In universities, grades measure academic performance, not personal identity. Students often wrestle with the tension between their beliefs and the expectations of a course. Sometimes, this tension leads to frustration or even claims of discrimination, especially when a student’s worldview clashes with the identity of an instructor or TA. But it’s important to separate perception from policy, and belief from rubric.
Universities operate under clear rules: grading cannot factor in religion, gender, gender identity, or other personal characteristics. Instead, grades reflect whether a student meets assignment criteria. A paper that does not fulfill its objectives receives the grade it earns, regardless of who evaluates it. Whether a TA is a cisgender woman, a trans woman, a man, or a nonbinary person, academic standards remain the same.
Consider a real example: a student submits a reaction paper meant to engage with psychological research on gender typicality, peer relations, and mental health. Instead of analyzing the study, she writes a theological essay, grounding every argument in religious doctrine and labeling alternative viewpoints as “demonic” or “lies.” While she references the Bible extensively, she does not connect her argument to the article’s methodology, hypotheses, findings, or empirical analysis. In other words, the paper fails multiple foundational requirements: demonstrating reading of the assigned article, applying psychological reasoning, and maintaining an academic tone.
A zero in such a case is not personal—it is an outcome of academic performance. Even if the TA were someone else—a cisgender man, a trans man, or a nonbinary instructor—the grade would likely be the same. Courts and universities consistently uphold this principle: grades are based on content and compliance with assignment objectives, not identity conflicts.
Yet perception matters. Students may interpret a failing grade as bias when it conflicts with their personal beliefs, especially if the instructor’s identity differs from their own. This is a common human reaction, but it does not override the requirement to meet academic standards. Clear rubrics serve a dual purpose: they guide students on expectations and protect instructors and institutions from claims of unfair treatment.
Academic evaluation rewards engagement with material, critical thinking, and adherence to assignment requirements—not agreement with an instructor or TA. Students can reference religious beliefs in their papers, but only if they do so within the framework of the assignment, engaging research and applying disciplinary reasoning. A rewritten version that preserves the student’s beliefs while earning an A proves that grades reflect academic performance, not ideology.
Ultimately, this situation illustrates a broader lesson: education challenges students to engage critically with material that may contradict personal perspectives. Understanding the distinction between identity and academic standards helps students navigate frustration, respond constructively to feedback, and grow intellectually—without conflating personal beliefs with fairness or bias.
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