Success and Failures of American Language Policy
In Douglas Kibbee’s Language and the Law, he explores a diverse range of linguistic inequalities using examples from legislation and case law. He grapples with the question of how linguistic differences challenge our fundamental ideals of democracy, justice, and fairness. Now you will write an argumentative research essay about the successes and failures of American language policy as discussed in Kibbee as well as based on your own experiences with American educational systems. What (if anything) should be changed to help support our country’s diverse student population and better meets their language and literacy needs? Argue for your position on this issue, using your research to support your argument. In your paper, you must accomplish the following things (not necessarily in this order)
Provide information on the issue. What is the issue? What are the basic facts? What’s the background information that will help your reader understand it? Explain and define key terms and concepts, and set the issue up for your reader as clearly and objectively as possible.
Make your own argument about it. Drawing on the information you have researched and the range of arguments and evidence you have looked at, what is your own view about this issue? What, as you see it, are the key causes of the problem, and what are the solutions?
As you are making your own argument, providing strong evidence is particularly important, utilizing the sources you have at your disposal. Therefore, think of your argument as a claim, and your illustrations as evidence: you are trying to prove your claim to a reader who may not agree with you. Quote from writers that you agree with and writers that you disagree with, so as not to “stack the deck” in your argument. If you disagree with a writer, provide a counterargument. In other words, explain this other writer’s opinion and then explain why you disagree with it. (If you only provide the other writer’s opinion without explaining your response to that opinion, you haven’t provided a counterargument.)
