Business and legal case genre networks: Two case studies

The framework of genre systems (Bazerman, 1994, Bhatia, 2004 and Swales, 2004) offers an opportunity to illuminate the ways in which students enculturate into their disciplinary cultures (Berkenkotter & Huckin, 1995). To explore the ways in which genre chains are constructed through engagement in specific tasks, this study investigates two international students’ development of genre systems in law and MBA programs through the examination of program syllabi and individual student engagement. The findings demonstrate key differences between the programs in expectations and genre sets, as well as illuminating the ways that individuals construct genre systems to mitigate the language challenges that they face. The findings add a thick description to the specific vs. general EAP discussion.

► A case study of international graduate students engaged in business and law cases. ► The genres of business and law cases are explored using grounded theory. ► Syllabi, texts, and interviews expose rhetorical, and generic features of cases. ► Constant-comparative methods demonstrate the genre networks of assignments. ► The genre networks reveal cultural differences between business and law programs.