Discourse Analysis of World Universities Ranking System: Lessons for Curriculum of Iran Higher Education

Higher education system and its various aspects have been always subjected to affectability of exterior discourses such as the ‘System of World University Ranking’. Today, curriculum is regarded as the main core and interpreter of values, beliefs, and priorities of policy-makers of higher education in frontline of logical action to the phenomenon of universities ranking. In fact, the course of quantitative and qualitative transformation of ranking system of Iran Higher Education in last four decades have made it enter a new level which is inevitable, for more or less creeping but constant transition from the first to fourth generation of university in Iran has brought about that higher education system policy-makers face with this principal question whether or not world universities rankings can be regarded as a transformational discourse in curriculum. The present study, by the use of discourse analysis method based on employing Fairclough’s approach, seeks to analyze the relevant contexts and to exploit proper themes with regard to three levels of description, interpretation, and explanation. Research findings indicate that the phenomenon of world universities ranking includes features of a transformational discourse in higher education system which affects all its dimensions. The research proposes that curriculum system of Iran higher education can prepare itself for better confronting the challenges of fourth generation of universities via compounding classic and modern discourses. Also, the ministry of Science, Research, and Technology should take more scientific and practical measures to increase the validity of ranking system of “Islamic World Science Citation Center (ISC)” in international level.