Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Faculty of Arts and Sciences,

I am writing to formally appeal the grade I received on the interview and podcast assignment for [Course Name and Code], taught by Professor Trujillo.

According to the assignment description in the syllabus, students were instructed to “design and conduct a semi-structured in-person or virtual interview, individually, with a religious actor to discuss a topic of interest. Finally, you will present the essential parts of the interview in a 10-minute podcast.” Based on this, I understood that the primary goal was to conduct a meaningful interview and present its key parts in podcast format. I believe my submission met these criteria.

In the feedback I received, however, the marker stated: “In terms of what the podcast was supposed to be, it wasn't just a reupload of the interview. As the prof mentioned in weeks seven and eight, it's supposed to be an analysis of the interview as it relates to course content.” This interpretation appears to go beyond the expectations outlined in the official assignment description, which did not explicitly require a separate analytical component within the podcast itself.

Additionally, I would like to respectfully raise a concern regarding the subject matter of my interview, which focused on antisemitism on campus. While I do not wish to make assumptions, given the sensitivity and political complexity surrounding Jewish identity and perceptions of Zionism, I am concerned that unconscious bias may have influenced the evaluation of my work. I believe this topic deserves the same academic consideration and neutrality as any other, and I hope this appeal can help ensure that it has been assessed fairly.

For these reasons, I kindly request a review of my grade, ideally by a neutral party not involved in the original evaluation, and clarification on how the assessment aligned with the assignment’s stated criteria.

Thank you for your time and consideration of my appeal.