A little while back I received my grades in the mail for the Fall semester. I did well, but I noticed right away something was wrong. In one of my classes, HUX 574 - The Age of Revolution, I had earned an "A-". That would normally be nice, but the problem was that I hadn't completed the class. I did the first assignment, which was composed of several smaller research papers and earned the "A-" grade, but then requested an incomplete for the class. The professor seems to have made a mistake and turned in my first assignment grade as the final grade for the class.
So the dilemma was about whether I should actually be honest about it by contacting my professor or take the grade and run for the hills. I entertained the notion for all of ten minutes before deciding upon a course of action, but decided to hear how others would handle the situation. Of all the people I talked to, most of them at work, they were overwhelmingly ready to take the grade. I actually had one co-worker seriously say "I don't understand the dilemma".
It should have been obvious that I was going to do the honest route for a couple of reasons. First, if I was going to be sneaky about it, telling people is not exactly the best way to keep a secret. Second, I am looking forward to a day when I will be able to teach and, hopefully, write about history in some meaningful way. Cheating on both the method and the process of academic advancement would not only diminish the learning experience but would be a ticking time bomb if I were ever to do something noteworthy.
I'll end up calling the professor later next week to make sure this gets straightened out, but the reaction from people was fairly surprising.
Integrity? Nah... Really, I think most people think of it as a victimless crime. And since so many people coast through school anyway, I don't think they are going to object to a little push.
Posted by: Tom | Friday, February 25, 2005 at 12:50 PM
Even if that were accurate, I would think that some level of integrity would kick in to some degree. And while employers may not have been checking educational references in the past, I'm guessing some might be a little more concerned about it now.
Posted by: SlapDummy | Friday, February 25, 2005 at 08:58 AM
I think that your friends' reactions aren't hard to understand. For a test, ask how many of them would put phony work experience on their resumés. I'll bet most wouldn't. This is because they expect employers to check out their work experience, but most employers won't look at their academic transcripts. On the other hand, you are considering working in academia. You do expect employers to look at your transcripts. If it ever got out that you took a grade that you didn't earn, your career would be toast.
Posted by: Tom | Wednesday, February 23, 2005 at 07:36 PM