Forum 5: Is Plagiarism Wrong?

Due date: Tuesday, September 28, at 11:59 PM

Throughout high school, and now in college, you’ve likely been told repeatedly that plagiarism is always a form of cheating.

For this forum you’ll first read an article that pushes back against that concept of plagiarism, philosopher Agnes Callard’s “Is Plagiarism Wrong?”

(If you run into too many ads or a paywall, here is a PDF version).

Callard argues that the concept of “plagiarism,” when applied to student work in the classroom, is a way for schools to police a behavior that is not illegal, doesn’t hurt anyone, and is sometimes helpful for learning.

Now, the college lays out its beliefs on plagiarism in its Academic Honesty Policy for students. And Feinberg Library does the same via its Academic Integrity tutorial.

For the forum, write a short essay (350-400 words) about academic honesty and plagiarism in light of the college’s Academic Honesty Policy and Callard’s article. Ask yourself:

• How does the Academic Honesty Policy define academic honesty?
• What methods does Feinberg Library advocate to make sure you’re being academically honest?
• Where do the college’s documents and Callard’s article agree about the subjects of academic honesty and plagiarism? Where do they disagree?
• How do you think academic honesty should be defined? Would you make any changes to the college’s Academic Honesty Policy or the library’s Academic Integrity Tutorial?

As always, you’re welcome to bring in your personal experiences as long as they don’t become the sole focus of your essay.