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Georgia Curran thesis.pdf (1.41 MB)

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ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

The Right to Remain Silenced: Non-Native English-Speaking Students and the American Justice System

Curran, Georgia R
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5403-591X
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ouhonors1587743860600109

Abstract Details

2020, Bachelor of Science of Communication Studies (BSC), Ohio University, Communication Studies.
This thesis examines the factors that make the American legal system less accessible to non-native English speakers, as indicated by the experiences of ten international students at Ohio University. In-depth interviews revealed the students’ limited understandings of the laws in the U.S., their views on the police at home and abroad, and their anxieties surrounding these topics. In analyzing the participants’ communication about law enforcement (and using the Miranda rights as a tool to represent legal proceedings), three central experiences emerged: language as a barrier, cultural differences as a barrier, and insufficient legal education as a barrier. Furthermore, conducting this research revealed that the Law and Safety session of OU’s International Student Orientation is most students’ only formal exposure to American laws, suggesting that more comprehensive legal education should be implemented. This project applies Howard Giles’ Communication Accommodation Theory to situate the participants’ individual experiences within a larger system of power and inequality. Ultimately, these findings suggest a need for and informed the creation of supplementary educational materials for use in OPIE (Ohio Program of Intensive English) classrooms.
jw Smith, Dr. (Advisor)
Roger Aden, Dr. (Advisor)
68 p.
Communication; Language; Law; Linguistics; Multilingual Education
law; justice; policing; language; communication; communication studies; sociolinguistics; linguistics

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Curran, G. R. (2020). The Right to Remain Silenced: Non-Native English-Speaking Students and the American Justice System [Undergraduate thesis, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ouhonors1587743860600109

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Curran, Georgia. The Right to Remain Silenced: Non-Native English-Speaking Students and the American Justice System. 2020. Ohio University, Undergraduate thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ouhonors1587743860600109.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Curran, Georgia. "The Right to Remain Silenced: Non-Native English-Speaking Students and the American Justice System." Undergraduate thesis, Ohio University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ouhonors1587743860600109

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ouhonors1587743860600109
449
© 2020, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Ohio University Honors Tutorial College and OhioLINK.