Political Science Department
Resolving Student-Professor Complaints

Though we pride ourselves in being a student-friendly department, students occasionally run into problems with a professor. They may feel the professor is "picking on them," that he/she is "bashing" (. . .the U.S., males, white people . . take your pick!), that the professor is too hard, too easy, unorganized, doesn't stick to the topic, gives exam questions that he/she hasn't prepared the class for, or grades unfairly.

First, students must understand that, like any human being, we professors have our good and bad days! We occasionally act according to our species and come to school in a bad mood, or stressed out from something that happened in another part of our lives. We hope we will be forgiven for these occasional lapses into irritability and disorganization. Second, learning is a two- way street. Students will get as much out of a course as they are willing to put into it. Some students expect professors to spoon feed them; and when they don't do the assigned reading or come to class unprepared they are then angered when the professor expresses irritation at their lack of responsiveness.

However, if students feel they have made their best effort and are still experiencing problems, there are several steps they should take. First, they should make an appointment to talk with the professor outside of class. We are generally open to examining our classroom performance and many kinds of misunderstandings can be relieved through a caring and honest exchange. We have even modified our teaching as a result of such exchanges! Students who are afraid to come to the professor for fear of its affecting their grade might be surprised to know that we do not hold such things against them. In fact, we would much rather have the student come to us to discuss the problem than to have it simmer beneath the surface and then erupt in a way that is harmful to all concerned. History has demonstrated that these discussions have generally been positive.

If, however, the student tries this approach and gets nowhere, they may take the complaint to the department Chair. Generally, the Chair will try to enable both parties to come to a mutual agreement and understanding.

If students feel they have been given a grade they don't deserve, there is a clear set of steps they must take. These appear in the Student Handbook and must be followed carefully if you wish to receive a fair resolution.