Ethical Issues in Academic Dishonesty

Syllabus for July Meeting (July 15, 2002 from 10:00 a.m. Noon in CL1 - 109)

Dr. Nancy Stanlick, Department of Philosophy

IMPORTANT NOTE:   THIS SYLLABUS INCLUDES LINKS TO REQUIRED WORKS AND OTHERS TO BE USED OR CONSIDERED DURING THE MEETING OF THE COURSE.   TAKE NOTE OF THEM.

Description and Objective: This is a 2-hour overview of ethical issues involved in instances of academic dishonesty.   It will begin with a discussion of the distinction between plagiarism and cheating and the ways in which plagiarism occurs (both intentionally and unintentionally).   Specific topics to be explored may include lying, theft of intellectual property, self-deception and academic integrity. Others are different theories of ethics and how they are related to instances of academic dishonesty.  The objective is to develop a sense of how particular issues relevant to academic dishonesty may be part of a larger social context in which it is often held that the end justifies the means, and why plagiarism and cheating are academic analogs to perjury, grand theft, forgery and lack of respect for self and others.

Requirements :  You are responsible for attending, participating in discussion, submitting a brief outline and narrative (due July 19, see below), and successfully completing a short quiz or assignment at the close of the session. The essay, outline or assignment/quiz must, of course, be your original work. 

• July 15, 10:00 a.m. - Noon during the meeting - discussions, short quiz or assignment in class.
• Due July 19, 2:00 p.m. in the Department of Philosophy in CNH 411:   Outline of Aristotle’s ethical theory from Nicomachean Ethics, Books I-III and your own essay regarding the way in which the principles in this work relate to the problem of academic dishonesty.  Write a brief commentary of your own explaining in what way this work, in your view, is most applicable to an explanation of the ethical problem of academic dishonesty. You may and should use your own case as an illustration and weave the principles in the work you choose into your narrative, or you may take a more objective approach and simply discuss the problem of academic dishonesty in general.   Whichever approach you take, make sure that your essay and outline are typed, double-spaced using 10-12 point font and have 1 margins on all sides. You must have at least 1 page of outline for the sections of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics that are listed in the link below, and at least one page (but not more than 3 pages) of your own narrative.
• Due July 19, 2:00 p.m. in the Department of Philosophy in CNH 411 - An overview of the distinction between theoretical outlooks on academic dishonesty that are discussed during the meeting of the seminar on July 15.  Which of these views, in your justified opinion, is the most accurate with respect to the problem of academic dishonesty?  This should be 2-3 pages in length and following the same format as the outline of Aristotle’s ethical theory .  

Overview of Required Readings:

             The readings for the course are available online (see list below). Works include (but are not limited to) selections from the ethical theories of Aristotle, Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill. The works of Aristotle, Kant and Mill are available online.  You will need at least the following:

             1.Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Books I, II, and III.  

Go to http://www.ilt.columbia.edu/projects/digitexts/aristotle/nicomachean_ethics/title.html

2.Kant’s Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, Sections I and II.  

Go to http://www.library.adelaide.edu.au/etext/k/k16prm/

             3.Mill’s Utilitarianism, Chapters 2 and 3.

Go to http://www.library.adelaide.edu.au/etext/m/m645u/

You will also find lecture notes on these works at the following URLs.

             1. Aristotle http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~stanlick/aristotleethics.html

             2. Kant http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~stanlick/kantethics.html

             3. Mill http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~stanlick/millethics.html

Other Works and Sites Relevant to this Course:

             a. UCFs Golden Rule Student Academic Behavior.   Go to http://www.ucf.edu/goldenrule/studaca.html

             b. Plagiarism: How to Recognize it and How to Avoid it. Go to http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/wts/plagiarism.html

             c. Buying Papers on the Internet??? Not a good idea. Go to http://www.schoolsucks.com and http://www.turnitin.com

             d. A simple statement of academic integrity. Go to http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~stanlick/acinteg.html

             For the seminar meeting on July 15, make sure that you have read at least chapters 2 - 3 of Mill's Utilitarianism and section I of Kant's Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals

Consider these Questions:

• What is your reaction to the claim that if you cheat, you are only cheating yourself?
• If you buy a term paper over the Internet (or find one in a file cabinet, or borrow an old one from a friend), are you plagiarizing when you understand the material and re-write the paper in your own words?
• Which of these views of the justification of plagiarism or cheating most closely resembles your own?  If none of these are related to your reasons, what was your reason?
• • What matters most is good grades.  That's one of the major factors in entrance to law school (medical, graduate, etc.).
  • If I don't get good grades, my parents will cut off my funds.
  • The subject matter of the course is too difficult for me, and I need the course to graduate.
  • This class doesn't have anything to do with my major, so it doesn't matter if I cheat or plagiarize.  What's the point in knowing English literature when I want to get a job in technical writing (or whatever)?
  • I had to study for a test (or tests) in another class and didn't have time for this one.
  • I won't get caught, and it's easier to cheat on a test or buy/borrow/steal a paper than it is to put in hours and hours of studying/writing.  Anyway, I have more important things to do.

Additional Note: If you have any questions regarding this 2-hour seminar or its requirements, please contact me by e-mail at stanlick@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu . You may also stop by during my office hours for the summer term. They are listed on my website at http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~stanlick/ .