunities and recognition received by the university	Endorsing the value of the service
Contact addresses and telephone numbers	Soliciting response

She concluded that universities function as corporations and their strategies to attract students/consumers to enter their universities are becoming more market-oriented. Askehave (2007) adopted a CDA approach to investigate four international student prospectuses using a text-driven procedure for genre analysis. According to her, universities function as service-minded, supportive, and customer-driven organization highlighting not just academic performances but university experience, facilities, and social life (Askehave, 2007). Hence, this study attempts to adopt genre analysis to draw a rhetorical structure of Korean and the US university brochures. At the same time, the relationship of the university and the prospective students will be analyzed from promotional aspects.

3. Method

3.1 Data Collection

The present study adopted a genre analysis to identify the characteristics of promotional text of university brochures by comparing six university brochures to examine their rhetorical moves. University brochures were downloaded in on-line PDF files from their school websites; three from the US and three from Korea. Brochures collected from the US were Harvard College for the year 2015, the University of Pennsylvania for the year 2015 and the University of Chicago for the year 2013. From Korea, Seoul National University for the year 2015, Yonsei University for the year 2015, and Korea University for the year 2015 were collected.

3.2 Procedures

The processes were first to convert collected PDF files into editable formats by using the optical character recognition (OCR) system, ABBYY FineReaders 12. Second, reading all the texts one by one and segmenting sentences into clauses were followed. After conducting a hand-tagged move analysis, the frequency of each move was recorded in order to verify the extent to which a particular move was used. If a particular move is observed in all brochures, it is regarded as an obligatory move and discussed with examples together. In addition, this study also discusses moves that occur in only one country’s.

4. Results and Discussion

4.1 Move Structures in Six University Brochures

A thorough analysis of six university brochures reveals the presence of similar move structures with some additional variations and sequence of moves. The names of the move structures are mostly adapted from Askehave (2007). The following moves are the conventional/obligatory moves in this corpus constituting the 'core' information of the university brochures:

• Identification of the service

• Description of university (mission statement, history, and recognition and achievements of faculty and alumni)

• Description of courses (academic and non-academic programs)

•  Providing practical information (admission criteria, financial aid, and residential system)

• Description of destination (university city, region or country)

• Providing contact information (addresses, websites, SNS, etc.)

In addition to conventional/obligatory moves, university brochures contain other various moves. They are:

• Welcoming messages

• Facts of university

• Description of student life

• Description of faculty

• Students’ volunteer services

• List of affiliated research institutes and universities

• Academic calendar

• Campus map

Based on the examination of the move structure, it appears that the university brochures have much common patterns as an international genre. Also, this rhetorical structure shares some common structure with the most traditional form of promotional discourse, that is, advertisements. Bhatia (2005) stated the generic structure of advertisements; headlines; targeting the market; justifying the product or service by establishing a niche; detailing the product or service; establishing credentials; endorsement or testimonials; offering incentives; using pressure tactics; soliciting response; signature line and logo, etc. Since university brochures need to advertise the excellence of their educational ‘service’ to students, the rhetorical structure of brochures is similar to that of advertising the product or service as described in Bhatia (2005).

The following Table 2 shows the obligatory (bold type) and optional moves in six university brochures. For a deeper analysis, the obligatory moves will be discussed with examples.

