Honor and Shame: Plagiarism and Governing Student Morality

Abstract

With the perceived increase in plagiarism in post-secondary institutions, there has been a simultaneous increase in research and analysis on the issue emerging from multiple fields including education, humanities, social science, business and management, sciences, and the media. The focus of this research ranges from the frequency of cases, student and faculty perception, preventative and punitive measures, and critiques of definitions and policies. In regards to the latter, many researchers have argued that plagiarism is based on antiquated notions of self, originality, and authenticity that fail to capture the important distinction between students who intend to plagiarize and those who do not. To the point, current policies on plagiarism are always embedded in a moral discourse of honor, integrity, honesty, and student codes of conduct. The problem with this approach is that student’s morality is the focus, rather than a matrix of psychological, educational, socio-economic, and cultural factors. Any attempt to respond to plagiarism as a complex and nuanced problem will require a rethinking of current policy. Using a Foucauldian framework, this article illustrates how current policy is embedded in a discourse of morality that casts students as either moral (honorable) or immoral (shameful).