Why does America go to war so often, runs the old joke. So Americans get to learn some geography.



So, perhaps, the US needs to take drastic action and train its missile sights on Australia. Because it seems not everyone in the States appreciates the land of Kylie, Crocodile Dundee and vegemite sandwiches is a proper bona fide country.

A college professor - we repeat: a college professor; that's someone responsible for educating others - has become the butt of complete piss-taking online after refusing to believe that Australia is an independent state.



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The PhD-educated lecturer actually failed a student who had written in an assignment that the country Down Under was, well, a country.



Ashley Arnold, who studies sociology at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), had to complete a project in which she compared social norm in the US and another nation.

Ashley Arnold got into a debate with her professor

For her norm, Arnold chose social media use, and for her country she went with Australia.

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But when her work was graded, she found she'd been failed - because, according to the teacher, "Australia is a continent, not a country". Ashley was given zero marks across several sections for the "error". Strewth!

"At first, I thought it was a joke," the 27-year-old told Buzzfeed News. "This can't be real. Then as I continued to read I realised she (the professor) was for real. With her education levels, her expertise, who wouldn't know Australia is a country? If she's hesitating or questioning that, why wouldn't she just google that herself?"



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And when she complained ("I believe Australia is both a country and a continent"), her prof remained unconvinced.



Astonishingly, instead of just, you know, hoping online to check, the teacher wrote back: "I will gladly re-examine your project report. But before I do I want you to understand that any error in a project can invalidate the entire research project. Research is like dominoes, if you accidentally knock over one piece the entire set will also fall. Australia is a continent; it is not a country."



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To which Ashley wrote back again insisting the lecturer to check her facts. She linked in the Australian government's website and pointed out the country's UN membership. Then she filed a complaint with the uni itself.

Proof of the exchange

"I'm not going to fail because I chose a country that is a country," she said, reasonably enough.



Finally, her work was re-graded and she received a B+ - although the prof concerned chose not to offer an apology.



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As the bizarre exchange went viral, the university released a statement, saying: "At SNHU, we hold our professors to a high standard of excellence and strive to provide high-quality degree programs for all students. On this question, the student is right."

Bloody galahs.

