In an unusual academic incident, 27-year-old stay-at-home mom, Emily Johnson, from Idaho, faced a bizarre challenge while pursuing her sociology degree at Southern New Hampshire University, an online institution. Tasked with analyzing social norms in the U.S. and a foreign country, Emily chose to examine social media usage in both the United States and Australia. However, her project took a comical turn.
Last month, Emily submitted an outline for her final project, only to be stunned by her professor’s feedback. When grades were released on February 1st, she discovered her professor, who holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy, had assigned her an F. The reason? The professor claimed that “Australia is a continent, not a country.”
Confused and frustrated, Emily promptly responded to her professor, asserting that Australia is indeed a country. She backed her argument with references, including a source from SNHU’s Shapiro library that stated Australia is the “sixth-largest country in the world.” Emily wrote, “I believe I got zero or partial credit because the instructor said, ‘Australia is a continent; not a country.’ However, I believe that Australia is a country.”
She shared her professor’s bewildering response online, stating that “research is like dominoes” and emphasized the necessity of intellectual honesty in academia. Despite her efforts to clarify, the professor remained unconvinced, leaving Emily baffled by her lack of knowledge. “Given her level of education, how could she question Australia’s status as a country?” Emily reflected.
In another attempt to resolve the issue, Emily reiterated her stance, explaining that Australia is both a country and a continent. “If you require further clarification, you can search for it or access the SNHU Shapiro Library,” she suggested, maintaining her respect while advocating for her rightful grade. This ongoing dialogue resembled the strange debates one might have with children about basic facts, like “Are dogs animals?” The absurdity of the situation left her feeling as if she were arguing with a five-year-old.
Emily even provided a link to the Australian government’s official website, yet her professor continued to resist acknowledgment. Imagining the professor conducting an exhaustive search in the library, endlessly pondering the distinction, was almost comical.
Ultimately, the professor acknowledged her error—sort of. She modified Emily’s grade to a B+, cautioning her to ensure that her project addressed Australia as a country and not merely as a continent. This left Emily in disbelief, as the two are inherently the same.
In the end, Emily celebrated the validation of Australia’s status as a country. More importantly, she felt empowered to advocate for herself in the face of opposition from a stubborn professor. “Returning to school in my late twenties has often made me feel inadequate,” she shared on social media, “but this experience taught me that I can stand up for myself and achieve my goals.”
Emily also noted that the university was supportive throughout the process, and she expressed her eagerness to move forward as she anticipates graduating in May. She looks forward to visiting Australia, the country that welcomed her into this unexpected academic journey.
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In summary, Emily’s experience serves as a reminder of the importance of standing up for oneself in the face of misinformation, and it highlights that sometimes, even the most qualified individuals can make surprising errors.