Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 1717
Submitted: January 5, 2016 at 10:06:14 PM
First Name: Jelani
Last Name: Culley
Student Number: 10126811
Email: 13jc80@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BAH
Plan: PHIL
Level of Study: 2
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Request a review of instructors' decisions on grading of final examination and/or term work
Code: LLCU 209
Term: Fall
Year: 2015
Petition Category: Request a review of instructors' decisions on grading of final examination and/or term work
Instructor's Name: Karl Hardy
Component: midterm,final research paper outline, final research paper
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: Jelani Culley
10126811
Appeal for LLCU 209
To whom it may concern,
My name is Jelani Culley and I am appealing my grade of a D in LLCU 209 on the grounds that I received unjust marks on my midterm essay assignment (F), final research paper topic submission (D), and my final research paper (D-).
According to my feedback, a primary reason that I received an F on my midterm assignment is because I was ¿¿well under half the word limit¿ of 900 words. However, the instructions clearly state to answer the questions in ¿¿no more than 900 words (for each question).¿ Stating ¿¿no more than 900 words¿ implies that one should write 900 words or less, not to write any more than 900 words. As a result, it is unjust for me to be penalized for writing under 900 words.
Regarding my research topic submission, I was informed that my topic ¿¿does not connect with the themes of the course¿ and ¿¿inappropriate¿ because it was too broad. To begin, I argue that my topic at the time of ¿¿How Brazilian Football Has Influenced and Shaped Brazilian Culture and Society¿ did indeed connect with the themes of the course because on the moodle page for the course, it is noted that this course is supposed to ¿¿provide students with an understanding of the complex social, political, economic, and cultural history that have shaped the city¿¿s development and character.¿ It cannot be disputed that football has shaped Rio socially, economically, and culturally. Consequently, I believe that it is false to state that my theme ¿¿does not connect with the themes of this course¿.
Next, supposing my topic was indeed too broad, I believe that it is still unjust for me to receive a D on the outline. I met all of the requirements for the assignment. I included a preliminary title, a draft paper description, and a preliminary bibliography. In the description for the assignment, it states that we were supposed to ¿¿provide the professor and/or TA with a solid idea of what you will write about and how you will approach the topic.¿ It also states that our ideas ¿¿need not be final at this point.¿ The directions encourage us to present our topic clearly so that we can receive more substantial feedback, NOT because otherwise we would receive a low mark. As a result, it is unjust for me to receive an extremely low mark on this topic submission/outline because my topic was too broad and not clear enough.
In my feedback for my final paper, I was informed that I was not able to successfully answer my own research question in ¿¿anything less than a book¿. By listing some, not all of the effects that football has on Brazil, I was indeed able to successfully respond to my question of how exactly football effects Brazil.
In the end, I would like these three assignments to be reevaluated because I believe I deserve significantly higher marks for the reasons stated above.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Jelani Theo Culley
10126811
Appeal for LLCU 209
To whom it may concern,
My name is Jelani Culley and I am appealing my grade of a D in LLCU 209 on the grounds that I received unjust marks on my midterm essay assignment (F), final research paper topic submission (D), and my final research paper (D-).
According to my feedback, a primary reason that I received an F on my midterm assignment is because I was ¿¿well under half the word limit¿ of 900 words. However, the instructions clearly state to answer the questions in ¿¿no more than 900 words (for each question).¿ Stating ¿¿no more than 900 words¿ implies that one should write 900 words or less, not to write any more than 900 words. As a result, it is unjust for me to be penalized for writing under 900 words.
Regarding my research topic submission, I was informed that my topic ¿¿does not connect with the themes of the course¿ and ¿¿inappropriate¿ because it was too broad. To begin, I argue that my topic at the time of ¿¿How Brazilian Football Has Influenced and Shaped Brazilian Culture and Society¿ did indeed connect with the themes of the course because on the moodle page for the course, it is noted that this course is supposed to ¿¿provide students with an understanding of the complex social, political, economic, and cultural history that have shaped the city¿¿s development and character.¿ It cannot be disputed that football has shaped Rio socially, economically, and culturally. Consequently, I believe that it is false to state that my theme ¿¿does not connect with the themes of this course¿.
Next, supposing my topic was indeed too broad, I believe that it is still unjust for me to receive a D on the outline. I met all of the requirements for the assignment. I included a preliminary title, a draft paper description, and a preliminary bibliography. In the description for the assignment, it states that we were supposed to ¿¿provide the professor and/or TA with a solid idea of what you will write about and how you will approach the topic.¿ It also states that our ideas ¿¿need not be final at this point.¿ The directions encourage us to present our topic clearly so that we can receive more substantial feedback, NOT because otherwise we would receive a low mark. As a result, it is unjust for me to receive an extremely low mark on this topic submission/outline because my topic was too broad and not clear enough.
In my feedback for my final paper, I was informed that I was not able to successfully answer my own research question in ¿¿anything less than a book¿. By listing some, not all of the effects that football has on Brazil, I was indeed able to successfully respond to my question of how exactly football effects Brazil.
In the end, I would like these three assignments to be reevaluated because I believe I deserve significantly higher marks for the reasons stated above.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Jelani Theo Culley
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: Midterm feedback, research paper topic submission feedback, research paper feedback
Document: Jelani Culley Midterm feedback.docx