Student's curiosity was snubbed by 'know-it-all' professor, so he recorded a lecture — and humbled him in class

In the world of academia, a professor's ego can sometimes be as influential as their research. They view student pushback as a personal affront, rather than a scholarly dialogue. This was exactly the type of slump a Reddit user (u/dylan_price11) found himself in during his junior year, when his research methods professor, whom he addressed as Dr. K in his post, started making bold claims in lectures without providing any citations, reflecting "classic 'I have a PhD, so my word is the source' energy." This story, posted on April 21, is providing solidarity to thousands of students worldwide.

Facts vs. fiction

A key requirement for any research is empirical day. For this student, however, that learning was left behind as his professor, Dr. K, refused to cite his words. This meant that the class could never tell if their professor was offering facts or fiction. One day, the student had had enough and decided to finally address the elephant in the room. This came after Dr. K made a sweeping statement about consumer behavior, which was contradictory to the peer-reviewed research papers the student had read. And so, he raised his hand and put forward his argument, only to hear, "In this class, any source is valid as long as you cite it correctly. The quality of your argument is what matters," said the professor. 

An Uno reverse

After this, the student decided to argue this claim in his next paper. His primary source? A transcript of Dr. K's previous lectures, where he had made some contradictory statements about a topic. By meticulously citing the professor back to himself, the student's paper became a silent tactical strike against academic infallibility. When the papers came back, the professor included notes that said, "'Interesting argument, strong structure,' and then at the bottom, 'this citation is not acceptable, please see me.'"

'Valid, but in poor taste'

Nonetheless, the student knew that this would happen and was fully prepared with the citation guide and transcripts. "I showed him the format. I showed him his own quote. I asked which part of the citation requirements I had failed to meet," he said. After which the professor took a long pause and improved his grade from a B+ to an A- and told him the citation was "technically valid but in poor taste." While he still didn't quite accept his mistake, the student did have the last laugh after all.

Disagreeing is uncomfortable

Still, even though this student was able to put forward his point, it's instances like these that have led students to feel uncomfortable in engaging in conversation with their professors. A 2021 report on campus free speech found that only about 40% of college students said they felt comfortable publicly disagreeing with a professor on a controversial topic. Besides, only 12% of students reported feeling “very comfortable” publicly disagreeing with a professor.

Readers rallied behind this student, who stood up not only for himself but also for academia in its truest sense. "You were technically correct. The best kind of correct," u/zorggalacticus commented. Meanwhile, u/tanksalotfrank commented, "Poor taste" LOL. Dude's just mad his lack of taste got put in the spotlight. Sad man." At the same time, u/celtia398 suggested, "They just hate when you turn their requirements back on them. Well done!"

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