The Emperor of China receives a candidate during the Imperial examination (Song dynasty, 960-1279)

(Image from Wikimedia commons)

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Academic Integrity Seminar

Copyright: Academic Integrity Seminar (all rights reserved)

(Ten short assignments. Return your ten responses in the body of one e-mail)
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A photo and short biographical reference for your AIS tutor can be viewed here.

Click here if you'd like to see a compilation of student comments about the seminar.

Scroll down to the last page (below) for seminar completion final steps

Please complete the ten short seminar assignments below. Your answers and our responses will be shared with the
office that assigned you. AIS does not impose deadlines, but please adhere to any deadlines set by the office that
assigned you.

Our seminar is grounded in the humanities and explores academic integrity from the broader perspective of applied
ethics. We don’t know your enrollment circumstances (e.g., some students take the seminar prior to service on
hearing panels or honor committees), but we hope you will be pleased with the depth of the readings and the quality
of the questions.

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"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself"

--George Bernard Shaw

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Academic Integrity Seminar Instructions

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General instructions

Please use your University e-mail address in all AIS correspondence. For information on deadlines:
Please contact the University staff member who assigned you.

Reading or grading questions: write to Gary Pavela at garypavela@integrityseminar.org. Each student

receives personalized attention. AIS needs up to five business days to review your work.

Please check your spam filter if you don't receive a timely response (two business days) to any of your
messages. If any unusual delays occur, your backup contact is DeForest McDuff at
deforest@integrityseminar.org

Preparing your answers

Please return your answers to Gary Pavela at garypavela@integrityseminar.org. Imperative: keep a paper
and electronic copy of your work for future reference.

Send appropriately numbered, sequential answers to all ten assignments in the body of one email (see
the label "questions for you to answer" in each assignment). No attachments, please.

Kindly use a normal size font (9 or 10), single spaced. Do not repeat the entire question above your
answer--just provide the assignment number, please.

Most questions will ask you to "explain" or "discuss" your answers. This kind of college level writing may
require several paragraphs, but it cannot be done properly in a sentence or two.

IMPORTANT please read carefully: It's essential to use quotation marks or block indentation and a
source citation when you incorporate any language from any source, including all AIS readings.
It's equally important to avoid a "deceptive" or "patchwork paraphrase" (changing or adding occasional
words, but otherwise using the author's core ideas and phraseology without attribution). Click here for
guidance from the University of Wisconsin on the difference between permissible and impermissible
paraphrasing. Click here for guidance from MIT on the kinds of "common knowledge" you are not required
to quote or cite. If in doubt, it's always prudent to include quotation marks and a citation.

Successful students:

[1] Learn how to think for themselves and express their own creative ideas (a critical capacity as routine
work is computerized worldwide);

[2] Learn how to enrich and improve their own writing;

[3] Participate in collaborative scholarship by alerting readers to other sources of insight and information.
Writing is a discipline critical to any profession. To learn how to be a disciplined writer (much as an athlete
learns and develops a physical skill) writers must form disciplined writing habits.

No formal citations or "works cited" list required. Just be sure to identify the author in your answer,
using appropriate quotation marks or block indentation, as needed. You'll find additional guidance about
avoiding plagiarism here.

Please remember: our questions are designed to elicit your analysis and opinion. Be sure to explain your
reasoning. When you use any excerpts, use short selections only.

Identity verification: Please be prepared to discuss these questions and your answers in person with a
university administrator, upon request. Be sure to bring your university identification (photo ID) with you.
Your university, not AIS, will make the final decision about seminar completion status.

A final word of caution: "Answers" to some college class assignments (including one or more AIS
assignments) can be purchased online. We are aware of the sites (which are miraculously available to
people of all ages, for a fee) and report any use of them to referring schools. Contrary to promises made
by the site promoters, the writing isn't very good and the content rarely "original." You're far better off
trusting your own abilities. We recommend using the free professional services at your campus Writing
Center. You'll be asked to make revisions and do your own work, but that approach is consistent with the
fantastic idea that you're paying college tuition to learn something, instead of pretending to learn
something.

