My Word!: Plagiarism and College Culture

by Susan D. Blum

"Classroom Cheats Turn to Computers." "Student Essays on Internet Offer Challenge to Teachers." "Faking the Grade." Headlines such as these have been blaring the alarming news of an epidemic of plagiarism and cheating in American colleges: more than 75 percent of students admit to having cheated; 68 percent admit to cutting and pasting material from the Internet without citation. Professors are reminded almost daily that many of today's college students operate under an entirely new set of assumptions about originality and ethics. Practices that even a decade ago would have been regarded almost universally as academically dishonest are now commonplace. Is this development an indication of dramatic shifts in education and the larger culture? In a book that dismisses hand-wringing in favor of a rich account of how students actually think and act, Susan D. Blum discovers two cultures that exist, often uneasily, side by side in the classroom. Relying extensively on interviews conducted by students with students, My Word! presents the voices of today's young adults as they muse about their daily activities, their challenges, and the meanings of their college lives. Outcomes-based secondary education, the steeply rising cost of college tuition, and an economic climate in which higher education is valued for its effect on future earnings above all else: These factors each have a role to play in explaining why students might pursue good grades by any means necessary. These incentives have arisen in the same era as easily accessible ways to cheat electronically and with almost intolerable pressures that result in many students being diagnosed as clinically depressed during their transition from childhood to adulthood. However, Blum suggests, the real problem of academic dishonesty arises primarily from a lack of communication between two distinct cultures within the university setting. On one hand, professors and administrators regard plagiarism as a serious academic crime, an ethical transgression, even a sin against an ethos of individualism and originality. Students, on the other hand, revel in sharing, in multiplicity, in accomplishment at any cost. Although this book is unlikely to reassure readers who hope that increasing rates of plagiarism can be reversed with strongly worded warnings on the first day of class, My Word! opens a dialogue between professors and their students that may lead to true mutual comprehension and serve as the basis for an alignment between student practices and their professors' expectations.

Genres: Teaching, Nonfiction, Anthropology, Education, Sociology, Academia, Academics

240 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2009

Reviews

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got kids?
Got kids in school?
Got kids in school that are writing papers?

You know they're cheating, right? Yeah, yeah, we all plagiarized a bit back in the 80s/90s. I got it. But, this new cohort (our kids, the Echo Boomers) are plagiarizing at a whole new level--more than just 'a bit'--to a degree with which you and I would feel very uncomfortable. Does it bother you?

Professors now run a majority of their student papers through websites that scour the web looking for similar word patterns and sentence structure. There's a hit; there's another hit. It's no longer a question of how much students plagiarize, but how much plagiarism is too much.

Susan Blum allocates the first half of her book detailing the social environment to which our high school kids are exposed. Social media has created an anthropological connectedness that I don't understand and that today's youth apparently can't live without. The concept of private ownership, property rights, and intellectual property are so diluted, so foreign, that it causes no hesitation to our kids when lifting this material from the web and putting it verbatim into their papers. College kids will cut-n-paste large amounts of text with no citation. They use a pastiche of other people's concepts to cobble together a writing assignment that's due the next morning. I remember those 'all-nighters,' but I don't recall 10-page papers that were 90% plagiarized.

Blum explains that teenager lives are so connected, so real-time, so accessible, and never turned 'off,' that it's created an environment of universal collaboration. Teenager conversation is saturated with collaboration and moves so rapidly that attribution is simply not possible, nor is it even required. The conversation rolls on, and one individual's ideas/words on Gawker in Malaysia are soon another individuals words/ideas on Tumblr in Iowa, then Twitter in Germany, then Vimeo in Mexico, the Facebook in Chile, then...you get the idea. Video and musical mash-up, blog comments, geolocation, Goodreads book reviews--the sharing of ideas is no longer an individual expression; instead it's a never-ending, refolded, roiled tumult of thousands of voices from which eventual themes evolve, that are unique to the conversation and not the individual.

Blum uses considerable space revealing the difference in opinion over what exactly is plagiarism today. It seems unnecessary for my age cohort, but mine is an opinion that is increasingly in debate by kids today, especially at the collegiate level. Despite university code of ethics concerning plagiarism, most students see the code as a hopelessly apocryphal mandate that schools use to Cover-Their-Ass. Professors use a lot of discretion regarding plagiarism that leads, at most, to mild punishments, while departments rarely pursue draconian punitive measures. Even more fundamentally, students today regard friendship as a much loftier principle than upholding correct citation (even though plagiarism is a form of lying). The teenage brain is finding it more difficult to credit an individual with an original thought. From Wikipedia to search engines, subject matter is increasingly unattributable. Students don't see the harm in 'lifting' ideas from the net, in fact, they view it as good research technique.

