text:
Prof disagrees with assigned textbook regarding an exam question
This actually happened to my wife, but for the sake of simplicity I'll talk about it as if it happened to me.
I wrote a final exam for a university course last week, and a couple days ago I got my marks and the correct answers back. I disagreed with one of the questions I answered wrong, so I pulled out the textbook that was assigned to this course and found that it supports my answer. I sent an email to my prof with the page number and the exact quote from the textbook that supports my answer. His reply was (with slightly changed wording):

In class I said that correct exam answer... This is an issue with any text and shows why class is so vital: Texts rapidly go out of date or (such as the broad text used for this course)  demonstrate a lack of depth. Lectures are usually much more up to date.

Keep in mind that this is an Archaeology class, which in my unprofessional opinion really doesn't "go out of date" all that quickly. The textbook is the assigned textbook for this course by the university. The online lecture notes posted by the prof make no mention of the disagreement. I was not present at the lecture.
Do professors have an obligation to recognize the assigned textbook as an authority in the context of the course? In my experience, when confronted with such a problem they typically go "Ok, fair enough, I'll give you the mark", but are they just being nice or are they supposed to do this? He's not a senior prof (not even PhD yet), so do you think going to his superior would help?
If I get this one extra mark it will bump me up 0.4 GPA for the course because I'm right at the cut-off.
Edit:
Since several people asked, the question was something like "Which Aztec god is the god of war and is associated with water". The book said one god, Huitzilopochtli, was the god of war, while Tlaloc was the god of fertility and rain. When studying for the exam, Huitzilopochtli stuck in my head as the god of war, so I picked him. The prof said that in class he mentioned that Tlaloc also had militaristic aspects.
Note that I'm not saying the prof is wrong objectively, only that our book makes no mention of Tlaloc being war-like and instead makes emphasis on fertility and life, being a beneficial god, which seemed totally opposite to war. When I sent my email I explained that I picked Huitzilopochtli because the book lists only him as the war god, but that I recognize my answer is only half-right due to the water reference, and that I feel that Tlaloc is also only half-right since he's not a war god.  Also, the prof agreed with me that the book was misleading, but said that I should've come to the lecture. Hence my question here focusing on whether the book should have any authority without getting into the details of the question itself.

Already mentioned in some of the answers but be careful of 'Archaeology really doesn't "go out of date" all that quickly.'. As an example only this week has research shown that Neanderthals 'overlapped' with modern humans for longer than previously thought. Also more modern ways of analyzing Archaeological evidence are always being brought on stream.

You may also want to check for any errata that's been published for your textbook. It's possible the textbook authors agree with your professor.

0.4 GPA, surely you mean 4.0?

@hd1: No, he means the extra mark would have increased his GPA by 0.4, not to 4.0.

@Hd1 No... question says that this point will push them over a threshold - from a B+ to an A- most likely. That extra 1 point will change the Accumulated GPA by 0.4. Something that minor makes it sound like first semester OR .4 GPA for a single semester

I have always considered everything I say in class as overriding the my course texts. In my subject, we don't normally have multiple-choice tests so there is no right vs wrong answer, only good or bad analysis/argument/evidence. If you had outdated information I would mark you down but I would not give you a zero.

It also sounds like it's a flaw of the exam design itself. I think it's poor style to have a question whose answer has only been stated orally in the lecture, without any written reference. If a lecturer does that, it becomes effectively an appeal to authority—it's right because she says it is. There should be some supporting evidence for such a claim beyond an assertion in an oral lecture.

+1 for what @aeismail says. As someone who works in a field where theorems stay true forever once proved, I find it difficult to imagine an exam question whose answer can vary like this. Could you provide an example, if not the real question?

@FedericoPoloni: a description of the real question is given in comments below Bob Brown's answer. In short, it looks like something that some sources would go into in more detail than the set text. So the prof is not necessarily issuing proclamations ex cathedra, but the prof's claims are not echoed by that particular source.

@FedericoPoloni: As an example: "Identify the most reliable method for estimating the age of the following objects."

I have added a description of the question asked

This is a bit of a cop out, but a book assigned by an instructor doesn't even have to be true at all. A history teacher may assign the Bible, Mein Kampf or Das Kapital as required reading for its influence, that doesn't mean they agree with them. A class on fraud/dishonesty could assign a completely fabricated, wrong document as an example of dishonesty. Interpretation of a text is always ultimately subjective, and your instructor does have authority in deciding subjective matters.

