During the three years in which I have known Xie

[jutfrank]

Could you explain the difference between "course" and "class"?

I can at least give you my way of understanding it:

A course is essentially a product that an educational institution provides. It consists mainly of a series of input sessions in which the educational content (the 'course content') is delivered, and there is usually some kind of certification upon satisfactory completion. At university level, the course may be an undergraduate degree, for example. In order to join an institution as a consumer, you must first enrol on a course. The use of the preposition on here is similar to how we use the same preposition to talk about being officially listed. That is, your name is on a list of members who have the right to attend the input sessions.

Now, the most basic sense of 'class':

In education, 'class' relates to a way that an institution has of grouping people enrolled on a course, usually for some purpose of organisational convenience. This might be because there are too many people to teach the course content to all together (so the students must be divided into smaller more manageable groups), or because the students differ in level/ability/age/sex/other, or because the students are presently focused on a different component of the course, or for many other possible reasons. Basically, there is classification of some kind.

One of my responsibilities at the school where I work is what I call 'classing' the students. This involves putting the students into different 'classes', based on their level, length of stay, the kind of English they want to learn, etc. I put some people in general English classes, some in exam classes, some in business English classes, and so on. The normal preposition to use with class is in because the idea is that by definition there is a limited extension to any class. In other words, the members of any class are seen as 'contained' within it.

Confusingly, native-speakers also use the word class to refer to the group of people itself, and others to the individual session (usually lasting an hour or two and also called a 'lesson') in which the course content is taught.

It seems to me from what I have learnt on this thread that people in the US routinely use the word class to refer to one particular component of a larger course. So if you're at university doing an undergraduate degree, the course may require that you elect from a set of options with which you can focus your learning. For example, suppose you're studying math on a three-year degree course. You have the option of specifying which areas of math you would like to focus on (which 'classes' you'd like to 'take'). You decide to take Advanced Algebra, Geometry 101, and Non-Euclidean Trigonometry.

(I'm not very familiar with how US universities operate so I trust someone will correct me if I've got anything seriously wrong. Also, I don't want to overstate any varietal difference of use between AmE and BrE. I think that BrE speakers might also use the word 'class' in the latter sense that I've described above, the difference perhaps being a lesser propensity to do so.)

 

[abaka]

I perceive "she embarked on a course (of study) in/of linguistics" to be natural.

Likewise, "she learned the principles of phonetics during her course in/of linguistics".

One runs on a course, physically and metaphorically; sails on course, at sea and elsewhere. But "studies on a course"? That seems unusual. Plays at golf -- yes, though a little old-fashioned; dabbles in or at physics, art, weaving, politics, teaching -- yes; takes a course, reads a sequence of subjects, stands a course of examinations... I can see the metaphor of being on a course, but it requires a motion that just doesn't seem present in study.

"On an academic course" must be British -- or Piscean -- usage. I wonder whether it is a new one or a traditional one.

 

[Rover_KE]

'On' is my preference, too.

 

[bubbha]

It seems to me from what I have learnt on this thread that people in the US routinely use the word class to refer to one particular component of a larger course. So if you're at university doing an undergraduate degree, the course may require that you elect from a set of options with which you can focus your learning. For example, suppose you're studying math on a three-year degree course. You have the option of specifying which areas of math you would like to focus on (which 'classes' you'd like to 'take'). You decide to take Advanced Algebra, Geometry 101, and Non-Euclidean Trigonometry.

As an American English speaker, I would say "I'm studying math in a three-year degree program" (never mind that three-year programs are rare; they're usually four years, sometimes two years).

Within the program, you might have to choose courses (i.e., classes) from a selection of modules (the term varies from university to university) that focus on certain specialized areas. Sometimes you may have to take, in succession, three courses (Calculus I, II, and III); I would call this a series of courses. You can look up the names of classes (courses) in a course catalogue (a booklet or series of online pages that list all the classes available (M205: Complex Analysis; M206: Vector Calculus, etc.)

"class" can refer to a "class session" or it can refer to a full semester's course. For the OP, who is Chinese, a class session is 一堂課, whereas a class/course is 一門課 (please correct me if I am wrong!).

But Chinese has yet another word for "class", which we don't use in American English beyond elementary school: 班. This refers to a group of students who all stay together while being taught different subjects by the same or different teachers depending on the level of specialization.

 

[probus]

With respect to instruction I think it is normal to use on when discussing behaviour. When starting a new job I would be glad to be instructed on any special rules of the employer, for instance. For more general usage I prefer in. E.g. M Leclerc tutored me in philosophy.

 

[probus]

With respect to courses I would use on only when referring to someone's absence. I went to ask Bill about it but he's away on a course this week. Otherwise, to me people taking courses are in them, not on them.

 

[jutfrank]

With respect to courses I would use on only when referring to someone's absence. I went to ask Bill about it but he's away on a course this week. Otherwise, to me people taking courses are in them, not on them.

Really? I don't know how I can respond to that.

Could you offer any comment on how that makes any sense?

 

[probus]

I don't claim for a moment that it makes an ounce of sense. I was only reporting on "English as she is spoke" around here, namely the Toronto area.