Engaging Plagiarism: Theory and Practice

Bowdoin College
5 March 2004

Program

09.30 am - 10.00am: Coffee and Registration, Lancaster Lounge, Moulton Union

10.00 - 10.15: Welcome, Judy Montgomery, Bowdoin College, and Introduction, Michael Hanrahan, Bates College

10.15 - 11.30: Part One: "Definitions and Epistemologies of Plagiarism," Rebecca Moore Howard, Syracuse university

11.30 - 11.45: Break

12.00 - 01.00: Part Two: "The Promise of Plagiarism: Impetus for Change," Chris Anson, North Carolina State University. ppt file | html version

In the context of increasing concern about plagiarism -- and increasingly questionable practices for dealing with it -- this interactive session will focus on productive ways to design assignments and activities that restore our roles as guides and mentors, and refocus our attention on the processes and outcomes of students' learning.

01.00 - 02.00: LunchMain Lounge, Moulton Union

02.00 - 02.30: Informal Wrap-up over Coffee/Tea, Main Lounge, Moulton Union

Recommended Readings

Atkins, Thomas and Gene Nelson. "Plagiarism and the Internet: Turning Tables." English Journal 90 (2001): 101-104.

Bernhardt, Stephen. "Thriving in Academe: Writing To Learn; Learning To Write." NEA Advocate Online, Feb. 2004 (http://www.nea.org/he/advo-new/front.html)

Howard, Rebecca Moore. "Forget about Policing Plagiarism; Just Teach." The Chronicle of Higher Education (16 November 2001): B24.

McCabe, Donald and Gary Pavela. "Some Good News about Academic Integrity." Research Library 32:5 (2000): 32-38.

Taylor, Lynn. "Understanding Plagiarism." Issues of Teaching and Learning 9.2 (March 2003). Preface | Article.

WPA, Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA Statement on Best Practices [Download PDF version]

Seminar Facilitators

Chris Anson is Professor of English and Director of the Campus Writing and Speaking Program at North Carolina State University, where he helps faculty in nine undergraduate colleges to integrate writing and speaking into their courses. Before coming to NC State in 1999, he was Morse-Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor and Director of Composition at the University of Minnesota, where he taught for fifteen years. Currently the President of the Council of Writing Program Administrators, he has published twelve books and over sixty articles and essays in edited collections, and serves on the consultant or editorial boards of ten professional journals. He has presented over 250 papers and workshops at conferences and universities across the United States and in ten foreign countries. He received an M.A. and Ph.D. from Indiana University, and a B.A. and first M.A. from Syracuse University.

Rebecca Moore Howard (rehoward@syr.edu) earned her Ph.D. in English at West Virginia University. She is now Associate Professor of Writing and Rhetoric at Syracuse University and the former writing program administrator at Syracuse, Texas Christian, and Colgate Universities. She is coauthor of the 1995 Bedford Guide to Teaching Writing in the Disciplines; author of Standing in the Shadow of Giants (1999), a book about the cultural work of plagiarism; coeditor of Coming of Age: The Advanced Writing Curriculum, which won the 2000-2001 WPA Book Award; coeditor of Authorship in Composition and author of a writers' handbook in progress for McGraw-Hill.