Summary 

Brandeis University is a Liberal Arts college that values challenging what students know and expanding knowledge. This University is for students who want to challenge their thinking, find rigor in education as a means to challenge themselves and do not follow society’s trends of what is acceptable—going back to when the University was initially founded in 1948 by the Jewish community in support of their pursuit for higher education, in a time where that was heavily discouraged for this group of people. When the University opened, it also welcomed women, another group ostracized and not considered fit to attend universities. From the beginning, Brandeis’s mission has been about inclusion and forming a community of challenged thinkers where they have the space to “answer questions and have your questions answered” (BU1). Brandeis is looking for a student to expand their thought bubble and look beyond society’s perspective of acceptable and unacceptable. Brandeis University uses the Ideal Reader and Purpose analysis techniques to show what a perfect candidate for Brandeis is. 

A photo of Brandeis University Insignia.

Analysis

At Brandeis University, they are building a community of forward thinkers who challenge schools of thought and belief. “A Brandeis education is a vigorous exploration in critical analysis, creativity, and self-expression.” (BU1). Using the Ideal Reader analysis technique on the website’s academics page, the University is looking for creative thinkers who do not want just a textbook secondary education but a place in which they can further question what they know and learn what they know they do not. Brandeis University students have to be willing to work hard academically because education and the fostering of learning are held at an extremely high value, unlike other universities that are there to give out degrees. 

Brandeis continues using the Ideal Reader analysis technique to cater to what they want a prospective student to represent outside academics. In the second sentence of the About page, they paint a picture of what they are looking for: “There is no other place like Brandeis. As a medium-sized private research university with global reach.” Brandeis starts the first paragraph of the page, claiming who they are as a University, which is represented by the demographics there. Starting with the primary identifiers for the student population at Brandeis through a perceived mission statement, letting us know three prominent identifiers of what a Brandeis student is. Firstly they say, ‘There is no place like Brandeis,’ showing that these students defy the normal bounds of what is perceived as higher education. The next part of their opening stance is ‘private research universities, ‘ showing that a typical student can pay for a private university education. The last part of the statement is that it is a ‘university with global reach.’ They state this throughout the website, but it is genuinely reinforced with their statement on ‘global reach,’ letting prospective students know that they have a diverse population of students and are socially conscious on a global scale.

Brandeis’s academic page is constructed in a way that creates a calling for students they are looking for while managing, not outwardly, to show what they do not want in a student. Brandeis incorporates the Purpose analysis technique to reveal the characteristics of this student. “A Brandeis education is a vigorous exploration in critical analysis, creativity, and self-expression.” (BU1). The blanket statement of what a Brandeis education is leaves no room to question what being a student at Brandeis is like making it clear within the first few sentences of their academic page. Immediately stating how a Brandeis education is ‘vigorous exploration in critical analysis.’ Using vigorous to show the difficulty level of their curriculum while hinting at it being self-led through the words ‘exploration.’ The strength of starting with exactly what they are looking for shows how this is a selective university with high academic standards for its students. 

Brandeis wants to inform incoming freshmen that they are a University of rigor and diversity throughout the pages. After giving an overall summary of what academics means to Brandeis, they have pop-ups that take prospective students to each of their different colleges that show how many majors each school has. They build in the Purpose analysis technique in this section as well to indicate that because they deal primarily in Liberal Arts, their options in Schools are mostly Schools of Arts and Sciences. Though this is true, the University ensures that they have a wide variety of majors and minors within the undergraduate school and a variety of master and doctoral programs in the Graduate school. They also use signifying sentences in the blurb, such as, “Almost half our students double major and some even minor in a third discipline” (BU1). The language in the blurbs tells students how high of a degree can be achieved and what a Brandeis student does to reiterate the idea of increased rigor and high achieving among Brandeis students.

Response

In life, I want to pursue pediatric psychology, and I enjoy challenging myself academically. I also surround myself with people who like to be challenged and work hard. One of my key characteristics is being socially aware. I believe in civil rights, women’s rights, and equity. Due to my stances and academic self, I want to go to Brandeis. A very equitable University that also intends to challenge students alike. Earlier in the year, we read an Interview, “To This Scholar, For-Profit Colleges Are Lower Ed,” conducted by Anya Kamenetz with sociologist Tressie Colton. In this interview, Tressie Colton spoke on ‘The Education Gospel,’ invented by Economist W. Norton Grubb and Marvin Lazerson. They say, “The Education Gospel is about the faith we have in education and what a significant role that faith plays in what we call our opportunity structure… we trust education will have a positive effect on our lives and society.” (Kamentez, 1) Through my analysis of Brandeis, I believe they reflect the educational gospel’s positive effects. Brandeis provides a place of higher education where education is prioritized. All in all, I would attend Brandeis University. 

