A careful genealogy of ideas is the cornerstone of academic inquiry. Citation gives credit to others and underscores your own contributions to a scholarly conversation.
As noted on the syllabus, I value your intelligence and integrity and am committed to a class that is equitable and fair. Scholastic dishonesty is at odds with these values. Plagiarism and other forms of cheating will not be tolerated. You are responsible for knowing what constitutes academic dishonesty and for avoiding any instance of it. Failure to do so will result in failure of the course and in being reported to the dean of students. Please read the college policy on academic honesty on the website at http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/academic/academic_honesty.html.
I want to speak directly to the use and limitations of artificial intelligence (AI) in a class like this. The various AI programs available to assist writers might complement but cannot replace the sorts of human creativity, originality, and critical thinking that constitute college-level educational development. Writing is a craft that takes time and is most useful when you learn various ways to shape and use your own individual voice. In my experience, AI text generation tends to be useful for structure and grammar, not ideas or originality or even accuracy. I am confident that your own writing outstrips what I see from AI, which relies on generic phrasing, skates across the surface, makes mistakes, and describes without analyzing. However, within limited circumstances, and with proper attribution, AI programs may be used as one tool among many in the writing process. Please consult with me if you have questions about when and how AI can be employed, and please understand that using AI without attribution will be considered a form of academic dishonesty.
I include a few internet gems here that speak to academic honesty and the limitations of AI (more on the latter in links):
@etymologynerd a video where i meticulously and commendably delve into the plethora of “delves” #chatgpt #openai #linguistics #academia #language
Plagiarism in the public eye:
PLEASE communicate with me if you are unclear about proper citation of sources or about how to avoid plagiarism!