Often, translingual courses will critically engage with genres of academic writing by complicating the idea that “Standard Edited American English” is a neutral, unmarked discourse. While undergraduate students probably haven’t been asked to consider the conventions and underlying assumptions of academic discourse, 
they have lived with these expectations all their lives. You can start a conversation about academic discourse by asking students to reflect on their previous experiences with it.
Freewrite: What does “Standard Edited American English” mean to you? What does SEAE require of its users? How does writing in SEAE make you feel?
Ask students to write their response on the board in one or two words. Students will generally respond that SEAE is about being “proper” and “correct.” Depending on the student body, they might suggest that SEAE makes them feel “wrong” or “different.” Many will write that it is “rigid,” strict,” and “formal.” This can open up a conversation about the expectations of academic writing and how these can be complicated by considering academic discourse as part of a system, one that can function to oppress.