Language and Authority: Shifting the Privilege

Abstract

Although most basic writing faculty select varied and representa- tive reading and writing topics that draw on the richness of their students ' linguistic diversity , they usually conduct classes in which collaboration moves but one way . Most class texts merely nod pleasantly at linguistic diversity rather than embrace it , tolerating rather than engaging difference . The authors de- scribe an assignment that uses Spanish, Chinese , and French texts in addition to the customary English texts , which allows class members to share students' languages , embrace diversity , and shift privilege. They propose that this move foregrounds oppositional discourse for both students and faculty, creating class- rooms in which right thinking is not the possession of one and merely the aspiration of others. Immersed in postmodern literary and cultural theory and committed to educational openness and equity, most basic writ- ing faculty are far less elitist than some of their colleagues in other literature and composition fields. These basic writing faculty members tend to select more varied, representative, and relevant reading and writing topics, to incorporate the richness of their students' experiences, and to be quite open to linguistic