So, what do I tell my young kids? They're not writing papers yet, but I grew up in a time--gasp, about 15-20 years ago--when I had to prove through writing that I could synthesize sources in creating my own unique thought. This could quickly unravel into a debate about the principles of education, and that's where our kids want to take it. But, I hold a firm line with my ancient, cryptic ideas about citation, notation, a bibliography, and plagiarism. I'm old and my vessels have plaque, so goshdarn, that's the way it's going to be in my house with schoolwork.

My Word is an interesting read, but it seems geared more toward teachers than parents. It also spends an inordinate amount of time defining plagiarism (which appears to be the biggest problem at our schools). It's a book that calls out like a clarion about the problem that is inevitably going to get more egregious in our schools as we continue to flatten the barriers between instantaneous access and global communication.

[Jason Kinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the book is on a subject that I have little interest in, since I do not work in academia.

However, chapter 4 of this book was a fuckin' barn-burner. Blum excoriates the culture prevalent at her university (Notre Dame) and other elite private colleges in the U.S.A.

Having graduated from an elite private university myself (ahem) and having interviewed many high school students for that same institution, I recognized many of the problems Blum identifies - (1) the high school students these institutions attract are often assholes from rich families who have had their way paved with all the college prep their parents' money could buy; (2) professors think their students spend about 30 hours on their coursework a week -- in reality they spend 10 hours per week; (3) the drinking habits of the undergraduates renders the academic week essentially Sunday at noon to Thursday at noon; (4) universities are expensive for reasons not related to education -- universities have chosen to de-emphasize the educational component (such as by paying adjuncts rather than hiring professors) in favor of other services the university pays money for that contribute to the overall "college experience"; (5) the fucked-up connection between professors who offer easy courses and those same professors getting great teaching evaluations (thus advancing the career of those professors); (6) with the amount of money that students and their families spend for tuition and fees, it would be illogical to take harder courses that hurt the G.P.A. or courses not directly related to making money later; (7) grade compression makes distinguishing among students difficult and encourages mediocrity.

So read chapter 4 everyone. The rest of the book, eh.

[Chris Aylott · Rating 3 out of 5]

An anthropologist looks at why plagiarism is common in college culture, and what might be done with it. Interesting, but I think she would have benefited more from an economic perspective: why is plagiarism and/or cheating a better strategy than doing the work in the way that the professor expects?

What jumps out at me is that most plagiarism seems to be driven by a practical viewpoint: "I don't care about the class, but I need a good grade, and copying a paragraph (or an entire paper) is the quickest and easiest way to the grade." If that's the case, then maybe it's time to rethink some of the goals and processes involved. It's not like grades matter after you leave school, so why let them matter at all? Why not make all classes pass/fail, with the option for students to request a grade if they want to measure their own progress?? Nobody works alone in the business world, so why not make all assignments collaborative? At the very least, why not simplify and standardize academic citation so that it actually makes sense?

The more I think about it, the more plagiarism seems (for a large subset of students) to be a rational response to a broken system. Maybe it's time to focus less on controlling the behavior and more on changing the system that triggers it.

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Word! Plagiarism and College Culture by Susan D. Blum is informed by 234 college students who participated anonymously in interviews and conversations about college life which were recorded by four talented anthropology students trained by the author. Thus, Blum’s analysis of student culture is buttressed by transcripts that illustrate in the students’ own words how their concepts of sharing, originality, attribution, and even ethics differ from their professors.’ They have grown up text/talking, honing their wits for intertextual conversations in which interposing the right movie quotation or familiar song lyric creates a shared experience. The unspoken attribution is understood, not disrespected. In a world where the art is in the mashup, and information “wants to be free,” merely telling students to cite their sources teaches nothing. Blum wants to help us meet them where they are and open a meaningful dialogue.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good primer on college students in general and plagarism. As an college admin who deals with 5-7 cases of Plagarism at a large university ( our system is much different from Saint U') it seemed basic for me. I hear most of the reasons day in and day out. What I was looking for when I first saw this book advertised was a a more in depth look at those reasons and I got a little. Ms. Blum skimmed the service of those reasons and gave some very realistic recomendations for facing this problem head-on

I am currently putting together a course/workshop for faculty on recognizing and handling academic integrity and will definitely use this book as well as recommended to it faculty as a resource.

Plagiarism is a very big concern today and this book offers a very good introduction and coverage of this issue on today's college campus.

[Lance Eaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should be required reading for any college-level instructor. Blum's accessible yet complex discussion sheds light on the slippery slope of what academic dishonesty consists of, how and why students are likely to commit it, and the challenges in addressing it. But more than anything, Blum vividly depicts the complexity of college culture that plays a central role in the development of cheating.

If you enjoyed this review, feel free to check out my other reviews and writings at By Any Other Nerd /

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

While plagiarism does get a thorough examination here, the issue is really the hook for a larger look at modern campus culture and the growing generational and cultural divide between undergrads and faculty. As someone who works with college students every day, there is a lot I recognize here; Blum really hits the nail on the head. At the same time, there was a lot I learned, too. Highly recommended!