Table 2. Move structure analysis of six university brochures

A1	A2	A3	K1	K2	K3
Harvard College, US 18pages 3,522words	University of Pennsylvania, US 20pages 3,631words	University of Chicago, US 24pages 3,596words	Seoul National University, Korea 39pages 7,271words	Yonsei University, Korea 22pages 3,409words	Korea University, Korea 28pages 4,186words
Identification of U U is abbreviation of university. Welcome message Description of U Description of destination Description of courses Description of extra-curricular courses Description of student life Providing practical information (admission criteria) Providing contact information	Identification of U Description of U Description of courses Description of student life Description of world-class program Description of destination Volunteer services Achievements of alumni List of the colleges and the schools Providing practical information (scholarships) Facts of U Providing contact information	Identification of U Description of U Description of faculty Achievements of U Achievements of students and alumni Description of courses Providing practical information (scholarships) Description of campus Description of destination Providing contact information	Identification of U Description of U (slogan/motto) Welcome message Achievements of U Description of courses List of the colleges and the schools Affiliated research institutes Affiliated international Us Providing practical information (admission criteria) Description of scholarship Providing contact information Facts of U Description of destination(by map)	Identification of U Description of U (slogan/motto) List of the colleges and the schools Achievements of U Description of courses Description of study abroad program Description of programs for international students Welcome message Description of destination	Identification of U Welcome message Description of U Facts of U Description of study abroad program Description of courses Description of destination Description of accommodation Providing practical information (scholarships) Providing practical information (admission criteria) Providing contact information Academic Calendar Campus map

4.1.1 Move 1 Identification of University

Move 1 shows 100% occurrence in the datasets. All brochures presented their university name and logo in English.

(1) HARVARD COLLEGE (with crest) (A1)

(2)  If you are INSPIRED to make an impact on the world Penn, UNIVERSITY of PENNSYLVANIA (with crest) (A2)

(3) THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO (with crest) (A3)

(4) Leading the way with SNU (with emblem) (K1)

(5) HISTORY OF 130 YEARS GOES BEYOND VISION YONSEI where we make history, YONSEI UNIVERSITY (with crest) (K2)

(6) STUDY ABROAD AT KOREA UNIVERSITY (K3)

All universities have their own crest or emblem; but examples (1), (2), (3), and (5) use it on the front page of the brochure. Examples (2), (4), (5), and (6) use slogans to attract student’s attention. Not every university uses the same strategy to attract students but they all use at least one of them. Universities promote themselves by claiming that entering their university will make an impact on the world or make history in examples (2) and (5).

4.1.2 Move 2 Description of University

Universities can illustrate their selling points to readers in many respects. These selling points in the corpus are classified as the sub-moves; mission statement, history, and recognition and achievements of faculty and alumni.

4.1.2.1 Mission Statement

A mission statement provides information about the type and purpose of an organization (Falsey, 1989). It is a written declaration of an organization’s core purpose and focus. Stating the mission of the university is viewed as one of the two crucial strategies (the other being using slogans) as this move never appeared in academic genres before (Osman, 2008). Universities provide information about the type of students they seek and what students can achieve by entering their institution. Underlined words in the examples below indicate prospective students or the university itself.

(7) What’s the best education you can have? (…) For such a world, the ideal education would expose you to many ways of thinking... (...) If you are inspired to make an impact on the world, the ideal education for a lifetime is here. (A2)

(8) At the University of Chicago, it’s all about ideas. It doesn’t matter who you are (…) — what matters is that you’re courageous (…) discover your passions. (A3)

(9) Learning; we honor (…) contributors to global intellectual life. Creating; we strive to create a vibrant intellectual community where students (…). Sharing; we are committed to sharing (…) on the world stage. (K1)

(10) Truth and Freedom; Yonseians believe that God has blessed them with a great history. Yonsei's goal is (…) who will change Korea and the world in the 21st century. (K2)

One big difference between Korean universities and US universities is the personalization of the university (we) and the students (you). US universities first indicate themselves with their full names and then indicate themselves by using personal pronouns. The personalization of both institution (we) and addressees (you), and the individualized address of potential applicants (you), simulate a conversational and therefore relatively personal, informal, solidary and equal relationship between institution and potential applicants (Fairclough, 1993). Examples (7) and (8) indicate students with the personal pronoun you implying “a relationship of solidarity" (Fairclough, 2013b). On the other hand, Korean universities indicate readers as students in example (9) and Yonseians in example (10). The relationship of Korean universities and the students is rather impersonal and distant, forming a different atmosphere compared to US universities.

