Notes from a CCCC-IP Caucus Action Group

Note: I didn't write these; I'm just the messenger.

Minutes from IP Caucus Group / Action Items

Our group largely focused on the shifting meanings of plagiarism and intellectual property across disciplines. Because these meanings vary so widely, students can end up confused around issues of citation, plagiarism, and intellectual property.

This problem is compounded by the nature of institutional writing in which, for example, someone else writes speeches for the president of a university. Who owns that writing?

The group discussed strategies for teaching these issues:

1.Let students know that what you’re teaching about plagiarism is discipline-specific. 2.Present writing as “joining the ranks of scholars” and so students should see themselves as responsible for professional codes of ethics and behavior. 3.Use a model of teamwork instead of collaboration. 4.Foreground the work of the university through university publications  knowledge is the currency of the university.

The group also formulated several action points:

1.Increase conversations at universities about IP and academic integrity (through, for example, Ethics Across the Curriculum programs). 2.Propose a workshop at CCCC with interdisciplinary participants. 3.Find the place at your school already designated for this sort of faculty training. 4.Publish in the newsletters of other disciplines to increase awareness. 5.Add to the IP Web site assignments, prompts, and discussion starters. 6.Add to the IP Web site resources for/listing of IP speakers; encourage speakers from other disciplines to come speak to your class. 7.Add to the IP Web site an “emerging research” area. 8.Develop a fact sheet on plagiarism/IP issues for new teach orientation. 9.Increase bibliographic/research traffic to the mailing list.