Student admission in the Natio Germanica Bononiae, the nation (assembly) of German
students at the University of Bologna (Italy) (1088 A.D.)."Reported to be the oldest
university in continuous operation." Wikimedia repository.
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Academic Integrity Seminar Readings and Assignments

Please return all assignment answers (1-10) in the body of one email (no attachments) to Gary Pavela at
garypavela@integrityseminar.org. Be sure to include the integrity affirmation
and payment information at the end (see "final steps" below).
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ASSIGNMENT ONE: Please read “The Trees of the Niu Mountain" by Mengzi.

Questions for you to answer:

[a] Explain what the metaphor of the mountain means.

[b] Does the author think human nature is basically "good" (cooperative and trustworthy) or "bad"
(uncooperative and untrustworthy) or some other alternative? Do you agree? Explain your answer.

[c] In ethical terms, what are some of the forces that can undermine a beautiful soul or character? Explain
your answer.

[d] Given the date and source of this reading, what can we conclude about the possibility that some core
values are broadly shared among people in diverse cultures? How could such "core values" arise?

​Wikipedia commons
(Are you curious? Studying this one ideogram
can be a college education in itself)

ASSIGNMENT TWO: Please review this Harvard University commencement speech by (then) Federal
Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan. Please focus on these four paragraphs.

[a] "I do not deny that many appear to have succeeded in a material way by cutting corners and
manipulating associates, both in their professional and in their personal lives. But material success is
possible in this world and far more satisfying when it comes without exploiting others. The true measure
of a career is to be able to be content, even proud, that you succeeded . . . without leaving a trail of
casualties in your wake."

[b] "I cannot speak for others whose psyches I may not be able to comprehend, but, in my working life, I
have found no greater satisfaction than achieving success through honest dealings and strict adherence
to the view that for you to gain, those you deal with should gain as well. Human relations--be they
personal or professional--should not be zero sum games."
 [c] "And beyond the personal sense of satisfaction, having a reputation for fair dealing is a profoundly
practical virtue. We call it 'good will' in business and add it to our balance sheets."

[d] "Trust is at the root of any economic system based on mutually beneficial exchange. In virtually all
transactions, we rely on the word of those with whom we do business. Were this not the case, exchange
of goods and services could not take place on any reasonable scale. Our commercial codes and
contract law presume that only a tiny fraction of contracts, at most, need be adjudicated. If a significant
number of businesspeople violated the trust upon which our interactions are based, our court system
and our economy would be swamped into immobility."

Two questions for you to answer: [1] Do you think Greenspan is being realistic about the possibility of
"business ethics?" Cite specific language from his speech (in quotation marks) and explain your reasoning.
[2] Identify the core ethical values you plan to follow in your career.

Additional background for reflection (assignment two)

(Note: materials here and below labeled "for reflection" do not require written responses)

Thought question: Don't "soft" terms like "good-will" or "mutually beneficial exchange" reflect ignorance about
evolutionary anthropology? Shouldn't we accept the reality that human beings are self-interested primates engaged in
a ruthless struggle for dominance? Only the strongest individuals survive, right?

Actually, those kinds of statements are consistently refuted by direct observation of how social animals like primates
live. Consider this observation by Yuval Noah Harari in his 2014 book, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind:

“When [chimpanzees] . . . are contesting the alpha position, they usually do so by forming extensive
coalitions of supporters, both male and female, from within the group. Ties between coalition members are
based on intimate daily contact – hugging, touching, kissing, grooming and mutual favours. Just as human
politicians on election campaigns go around shaking hands and kissing babies, so aspirants to the top
position in a chimpanzee group spend much time hugging, back-slapping and kissing baby chimps. The
alpha male usually wins his position not because he is physically stronger, but because he leads a large and
stable coalition. These coalitions play a central part not only during overt struggles for the alpha position, but
in almost all day-to-day activities. Members of a coalition spend more time together, share food, and help
one another in times of trouble.”

