16. Plagiarism

Plagiarism, something that affects us all and I have come to realize that its a big norm here in Asia Pacific College. The first time I saw it happen, I was shocked and amazed that the professors accepted the work of the student without checking the sources. I had come from a school where plagiarism was a very big no no and would lead to suspension and loosing of your diploma.

Before I dwell into plagiarism more, what is plagiarism? Well according to Merriam-webster dictionary, plagiarism is:

• the act of using another persons words or ideas without giving credit to that person: the act of plagiarizing something
• the act of copying the ideas or words of another person without giving credit to that person(s)

Plagiarism encompasses a wide range of actions by merely writing incorrect citations to the theft of someone else s work or ideas in their entirety. There are also two types of plagiarism, one that is deliberate and one that is unintentional. This classification can determine the impact of the offense of the perpetrator. 

Reason students plagiarize:

An article released by Middle Georgia State University outlined the reasons that students in colleges plagiarize. 

1. Writing and Research Skills
• Lack of research skills: College students do not know to how properly research using other forms of sources. This is especially seen in the inability to utilize the books in the library therefore instigating students to use online sources only to which plagiarizing is more prevalent.
• Problems evaluating internet sources: Many students do not know how to critically analyze and evaluate internet sources which then allows them to plagiarize sometimes unknowingly and/or intentionally
• Confusion between plagiarism and paraphrase: Students find it difficult in paraphrasing technical jargon to which they are not familiar with. This leads to plagiarism in their work. Just remember if ever you need to paraphrase something, you must cite the necessary source(s).
• Careless note taking:If careless note taking of direct quotes and phrases are done in the initial research of students work, this could lead to plagiarized work. As the students will find it difficult to distinguish between the quoted words or phrases and their own thoughts and ideas. It is important to have a proper note taking technique
• Confusion about how to properly cite sources: Always cite your sources where need be and stick to one format in a paper. Use either MLA or APA format when citing work and keep it parallel.
2. Misunderstanding Key Concepts
• Misconception of plagiarism: Plagiarism is not only the theft of someone else 'written work'; it is also the theft of another persons ideas whether spoken or written.
• Misconception of intellectual property, copyright and public domain: Students may find it hard to differentiate between what is public domain and can be used by all and what needs cited. I rule of thumb I always follow is that if you needed any form of the scope, then it must be cited.
• Misconception of common knowledge: Many students have the misconception that online sources are public domain and therefore do not need to be cited. However all sources must be cited. This leads to improper citation of online scholarly journals and articles.
3. External Factors
• Pressure from family, competition for scholarships ad jobs: Many families can easily relate to this as a major pressure to quickly get the work done in order to not disappoint ones family or school. When the work load gets too much sometimes, students under a lot of pressure have a greater tendency to plagiarize.
• Student ethics and relationships with the College: The relationship between college and student is important because it establishes the moral ethics and guidelines that influences a students daily decisions. A student may loose what the purpose of education is by aiming for a grade instead of aiming to learn. This culture instigates the act of plagiarism as students do not want to feel like they will get low grades
4. Internal Factors
• Poor time management and organizational skills: Students often have very poor time management and procrastinate their work. When the deadline draws closer, they opt to plagiarize work because of the restraint of time.

 Therefore it is important that we always be truthful in our work. Cite sources where need be and do not plagiarize. Plagiarism is a crime of intellectual property.

External Links

http://www.mga.edu/student-success-center/plagiarism/why.aspx

http://www.ithenticate.com/resources/6-consequences-of-plagiarism

15. Media Literary

On the 25th of November 2015, a seminar entitled "Media Literacy: Mobilizing the Millennials as Socially Responsible Prosumers". The seminar was held at the Asia Pacific College Auditorium. The seminar was an initiative brought by the Publications Office to promote media literacy in APC by particularly tapping the RAMpage editorial staff. The RAMpage is the official APC magazine published for all stakeholders in APC.

The objective of the seminar was to:

1. To develop sense of social responsibility among RAMpage editorial staff and APCians in general; and
2. To create a discourse on media literacy among APCians. 

There were 3 speakers invited to address the student body;

1. Edmallyne Remillano whose accreditation's include being the head writer for the State of Nation with Jessica Soho and the secretary; talents of GMA Network
2. Jan Maynard Nualla whose accreditation's include being the program producer for Global Conversations on CNN Philippines and affiliated with Talents Association of GMA Network and Society of Asian Journalist
3. Lian Nami Buan whose accrediatations include being the associate producer for segments on the State of Nation with Jessica Soho, Associate Editor for Subselfie.com and affiliated with Talents Association of GMA Network.

