The resignation of Harvard president Claudine Gay has led to a considerable debate about what does and doesn’t constitute plagiarism. For me, more than a decade removed from the classroom, the discussion brings back unhappy memories of marking down, or failing, students for blatant academic dishonesty. There were very few downsides to being a tenured college professor, but reading papers that were simply cut-and-paste jobs off the web was one of them.
you're right, it has nothing to do with Claudine Gay.
And you're perfectly entitled to assume familiarity with our Western heritage, regardless of how much it's not taught today. If see a phrase that isn't colloquial English, I might google it to see where it comes from.
Life is so much more enjoyable when you know where the cultural references come from without the author slapping you in the face with them. It's like having an inside joke with a childhood friend.
you're right, it has nothing to do with Claudine Gay.
And you're perfectly entitled to assume familiarity with our Western heritage, regardless of how much it's not taught today. If see a phrase that isn't colloquial English, I might google it to see where it comes from.
Life is so much more enjoyable when you know where the cultural references come from without the author slapping you in the face with them. It's like having an inside joke with a childhood friend.