Australia apparently not a country

[mr friendly guy]

I could do with a good laugh

https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry ... 726e1305ad

Professor Didn’t Think Australia Was A Country, Almost Failed Student Who Pushed Back
"Australia is a continent; not a country," the teacher reportedly said.

By Elyse Wanshel

Southern New Hampshire University has fired a professor for a glaring mistake, the school has confirmed to HuffPost.

The educator, whose name has been kept private, almost gave a student a failing grade on an assignment because she refused to believe that Australia is a country, despite the student’s insistence that it is, BuzzFeed reports.

The student, Ashley Arnold, a 27-year-old working toward an online sociology degree, approached BuzzFeed after the professor refused to listen to her.

“We deeply regret the interaction between our professor and our student and have apologized to the student and refunded her for the class,” the school told HuffPost. “Following an investigation, we have replaced the instructor as we strive to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and accuracy in educating our students.”

The university also publicly apologized in a tweet:

Arnold said her assignment was to compare a social norm between the United States and another country. She chose Australia, and was “shocked” when she received a failing grade because her professor believed “Australia is a continent; not a country.”

In response to the grade, Arnold wrote her professor an email with references from the school’s library that stated that Australia was both a continent and a country.

The professor, however, wasn’t convinced. She replied that she would “gladly re-examine” her project, but stood firmly by her belief that Australia was not a country.

“I want you to understand that any error in a project can invalidate the entire research project,” the professor told Arnold in her email. “Research is like dominoes, if you accidentally knock over one piece the entire set will also fall.”

Arnold responded to her teacher’s email, providing a link from the “about Australia” section of the country’s government website.

The professor responded again, saying she would review her assignment after she did some “independent research.”

Arnold eventually received a grade of B+ on her project, but had also filed a report with the university about the issue, resulting in the professor’s termination.

Don't worry, in Australia we have professors who say Hong Kong isn't part of China.... in 2017. So there are some professors who might or may be good in their fields, but they are so ignorant on others.

[Tribble]

If she had picked Canada this wouldn't have been a problem; we've been told we're not a real country many times by our southern neighbour, so it must be true

[Khaat]

If she had picked Canada this wouldn't have been a problem; we've been told we're not a real country many times by our southern neighbour, so it must be true

Only because you're so darn accommodating!

[Iroscato]

In fairness, it's not so much a country as it is the place where natural selection went on a meth-fueled bender and got into some weord, depraved shit for a while.

[U.P. Cinnabar]

Australia hasn't been a country since Curtain tuned the keys over to MacArthur back in WWII. It's now the Far Eastern United States.

[U.P. Cinnabar]

If she had picked Canada this wouldn't have been a problem; we've been told we're not a real country many times by our southern neighbour, so it must be true

That's because your southern neighbor has wanted you to be the Great White Northern United States since 1776, and has tried to make that through foul means or fouler.

[TheFeniX]

Meh, private schools. Not to say this can't happen in public/state schools, but you tend to get more people there who have a basic grasp of reality.

If she had picked Canada this wouldn't have been a problem; we've been told we're not a real country many times by our southern neighbour, so it must be true

We're still mad about that time you guys burned down the White House.

[Soontir C'boath]

If she had picked Canada this wouldn't have been a problem; we've been told we're not a real country many times by our southern neighbour, so it must be true

You guys are state 51. Y'all just don't know it.
_____
So it was just an adjunct professor or otherwise a poorly paid teacher who's now been let go like a wet dog. Meh. I mean seriously, pride and admitting you're wrong to a student matters less than the job. Too bad it wasn't Africa.

[U.P. Cinnabar]

Meh, private schools. Not to say this can't happen in public/state schools, but you tend to get more people there who have a basic grasp of reality.

If she had picked Canada this wouldn't have been a problem; we've been told we're not a real country many times by our southern neighbour, so it must be true

We're still mad about that time you guys burned down the White House.

There was that whole Sack of York thing...

[Numa]

Incidents like this are regrettable. They reduce the credibility of all online sociology degrees, and damage the industries that rely on the skilled labour they produce.

[CetaMan]

Why am I not surprised. Its crap like this that damages the image of educators in general, which especially in the US needs help anyway. (At least compared to here)