Plagiarism and Academic Integrity Exercise

Directions: review the following paragraphs (A and B, original text, and student text) and respond to each question regarding the presence of plagiarism and academic integrity. (25 points each; 50 points total)

(A)

Original Text: –from Abramson, P. (2007). Romance in the ivory tower: The rights and liberty of conscience. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

I have something more universal in mind than the question of whether students should be permitted to romance their professors, or vice versa. It is something germane to all the deeply personal choices we make—namely, the rights of conscience. That is, the right we rely on when making choices relevant to personal autonomy, with the belief in God being a prime example. Outrage, no doubt, would emerge if an institution prohibited the belief in God. God is a deeply personal matter outside the reach of a university. It is my position that we should be no less indignant when a university prohibits who we can romance (presuming, of course, that the partnership involves consenting adults in a relationship void of tangible harm).

Student Text

Universities nationwide have implemented policies that prohibit romantic relationships between students and faculty, and almost universally the argument for these policies is that, first and foremost, any such relationship is “asymmetrical” in that the faculty member has more “power” than the student and therefore is in a “controlling” position. Exactly what the faculty member controls is never stated explicitly, but even a half-wit can recognize the unstated implication that the issue is sex. That these policies seem specifically designed to protect young coeds from lecherous male professors should offend all reasonable adults—males who are clearly the target of sexist politics and females who by virtue of these policies are reduced to automatons who lack both reason and will. As Abramson (2008) noted, romance is a matter of conscience, the ability—and indeed the freedom—to make decisions for oneself upon becoming an adult. On this account, the freedom to choose with whom one has a romantic relationship should be as sacred as the freedom to choose one’s religion.

Question: is there plagiarism in this passage? Explain why or why not. Type your response below in several sentences.

(B)

Original Text—from Fagan, G. (1999). Bathing in public in the Roman world. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

In general, it is safe to say that life in a Roman town was considerably more communal than is the case among Westerners today. Study of apartment blocks at Ostia and elsewhere reveals that the living quarters of the humble often lacked amenities considered fundamental in modern residences; many had no kitchens, latrines, or baths. As a consequence, many functions performed inside in private today were conducted by the Romans outdoors, in full public view. For instance, in the absence of widespread private kitchens, Roman communities tended to have a plethora of taverns and public eating places, distributed so as to serve the populated parts of the town. Public latrines, likewise, show a degree of openness that is shocking to modern sensibilities. Many are multiple seaters, in which patrons would attend to bodily functions, apparently in full view of others; and there is no indication of male/female segregation. There could hardly be a better illustration of the communality of living in Roman towns.

Student Text

Those who argue that people are basically the same everywhere need only look at Roman society to see how wrong they are. According to Garrett Fagan, Romans of more humble means didn’t even have kitchens, toilets, or baths in their homes. Whey they needed to eat, they had to go to the local tavern. When they had to take care of their biological needs, they used public toilets that didn’t even have partitions to separate people so that they used the toilet in full view of everyone else. In addition, it seems that men and women shared the same facilities, with no effort to provide privacy.

Question: is there plagiarism in this passage? Explain why or why not. Type your response below in several sentences.