Plagiarism

We've all heard the word. We've all heard how rampantly it is occurring in universities. But do you have to deal with it?

I do, and I must admit it's one of the hardest parts of my job.

In some cultures, plagiarism is not an issue. For example, let's look at Chinese culture and the process of writing a paper. For a Chinese person, if you are doing research and an expert says something, there is no reason to paraphrase or use your own words because you are not an expert; there is no way you will be able to say it as well as her. When we, Westerners, find something that an author wrote extremely well and don't want to change as to not lose its effectiveness or strength, we use quotations. But in Chinese culture, there is no reason to change anything and no need to reference those whose ideas are being used in a paper.

Yet, I do not teach within Chinese culture. I teach within Western culture, and using someone else's words or ideas without citing them is seen as wrong, Illegal, STEALING. So, I must teach and mark from that perspective. But when and how do grace and mercy play a role in this?

Plagiarism is defined as three or more words that are not your own. [Reference for this coming - it's on a handout sitting on my desk!] How much should I let go? Should a student be given another opportunity to write a paper that originally contained plagiarism? How many opportunities should that student get in each class? Should I give any grace at all? A university professor is not going to care if you come from a different culture OR going to care about how long you have lived within Western culture. Since I am preparing students to enter university in two months, should I care? We have been learning and talking about plagiarism at least once a week, every week, since this semester began. For a professor, plagiarism is plagiarism and warrants nothing but an F. Should it not be the same for me?

Does anyone have any answers?