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This Student Failed Her Assignment Because Her Professor Said "Australia Isn't A Country"

Just read the emails between these two.

Last updated on February 9, 2018, at 11:55 a.m. ET

Posted on February 8, 2018, at 5:13 p.m. ET

This is Ashley Arnold, a 27-year-old resident of Idaho Falls, Idaho. She's a stay-at-home mom completing an online sociology degree with Southern New Hampshire University.

Ashley Arnold

As part of her final class, for which she paid almost $1,000, students were required to complete a project outline last month in which they would compare a social norm in the US and another country.

For her "norm" Arnold picked social media use, and for her country she chose Australia.

Narvikk / Getty Images

But when Arnold got her grade back on Feb. 1, she was shocked to see her professor had failed her. Why? Because, according to the teacher, "Australia is a continent; not a country."

Narvikk / Getty Images/BuzzFeed News

“At first I thought it was a joke; This can’t be real. Then as I continued to read I realized she was for real," she told BuzzFeed News.

Christopher Chan / Getty Images

The professor, who has a PhD in philosophy, according to her LinkedIn, had given Arnold zero points in multiple sections of the assignment because she believed that Australia wasn't a real country.

Ashley Arnold

“With her education levels, her expertise, who wouldn’t know Australia is a country?" asked Arnold. "If she’s hesitating or questioning that, why wouldn’t she just google that herself?”

Andrew Watson / Getty Images

(Arnold asked BuzzFeed News not to name the professor because she didn't want any backlash, but it's understood she was a contracted employee and not on the permanent faculty).

So, Arnold wrote a lengthy email to the professor, trying to convince her Australia, the country, does indeed exist. She even provided references:

I believe I got zero or partial credit because the instructor said, 'Australia is a continent; not a country. However, I believe that Australia is a country. The research starter on the SNHU’s Shapiro library written by John Pearson (2013) states, that Australia is the 'sixth-largest country in the world' (n.p.). The full name of the country is the Commonwealth of Australia, meaning Australia is both a continent and a country. Therefore, these sections of the rubric should be amended.

But the professor still wasn't convinced. In her lecturing reply, which Arnold provided to BuzzFeed News, the professor doubled down on her Australia-denialism:






So, Arnold responded again, even including a link to the "About Australia" section of the Australian government's website:




Finally, the professor responded:

Thank you for this web-address


Let's stop for a second and just state for the record that Australia is a country. Here's the Australian prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull.

Mark Nolan / Getty Images

He's even drinking a beer! That's pretty Australian.

Here are some members of the Australian women's soccer team, the Matildas.

Otto Greule Jr / Getty Images

And here's Australia's foreign minister, Julie Bishop, speaking at the United Nations, a pretty exclusive international club that you have to be a 100% real country to join.

Kena Betancur / AFP / Getty Images

Anyway, Arnold said she was determined to have the professor realize her mistake, so she filed a report with the university. "I’m not going to fail because I chose a country that is a country," she said.

Ashley Arnold

She said she approached BuzzFeed News with her story because she was worried other students might have been incorrectly graded by the professor.

Finally, after the professor had finished conducting her "independent research," Arnold received a new grade this week: a B+.

The professor never apologized for the error, but did acknowledge she had a "misunderstanding about the difference between Australia as a country and a continent."

Still, the professor had another warning for Arnold as she prepares to write her final assignment: "Please make sure the date, the facts, and the information you provide in your report is about Australia the country and not Australia the continent."


Contacted by BuzzFeed News, a spokesperson for Southern New Hampshire University said they were looking into the matter.

When asked why she thought her professor might have been confused, Arnold said her older age might have been a factor.

"When did Australia become a country? Maybe she thinks it’s still part of England," she said.

After being told by BuzzFeed News that happened some 117 years ago, Arnold said, “Oh, she’s not that old, so there’s no excuse.”

Disclaimer: The author of this post is from the very real country that is Australia.


On Friday, SNHU announced via Twitter that they had apologized to Arnold and had replaced her professor. Arnold was also set to receive a refund for the course.

"We deeply regret the interaction between our professor & our student," SNHU said. "We have apologized to Ashley, replaced the instructor, & are reimbursing her tuition for the course. To our friends in Australia, we know that you are a country & a continent, best of luck in the Olympic games!"

Arnold told BuzzFeed News the SNHU staff were "very nice and apologized for the Australia issue."

"So I am happy with the results," she said.
