Module 6 - Ethics and Plagiarism

I really enjoyed the Malcolm Gladwell interview podcast.  What was new was the freshness of his approach towards use of other’s work.  He pointed out that everything we know or create is built on previous layers of knowledge and creativity.  Gladwell’s situation was, according to western standards, a case of plagiarism.  British author Byrony Lavery, who used much a an article written by Gladwell to create a character in her drama “Frozen” said that she didn’t think to acknowledge Gladwell’s work because she considered it “news.” 

What I remembered, but had forgotten—or at least not thought about for some time—was my first experience as a teacher in which a student was accused by another faculty of plagiarism.  Clearly, the student had used another’s thoughts and words without giving appropriate credit.  But what was intriguing was that this was an international student who seemed to have very little understanding of why one should not integrate other’s work into her the students’ own efforts.  “But words cannot be owned” the student responded.  In cultures that are group-oriented or collective rather than individualistic, as in the United States, plagiarism can be a rather nebulous concept.  Some cultures consider quoting a well-known authority a way of showing respect, while altering even a single word is considered disrespectful and in poor form.  Other cultures believe that knowledge to belong to the culture, and should be shared—crediting the originator is not important. 

In any case, it’s important that we are academically honest and accountable, while at the same time being sensitive to the fact that not all others see plagiarism in the same way that we’ve been acculturated.