One of my favorite assignments is having students discuss the role of belief in day-to-day life. What we believe influences our behavior in many ways. If you believe God exists, you’ll act in a certain way. Likewise, if you believe there’s a devil. While I take an interdisciplinary perspective in the class, Gods, Ghosts, and Goblins: Understanding Belief, I’m a social scientist and instruct my students in the ways of science. I welcome students’ opinions, and we openly discuss the many factors that shape our views and beliefs, such as our upbringings, experiences, and faith or lack thereof. In all assignments and in class, I share how science relies on empirical evidence and a system of checks and balances. So it came as a surprise when, for an essay on people’s belief in the spirit world, a student—let’s call them X—turned in a paper lacking any citations whatsoever and opining about rampant demonic possession and conspiracy theories. The paper received a borderline failing grade, and the student was irate. At first, I could not understand where their angst came from. Then I realized that my instructions may not have been clear enough.
