Amy E. Robillard, an assistant professor of rhetoric in the English department, recently published Pluralizing Plagiarism: Identities, Contexts, Pedagogies, a book she co-edited with Rebecca Moore Howard of Syracuse University. The book, published by Heinemann Books, examines the issue of plagiarism from a variety of perspectives focusing on the college teaching of English. It seeks to open a dialogue about what is at stake in plagiarism, a dialogue that approaches the topic with students rather than for or about them. “The collection argues that composition and rhetoric specialists' understanding of the specificity and situatedness of writing situations ought also to apply to our understanding of plagiarism,”  explained Robillard. “Universalized definitions of and policies for plagiarism are by definition arhetorical.” Dr. Tim Hunt, chair of the Department of English further notes, “The work of Dr. Robillard and her colleagues challenges our typically simplistic views of plagiarism. While plagiarism may well be an academic sin, it's a complex sin, rich in its implications for our understanding of writing, language, and culture.” 

Robillard holds a PhD in Composition and Cultural Rhetoric from Syracuse University.