Petition Letter
Dear Members of the Appeals Committee,
I am writing to formally petition the final grade I received in PHIL 303: Markets and Morals, on the grounds of extenuating academic circumstances beyond my control that significantly affected my ability to meet the course outcomes. Therefore, I believe, a CR grade would be more fair for me to protect my current GPA.
During the Winter 2025 term, the Teaching Assistant (TA) strike had a direct impact on the delivery of PHIL 303. My course instructor, Jordan Desmond, is a PhD student and a member of the striking union. He was also on strike for approximately six weeks, starting after Reading Week and continuing through the heart of the term until the final. As a result, there were no lectures, discussions, or feedback sessions held during this critical period of the course. This disruption severely hindered my ability to engage with the course material, understand key philosophical concepts, and receive timely guidance on assignments and assessments.
Given that PHIL 303 is a discussion-based, conceptually complex course where regular instruction and interactive analysis are essential, the prolonged absence of instructional support significantly affected my academic performance. The final grade I received does not accurately reflect my true academic ability or the level of engagement I typically bring to my studies. I believe that the loss of structured teaching time, along with the lack of clarification on course expectations during the strike, created an uneven and inequitable learning environment for me and my peers.
While I did my best to keep up with the readings independently, the absence of lectures and instructor feedback (and without TAs help) made it difficult to fully grasp the nuanced ethical debates central to this course.
I respectfully request that the committee consider these extenuating academic circumstances when reviewing my petition, to CR my final grade of PHIL 303 instead of a letter grade. I am confident that, under normal instructional conditions, I would have performed to a higher standard, more in line with my academic record.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Rissa Wang
I am writing to formally petition the final grade I received in PHIL 303: Markets and Morals, on the grounds of extenuating academic circumstances beyond my control that significantly affected my ability to meet the course outcomes. Therefore, I believe, a CR grade would be more fair for me to protect my current GPA.
During the Winter 2025 term, the Teaching Assistant (TA) strike had a direct impact on the delivery of PHIL 303. My course instructor, Jordan Desmond, is a PhD student and a member of the striking union. He was also on strike for approximately six weeks, starting after Reading Week and continuing through the heart of the term until the final. As a result, there were no lectures, discussions, or feedback sessions held during this critical period of the course. This disruption severely hindered my ability to engage with the course material, understand key philosophical concepts, and receive timely guidance on assignments and assessments.
Given that PHIL 303 is a discussion-based, conceptually complex course where regular instruction and interactive analysis are essential, the prolonged absence of instructional support significantly affected my academic performance. The final grade I received does not accurately reflect my true academic ability or the level of engagement I typically bring to my studies. I believe that the loss of structured teaching time, along with the lack of clarification on course expectations during the strike, created an uneven and inequitable learning environment for me and my peers.
While I did my best to keep up with the readings independently, the absence of lectures and instructor feedback (and without TAs help) made it difficult to fully grasp the nuanced ethical debates central to this course.
I respectfully request that the committee consider these extenuating academic circumstances when reviewing my petition, to CR my final grade of PHIL 303 instead of a letter grade. I am confident that, under normal instructional conditions, I would have performed to a higher standard, more in line with my academic record.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Rissa Wang