Work cited

Brandeis University. Retrieved March, 15, 2023

https://www.brandeis.edu/ 

Mahasin Nasir

Dr. Weaver

English 1102 Section 328

March 30, 2022

Summary

Fisk University is the oldest Historically Black University in Nashville, Tennessee with an exceeding and authentic academic and social profile. A large part of the university’s profile is how they have maintained academic excellence since 1866 and its cultural significance with the upbringing of black leaders. Because this is a major part of their website, Fisk uses tone to draw in their ideal audience who want to continue the upbringing of black excellence and legacy. These students would know that their attendance at Fisk University would continue to allow greater experiences and opportunities for black students to add to the historical legacy and leading academic culture.

Analysis

The impact of history has provided Fisk with an abundance of information and detail to use when advertising their school to prospective students. This history engages their readers/students to want to learn more and contribute to the culture. Coincidently, the use of context from their upbringing is a large part of attracting their students. With this, the website has a specific tone to appeal to a narrow audience of students who would seem to be intrigued or related to the history of the university. Further, the ideal readers imagined should take pride in maintaining the social and academic view of young, black intellectuals and continuing to diversify their community. Readers are drawn in by the statement, “Here, we produce true leaders and scholars that are ready to change the world” (Fisk University Welcomes). This statement being on the opening page draws in those prospective students who are about making change and being welcomed into a new community.

Seemingly, Fisk’s website uses a very influential and hospitable tone to draw in its audience. This tone goes hand in hand with the context they give about the university. History plays a big role in the creation and accreditation of the university. To show this, the website includes history all throughout its about page with 9 different subcategories detailing how they came about and what they are thriving for. With a welcoming tone on the history page, the founders emphasized how the university “would be open to all, regardless of race, and that would measure itself by ‘the highest standards, not Negro education, but of American education’” (Fisk University History). The overall tone in the ending sentence in the section is used to show the readers how education is inclusive, and race has no effect on who can further their education. It uses common, and in some cases relatable, racial history to appeal to its readers with a sense of familiarity about how anyone can make a change in a community that was originally meant to be segregated. This idea is accentuated on the missions and values page. The acronym “D.E.T.A.I.L.S.” is used and under the “D,” the idea that “individual differences…aids us in building a collective wisdom that results in more powerful and relevant solutions to our challenges” (Mission & Values) is used to show the prospective students that Fisk is referencing their own history to further this embracing tone throughout their website. These features combined show the influence and continuities history has on Fisk. It does the job of appealing to students who find value in being change-makers and building on a legacy.

In comparison with the history of the growth of Fisk, the history of music in Nashville displays a strong impact on the ideal community of students that the university advertises to. Historical artists like Etta James and James Brown recorded some of their biggest hits in Nashville. Considering that Nashville has a lot of musical significance and is home to the Ryman Auditorium, known for its raw auditory capability, Fisk embraces that history and attracts their ideal students as they promote their Fisk Jubilee Singers. There was a performance at the Ryman Auditorium for the 150^thanniversary of the jubilee singers. They are promoted throughout the history page and even have their own page under the campus life category. Rising musicians who are potentially interested in the university can see the impact Nashville has had on music and how Fisk is maintaining that impact on their website. To further show this, under the Fisk Jubilee singers tab, their Grammy for “Best Roots Gospel Album” (Fisk Jubilee Singers) is the leading cover of the page. By including these small, yet significant, details, the website encloses its ideal prospective students and emphasizes their impact on today’s culture and history.

Another way the website imagines its ideal readers is by weighing the many interests students may have when starting college. College is a learning experience and students want the best outcome to be able to pursue their top interests. To acknowledge this idea about prospective students, the website advertises a dual degree program in collaboration with Case Western Reserve University and Vanderbilt University (Fisk Dual Degree Programs). By endorsing such a program, Fisk’s website engages their ideal students through lightly addressing the fact that some students come into college with more than one compacted interest. Fisk being aware of this shows prospective students that the university is encouraging them to take on all their interests and explore the opportunities and programs that they have to offer.

Response:      

While exploring the Fisk University website and analyzing the rhetorical strategies used, I would say that I would attend this university. I value history and how it has an impact on the future and Fisk prioritizes that throughout its website with its own history. With the South being a very influential region in the U.S., I have no doubt that I could create, change, and influence history in the future by attending Fisk. Being that the university is also an HBCU, I would have a sense of belonging knowing that I am surrounded by people who look like me and not too far from my home in Georgia. My greatest admiration about Fisk’s website is the inclusion of the student-to-teacher ratio. As someone who tends to ask questions about the things I’m most interested in, the low student-to-teacher ratio makes me feel comfortable asking those questions and engaging more in my studies. Knowing that this university has the #1 Academic Stewardship Award, I would feel more than likely to be successful in my future endeavors. Embracing all of these details, Fisk has drawn me in through their rhetorical strategies and I would undoubtedly attend this university.

