Conclusion

In this chapter, I have addressed a cultural understanding of ownership of written texts. I have done so by first examining the notion of culture as realized in writing studies. I have underlined the point that the concept of culture is contentious and that there is a lack of an all-encompassing definition and model of culture. Consequently, it is useful to adopt a specific culture framework for pedagogical purposes. I have argued that Flowerdew and Miller’s (1995) four-dimensional model serves as a great culture framework because of its close lineage to the manifestation of cultural milieus in an actual teaching-learning context. I have explained with examples how this four-dimensional culture framework would look like in the context of a writing classroom. Finally, I have discussed pedagogical strategies based on the four-dimensional culture model that instructors can consider using in the writing classroom to help learners develop a cultural understanding of the concept of ownership of written texts. Considering the precarity of debates and disagreements around the notion of culture, it is only natural that the four-dimensional pedagogical strategies have limitations. However, it is hoped that the pedagogical strategies discussed in this chapter will provide instructors with a solid foundation for a cultural understanding of ownership of texts and academic integrity in post-secondary contexts.