“Intellectual formation is a part of the integral formation of the priest. Moreover, it serves his pastoral ministry and has an impact upon his human and spiritual formation, which draw rich nourishment from it. This means that the development of all the faculties and dimensions of the person, including the rational dimension, through the vast array of acquired knowledge, contributes to the growth of the priest as the servant and witness of the Word in the Church and in the world. Far from being confined solely to the field of knowledge or being understood solely as a means of acquiring more information in the various disciplines, intellectual formation helps priests to listen profoundly to the Word, and also to the ecclesial community, in order to learn how to read the signs of the times.”[1]
Therefore “love of truth and honesty”[2] are requirements of the human as well as the intellectual formation of the seminarian. Indeed we can say that one who lacks love of truth will not be a properly spiritual or pastoral person.
The Seminary of Christ the King, through its liberal arts and theology programs, offers seminarians the opportunity to familiarize themselves with some of the rich intellectual patrimony of Christian and western culture. Students at SCK are expected to engage with their course material. When difficulties arise, they are encouraged to speak to the instructor, asking for help or clarification on subject matter or course requirements.
Love of truth requires academic integrity. In line with other post-secondary educational institutions, the Seminary of Christ the King expects all students to practise honesty and integrity in writing exams, in submitting essays or research papers or in making class presentations. Violations of academic integrity include the following practices:
- Plagiarism[3]
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- Using another’s ideas without accurate citations;
- Using the words of another (e.g., author, instructor, information source), without quotation marks (or appropriate indentation) and proper citation;
- Paraphrasing the work of others without putting the idea into one’s own words but instead by just changing a few words or rearranging the sentence structure;
- Not correctly referencing all direct quotes or borrowed ideas;
- Abuse of Proofreading
Proofreading by another can be a legitimate and beneficial practice; however, it needs to be done within the parameters laid down by the instructor in a given course. Suggestions made by a proofreader can include areas of concern such as spelling, grammatical or formatting errors which are then corrected by the student.
- Cheating on quizzes or exams
Cheating on quizzes or exams includes practices such as bringing into the classroom notes, books or other resources for purposes of reference or communication during the course of an exam. (Instructors may permit open book exams, in which case students are to respect the parameters given to them by the instructor.) Copying answers from another student is likewise prohibited.
Cases of Academic Dishonesty – Procedures and Consequences
- The consequences for an offence against academic integrity will depend on the seriousness of the offence and the culpability of the student or students involved. Minor instances such as failing to properly cite a source may result in a lower grade on the assignment. Wholesale plagiarizing or passing off another’s work as one’s own on an essay or research paper will result in a failing grade for the assignment. It is left to the discretion of the instructor to allow a student to rewrite a paper if there has been an instance of plagiarizing. Likewise, students caught cheating on a quiz or exam will not receive credit for it. The instructor may also assign a failing grade to a student who has committed one or more serious acts of academic dishonesty in his course.
- A student may dispute the judgement of an instructor who judges that he has violated the seminary’s policy of academic integrity. He should speak with the Rector and Director of Studies about the matter. These can then meet together with the student and instructor and discuss the evidence supporting the claim of the instructor.
- Instructors are expected to give students clear guidelines at the beginning of their courses as to expectations, including those touching upon academic integrity. Instructors are also expected to inform the Rector when a student commits a serious offence against academic integrity.
- Repeated serious violations of academic integrity may indicate that a seminarian is not a morally suitable candidate for priesthood or that he lacks the intellectual or linguistic aptitude for seminary studies. These deficiencies will be considered as part of the annual evaluation process and could be the basis for dismissal from the seminary.
[1] Congregation for the Clergy, Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis, December 8, 2016, #117.
[2] Op. cit., #93
[3] cf. The Toronto School of Theology Basic Degree Handbook section 15 and the University of Toronto’s Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters which Rev. Edwin Gonsalves sent in an e-mail message to Rev. Matthew Gerlich OSB, March 17, 2017.