4.1.2.2 History

The history covers from the foundation day to recent incidents. Presenting the history is a corporate marketing strategy that expresses “what we indubitably are” (Balmer & Greyser, 2006). By stating the rich history of the university, it gives an impression of how well they are established.

(11) Founded in 1740, (…) became the first university (…) and in 1779 became the first institution in the country (…) (A3)

(12) 1895 Legal Training School (…) established; Feb. 5, 2015 Opening of Kwanjeong Library (…) (K1)

(13) 1885 Gwanghyewon, (…) established; 2015 Baekyang-ro Renovation Project completed (K2)

Only the Korean universities, examples (12) and (13), state the history of the university in timeline from the date of establishment to the current year. Example (11) states their starting history briefly in one sentence using an ordinal number first.

4.1.2.3 Recognition and Achievements of Faculty and Alumni

Universities convince potential students to enter their university on the evidence of their international recognition and achievements. Due to the globalization of higher education, all universities state that their recognitions are approved not only in their own country but also in the world. Note the underlined words in examples below.

(14) World-renowned for the quality of our teaching and research, the College will supply you (…). (A1)

(15) Franklin founded (…) should have access to a world-class education. (A2)

(16) Students (…) expecting a world-class education (…). (A3)

(17) (…) has gained a global reputation for (…), joining the ranks of prestigious universities across the world. (K1)

(18) Since its establishment, Yonsei endured the pain (…), while becoming a world-class center for Korean studies (…).(K2)

(19) The College plans (…) future-oriented, high-quality human resources and become a world’s top 50-level (…). (K3)

However, only Korean universities proclaim their international ranking as the evidence.

(20) Global Standing, 36th in the world, 8th in Asia (…) (K1)

(21) GMBA is (…) to be ranked within the top 100 (…) (K2)

(22) TOP 116 (…) among the top 120 universities (…) (K3)

Only one university in the US uses the word “rank” in terms of safety; Penn has been ranked #1 for safety in the Higher Education Sector (A2). US universities rather proclaim more detailed academic aspects, such as student to faculty ratio, the number of programs, and graduation percentage (see examples (23) and (24) below). They are written in a very readable and conspicuous format, highlighting the numbers.

(23) 7:1 student to faculty ratio; 98% graduation rate of our students; 120+ freshmen seminars (A1)

(24) 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio; 100 research centers and institutes; 305,000+ Alumni in Penn’s global network (A2)

Universities outline the excellence of their faculty by using evaluative words like world’s foremost in example (25) or by listing what faculty has achieved so far in examples (26), (27), and (28).

(25) With the world's foremost scholars, you will learn how to synthesize, adapt, innovate, and persuade. (A2)

(26) More than 85 Nobel laureates are associated (…) access that changes lives—including yours. (A3)

(27) HYEON and KIM, professors of biochemical engineering designed a wearable electronic skin patch. (K1)

(28) Over 1,700 full-time faculty professors with over 95% of them holding a Ph.D. (…) (K3)

Another difference in the achievements of faculty is the presence or absence of what students can obtain from their “excellent” faculty. US universities indicate students with personal pronouns you and yours and state what they will learn (see example (25)) and how they can be changed (see example (26)). This gives a good and positive image of learning to prospective students. On the other hand, Korean universities explain the facts of the achievements of faculty as in examples (27) and (28). Examples (29) and (30) below are the achievements of alumni.

(29) Our more than 147,000 alumni are Nobel laureates, (…). They form a network that touches more than (…). (A3)

(30) A New History of Korea (…) was written by LEE (class of 1947, History). (K1)

To attract customers, it can be effective to show what they can see in reality. Universities make “reasons to believe” by stating the achievements of alumni. Similar to examples (27) and (28), example (30) elaborates the facts of the achievements of alumni. Example (29), on the other hand, states not only the award that alumni have gained but also what you can gain through being alumni—a network. This type of discourse is also exhibited in the achievement of faculty (see examples (25) and (26)). In example (31) below, University A1 highlights the sense of belonging as what you can gain through being alumni. The relationship of solidarity doesn’t end even they leave the university.

