QQC 7/10/17

QQC 7/10/17

1) As a person whose had to deal with the hairy subject of plagiarism, I found Price's article to be a needed conversation. Price explains that the context of common knowledge and fact is key in managing plagiarism. I think this connects to past conversations we've had on the changing situations in which we find writing. But, I also think to my past experiences in my internship, just today my mentor told her students that they would need to have peer-reviewed sources for their research papers. I thought to myself, does this mean they should eliminate any research in genres such as newspaper articles or online sources? Because I believe that sources such as Wikipedia, (which I fully acknowledge is not an academic source) can serve as a spring board to find other academic or peer-reviewed sources. We are students of the English Department and we do represent a certain standard of writing, but I feel the rules we teach to our students or tutees can be helpful as means of acting as a spring board for others so they can learn the merits of citation styles and research. I'd like to ask Price that if we had to overhaul this system what could replace it with the same clarity?

2) I like how Rife brings up the "thorny" subject of copyright in regards to pedagogy. I like the insinuating tone Rife uses when reflecting on the Who Owns Writing article and how she seems to be calling out the composition class as the "owner of correct rules on plagiarism." For me, her reflection manages the politics of what influence the topic of plagiarism. I find it interesting to be reminded of the circumstances in which copyright laws were made. I think Rife means to draw attention to the way the internet introduces a certain murkiness to following standards of ownership. I think Rife's analysis connects to Price's reflections on context. In today's time, there is a such a thing as the preview option on Google Books or Amazon.com. Is it copyright infringement if someone uses that book as a source? Or a professor uses it in class? I agree with Rife's explanation of "Fair use" and how professors should model it in the classroom, but how does she hope for this guidelines to involve in the future? I feel like when it comes to technology, as a professor, I'm three steps behind while my students are three steps ahead.