Discussion Question - Essay
Academic Integrity in a Cultural Context
Understanding the concept that authorship and ownership are influenced by cultural behaviours, it is easy to see the issue of citing information as being misunderstood in the global community. Professors from American Universities understand why some international Students have been frequent plagiarizers. Many professors agree that it is not that the student is attempting to commit fraud but is that many international students have misunderstood what it is that the student is supposed to do.
One reason that plagiarism is a cultural issue is because many cultural ideas and relationships are different and do not share or have the same history. In a Confucian-influenced society such as China, Korea and Japan who are noted for their communal ideas, view these ideas as part of a collective foundation for everyone who wants to seek further knowledge. Although these societies have contributed to the initial ideas and are knowledgeable on the subject, these ideas do not belong to the individual who created them. In such societies knowing the subject matter implies that the individual knows the source of the information. So it would be unnecessary to cite this information. It has been noted that citing this information can be an insult to the reader.
In the United States, there are many students from various countries and cultural backgrounds e.g. India or China that are studying in American, British or Australian Universities. International Students have integrated the behaviours, attitudes and practices by mixing their own culture with the culture from western universities. In today’s global community it must be understood that the writing behaviour is not only influenced by ones culture but the culture can shape and influence the writing process and how one understands the writing product. Individuals from diverse cultural back grounds may approach writing with a different standard and expectation which can be
Understanding the concept that authorship and ownership are influenced by cultural behaviours, it is easy to see the issue of citing information as being misunderstood in the global community. Professors from American Universities understand why some international Students have been frequent plagiarizers. Many professors agree that it is not that the student is attempting to commit fraud but is that many international students have misunderstood what it is that the student is supposed to do.
One reason that plagiarism is a cultural issue is because many cultural ideas and relationships are different and do not share or have the same history. In a Confucian-influenced society such as China, Korea and Japan who are noted for their communal ideas, view these ideas as part of a collective foundation for everyone who wants to seek further knowledge. Although these societies have contributed to the initial ideas and are knowledgeable on the subject, these ideas do not belong to the individual who created them. In such societies knowing the subject matter implies that the individual knows the source of the information. So it would be unnecessary to cite this information. It has been noted that citing this information can be an insult to the reader.
In the United States, there are many students from various countries and cultural backgrounds e.g. India or China that are studying in American, British or Australian Universities. International Students have integrated the behaviours, attitudes and practices by mixing their own culture with the culture from western universities. In today’s global community it must be understood that the writing behaviour is not only influenced by ones culture but the culture can shape and influence the writing process and how one understands the writing product. Individuals from diverse cultural back grounds may approach writing with a different standard and expectation which can be
Bibliography: pdf (Accessed 13th December 2013) iParadigms (Anon, 2010) Answers to Questions Students Ask About Turnitin [Online] Available from: http://turnitin.com/static/resources/documentation/turnitin/sales/Answers_to_Questions_Students_Ask.pdf (Accessed 13th December 2013)