Plagiarism Charge Hits Television Personality

An author of a celiac disease book accused television talk show co-host, Elisabeth Hasselbeck of plagiarism in a lawsuit filed June 22 ('View' Co-Host Hasselbeck Accused of Plagiarism, New York Times report from an Associated Press story, June 23, 2009). Susan Hassett, author of Living with Celiac Disease sent Hasselbeck a copy of the book after the co-host of "The View" mentioned that she had the disease last year. Hasselbeck's book, The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide was published this year and Hassett cites "lists and passages" from her earlier book that have been found in the 2009 book. Also, incorrect information about celiac disease was included in Hasselbeck's book. Hassett's lawsuit aims to stop the sale of the latest book.

Discussion Questions:

1. Are celebrity authors unfairly targeted in plagiarism claims? Or do celebrity authors not possess sufficient expertise on a subject in many cases, so they feel the need to borrow freely from other authors without attribution?
2. Hassett mentions that Hasselbeck included "lists and passages" from the earlier book by Hassett. The United States Copyright Office at the Library of Congress notes what is not covered by copyright on page 3 of their Copyright Basics web page (PDF format). Unless the "lists" she mentions include added descriptions or explanations, they may not be protected under copyright. Do you think all information (including lists) in an author's work should be protected under copyright law? Why or why not?
3. Many popular books (in contrast to scholarly research studies) don't include lists of sources in the text of the book or in a bibliography at the end of the book. Should all books list sources used in preparation of that published work? Why or why not?
   

Kyocera Founder Touts Benevolent Capitalism

Kazuo Inamori, founder of Kyocera, a Japanese cell phone manufacturer, says that companies should "seek profits supported by sound ethics and a strong sense of morality," something that is lacking in the current capitalistic model. ("Kyocera Founder Kazuo Inamori Criticizes U.S. CEO Excesses," April 21, 2009 - USA Today). Greed should not be the underlying principle in the quest for profit according to Inamori. He suggests that profit making should be tempered with what actions are "for the good of society." Inamori also says that astronomically-high executive salaries should not be the norm, because a CEO should share the wealth with all the players who contributed to company success.

Discussion Questions:

1. Are U.S. executives likely to buy into Inamori's philosophy about profit making with a heart? Why or why not?
2. Inamori also talks about profit making for the long haul so companies don't settle for short-term profit at the expense of long-term company viability. Will international companies continue to aim for short-term gains instead of long-term solvency as a result of the current economic crisis? Why or why not?
   
3. Inamori is an ordained Zen Buddhist monk. Do you believe that religious principles can guide a company to become more successful and increase profits? Why or why not?
   

Laptop Use in Class-Distracting or Beneficial?

Increased campus wireless access to the Internet at the University of Colorado prompted discussion about laptop use in the classroom (Profs Grapple with Laptop Rules as CU Campus Goes Wireless - Boulder County Daily Camera, March 15, 2009). One student remarked about off-topic Web surfing being distracting and contacted her professor with a plea to restrict Internet use during class. Some professors banned laptops in lecture classes, while others require laptop users to be in the front seats. One clever professor matched laptop use with scores on the first test and 17 heavy laptop users were advised that they scored 11 percent worse than other students. According to the professor, after that alert only six students continued using their laptops and grades of laptop abstainers increased.

Discussion Questions:

1. Is it a student's right to use a laptop during class, despite the possible distractions it presents to other students? Why or why not?
   
2. Does the ability to search online to clarify a class discussion topic make the class presentation more interesting, because you can immediately add something from an online source? Why or why not?
3. Can most students easily multi-task online during class and keep up with the professor? Why or why not?
   

MySpace Posts Prompt Nursing Student Dismissal

A former nursing student at the University of Louisville (KY) brought legal action against the school because they forced her to leave the program because of outspoken MySpace posts (U of L Dismisses Nursing Student over Blog Posts, Louisville Courier-Journal, March 14, 2009). The blogger, Nina Yoder, requested that she be allowed to return to the nursing program because the school "violated her First Amendment rights."