(31) Your connection to Harvard will not end after your Commencement Ceremony. (…) many opportunities to stay connected and involved. (…) Attending Harvard is only the beginning. (A1)

Move 2 shows how universities describe themselves. US universities emphasize solidary relationships between themselves and prospective students even after the graduation. Achievements of faculty and alumni as well as what they can provide to students are stated. On the other hand, Korean universities show rather impersonal relationships. What faculty and alumni have achieved so far is stated without stating what students can get from the achievements. Korean universities emphasize facts whereas US universities focus on establishments of relationships with the students.

4.1.3 Move 3 Description of Academic Courses

As a brochure is informative in nature, this move can be the only informative strategy through the whole contents. This move happens with 2 sub-moves; providing necessary details of programs and indicating the values of those.

(32) Incredible range, depth, and variety will characterize your Harvard academic experience. World-renowned for the quality of our teaching and research, (…). (A1)

(33) With the world's foremost scholars, you will learn how to synthesize, adapt, innovate, and persuade. (A2)

(34) Our academic programs prepare you for whatever path you choose. (…) classes offers a broad perspective (…) rich array of program offerings — and to life. (A3)

(35) List of colleges and majors (A2)

(36) List of colleges and majors (K1)

(37) International undergraduate and graduate programs (K2)

(38) List of colleges and majors containing explanation (K3)

Examples (36), (37), and (38) from Korean universities explain each college, major, and program by their names. Examples (32), (33), and (34) from US universities, on the other hand, indicate the value and rewards of academic programs which are promising but quite vague. Evaluative lexis (the adjectives incredible and world-renowned in (32), foremost in (33), and broad in (34)) appear to promote their programs. The readers, who are prospective students or their parents, are again included through using personal pronouns (underlined) implying “a relationship of solidarity” (Fairclough, 2013b). Forming a friendly relationship between the company and the consumer can be defined as “emotional branding” in the field of marketing. Emotional marketing focuses on the importance of emotional links between the company and the consumer affected by the system of the characteristic values and needs of contemporary consumers (Rytel, 2010). A benefit-driven approach to branding is unlikely to break through the clutter of a saturated marketing environment in which a plethora of brands are fighting to claim distinctive associations (Thompson, Rindfleisch, & Arsel, 2006). Therefore, forming an intimate relationship can be more effective than just displaying information itself.

4.1.4 Move 4 Providing Practical Information

When students read university promotional texts, one of the messages that attracts students and influences their decision extremely high is the abundant resources and facilities and supportive supervision (Yang, 2013). The university appeals to students’ needs in university life, even when feeling lonely, such as If you have any problems or feel lonely or depressed, there are various people you may talk to (K3). The sub-moves are admission, financial aid or scholarship, and residential system.

4.1.4.1 Admission Criteria

Just as the move 3, admission criteria have two sub-moves. It presents the values of admission candidates and explains procedures or requirements regarding admission.

(39) Personal qualities—integrity, (…) concern for others—also will play an important part in our evaluations. (A1)

(40) We seek students from a variety of backgrounds, (…). (K1)

(41) students apply to Penn via (…) or (…). (A2)

(42) students (…) must submit the following documents. (K3)

Examples (39) and (40) state the value of desirable candidates using evaluation lexis (adjectives and nouns), whereas examples (41) and (42) state information about admission deadlines and the admission process. Different to example (41), example (42) uses the auxiliary verb must to impose requirements upon entry. According to Fairclough (1993), the use of the explicit obligational statements, which are avoided in promotional materials currently, result in placing the authority of the university over students as observed in example (42).

4.1.4.2 Financial Aid or Scholarship

Universities promote their scholarship programs to relieve students’ financial burden. All universities spend several paragraphs and pages to explain their scholarships.

