In this course, as in many of your future pursuits, it is important to pay attention to the boundary at which collaboration becomes intellectual theft or fraud.  The criteria for plagiarism may vary somewhat from course to course, but here are the basic guidelines within you should operate in our work together:

  1) Please turn to us for clarifications and explanations – The guidelines presented below are designed to assure fairness both to the members of the class and to scholars who deserve credit for the work they have done.  We have no desire to snare you in a trap of arcane rules and regulations.  Therefore, if you are not sure what is and is not appropriate in a particular situation, please let us know. Clarification may help you avoid an embarrassing and costly error, not only in this course, but in future situations as well.

  2) Group work – It is assumed that all work specifically assigned to teams will be done collectively.  Each member of the team should be present and well prepared to contribute to the group effort.  All members present at the session and involved in producing the assignment should sign it at the bottom.  Those who are not present will receive an “F” for that work.

  3) Essay – You are encouraged to study with your team mates or other members of the class , reviewing course material, developing hypothetical exam questions, and outlining possible responses.  The actual writing of the exam during class is, of course, to be done individually, and you should only show drafts of your paper to people who are not currently enrolled in the course.  The use of too many of the same examples and similar organization and wording would constitute plagiarism.

  4) Web Assignments – This work should be done completely on your own.

  5) Citing Sources -- See "How to Cite Material Used in Your Essays."

  6) Penalties for Plagiarism – If two individual assignments contain wording or examples that indicate that the author of one paper read that of another student or if an individual or group assignment contains significant ideas or information from another source without adequate citation, this work will be judged to be plagiarized.  The penalty will be an automatic “F” on that paper or assignment for all who are involved.