You could say, "if everything is subjective, how can anything even matter when I can't trust any book". But it's not a matter of books. Your professor told you to come to class and listen to the lectures. You didn't do it. You have only yourself to blame.

@Superbest I understand, but is that the typical attitude at universities? Maybe the prof has no contractual obligation to care about students who missed a lecture but surely a good prof would consider the fact that students are people too, and would make a reasonable effort to accommodate them. Saying "you missed the lecture, get lost" doesn't make for a prof that universities should want to keep around.

@Egor It is quite typical for professors at universities to require attendance, with exceptions made for justifiable absence (such as medical). As for "prof the want to keep around": If tenured, it hardly matters. If not tenured, you can give them a low score on the evaluation sheet, although many departments are more concerned with research than teaching evaluations.

@Superbest When you say "exceptions made", what do you mean exactly? In such a case, what is the mechanism for learning the material you missed?

This is why class exists. Why did you not go to it?

@LightnessRacesinOrbit Circumstances beyond my control. Surely everyone here has missed something at some point. Be it class, an appointment, a meeting, etc.

@Egor: It's your responsibility to make sure that you catch up from it. It may not be your fault but it's your responsibility.

@LightnessRacesinOrbit I fully agree, but my understanding was that reading the assigned textbook and the lecture notes posted by the instructor was the appropriate way to catch up.

"I wrote a final exam" This implies to me that you created the exam, not participated in taking it, and I had to re-read the first few sentences to make sure I understood the context.

@user45623 "I wrote a final exam"/"I wrote an exam" are Indian English/Hindi for "I took an exam"

@smci we commonly say "I wrote the exam" here in Canada as well.

@Egor: really?! Then what does the person who set the exam call it?

@smci I'm not really sure, it's pretty rare for people to be creating exams unless they work in specific fields.
We usually say "took the exam" if it didn't involve writing, like a manual skill test, and "wrote the exam" if it was specifically a written test that was done with pen on paper. For example, our driver's license have a "written test" and a "driving test". First you "write" the theory exam and then "take" the driving exam.

@smci Here's an example online:
http://www.cno.org/en/become-a-nurse/entry-to-practice-examinations/rpn-exam/faq-canadian-practical-nurse-registration-examination/
The CNO makes multiple references to "writing the exam" and refers to applicants taking the test as "writers"

My opinion -- as a university teacher for four years pre-PhD and eleven years post -- is that your story is balanced precariously on the border between "unfortunate" and "actionable".  What is to be done about this probably depends a lot on your national and local university culture, the culture of your department, and even on the judgment of your own instructor.
Here is some advice about how to best deal with the situation:

I sent an email to my prof with the page number and the exact quote from the textbook that supports my answer.

That is already not the ideal strategy.  This is a matter that requires some discussion, and email -- especially email exchanged between people who don't know each other well -- is not conducive to discussion but rather to one-sided statements of position, often of a nature which is more definitive, defensive or combative than a person would be in a face-to-face meeting.  You should go to physically meet with your instructor.  It is not too late to try to do so.

"In class I said that correct exam answer... This is an issue with any text and shows why class is so vital: Texts rapidly go out of date or (such as the broad text used for this course) demonstrate a lack of depth. Lectures are usually much more up to date."

That's a pretty good answer.  If the textbook is incorrect, superficial or out-of-date on the point which was covered in the lecture, and if you did not attend the lecture, then you are showing that you did not receive and learn the information you were tested on.

Keep in mind that this is an Archaeology class, which in my unprofessional opinion really doesn't "go out of date" all that quickly.

Definitely don't say that again.  This sentiment is indeed unprofessional.  It is also ignorant and insulting: academia is about the progression of knowledge, not just keeping it preserved for posterity. Archaeology is no different from any other field in that manner.

The online lecture notes posted by the prof make no mention of the disagreement.

That is not definitive, but it makes me more sympathetic to your situation.

I was not present at the lecture.

That's bad.  You have every right to expect that when you miss lectures you miss critical information.  That's desirable, really: otherwise what's the point of lectures?  By any chance did you contact the instructor and ask to be updated on what you missed?  Did you get notes from some classmate that did not include this point?  Either of these would mitigate your absence (the first more than the second).

Do professors have an obligation to recognize the assigned textbook as an authority in the context of the course?

No, of course not.  On the contrary, they have the obligation to correct the textbook when they feel it is helpful and/or necessary to do so.

In my experience, when confronted with such a problem they typically go "Ok, fair enough, I'll give you the mark", but are they just being nice or are they supposed to do this?