In short, while physical strength and assertiveness certainly matter (especially in competition with other groups)
fostering the "good will" that maintains "extensive coalitions of supporters" turns out to be even more important. A
leader who isn't trusted won't remain a leader for long. See this observation by a contemporary expert on
(human) leadership skills: "[e]ffective leadership is defined by how well a leader executes a mission, how they
show empathy and inspire those who follow them."

Thought question: How did a small country like Holland become a world economic power (the richest country in
Europe for many years)? Hint: it may have had something to do with trust and the rule of law.
Here's an economic perspective on the importance of social trust from Francis Fukuyama in his book Trust: The
Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity (Free Press. 1995, pp.27-28):

"Trust is the expectation that arises within a community of regular, honest, and cooperative behavior,
based on commonly shared norms, on the part of other members of that community . . . [P]eople
who do not trust one another will end up cooperating only under a system of formal rules and
regulations, which have to be negotiated, agreed to, litigated, and enforced, sometimes by coercive
means. This legal apparatus, serving as a substitute for trust, entails what economists call
"transaction costs." Widespread distrust in a society, in other words, imposes a kind of tax on all
forms of economic activity, a tax that high-trust societies do not have to pay."

You'll see something similar in the business success of the Quakers.

Thought question: How might "business ethics" evolve in the 21st Century? Former Vice-President Al Gore and
others are promoting the idea of "sustainable capitalism" ("long-term thinking" grounded on the view that
businesses are more likely to thrive by helping to solve rather than exacerbate social and environmental
problems). Please see this three minute video: Allocating capital for long-term returns. Gore's new model is
proving to be highly successful. "Business ethics," in short, isn't a set of static rules; it's an evolving conception of
integrity each generation can expand. See this related overview of the concept of Corporate Social
Responsibility

ASSIGNMENT THREE: Please read and think about this quotation:

"The mind is fickle and flighty, it flies after fancies and whatever it likes; it is difficult indeed to restrain.
But it is a great good to control the mind; a mind self-controlled is a source of great joy."
--Buddha's Teachings (Penguin Classics, p. 8).

Question for you to answer: Please read An interview conducted with Roberto Assagioli by Sam Keen.
Identify and discuss at least two strategies Assagioli recommends to strengthen mental discipline or
"self-management." Include at least one direct quotation from the article.

Additional background for reflection (assignment three)

(Note: materials labeled "for reflection" do not require written responses)

Many cultures use stories or legends to help people enhance emotional intelligence (long-term,
less self-centered thinking). Here's an example from a Native American tradition ("First People:
American Indian Legends"):

"An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. 'A fight is going on inside me,' he said to
the boy.

'It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil -- he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret,
greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.' He
continued, 'The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness,
benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

The same fight is going on inside you -- and inside every other person, too.'

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, 'Which wolf will win?'

The old Cherokee simply replied, 'The one you feed.'

 As you complete the seminar, you might consider keeping a small card next to your computer with the
question "which wolf?" written on it. See if this experiment influences behavior. Timely reminders that
elicit what Lincoln called "the better angels of our nature" are a proven way to enhance emotional
intelligence (see how that term is defined, below).

If you'd like to build on these ideas, please watch a short TED video by Shawn Achor, who teaches for
the Advanced Management Program at Wharton Business School. Learn how Shawn turned his sister
into a unicorn (it's a funny and instructive story, with practical suggestions at the end).

Many philosophical and religious traditions emphasize disciplined mindfulness. Here's an example from
the Christian Bible (Philippians 4:8):

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable —if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think
about such things."

One of our aims in assignment three is to introduce you to the concept of "emotional intelligence." Please
see this overview (from coursework at the University of Virginia) about what "emotional intelligence" means
(note the emphasis on "trustworthiness and integrity"). The concept of emotional intelligence derives from
research by psychologist Daniel Goleman, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science. The good news in Goleman's research is that emotional intelligence can be learned. If you'd like a
real-life example of how emotional intelligence can grow during a lifetime, consider the AIS assigned reading
about Abraham Lincoln (#5, below) .