[Tara Brabazon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating ethnographic study of student culture. What do students believe constitutes 'plagiarism'? What is 'authentic' research and writing for them?

This is a great study and it is transformative for how we think about academic integrity and research integrity policies, procedures and processes.

There are two weaknesses - that are to be expected when using ethnography. The research is US focused - as was the sample. But also - and this is sadder - the students that were the foundation for the study were young. This is not representative or illustrative of the current cohort of university students. Because of the focus on 'the young people', at times the book did slide into techno-determinism.

Besides these two issues, this is a great book, innovative and important.

[John]

Ralph Waldo Emerson once commented something like," Don't tell me what others have to say; tell me what you have to say."

Susan Blum's initial defense of her thesis sounds a bit to me like the arguments that every parent hears from their children: "But, Mom, everyone gets to go..." or "But, Dad, everyone has one" and so on.

Barring all that stuff about throwing the first stone, I think it's nice to have ideals to aspire to, even if they don't always play out in the real world. And besides, I agree with Emerson that it's better to know your own mind than be slave to the minds of others.

Susan Blum is absolutely correct about the pressure that emphasis on standardized testing and grades creates. In response to competitive pressure, necessity is the mother of invention. Some people have even suggested that maybe we ought to applaud and reward the ingenuity of the students who get away with it: that they will be the inventive and successful entrepreneurs of our future. I am not sure of that. Rather, I would teach the enjoyment and satisfaction of coming up with your own ideas, even if you do struggle to get them out.

Emerson also said that the most creative people will have the courage to say what is on their mind even if at first they stutter and blubber in the attempt. Maybe we ought to be cheerleaders for that process.

But I'm still reading. I will update this as I go along...

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blum's ethnography of college students is helpful and apt, and her one clear, shining observation--that our society and our educational system incentivizes cheating and trains students to do it for years before they get to us in college--deserves wide circulation (with proper citation!).
I will have to try not to blame her for being an anthropologist and not an ethicist. The handling of the ethical dimension of students' choice to cheat was inadequate, but possibly this is because Blum's strengths simply lie elsewhere. And her aside about it being impossible to expect students not to drink until they are legally allowed is frankly ludicrous, but, again, not an ethicist.
Since she is an anthropologist, though, I will say that I'm disappointed by the "either-or" typology she throws together in chapter 5--teachers and administrators respond to plagiarism either by moralizing (what's wrong with that??) or by cruelly and unthinkingly enforcing rules (because rules are always cruel--that's why it rhymes). If there were any evidence for this typology, maybe it could trump my anecdotal evidence, which can be summed up by saying, "Nuh-UH."
That said, now that I've finished the book, I'm handing it to my college-bound son this actual second and making him read it.

[Briana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, though if you are looking for information "directly" about plagiarism, you'll have to wade through Blum's discussion of influencing factors such as grade inflation, the types of students who get into top colleges, intertextuality in spoken conversation, etc. The concrete points about why students plagiarize are ones I've seen in other places: they honestly don't understand what constitutes plagiarism even after being told, they are college as a gateway to get a degree and don't care about learning so minimizing their workload is the goal, they are (or think they are) too busy to do their own work, they see it as a shortcut to get the desired high grade. One of Blum's main points of emphasis is that students aren't plagiarizing because they're bad or immoral and that there are other factors at play, though she and her undergrad researchers did interview a number of students who admitted to intentional cheating and plagiarism. The one new thing I learned is that the average college student spends only 11 hours outside of class doing schoolwork.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a refreshing take on plagiarism on college campuses. I very much appreciated the author's approach to explicating the many reasons why attitudes toward plagiarism (and instances of plagiarism) take place in elite universities today. Even more, I thought her willingness to shift blame from students to misalignment of values (and even mixed messages) between students and faculty/institutions provided some helpful insights that will inform some of my (I like to think already enlightened) classroom practices associated with explaining citation conventions. As Blum helpfully points out, academics tend to forget that most students won't go on to become academics themselves. Learning both why academia values citation as much as it does, as well as thinking critically about whether it's worth emphasizing the minutia of citation to a student population who will not go on to productively ever use such practices again, is more than warranted.

[Aakash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its an interesting case study about plagiarism taking into account how the advent of internet, the socio-economic situations and how ownership and authorship are being viewed today by the undergraduates and other students compared to the ways in which their professors/teachers understood these terms. The author puts into persepctive a lot of things from ethics, morals to economy and the issues about self and selfhood in the current era. A must read.

[Sherri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was rather disappointed in this book. Sounded promising, but I felt like Blum merely introduced plagiarism, then spent most of the book talking about college culture, then at the very end tried to tie it all back to the plagiarism issue. I would have liked the topic to be more integrated, and to have seen some more in-depth insight.

[Cheryl]

Sounded interesting based on a blog at Inside Higher Education. Reviews are mixed although the discussion should be great.

Think this might be a great choice for the book club.

[Karla Huebner]

Read for a discussion at school. Interesting but I'm skeptical of some of her conclusions.