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------- Forwarded Message

To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Huck Finn Sources
Date: Fri, 09 May 1997 12:28:03 EDT

Dear Forum members,

I know many of you are either at the end of the semester or close to it
as we are here, but I have a dilemma as I'm grading papers my college
junior and senior  Advanced Composition students wrote on Huck Finn.  One
of my student's papers is suspiciously excellent--several letter grades
better than the last paper.  The student quotes a number of sources from
the Internet (I found them in the MarkTwainMiningCo. site) so I know the
student knows how to "surf" the net..

I'm suspicious also because the words, phrases and sentences the student
uses are not typical of his/her other writing.   My question is:  Have
any of you ever seen sources on the Net (I know about the "School Sucks"
web site where they can "buy" papers), where a student may copy a fairly
obscure paper?  Or have any of you seen any essays entitled "The Southern
Truth" with the thesis "Mark Twain wrote _The Adventures of Huckleberry
Finn_ to inspire the American society to break free from the rules and
regulations that governed the southern United States." ?

The chair of my dept suggested I ask all of you and I want to handle this
as discreetly as possible.  I would love it if I cannot find proof of
plagiarism and the student DID write the paper.   I have to return this
set of papers by Tuesday, May 13.  If any of you can help me by Monday,
5/12, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks in advance,

A concerned teacher

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