Persuasion in Ancient Greece

Andrew Scholtz, Instructor

Informational Pages. . .

Guide to Academic Honesty, Research, MLA etc. (documentation, citation)

select a category... Definitions, General Comments Paper-Writing, Oral-Presenting, etc. Research   Research "Don't"s   Research "Do"s Documentation, Citation, MLA   General Procedures   How to...     Quotation     Abbreviated Quotation     Paraphrase     Other     Ancient Sources

RELATED LINKS:

• Research Help Guides @ Binghamton University Libraries
• University Bulletin > Academic Policies and Procedures for All Students (University-wide standards and procedures relating to academic honesty and integrity)
• Academic Honesty Tutorial @ BU Libraries
• Avoiding Plagiarism @ Purdue Owl
• MLA @ Purdue Owl
• George Brown Library - Academic Honesty Tutorial @ George Brown College

Definitions, General Comments

It is important that ALL students approach their learning forthrightly and honestly. I will make every effort to clarify how that can be done and will help you along the way. Note, therefore, that, by enrolling in this course, students agree to abide by the provisions of the University's STUDENT ACADEMIC HONESTY CODE.

WHAT IS ACADEMIC HONESTY? It is the ability to say that your work is substantially yours, and that you have forthrightly and scrupulously pointed out how you have relied on the words, ideas, research, etc. of others.

As for academic dishonesty, that includes:

• Plagiarism (presenting another's work as one's own through unacknowledged quoting/paraphrasing, use of another's ideas, failure to acknowledge sources, using someone else's research notes or similar)
• Cheating
  • copying from. . .
    • another's test paper
    • a "cheat-sheet" brought to class
  • any form of unfair help received
• "Recycling" of papers (submitting one paper to more than one class)
• Unauthorized collaboration (different from working with an assigned team or from forming a legitimate study-group)
• Fabrication (arguing from evidence you've made up)
• Forgery (of signatures, of paper-authorship, etc.)
• Sabotage (undermining efforts of other students)
• Bribery (inducements to affect grade)
• Fabrication of excuses concerning (i.e., lying about) absence, need for make-ups, etc.

Note, too, that any and all instances of academic dishonesty WILL result in a course-grade of F along with appropriate disciplinary action, not excluding expulsion from the University, as deemed appropriate by the authorities charged with handling such cases.

Further, by taking this course, students consent to submit all written assignments to Turnitin.com or other, similar anti-plagiarism databases for textual similarity review. Students also agree not to abet the academic dishonesty of others in connection with this class.

In short, academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. For this class, we follow the procedures, definitions, etc. laid out by documents accessible via the Binghamton web; click here for more.

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Academic Honesty/Dishonesty in Paper-Writing, Oral-Presenting, etc.

In paper-writing and oral-presenting, honesty mostly means the avoidance of PLAGIARISM, defined by the Purdue Owl as:

". . . the uncredited use (both intentional and unintentional) of somebody else's words or ideas." (link)

Note the phrase, "both intentional and unintentional." Unintentional plagiarism and the like, though unintentional, can even so get you expelled! You are, in other words, required to be proactive about plagiarism and its avoidance, sort of like knowing not to drive when drunk.

For more clarity, let's consider the University's regulations. To quote the University Bulletin, plagiarism is:

Presenting the work of another person as one’s own work (including papers, words, ideas, information, computer code, data, evidence-organizing principles, or style of presentation of someone else taken from the Internet, books, periodicals or other sources). Plagiarism [the Bulletin continues] includes:

• quoting, paraphrasing or summarizing without acknowledgement, even a few phrases
• failing to acknowledge the source of either a major idea or ordering principle central to one’s own paper
• relying on another person’s data, evidence or critical method without credit or permission
• submitting another person’s work as one’s own
  using unacknowledged research sources gathered by someone else

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In the above, please note phrases like "even a few phrases." It is, in other words, altogether too easy to commit plagiarism, though avoidance really isn't that hard at all. . . .

So, to avoid plagiarizing:

