STEALING IDEAS


Plagiarism

plagiarismpicIncreasingly students will use internet sources to help them with their homework: used thoughtfully and critically, these can be an excellent tool.

However this also presents an interesting dilemma: with such a wealth of information available, it can be all-too-easy to ‘copy and paste’ a homework answer or even a coursework essay rather than processing the information and making it their own original work. Copying someone else’s work is plagiarism – whether it’s the person working next to you, or copying and pasting from the internet.

Discussion starter activity

Start by watching this anti-piracy advert from Chile. It shows a scene from family life where the moral values of a child are clearly affected by his father’s actions. The advertising campaign is designed to make people think more carefully about their moral viewpoint with the hope of reducing film piracy.

Is downloading an essay and passing it off as your own illegal?

Do you think it is immoral?

Develop arguments to support your opinions.

What do you think are the links between plagiarism and piracy?

Imagine you produced a fantastic piece of work for art or music, maths, choreography for dance or whatever you wish, and entered it into a competition.

How would you feel if someone else stole your ideas and profited from them?

Role-play scenario

To take these ideas further, download the Scenario document. Think carefully about the moral issues that are raised in the scene. You should work in a group and take on the roles outlined.