Is this fair?

[codewarrior]

Grades should only be curved if no one passes.

That said, I sat some materials science exams where a 15% was a B+. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[RunDownHouse]

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If a professor want to give certain students extra points, at no harm to other students, I am all for that. I hate it when other students throw fits about extra points being given away, toting the 'unfair' flag.

If you have a problem with this professor, let it be with how he graded your paper, not with giving extra points to other students.

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As long as class grades aren't curved I agree with this.

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In an environment where all the students are competing in terms of GPA, this seems pretty unfair to the OP.

[tolbiny]

Then that student got what the earned. If the teacher wants to offer an extra credit assignment to those who did performed under x% on their first test, so that they could earn a better grade, that would be something entirely different.

Of course this student has nothing to complain about, unless the grade in this particular class as compared to his peers will be used in determining something of value to him in the future (scholarships or a job).

[WackityWhiz]

Alright, here's my test. We get ~10 ID questions at the beginning of each class. I think we ended up with 75-80 overall and he listed 8 on the test. We had to answer 5 of them.

You have to explain what these things are, and this is what I wrote:

Cuneiform - Wedged shaped writing on clay tablets. Originated around 3500 BCE

Homer - Known for his epic tales. The most famous is the Odyssey. These tales were not originally written down, they were told and retold by different poets who embelished the tales. This caused the tales to lose all of their historical accuracy.

Zoroastrianism- Created by Zorast, it is a monotheistic religion that believed good behavior was ultimately rewarded in life.

Hatshepsut - Daughter of Thutmose I and relegated the throne of her brother, Thutmose II. She brought peace to the land. She was also portrayed as a man in sculptures.

Code of Hammurabi - Contained the laws of the land. A lot of the laws dealt with marriage, slavery, and most involved the idea of "an eye for an eye."

Essay: Discuss the Greek polis. How was the Greek concept of government radically different from all prior civilizations? Provide specific examples from readings and lecture. How did the concept of the polis and "civic duty" differ between Athens and Sparta.

The Greek polis was a self governing city state. They varied in size from a few square miles to hundreds of square miles. There were many poleis in Ancienct Greece. In the polis there was a defensive hilltop called an acropolis. Below the acropolis were the farmers and their crops.
The Greek polis contained an assembly, a counsil, temples, and an argon (this is the only flaw I see, this term is supposed to be Agore). The assembly consisted of young/middle aged men who handled business related activities. The counsil consisted of the town elders who passed their wisdom down to the polis' citizens. Elderly people were highly respected in Ancient Greece.
Temples were created to worship the gods to keep them happy. Citizens of the polis believed that there was a sepaerate god for every significant act.
The argon (oops) was located in the middle of the polis and was home to the town market and social gatherings.
The civic duties in Sparta and Athens were very different. In Sparta, all men were recruited to the military at a young age. They were raised to fight. Men also owned all the land. Women had no power in the government. The sparta military fought as Hoplites in tight, uniformed rows.
Athens was the first democracy in Ancient Greece. Solon grouped citizens of Athens into 4 groups based on their wealth. The first two groups were eligible to be archons. The next group was eligible to be boules. The last group was the poorest and were not allowed to be either.

I'll admit, I was vague in areas. However, I do not think this is a D- paper. If Thomas Callahan can write Herbie Hancock and get a D+, then I at least deserve a C!

[The Yugoslavian]

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next time, try studying more. 60 out of 100 is pathetic. In fact, anything under 70 should be failing.

And by the way, who said life is fair? Get used to it.

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Yeah, if the grade is important to you (which it certainly sounds like it is) suck it up and pwn that sh!t. Now, if you're striving to fail, then be mad that you didn't just answer 1 question, get a 59% and spend the rest of the test time doing something else (although something tells me the teacher wouldn't have graded you up to a 59% if this was the case).

Yugoslav

[RunDownHouse]

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In an environment where all the students are competing in terms of GPA, this seems pretty unfair to the OP.

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Thinking about this some more, the OP's main problem is that he really has no justifiable argument for raising his grade. His only viable argument is in reversing the professor's stated policy and lowering the grades of other students. This will never happen.

Sorry bud.

[codewarrior]

It would require a minimum of study to Ace this test.

[Lazymeatball]

For a lot of courses I have taken the grade is composed of something like 4 tests and a homework grade, lets say there are all equal, however you are allowed to drop your lowest score. This way everyone gets a mulligan, the people who bombed the first test know they can still get an A if they work hard the rest of the semester, and the person who does well on all their tests and homework can blow off the final.

Your prof really should have thought about this situation before he handed out his first sylabus.

[threeonefour]

this is why non-math/science classes are scary. because it is very likely the professors don't understand math or statistic and as a result they often come up with insane grading policies. basically, the more complicated the curve or grading system, the more likely the liberal arts professor is going to be screwing some guy over.

[Duke]

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next time, try studying more. 60 out of 100 is pathetic. In fact, anything under 70 should be failing.


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This really depends on the class, professor, and test in question.

~D