Bree

My STUPID professor (for details on why she's stupid, read this thread) has given me a D on all my assignments because I "do not use proper English" - the use of "post-secondary" level English and grammar counts for one-third of the total grade of the paper.

She stated that since I "misspelt" a few words - namely colour, realise, and programme - I did not meet the post-secondary level English and grammar requirements and therefore deserve a D. In my last essay I made a statement about a "learned scholar" (meaning 'learn-ED' as in well-educated) and was also marked down because this was not a phrase in the vernacular and that the so-called "normal reader" would have no idea what I meant by that statement.

I have handed in seven essays and widely varying topics, each three pages in length. Each of these essays were marked down to D level because of some seemingly minor error. I would love to hear other people's opinions on this - is it incorrect to use correct English these days? I've been writing about "television programmes" since I was 5 years old, for chrissakes, and all of a sudden that makes me a sub-standard student?

Shadowy Man

Bree not know English? That's unpossible!

Corwin

Using british spellings is generally considered incorrect in the states, but in a very minor sense.... not anything worth grading a paper down to a D.

What kind of english class? If it's journalism I could at least see the argument for 'dumbing down' a paper and using a particular vernacular.... but even then....

Bree

This class is entitled "Contemporary Leadership" - meaning that we are supposed to be studying people who are considered "leaders" (for whatever possible reasons - Oprah and Todd Beamer's biographies are on our required reading list). After reading and studying these people, we are supposed to be writing papers extolling their leadership qualities and how we're going to learn from their experiences.

Corwin

Checked out the original posting and it sounds like a psych class I took. A lot of 'we don't want to actually admit we're fundamentalist christians because that turns people we're trying to convert off' warm fuzzy feel good psudeo-psych babble and 'YOU HAVE THE POWER' bullshit from Tony Robbins.

Complete waste of time, but they somehow manage to sneak in.

Darwin's Finch

Was your professor marking you down prior to your telling her you weren't interested in reading the Beamer book?

Bree

I honestly don't know when she corrected the papers. I posted in Media/Pop Culture just after the conversation where I told her I wouldn't be reading the Todd Beamer book. That was 10 February. It is three days later, and today at noon I received my grades via email with the explaination. Here's what she suggested:

Quote:

I think it's a good idea to prepare your work in a Word document so that you can spell check.

Spell check my ass - I "spelled" everything correctly. My spell check didn't pick up anything out of the ordinary. I emailed her back asking if we could talk and she said I needed to get off my soapbox. SOAPBOX? I didn't even get a chance to respond...yet .

Corwin

Do you have an advisor in your department?

LeftCoast

Your professor is a pedantic twit! Also, unfortunately, professors at the college level have almost complete autonomy when it comes to the standards used in their class. I'm presuming here that this person is a PhD (Associate, Assistant or Full Professor) - if the person is merely an instructor you might be able to go to the Dept. Chair with your complaint and get somewhere.

Marking you down to a "D" for the kind of "errors" you describe makes it sound to me like the professor has it in for you - I don't think it will be possible for you to get a decent grade in the course. Your Professor is marking all of your papers "D" because that is the minimum passing grade. If she were to actually flunk you, you would have cause to go before the academic review board, which would make her shenanigans visible to all. Finding someone in class that you can compare papers with and show that she is singling you out might give you some leverage in the short run, but that'd be risky as most Dept. Chairmen will back their own without absolutely unequivocal evidence (A tape recording of her saying that she was intentionally marking you down might do but little less than that).

If you need the course to graduate and it does not really have any bearing on your career, I'd say just stick it out and be done with it. If you need to have a good grade in the course, I think your only option is to drop and take it again later (presuming that the person giving you the problems is not the only person who teaches the course).

Unfortunately, there are no good choices for you here�..

Monkeybot

Bree,

Using British spellings is NOT worth grading a paper down to a frickin' D. And "learned scholar" is hardly an out-of-the-blue English phrase.

If your teacher presses the issue, go to the department head. Save any and all emails she sends to you, and try to retain copies of your graded papers, if possible. I think this airheaded professor of yours might get the message if you take it to her boss (after exhausting all other means, of course).

I'd probably bust a blood vessel if I had a prof like that.