(43) Financial aid: removing economic barriers; We bring (…), regardless of their ability to pay. (…) —there are no academic, athletic, or merit-based awards. (A1)

(44)  Odyssey Scholarships replace loans with grants for low- and moderate-income College students, so they can focus on their studies rather than working part-time jobs. (A2)

(45) We (…), regardless of their families’ ability to pay. (A3)

(46)  Full scholarship program for talented international students (…). Undergraduate students who maintain a GPA of (…) can apply for this scholarship (…). (K1)

(47)  The program is (…) composed of international students, and each student receives a full scholarship (…). (K2)

(48) Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit (…). (K3)

In examples (43), (44), and (45) from US universities, the brochures give prospective students an impression of financial barriers removed while reading the brochures. Words that are very close to students’ life like loan (A1, A2, and A3), debt (A2), and part-time jobs (A3) are used to make personal and intimate relationships. Also, notice the paratactic clause in (43) that links the dash to the remainder of the sentence presenting a conversational style which gives informality to the personalized relationship. However, the descriptions of scholarships of Korean universities focus on giving simple detailed  information such as requirements and conditions upon assessments of scholarships, which shows the traditional authority of the university over applicants/students.

4.1.4.3 Residential System

As students come from various cities and countries due to globalization of higher education, the merits of residential systems can be key elements in the brochures.

(49) It is (…) a home—a place where you can belong. (…) personal sense of community is one of them. (A1)

(50) We believe that community starts with sharing common space—and a common spirit. (A3)

(51) There are four main student residences (…). (…) the application must be completed online at (…). (K3)

US universities in examples (49) and (50) not only provide useful information such as the number of rooms and application procedures but also suggest what a residence community entails for students’ university life. The words home and community in the examples form a warm and sharing atmosphere. University A1 mentions that residential life means both social and academic life to students, even after their graduation as At some point in your Harvard career, people will ask you which is the best House at Harvard College. The answer will be easy: your House. On the other hand, example (51) presents simple information about the accommodations such as the name of the residences and available facilities. Here, the ‘impersonal’ authority is also revealed in example (51). The photos of University K3 present next to the explanations are an empty dining hall and a fitness center whereas US universities use photos of smiling students eating meals together or talking to each other.

4.1.5 Move 5 Description of Destination

Universities not only describe the geographic location but also some historical and cultural attractions of the city, and easy access to the nearest cities and greenery sites around the university. When students read university promotional texts, the messages that attract students and subsequently influence their decision in terms of location are ideal geographical location, convenient city facilities, and accessible transportation network (Yang, 2013).

(52) you’ll find an environment that combines history and colonial charm (…) Also, within easy reach are Atlantic beaches, (…). (A1)

(53) America’s fifth-largest city—and one of its most culturally and historically significant—Philadelphia is part of every Penn (…). A short walk from campus, this urban laboratory offers great museums, (…)—and countless opportunities to make the city (…). (A2)

(54) A stunningly beautiful 215-acre campus with more green space (…) the world’s largest scavenger hunt. (…) and discover a world-class city as well. (A3)

(55)  Medical campus in Yeongeon, Seoul; Main campus in Gwanak, (…) (K1)

(56) (…) is the only university in Korea with 4 campuses.  (K2)

(57) With a heritage of centuries and the cutting-edge technology of the IT industry, (…). The city is surrounded by beautiful mountains (…) which is quite rare for such big city and the nearest seaside is within easy reach (…). (K3)

Examples (52), (53), (54), and (57) emphasize the advantages of the city which the university is located in. They highlight the location of the university with evaluative lexis (significant in (53), beautiful in (54) and (57), and easy in (57)), intensifying quantifier (countless in (53)), and superlative forms (fifth-largest in (53) and largest in (54)). Example (55) highlights the number of campuses they possess with the intensifying quantifier only and example (56) points the locations of campuses on the map. Except for (55) and (56), other examples show that a number of promotional elements are used when describing the location of the university.

4.1.6 Move 6 Providing Contact Information

Universities provide contact information expecting further questions about the university. As it requires some reaction from the prospective students, it is considered one of the promotional strategies. It can be done explicitly by encouraging readers to ask about admission procedures or implicitly by explaining the application procedure and giving contact information.

