SocioCultural Context of Writing
THE SECURITISATION OF PLAGIARISM
John Harbord
Central European University, Budapest, Hungary
Plagiarism is increasingly seen as a pervasive threat to academic values, not least when perpetrated by overseas students who may be seen as bringing with them different cultural values which may lead them to see the copying of others work as acceptable. Traditional definitions of plagiarism have always included the intent to deceive. However, given that intent is often hard to prove since the midlate 1990s increasing numbers of universities are redefining plagiarism so as to remove this element and thus make it easier to secure convictions. Many policies now define plagiarism as incorrect use of sources, meaning that growing numbers of students, especially foreign students or those from disadvantaged minorities who have not yet mastered the complex rules of source use, now find themselves guilty of unintentional dishonesty. I draw on a theory from international relations, securitisation theory, to show how the perception of plagiarism as a threat to essential values leads to the justification of extraordinary measures we would not normally consider, simply because the severity of the perceived threat to academic existence trumps our normal values such as fairness and justice. I argue that securitizing plagiarism serves neither the international student, nor ultimately the university system. I consider how we can desecuritise the issue, returning to educational rather than punitive measures to assist students in fully mastering source use.
References
Bigo, Didier. (2002). Security and Immigration: Toward a Critique of the Governmentality of Unease. Alternatives: Global, Local, Political 27, 6392
Buzan, Barry, Waever, Ole and de Wilde, Jaap. (1998). Security: a new framework for analysis. Boulder, Colorado: L. Rienner.