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"Most powerful is he who has himself in his power"

-- Seneca (the younger) (4 B.C.- 65 A.D.)

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ASSIGNMENT FOUR: Please read Book One of the Meditations of Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher
Marcus Aurelius.

Question for you to answer. Please write a concise statement of gratitude identifying the ethical and intellectual
debts you owe to family members, teachers, or friends. Fictitious names are permitted, but the statement of
gratitude should be genuine.

Additional background for reflection (assignment four) (a philosophical perspective on gratitude)

"Aware only of his own satisfactions and his own happiness, hoarding them as a miser hoards his coin . . .
the egoist cannot be grateful. Ingratitude is not the incapacity to receive but the inability to give back--in the
form of joy or love--a little of the joy that was received or experienced. This is why ingratitude is so pervasive
a vice. [Ungrateful people] absorb joy as others absorb light, for egoism is a black hole."

--Andre Comte-Sponville, Professor of philosophy at the Sorbonne (France)

 ASSIGNMENT FIVE: One of Abraham Lincoln's greatest attributes may have been his ability to recover
and learn from failure. The quality of perseverance seemed especially useful to him as he struggled with
"melancholy" (what might now be called depression). Please read this article by Joshua Wolf Shenk. Read the
full article; it's worth your time. Your answer should contain information from this article only. Do not use other
sources).

Two questions for you to answer:

[a] Joshua Wolf Shenk wrote that one of Lincoln's adaptation strategies was "transcendence" (rising
above or even using "melancholy" to achieve a higher purpose). According to Shenk, what was Lincoln's
"higher purpose?" Provide a direct quotation from the article to support your analysis.

[b] What idea or insight in the full article would you recommend to others (a friend, perhaps)? Provide a
direct quotation from the article to support your analysis.

*Important reminder: It's essential to use quotation marks or block indentation when you incorporate any language
from any source, including all AIS readings. It's equally important to avoid a "deceptive" or "patchwork paraphrase"
(changing or adding occasional words, but otherwise using the author's core ideas and phraseology without
attribution). Click here for guidance from the University of Wisconsin on the difference between permissible and
impermissible paraphrasing. Click here for guidance from Harvard University on the kinds of "common knowledge"
you are not required to quote or cite. If in doubt, it's always prudent to include quotation marks and a citation. Contact
your AIS tutor if this instruction is unclear or if you have any questions.

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"What is a man If his chief good and market of his time

Be but to sleep and feed? A beast, no more . . .

He that made us with such large discourse,

Looking before and after, gave us not

That capability and godlike reason

To fust in us unused."

-- Hamlet, 4 Scene 4
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 ASSIGNMENT SIX: Please see the film Shattered Glass (Lionsgate, 2004). You should be able to find the film
online here or on DVD. The rental cost is about $4. Most college library film collections have it too. Please
contact your tutor immediately if you have any difficulty finding the film.

Questions for you to answer:

[a] Although the film is not explicit on this point, what seems to be driving Stephen Glass? As best as
you can tell, what are his life goals and aspirations? Did he truly "know himself," including his own
strengths and weaknesses?

[b] Again, we can only hypothesize, but--before his downfall-- how do you think Glass would assess his
own intelligence? Is it likely he saw himself as smarter than his colleagues and editors?

[c] Identify and discuss at least two strategies for deception Glass used. Why did they ultimately fail?

[d] Did Glass leave what Greenspan called "a trail of casualties" in his wake? Who/what was
hurt/damaged by his deception?

[e] What advice would you give to editors about how to avoid hiring someone like Stephen Glass? What
kind of pre-employment screening do you recommend?

