Your Personal Language Journey Essay asks you to examine your experiences with language and communication in different contexts, analyzing how these experiences have shaped your understanding of how communication practices affect access and opportunity.
Requirements
- Length: 1200-1500 words (4-5 pages, double-spaced)
- Format: 12-point Times New Roman font, 1-inch margins
- Citations: Include in-text citations and references for any sources used (including course readings)
Content Guidelines
Your essay should:
- Analyze key communication experiences - Describe 2-3 significant experiences with language or communication in educational, professional, or community settings.
- Examine institutional patterns - Analyze how institutional practices and policies shaped these experiences.
- Connect to broader contexts - Explain how your experiences relate to larger questions about communication, opportunity, and access.
- Incorporate course readings - Use specific concepts from Baker-Bell and Anzaldúa to analyze your experiences.
- Reflect on implications - Consider what these experiences suggest about communication practices and their effects on different individuals and communities.
- Propose future directions - Identify specific communication strategies or approaches that could address challenges you've observed.
Evaluation Criteria
Your essay will be assessed on:
- Depth of analysis
- Connections to course readings
- Clear organization and development
- Quality of writing
- Specificity of examples
- Thoughtfulness of reflection