(58) 86 Brattle Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138

Twitter / Facebook (A1)

(59) For further information on admissions and scholarships

Admission inquires & Scholarship inquiries: (…) (K1)

Example (58) explicitly specifies their address, homepages, and social network service (SNS) on the last page of the brochure. The SNS used for promotional elements works to talk to their customers through those platforms (Mangold & Faulds, 2009). By providing their admission SNS, a two-way communication skill, universities can provide information about the university and, at the same time, answer students’ questions. Example (59), however, provides a one-way communication skill (presenting homepage and email) for further questions. It makes Korean universities only to answer to the questions.

4.2 Other Move Structure: From Whose Voice?

In brochures, universities provide messages from people connected to their university. Korean universities use the President’s messages, whereas US universities use testimonials of students and faculty.

The President’s messages in Korean universities are presented in the front or at the back of the brochure with the photo of the President. The main functions of the President’s message are 1) to present a favorable feeling to the prospective students and 2) to advertise what students can obtain when entering the university. Many topics are covered; the history of the university, the achievements of the university from global and national fields, and the educational goals.

US universities use testimonials of faculty and the students 1) to personalize the texts and 2) create an atmosphere of authenticity and trust (Askehave, 2007). University A1 uses it on every page in every section with presenting the students’ name, year of entrance, and region of origin or the name and the major of faculty to give evidences. Similar to Askehave (2007), student testimonials are used the most in A1 brochure whereas testimonials of faculty are used only once.

The President’s message portrays the university from the point of view of the university talking to students. On the other hand, testimonials of students talk from the point of view of the students which is more convincing and also more personal. In the following examples, each states the excellence of the faculty.

(60) We will continue to cultivate a vibrant intellectual community by fostering creativity, (…). (K1)

(61) One of my favorite things about Harvard so far is how willing and enthusiastic the professors are (…). (A1)

These two examples show the different points of view. The physical and psychological distances of prospective students and the President (in example (60)) are much greater compared to those of current students and prospective students (in example (61)). The sayings from the former students are more powerful to the prospective students as they have something in common. Also trust and credibility are contained as former students become ‘witnesses’ of the statements which the university puts forward throughout the brochure (Askehave, 2007). The messages from former students have more authenticity to prospective students than does the message of the President.

5. Conclusion

The purpose of this study was to examine the generic structure of university brochures of Korean and US universities and the relationship between the university and the students with the view of promotion.

The findings show that US universities indicate the values of services they provide and create emotional links between the university and prospective students. Using the personalization of the university (we) and the students (you) establishes a friendly and solidary relationship. The sense of belonging is emphasized not only in school but also after graduation. They give authenticity of their services by displaying student testimonials. Korean universities, however, emphasize the information itself such as rankings and records. The existence of authority of universities is revealed through the lack of personalization of the students (you) and specifying requirements and conditions. From these findings, we can conclude that the formation of personal and solidary relationship between the university and the prospective students and the avoidance of showing authority over students are the important strategies of promotional discourse such as university brochures.

As this corpus has been formed from a small number of data sources, it poses a limitation on the generalization of the findings. It is recommended that a broader spectrum of universities is necessary to evaluate the promotional genre of university brochures. Nevertheless, as a case study, this research has been able to contribute a Korean perspective to the world trend of marketization of higher education. More research should be conducted to further explore the promotional strategies in university brochures. Also ethnographic methods can be integrated into the study such as interviews with the students.

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Jeong Eun Kim

Department of English Education

Chonnam National University

77 Yongbong-ro Buk-gu

Gwangju 61186, Korea

Phone: (062)530-2440

Email: clara3805@naver.com

Chul Joo Uhm

Department of English Education

Chonnam National University

77 Yongbong-ro Buk-gu

Gwangju 61186, Korea

Phone: (062)530-2440

Email: cjuhm@jnu.ac.kr

Received on January 20, 2017

Revised version received on March 20, 2017

Accepted on March 31, 2017