Ms. Lian focused her talk on the encouragement of writing. She talked about the basic steps needed in writing a story by breaking down each step. Showing the step by step process of writing a story was quite interesting. Personally I already knew the steps being taught because it had been taught to me already. However I found it interesting on her personal approach to writing stories. I especially liked the real life examples she stated. For example when she conducted interviews and reported on certain events, Ms. Lian mentioned that besides the pre-set questions, always have back-up questions based on the answers that you receive. It will allow for a better flowing interview. And also note taking is very important. Only jot down the important phrases that would enhance the news report when writing. 

Ms. Jan focused her talk on the influence of social media on news reporting and our impact as millennial in today's modern society. She mentioned quotes from her favorite author that tied in her message. Ms. Jan implied that we all have a voice that can be heard, that we all are news reporters in a way. She encouraged us to be more active in spreading news and important events. By utilizing our social media accounts we can become the voice of the impoverished, sick, dying etc. An important message she also emphasized on was that we should not be easily influence by things we read online and by social media. She stated the example of the recent terrorist bombing in Paris and on how Facebook users quickly changed the profile pictures and used the hash tag #prayforparis to show their support. However no-one showed support when women and children died in Syria in retaliation of the Paris attacks. The messaged that I retained from her speech was to 'think again, don't be influenced by one perspective'. 

Ms. Edmallyne was almost a culmination of both Ms. Jan and Ms. Lians speech. She talked about her experiences in writing and on how news reports in the Philippines is different from other countries. I liked her talk because she was very interactive with the students body. 

After all the speakers delivered their talks, their was a Q&A session. The questions and answers were usually very subjective in the manner.

The speakers of the seminar from right to left: Mason Davis(myself), Ms. Jan Maynard Nualla, Ms. Lian Nami Buan and Ms. Edmallyne Remillano

The only major criticism I had of the seminar was that the speakers predominantly spoke in Tagalog. I do understand that this is the Philippines and majority of the students are Filipino but still there was the few anomaly like myself that do not fully understand. This hindered in my complete understanding of the message being conveyed. 

14. Euphemism in Filipino Language

According to Merriem-Webster dictionary, euphemism is a mild or pleasant word or phrase that is used instead of one that is offensive or unpleasant. In laymans terms, 'it is beating around the bush'. Euphemism is a good language technique when in situations where causing too much of an offense to the person would not be good. For example instead of saying "you are fat", one could simply say "you look healthy, you eat well" or simply "big boned"

Living in the Philippines for about 5 years, I have come to realize that Filipinos have a great tendency to use Euphemism in their everyday conversation.And now that I am studying the Filipino language in Asia Pacific College, I have realized that it is very much evident in the use of the language.

Filipino virtue does not seem to depict one that is straight forward; and interpersonalism and frankness is not quite seen in the general concept and culture of the people. Filipinos are better known for their 'courteous insincerity'. Likewise the concern for not hurting the feelings of others is approached by the indirect ways and imprecise vague words.

Traditional Filipinos who practiced the courting ritual primarily used euphemism indirectly with the aid of metaphors. During the old times and much rural areas today, Filipino men would make harana (serenade) the women at night and sing song sof loive and affection. This is basically a Spanish influence. The man is usually accompanied by his close friends who provide moral support for the guy, apart from singing with him. Euphemism on sexual matters is however universal. For example, instead of saying, 'sex', one says 'making love'. But Filipino euphemisms, besides the sexual, abound because of diplomatic concern. Basically meaning having a stance that is somewhat neautral and fair to all.

Here are few examples of Filipino euphemisms used:

• Instead of saying someone has 'died'  ('namatay'), in the Filipino language, one says they 'went to the after life' (sumakabilang buhay)
• Substitute calling someone 'smelly' (mabaho) for 'smell off '~not necessarily good or bad~ (may amoy)
• Substitute calling someone 'ugly' (pangit) with 'not so pretty' (hindi kagandahan)
• Substitute saying someone is 'poor' (mahirap) with 'a little short' ~in terms of necessities~ (Kapos palad/ Salat sa bahay

External Links

http://www.phrasebase.com/archive/tagalog/82-courtship-in-philippine-culture.html

http://resources.iupsys.net/iupsys/index.php/iupsysresources/227-philippines-articles/7992-indigenization-of-psychology-in-the-philippines-2002

http://philippinestudies.net/ojs/index.php/ps/article/viewFile/1962/5012