ABSTRACT

Both the consumer subjectivity and partnership models are receiving increasing attention within higher education institutions. In this article, I explore the impersonality that characterises the social role of the consumer and its impact on the formation and implementation of meaningful relationships between undergraduates and academics. I draw from Fairclough’s three-dimensional model of critical discourse analysis to explore 32 interviews and 12 policy documents gathered from two post-1992 universities in England. Academics and undergraduates in this study recognised the conflict that arises between the consumer subjectivity and the partner subjectivity; this article explores how this conflict is created through the behaviours that constitute socially structured roles. I will discuss the divergence between the institutional positioning of undergraduates and the impact this positioning has on the relationships between undergraduates and academics. This article discusses the variation apparent in the verbal and written discourses across both institutions and questions the navigation of the impersonal consumer subjectivity for fostering meaningful relationships between undergraduates and academics.

摘要

消费者主体性和伙伴关系模式在高等教育机构中越来越受到关注。在本文中，我探讨了表征消费者社会角色的非个性及其对本科生和学者之间有意义的关系的形成和实施的影响。我从 Fairclough 的批判性话语分析的三维模型中提取了从英国两所 1992 年之后的大学收集的 32 次访谈和 12 份政策文件。本研究中的学者和本科生认识到消费者主体性和合作伙伴主体性之间出现的冲突；本文探讨了这种冲突是如何通过构成社会结构角色的行为产生的。我将讨论本科生的机构定位之间的分歧以及这种定位对本科生与学者之间的关系的影响。本文讨论了两个机构之间口头和书面话语中的明显差异，并质疑非个人消费者主体性的导航，以促进本科生和学者之间的有意义的关系。