Sites: Fisk University. https://www.fisk.edu. Nashville, Tennessee. 

Summary 

Brandeis University is a Liberal Arts college that finds value in challenging what you know and expanding your knowledge and how you think about majors and desired classes. This University is for students who want to challenge their thinking, find rigor in education as a means to challenge themselves, and don’t follow society’s trends of what’s acceptable—going back to when the University was initially founded in 1948 by the Jewish community in support of their pursuit for higher education, in a time where that was heavily discouraged for this group of people. When the University opened it also welcomed women, another group ostracized and not considered fit to attend universities. From the beginning, Brandeis’s mission has been about inclusion and forming a community of challenged thinkers where they have the space to “answer questions and have your questions answered.” (BU1), Through the analysis of Brandeis University’s website using the ideal reader and purpose analysis techniques, a perfect candidate for Brandeis will be represented, a student looking to expand their thought bubble and look beyond society’s perspective of acceptable and unacceptable. 

Analysis

At Brandeis University, they are building a community of forward thinkers who challenge schools of thought and belief. “A Brandeis education is a vigorous exploration in critical analysis, creativity, and self-expression.” (BU1) Throughout the academics page of the website, the University shows how it’s looking for creative thinkers who don’t want just a textbook secondary education, but a place in which they can further question what they know and learn what they do not. Academically you have to be willing to work hard as a student at Brandeis because education and the fostering of learning are held at an extremely high value, unlike other universities where you are there just to get a degree. 

What is the Brandeis population actually like outside of academic boundaries? In the second sentence of the About page, they paint a picture of what they are looking for: “There is no other place like Brandeis. As a medium-sized private research university with global reach.” By starting the first paragraph of the page in what Brandeis is and who they are as a university, you are clued into what Brandeis demographic is as a student body. Starting with the primary identifiers for the student population at Brandeis, through a perceived mission statement, letting us know three prominent identifiers of what a Brandeis student is. Firstly they say, ‘there is no place like Brandeis,’ showing that these students defy the normal bounds of what is perceived as higher education. The next part of their opening stance is ‘private research universities’ showing that a typical student has the means to pay for a private university education. The last part of the statement is that it is a ‘university with global reach.’ They state this throughout the website, but it is genuinely reinforced with their statement on ‘global reach,’ letting you know that this University has a diverse population of students and is socially conscious on a global scale.

Brandeis’s academic page is constructed in a way that creates a calling for students they are looking for while managing to not outwardly show what they don’t want in a student. “A Brandeis education is a vigorous exploration in critical analysis, creativity, and self-expression.” (link) The blanket statement of what a Brandeis education is leaves no room to question what being a student at Brandeis is like; making it clear within the first few sentences of their academic page. Immediately stating how a Brandeis education is ‘vigorous exploration in critical analysis.’ Using vigorous to show the difficulty level of their curriculum while hinting at it being self-led through the words ‘exploration.’ The strength of starting with exactly what they are looking for shows how this is a selective university with high academic standards for its students. 

After giving an overall summary of what academics means to Brandeis, they have pop-ups that take you to each of their different colleges that show how many majors each school has. Brandeis initially indicates that because they deal primarily in Liberal Arts, their options in Schools are mostly Schools of Arts and Sciences. Though this is true, the University ensures that they have a wide variety of majors and minors within the undergraduate school and a variety of masters and doctoral programs in the Graduate school. They also use signifying sentences in the blurb, such as, “Almost half our students double major and some even minor in a third discipline” (BU1). The language in the blurbs tells you how high of a degree you can achieve and often what a Brandeis student does to reiterate the idea of increased rigor and high achieving among Brandeis students. Brandeis wants to inform you that throughout the pages; they are a University of rigor and diversity.

Response

In life, I want to pursue pediatric psychology, and I enjoy challenging myself academically. I also surround myself with people who like to be challenged and work hard. One of my key characteristics is being socially aware. I believe in civil rights, women’s rights, and equity for all. Due to my stances and academic self, I would want to go to Brandeis. A very equitable University that also intends to challenge students alike. Earlier in the year, we read an Interview, “To This Scholar, For-Profit Colleges Are Lower Ed,” conducted by Anya Kamenetz with sociologist Tressie Colton. In this interview, Tressie Colton spoke on ‘The Education Gospel,’ invented by Economist W. Norton Grubb and Marvin Lazerson. They say, “The Education Gospel is about the faith we have in education and what a significant role that faith plays in what we call our opportunity structure… we trust education will have a positive effect on our lives and society.” (Kamentez, 1) Through my analysis of Brandeis, I believe they reflect the education gospel’s positive effects. Brandeis provides a place of higher education where education is prioritized. All in all, I would attend Brandeis University. 

