University website marketing discourse and the Hispanic audience
Abstract
This research analyzes the discursive and rhetorical strategies used by universities to market themselves through their institutional websites. The research compares three Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) with three non-Hispanic Serving Institutions (non-HSIs) located in similar geographic areas. Critical race theory (CRT) is the guiding framework for the critical discourse analysis (CDA) using Fairclough's CDA approach. The research shows discursive similarities among the HSIs and among the HSIs and non-HSIs with power, privilege and social class found in the housing, location, getting involved, commuter student and visual discourses. Other discursive similarities among the HSIs and among the HSIs and non-HSIs with race, culture and diversity occur in the multicultural programming, location and getting involved discourses. Differences in discursive strategies with regard to race, culture and diversity are strongly seen in the value system, visual and religious discourse of particular schools.
Degree
M.A.