1. "YOU QUOTE IT, YOU NOTE IT," to quote Acadia University's so-named page. You may have listed your quotation's source in your Works Cited. But if it's not specifically pointed out by quote-marks and citation in your text it's plagiarism! Hence, . . .
2. Follow the procedures discussed below as to citing your sources, whether that's for verbatim (word-for-word) quoting, paraphrasing (restating in your own words), or other forms of reliance.
3. DO NOT USE COPY-AND-PASTE RESEARCH from the internet or anywhere without detailed source-notation! To do otherwise leads inevitably to plagiarism because it becomes impossible to distinguish between what's really yours and what are your sources.
   • When researching, make sure you carefully record your source, and whether the note you take represents a verbatim or paraphrased record.
   • Do not use the copy-and-paste technique for "ideas," i.e., as a template for your paper, as that's the fast track to plagiarism.
4. Do not use research shortcuts like those described below. Do not consult online or offline versions of Wikipedia or the like.
5. DO NOT SUBMIT OR PRESENT UNORIGINAL MATERIAL.
   • Do not buy, download, or copy papers, PowerPoints, etc. from the internet or from anywhere or anyone else.
   • Do not re-cycle past papers etc., whether re-edited or as-is. If you feel you must incorporate matter you've used or likely will use in another submitted writing, consult with me first.
   • Do not have others do any of your research or writing for you
   • As to this last, while I strongly encourage you to seek outside help with your work, including having fellow students give it a read-through plus suggestions for improvement, that's a far cry from dishonest "help" in the form of of having others do the work. If you have questions or are unsure, contact me.

Research

I have a dedicated "Resources" page to fast-track you to various research-related materials:

• books and articles, aka bibliography
• bibliographical data bases (listings of sources)
• valid research web sites

As to the research itself, though none of the assignments should require really deep or difficult delving (I have assigned no term papers), still, you do need to research.

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Research "Don't"s

REASEARCH SHORTCUTS. Do not go to WikiPedia, "Ask Jeeves," "Ask.com," Cliff Notes (on- or offline), random hits on Google searches, etc. That's bad research from the outset, and leads quickly to PLAGIARISM.

GOOGLE and the like. Googling CAN work IF DONE RIGHT. If you're going to do a Google search, use only valid scholarly resources pulled up through the following sub-portals of Google:

• Google Books
• Google Scholar

But you'll need to be careful even there! In other words, when consulting "hits" pulled up by any standard search engine, only consult SITES DEEMED VALID.

So, what's a valid site? Valid sites include:

• Those recommended by me (see Resources)
• Those clearly reflecting the fact that
  • they've been "vetted," i.e., subjected to a review-and-approval process (WikiPedia and the like are unvetted)
  • they've been produced by a recognized authority on your topic
  • they're kept current
  • they're pertinent to your topic
  • they're not unduly slanted ideologically, commercially, etc., i.e., are sufficiently unbiased

It's not that your "Wikis" and such are always wrong, and scholarly authorities always right. It is, rather, that we expect very little from the Wikis and expect a great deal from authorities. To go with the Wiki is, then, to waste your and my time.

So, how to vet a site? You can start by asking the following:

• What is the sponsoring organization? Is it. . .
  • academic? (not an automatic pass, but still something to look for)
  • commercial? (can be problematic)
  • political/politicized? (avoid)
  • unvetted private site? (avoid)
  • lunatic fringe? (fuggedaboutit!)
    • You'll want to be careful here. Most of that "fringe," and much of the biased non-fringe, is smart enough to know that they'll need to cloak their intentions. So, for instance, if doing research on smoking, really check to see what that sponsoring organization is.
• Does the resource in question cite its sources? (Wikis often don't.) Are those up to date?
• Is the site maintained? (check "last updated")
• Is it pertinent?

Please see more at the BU Libraries' Research Help page, especially links under "How to evaluate resources."

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Research "Do"s

The truth is that for much research in the humanities, ancient Greek studies especially, print sources remain your best bet.

You can start by seeing if your topic, or aspects of it, are dealt with by the following print reference sources (in Bartle Library's Reference Room, just beyond Bartle Circulation Desk):

Cancik, Hubert, et al., eds. Brill's New Pauly: Encyclopaedia of the Ancient World. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2002. Print.

In its class, it can't be beat — use!!

Hornblower, Simon, and Antony Spawforth, eds. The Oxford Classical Dictionary. 3rd ed. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Print.

Excellent basic ref. for all manner of ancient topics.

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Also check titles on shelf reserve (aka "physical reserve," in the Library's Newcomb Reading room, near the Library North coffee kiosk) for this course at the Bartle Circulation Desk. Those titles are listed on the "Resources" page, this site, which offers links as well to a variety of search databases.

I will also be discussing bibliography in class, so take good notes.

Documentation, Citation, MLA

General Procedures

Assertions and arguments must be supported by evidence, facts, supporting texts supplied by primary (= ancient) or secondary (= modern) sources.

You should also be trying to frame your arguments in terms related to ongoing discussion, whether in class or in the work of modern scholars.

If you're drawing on extremely common knowledge (facts like the near obvious that Pericles was Athenian), you needn't cite a source. For everything else coming from outside your head, you must cite your source.

Or, as the so-named site at Arcadia University puts it, "YOU QUOTE IT, YOU NOTE IT" (link). But that applies to any reference you make to other sources, or any help you get from them.

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How to Document, How to Cite MLA Style

For documentation and citation in longer (i.e., "major") papers, as well is in the Gorgias PowerPoint-essay, we shall be following styles and guidelines provided by the MLA ("Modern Language Association") as those are described at the Purdue Owl.