Work cited

Brandeis University. Retrieved March, 15, 2023

https://www.brandeis.edu/ 

Moaz Shoaib

Summary

                Daytona state college is a public college looking for students who are well-driven and motivated to achieve their goals. They offer one of the best stem major online programs. The college is working for the betterment of the economic aspects of society by providing certifications and workforce programs, and individual advancements in the fields of science and technology. In Daytona state college, they provide flexible programs covering all the fields of science and arts. Their ideal student would be anyone trying to enhance their learning in fields of science and arts but mostly science. The website uses rhetorical strategies such as purpose, assumption, and imagining ideal readers to persuade its readers.

College’s building

Analysis

                The main rhetorical strategies that the website uses are purpose and imagining ideal readers, which in this case are students. The first thing displayed on the website is a cool slideshow that represents how they are keeping up with the advancements in web development. To elaborate that slideshow is a combination of pics and videos that shows the whole journey of a student from the moment they step onto the campus to graduation. It also indicates a balance between education, sports, and social life at DSC. After the slideshow, the reader is greeted with a welcoming phrase, “You belong here” (DSC 1). The purpose of this phrase is to give a sense that they want the reader to be a part of this college. The website then emphasizes the institution’s distinction by stating that “Offering more than 100 certificate, associate and bachelor’s degree programs, Daytona State is the premier source for education and advanced training in Central Florida” (DSC 1). This shows that are very diverse in the programs they offer, and the reader has a wide range of selections. Given the wide range of programs, a few things that need to be considered while keeping the ideal readers (students) in mind is that while applying a student might find difficulty in choosing a program that leads them to their goals. So, they need help and guidance to opt for the best option in programs according to their strengths and weaknesses. This problem is addressed on the website and readers can find the answer to their questions by clicking on a link titled “Explore the program finder” (DSC 1). The link takes the reader to another page that states, “Find the right pathway for you” (DSC 1). The reader can fill out some questions and the website will generate a program that best fits the interests of the reader. The purpose of this is to facilitate the reader and help with any hindrance in the process of deciding between different programs.

                Furthermore, the prospective students are persuaded by appreciating and encouraging diversity. This is done by showing that DSC is a place where students can nourish their culture by taking part in cultural events. The purpose of this is to attract diverse students and make them feel close to their identity by appreciating and showcasing their culture. These cultural events are free and open to the communities. Due to this people can come closer to each other and it also promotes the social skills in the students that are very important for successful student life.

Arts and Culture

                In addition, all the information provided by the website is organized by keeping the ideal readers, which are students in consideration. This conclusion can be drawn by noticing the strategies used by the website. When students enter the website, they are greeted with visually appealing pictures of the campus, charts, stats, slideshows, and hovering drop-down menus. The design of the website is so friendly and easy that it will guide the students in whichever direction they want with just a few clicks.

                Moreover, there is a section named “by the numbers” where the institution has posted its achievements and distinctions. One of the achievements is that “DSC is the highest ranked public state college in Florida according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 rankings for Best Online Bachelor’s Degree Programs” (DSC 1). The purpose of this section is to gain the trust and confidence of students in the institution. There are so many colleges to choose from and having to choose the best and right one is difficult for a student. So, the institute has to show that they are best at what they do and DSC has shown that through stats and numbers. This strategy is very effective in persuading students because it gains their trust.

By the Numbers

                In conclusion, the website’s main purpose is to persuade ideal readers which are students. Everything is organized to help and convince students that if they are motivated to achieve their goals then DSC is where they belong. The use of rhetorical strategies makes it more appealing and welcoming to students. Overall, the website is built amazingly, and the students will find no difficulty in understanding the motive and purpose of the website which is to facilitate individual advancements and student success.

Response

                I would like to attend this college. One of the main things that grabbed my attention was the diversity of programs and the wide range of selection in STEM major programs. My major is Biology which is related to the medical field and student with this major needs a lot of guidance. The students who graduate from DSC serve in critical areas like healthcare, emergency services, business, engineering technology, computer science, and more (DSC 1). Seeing that as a student gives confidence in the programs that the institution is offering, and it also indicates that these programs are widely accepted. The other thoughtful thing by the college I like is their program finder. This is a perfect way to just help students find their pathway because it is a very crucial and difficult decision in a student’s life. Moreover, the value of the students is also very important because they are going to spend some time at the institution. So, to me, personal growth is a value that plays a very important role in my academic self, and I always try to find ways to make it better. Under their values tab the DSC shares that “There is no value more important than the success of our students” (DSC about). This is evident from their values that they care about the values of students. As I mentioned earlier the wide variety of programs and the appreciation of diversity and cultures will promote my personal growth. So, by analyzing their strategies and understanding DSC’s purpose I can see myself going there and ready to gain the experiences Daytona State College has to offer.

Work Cited

                                                                               Daytona State College, 20 Mar. 2023, https://www.daytonastate.edu/.