Additional background for reflection (assignment six)

(Note: materials labeled "for reflection" do not require written responses)

In January 2014 the California Supreme Court denied Mr. Glass's petition to become an attorney. This is a rare
action -- denying a lawyer’s application based on ethical grounds, even though he had completed law school and
passed the state bar exam. But the Court was concerned with Glass’s journalistic deceit, despite the fact that it
happened 15 years ago:

"Glass's journalistic dishonesty was not a single lapse of judgment, which we have sometimes excused, but
involved significant deceit sustained unremittingly for a period of years. ... Glass's deceit also was motivated
by professional ambition, betrayed a vicious, mean spirit and a complete lack of compassion for others,
along with arrogance and prejudice against various ethnic groups. In all these respects, his misconduct bore
directly on his character in matters that are critical to the practice of law."

You can read the whole opinion here, In re Stephen Glass on Admission, No. 09-M-11726, slip op. (S. Ct. Cal. Jan.
27, 2014). Here's the related USA TODAY story.
From a broader perspective, please consider the risks associated with falling into the habit of deception. The Russian
writer Fyodor Dostoevsky--someone known for his insight into human psychology--wrote a famous passage on this
theme in his book The Brothers Karamazov. The speaker is an "elder" in the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition:

"The main thing is that you stop telling lies to yourself. The one who lies to himself and believes his own lies
comes to a point where he can distinguish no truth either within himself or around him, and thus enters into a
state of disrespect towards himself and others. Respecting no one, he loves no one, and to amuse and
divert himself in the absence of love, he gives himself up to his passions and to vulgar delights and becomes
a complete animal in his vices, and all of it from perpetual lying to other people and to himself."

There's a scene near the end of Shattered Glass when the editor of the New Republic said to Stephen Glass: "I just
want you to tell me the truth, Steve, can you do that?" The editor was beginning to suspect that Stephen had been
lying to others for so long that he was incapable of distinguishing between truth and falsehood. At that moment it
became clear the greatest victim of Stephen's deception was Stephen himself.

ASSIGNMENT SEVEN: Psychoanalyst and anthropologist Michael Maccoby wrote a book titled "The
Gamesman." The title "Gamesman" was chosen to fit a narcissistic personality (in any field or profession, not just
athletics) who engages in a perpetual, no-holds-barred fight "to get to the top," regardless of the consequences to
others. NOTE: You are not assigned to read the book, just the excerpt below.

Based on his research, Maccoby described the typical "gamesman" toward the end life:

"An old and tiring gamesman is a pathetic figure, especially after he has lost a few contests, and with them,
his confidence. Once his youth, vigor, and even the thrill of winning are lost, he becomes depressed and
goalless, questioning the purpose of his life. No longer energized by the . . . struggle and unable to dedicate
himself to something he believes in beyond himself . . . he finds himself starkly alone. His attitude has kept
him from deep friendship and intimacy. Nor has he sufficiently developed abilities that would strengthen the
self, so that he might gain satisfaction from understanding (science) or creating (invention, art). Without the
thrill of the contest, there is nothing."

Question for you to answer: What values and habits are you developing now to help you avoid this kind of outcome
in your life? Please explain.

Additional background for reflection (assignment seven)

(Note: materials labeled "for reflection" do not require written responses)

[a] The "Gamesman" may be using money as a measure of accomplishment. If so, he's
misunderstood the correlation between money and happiness. Please consider this three minute video
based on research by scholars at Harvard University, the University of Virginia, and the University of
British Columbia.
[b] Demographic group at highest risk of suicide. Please see this Washington Post graphic.The Post
observed that:
Older men who value their self-reliance may find themselves less able to cope as they age,
when they are no longer in their prime physically, sexually and at work . . . “I often refer to them
as being developmentally unsuccessful, because they’re not equipped to handle the challenges
of getting older if they are so tied into their masculinity . . . and making a lot of money,” said
Christopher Kilmartin, a psychology professor at the University of Mary Washington . . .
 As men look back on their lives, they may become more reflective, asking themselves whether
they focused on what really mattered to them, and what they are going to do next, [said] Nadine
Kaslow [vice-chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University
School of Medicine]. “Has the career been worth it, or did I sacrifice my family . . . I think that is
part of what happens for people,” she said.

ASSIGNMENT EIGHT: Please read this decision by the Iowa Supreme Court in an attorney discipline
case.

