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Petition Letter: Petition Letter for Credit (CR) Grades in PHIL303 and ASTR 101

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to respectfully request Credit (CR) grades for the following two courses: PHIL303 (Philosophy of Mind) and ASTR 101, taken during my undergraduate studies at Queen’s University. I believe that the final grades I received in both courses were directly impacted by circumstances beyond my control and do not reflect my overall academic performance or potential.

For PHIL303, the significant disruption caused by the faculty strike in Winter 2025 greatly affected my ability to complete the course under fair and consistent academic conditions. The cancellation of the final assignment and subsequent re-weighting of earlier work, such as the first assignment, where I earned a 65%, left no opportunity for students to demonstrate growth or improvement. As someone who had been engaged with the course throughout its initial months, I was particularly impacted by the sudden loss of structured learning and feedback. The revised evaluation scheme disproportionately penalized students like me, who relied on the final assignment to synthesize and apply the course material. I believe that a CR grade would more fairly represent my effort and engagement during an unpredictable academic disruption.

In the case of ASTR 101 at Bader College, which I took in my first year (Fall 2022), the challenges stemmed from an unreasonably difficult course design for non-science students. Despite being marketed as accessible to all disciplines, the course required a level of prior scientific knowledge—especially in chemistry, geology and advanced Earth science concepts—that exceeded what most Arts students had encountered in high school. It was not what I expected, a science popularizing course for students without a related background. Furthermore, as I know, the course was newly introduced that year, and the instructor (a British professor) seemed unfamiliar with the academic background of Canadian students. He jumped directly into all the space science concepts while me and many arts peers were still confused with basic formulas/components in physics or chemistry. This disconnect created significant barriers to learning and success. Despite my best efforts, I received a D+ in the course, which does not accurately reflect my abilities or academic dedication, but rather the misalignment between the course expectations and my background.

Postscript: I am aware that this petition is being submitted later in my academic career. The reason for this delay is that I was not fully aware of the CR petition option when I initially received my grade in ASTR 101. It wasn’t until after the disruption of PHIL303 during the strike that I fully understood my eligibility to petition for CR grades under extenuating circumstances.

For both courses, I believe a CR designation is the most appropriate academic outcome, as it allows me to move forward in my degree program without disproportionate impact from factors that were out of my control.

Thank you for your consideration. I am happy to provide any additional context or documentation if needed.

Sincerely,
Rissa Wang