Pat July 10th Questions

1.     Price mentions what she calls a “knotty problem of plagiarism: the question of intent” (103), suggesting that as writing teachers we need to understand the context in which the plagiarism took place and that “unintentional plagiarism in the form of patchwriting may be almost inevitable for writers new to the customs and rules of academic writing, and it can be responded to as a pedagogical opportunity” (103). Beyond simply guessing, what methods can we use to make sure that such patchwriting is unintentional and not malicious?

2.     Rife in his article calls for rhetoric and composition teachers to be aware of the legal concept of fair use and the four-factor test: “Because teachers and students are stakeholders in the copyright regime…most of the time when composing and teaching digital writing, fair use determinations are required” (161). With that in mind, how does that influence or alter your opinion of Lessig’s discussion of “collateral damage” in the war against plagiarism and copyright abuse and that “The war is not about new forms of creativity, not about artists making new art.” (18)