Questions for you to answer:

[a] Why should judges care if attorneys submit plagiarized legal briefs or motions? Please explain your
answer.

[b] Attorney Peter Cannon was punished by the court and by the attorney disciplinary board. Do you
think these punishments (taken as a whole) were too lenient, too severe, or about right? Please explain
your answer.

[c] The Iowa Supreme Court referred to another case involving attorney plagiarism (Iowa Supreme Court
Board of Professional Ethics & Conduct v. Lane). In that case, the punishment for attorney Lane
(suspension of his license to practice) was more severe than the punishment imposed on attorney
Cannon. What distinction did the court make between these two cases? Do you agree with the court’s
reasoning?

[d] The state of Florida requires “personal appearances before the [disciplinary] board for public
reprimands for disciplined lawyers” [italics added]. Do you think this kind of public shaming is too harsh?
Explain.
ASSIGNMENT NINE: Please review the assigned excerpts from An Anatomy of Life in the Death Camps by
Terrence Des Pres.

Question for you to answer: "Does Terrence Des Pres think the human moral sense is an idealistic
illusion or an evolutionary survival strategy?"
Please explain your answer, agreeing or disagreeing with Des Pres' analysis. Cite at least one of the numbered
paragraphs for support.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Isn't all "truth" relative? A matter of social convention?

Here's a perspective from Alan Sokal, Professor of Physics at New York University:

"Anyone who believes that the laws of physics are mere social conventions is invited to try transgressing
those conventions from the windows of my apartment. (I live on the twenty-first floor)."
_____________________________________________________________________________

ASSIGNMENT TEN: Please read these two short Nobel prize acceptance speeches (it would
enhance your education to know more about the speakers; multiple biographies of both are online):

Albert Camus (humanities)

Richard Feynman (sciences)

Questions for you to answer:

[a] Identify a selection from each speech that you regard as the recipient's most memorable
observation. Explain the reasons for your choices.

[b] What values do the recipients seem to share? Cite specific language from each speech to
support your analysis.

[c] Both recipients seemed deeply engaged in their work. What career or goal deeply engages
you? Please explain.

[Scroll down to the next page for seminar completion final steps]
 Additional background for reflection (assignment ten)

(Note: materials labeled "for reflection" do not require written responses)

Are there tangible benefits associated with finding a compelling purpose in life? Please consider this paragraph in
Joshua Wolf Shenk's article "Lincoln's Great Depression" (assigned for question five, above) :

[Lincoln's friend Joshua Speed] recorded the dramatic exchange that began when he came to Lincoln
and told him he [Lincoln] would die unless he rallied [from depression]. Lincoln replied that he could kill
himself, that he was not afraid to die. Yet, he said, he had an 'irrepressible desire' to accomplish
something while he lived. He wanted to connect his name with the great events of his generation, and
'so impress himself upon them as to link his name with something that would redound to the interest of
his fellow man.' This was no mere wish, Lincoln said, but what he "desired to live for.'"

Please see this related research at the Greater Good Science Center at UC-Berkeley. The researchers found that

[M]aintaining a strong purpose can be as important to young adults as it is to older people. 'These
findings suggest the importance of establishing a direction for life as early as possible,' they write.
'Likewise, research has demonstrated that increasing goal commitment during college can have effects
on well-being into middle adulthood.'"

No one suggests defining a sense of purpose simply to live longer. But living longer while fulfilling a higher
purpose contributes to a life worth living.

SEMINAR COMPLETION FINAL STEPS : Please review the preparation guidelines and our academic
integrity guidance. Then follow these four steps:

[1] INTEGRITY AFFIRMATION: Please type this statement just below your final answer:

"I do honest work. The words in these answers are mine, unless other sources are identified.”

[Type your name and university affiliation]

[2] Click here to make your online tuition payment.

[3] Include your PayPal receipt number or Transaction ID after your name.

[4] Send all your answers in the body of one email (no attachments) to garypavela@integrityseminar.org