The nursing school countered that Yoder was expelled because she mentioned her affiliation with the University in the posts, talked about patients, used profanity, and made derogatory comments about ethnic and religious groups which violates the school's nursing honor code. In one section of the nursing honor code, students must pledge to maintain "confidentiality and professionalism in all my written work, spoken word, actions and interactions with patients."

Discussion Questions:

1. Do universities have the right to dismiss students because of activities outside classrooms and clinical settings?
2. The University of Louisville includes a statement on academic freedom at their website. It clearly states that "students have a right to their own views on matters of opinion, rather than fact, and a right to express those views in appropriate ways." If Nina Yoder did not disclose patient names, should she be able to talk about working with patients in her blog posts?

Professor Shuns Plagiarism Police Role

In her new book, My Word! Plagiarism and College Culture, University of Notre Dame anthropologist Susan D. Blum promotes a proactive academic integrity appeal to students that encourages recognizing originality and distinguishing between levels of plagiarism (It’s Culture, Not Morality, Inside Higher Ed, February 3, 2009). With a greater emphasis on collaboration and a "entirely different concept of ownership," today's students need more education on what is acceptable when using the work of others in assignments rather than a heavy emphasis on the penalties for plagiarism. Also, constructing assignments to minimize the opportunity for plagiarism is an important academic integrity tool for professors.

Discussion Questions:

1. Do most professors assume that students know what academic integrity means by the time they reach college?
2. How much do professors explain acceptable practices when students work on assignments?
3. Do you think most professors agree that it's a good idea for students to work together on projects?
4. Is all plagiarism equally bad? Or is forgetting to cite a source worse than copying a paragraph from a book and not putting quotes around it?
   

Company Put Profits over Safety in Tainted Peanut Scandal

Allegations that the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) willfully sold salmonella-contaminated peanuts that caused at least nine deaths and made over 600 people ill in 43 states continues to rock the entire food industry (Salmonella Outbreak Eases Way for Food Safety Reforms, Baltimore Sun, February 15, 2009). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notes that PCA owner, Stewart Parnell disregarded "at least 12 tests revealing salmonella in 2007 and 2008" and persisted in distributing peanut products in a quest to increase profits. A criminal investigation is underway into PCA's actions.

In the wake of this tragedy, food safety advocates are calling for reform of the FDA with one Connecticut congressperson calling for a new agency, Food Safety Administration to work proactively to prevent food contamination. Rep. Rosa DeLauro sponsored legislation for the Food Safety Modernization Act to mandate that "companies control health hazards in their operations and meet federal standards for removing contaminants and be subject to regular inspections, based on the "risk profile" of the food they produce." Also, the act would give government the ability to "seize unsafe products and order recalls."

Discussion Questions:

1. Why would a company risk lives by distributing unsafe products? Are companies so desperate to make money in a downturned economy that they would do anything to increase profits? Didn't someone realize that continuing to distribute these dangerous products would ultimately cause the downfall of the company and related businesses?
2. Despite additional government inspections and regulations, the consumer still must depend on the food industry to act responsibly and follow safe practices when processing their products. How can the food industry ensure that companies employ best practices when processing food?
3. After reading this article from the Baltimore Sun, what other practices or regulations would you recommend to improve food safety?
   

Obama's Transition Web Site Licensed to Creative Commons

The Obama Change.gov web site now permits viewers "to copy, distribute, display, and perform material from the site, as well as to remix it, as long as the work is attributed to its source" as reported in CNET News for December 1, 2008 ("Obama Team Changes Change.gov Copyright Policy"). The article notes that federal government sites are in most cases free of copyright use restrictions, so Change.gov is a bit different in that it requires attribution.

Discussion Questions:

1. Stanford Law Professor Larry Lessig is quoted in the article saying, in effect, that crediting an information source is good practice. Why do you think he made that comment? Do you agree or disagree with his statement?
2. Did you know that material produced by the United States government can be freely used without copyright restrictions? In this age of budget deficits and economic woes, do you think it would be a good idea for the federal government to charge use fees on goverment information? Why or why not?