Quotation

First, and just for the sake of illustration, a sentence and no more:

The word dēmokratia can be translated literally as "the people (dēmos) possess the political power (kratos) in the state."

What could be wrong with that? What's wrong with it is that it PLAGIARIZES: it steals language and / or thought from someone or something else. Note that a SINGLE, unattributed quotation, like the one just above, can get you in deep trouble!

How to fix?

Use QUOTATION MARKS, use language to introduce the quote, supply the source in a parenthetical reference, include a reference on your "Works Cited" page:

As one scholar explains it, "The word dēmokratia can be translated literally as "the people (dēmos) possess the political power (kratos) in the state" (Ober 3).

Works Cited

Ober, Josiah. Mass and Elite in Democratic Athens. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1989. Print.

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In the above, note the following:

• Introductory language ("As one scholar explains it,") framing the quote (see "Writing Issues" on "dropped quotes")
• Parenthetical reference, namely, (Ober 3), that's author + page (space, no comma separating) inside parentheses and OUTSIDE THE QUOTE ITSELF
• In "Works Cited," MLA style bibliographical entry for what in parentheses is indicated only by the author's last name

Note that quoting and parenthetical referencing can be handled in a variety of ways:

Ober explains it as follows, "The word dēmokratia can be translated literally as "the people (dēmos) possess the political power (kratos) in the state" (3). [No "Ober" in parentheses because stated in the text.]

On the third page of Mass and Elite, Ober says, "The word dēmokratia can be translated literally as "the people (dēmos) possess the political power (kratos) in the state." [No parentheses at all b/c the ref is in the text itself]

When working with more than one title by a single author, to keep things straight, your in-text parenthetical references should use a shortened title (along with the author's last name, where necessary). In the works cited, ---. for each second and subsequent entry by the same author:

One scholar has written extensively on Athenian democracy and its basis in speech and consensus (Ober Mass and Elite, Ober "Civic Ideology and Counterhegemonic Discourse," Ober "Social Science History").

Works Cited

Ober, Josiah. "Social Science History, Cultural History, and the Amnesty of 403." Transactions of the American Philological Association 132 (2002): 127-37. Print.

---. "Civic Ideology and Counterhegemonic Discourse: Thucydides on the Sicilian Debate." Athenian Identity and Civic Ideology. Eds. Alan L. Boegehold and Adele C. Scafuro. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1994. 102–26. Print.

---. Mass and Elite in Democratic Athens: Rhetoric, Ideology, and the Power of the People. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1989. Print.

Note, too, the use of quotation marks w/o italics for titles of book chapters and journal articles, italics for the titles of books and journals (more here on titles). In other words, MLA ALL THE WAY!

You'll need to consult the Owl for details, but you can get a very good idea of how it all works from my sample paper.

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Abbreviated Quotation

Use the ellipse (. . .) to show where words have been left out of your quotation. Use four dots if that involves the end of a sentence somewhere:

On the third page of Mass and Elite, Ober says, "The word dēmokratia can be translated literally as "the people (dēmos) possess the political power (kratos). . . ."

When abbreviating a quotation, MAKE SURE IT STILL WORKS AS A SENTENCE (is grammatical, observes proper syntax). If, when reading it aloud, it sounds funny, FIX IT. You can sometimes do that by doctoring the wording a little bit to make it flow. Where you have changed or added language, indicate the fact through the use of square brackets:

On the third page of Mass and Elite, Ober says, "The word dēmokratia can be translated literally as "the people (dēmos) possess [sovereign power]."

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Paraphrase

Paraphrase is like quotation, only with paraphrase, you are restating, often to clarify or summarize, in your own words, the words of another.

AS IN THE CASE OF QUOTATION, SO WITH PARAPHRASE, YOU NEED TO CITE YOUR SOURCE:

That democracy for the ancients meant, first and foremost, power vested in the people, the body politic, can be seen from the very name the Greeks used for their system, a name basically stating that the people (the dēmos) holds the power (Ober 3). [I'm paraphrasing Ober, I ABSOLUTELY NEED TO CITE HIM, else it's plagiarism]

Other Forms of Reliance / Dependence on Outside Sources

Needless to say, any time you draw on an outside source for a fact, an idea, a perspective (a "lens"), or if you want your reader to know where to place you in relation to other writers with whom you may or may not agree, CITE!!!

In what follows, I take issue with the highly influential mass-and-elite model (Ober). [that model is Ober's - no page # b/c that's the topic of his whole book]

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Documentation Using Ancient Sources

For this class, please treat ancient sources the way you would modern. Use parenthetical, MLA-style author-page references; include the target work in your Works Cited.

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