I agree; "I'll give you the mark" is the more typical, nicer reaction.  Not to do it is being a little callous, in my opinion.  But it is unlikely that "they are supposed to do this", at least not officially.  The instructor of a course has a certain amount of authority.  This decision, although it may not be a "nice" one, seems to fall within that authority, at least in my experience.

He's not a senior prof (not even PhD yet), so do you think going to his superior would help?

At most universities I'm familiar with, someone who does not have a PhD is not a "professor" at all.  But that probably doesn't really matter: what matters whether he is the "instructor of record" or a "teaching assistant".  (Probably: in some places, one does in practice have more or less classroom authority according to one's academic rank and seniority.)
Yes, going to his superior might help.  But you should think very carefully about this and have at least one face-to-face meeting with your instructor first.  Before you do that:
Find out whether your answer was actually correct, or arguably correct.
If it is, you'll have much more of a leg to stand on.  If it isn't, if push comes to shove...well, we mark the right answers right and the wrong answers wrong, don't we?  Finally:

If I get this one extra mark it will bump me up 0.4 GPA for the course because I'm right at the cut-off.

This is the line that tipped me over a bit into recommending that you pursue the matter at least a little further.  It is one thing to mark a question wrong because it is wrong.  It is another thing to stand on this to the extent that it lowers your final course grade.  There's a proportionality issue here: yes, you were apparently wrong to go with your textbook rather than the instructor.  But were you that wrong?
It seems likely to me that some more senior personnel in the Archaeology department will feel the same way.  If you can find such a person, then maybe they can influence your instructor.  However, if you are very confrontational with your instructor then he may be inclined to stand on principle, even in the face of senior personnel.  You really want to make changing the grade the easier, more palatable option for all involved.

I tried to write an email that was not confrontational, explained why I chose the answer I did and asked if he agreed with my reasoning. Missing lectures is bad, but people get sick, etc. To be honest, I don't agree that missing critical information is ever desirable. Sometimes I feel that profs create artificial incentives to attend lectures to validate their own importance. Is the goal ultimately for students to learn, or for them to come and hear the prof talk? Why does the course have a textbook at all if we can't trust it? There is no list anywhere of errors or omissions in the text.

"There is no list anywhere of errors or omissions in the text." That's (in part) what the lecture is for, but I feel we are going in circles here. Yes, the lecturer is certainly being uncommonly strict about this, but I don't think you are able to construe this in a way that makes him entirely in the wrong.

@Egor: I agree that lectures can be missed for valid reasons.  In that case you should approach the instructor to find out what you missed: did you do so?  "I don't agree that missing critical information is ever desirable."  I agree, and I see that I did not express myself clearly on this point.  What I meant is that it is desirable that lectures present information which is so critical that one would not want to miss them.  "Sometimes I feel that profs create artificial incentives to attend lectures to validate their own importance." That may be true, but it is not directly helpful to you.

"Is the goal ultimately for students to learn, or for them to come and hear the prof talk?" The goal is ultimately for students to learn.  As I said, it seems that by missing the lecture you failed to learn something.  You should find out whether that's true (and thereby learn what you missed!).  "Why does the course have a textbook at all if we can't trust it?" No one source is perfectly trustworthy.  Why do people buy the New York Times when it makes mistakes? "There is no list anywhere of errors or omissions in the text." Except for the one given by the instructor in class?

I did not ask the prof what I missed. TBH, I was under the impression that doing so would be rude. It wasn't his fault that I missed class, why should he give me a personal lecture, I should go read the textbook on my own time. I'm not arguing that texts (or even profs) in general are perfect, but I feel they should have some authority on a test.

@Egor If you did not even bother to try to find out what you missed during your absence, then this is a serious problem — and your attitude about validation of self-importance a bigger one. If you prefer mail-order type courses over those involving a human being, those are available to you.  I’m sure you would not be happy if you went to the trouble of attending a course and your professor were a no-show. A course whose material does not require a human being should not be presented in a format requiring one. This one apparently was, and you did not execute due diligence in your end of it.

@tchrist My view (perhaps mistaken) was always that lectures are to explain and discuss the material, answer questions, provide depth and context, etc, but factually they would always align with other material assigned for the course. If I miss a lecture then I make an effort to learn the material I missed on my own without the advantage of having a prof to answer questions or explain things I don't understand, which I think is a reasonable compromise.

@Egor Obviously the goal is to use material that "factually aligns" with the lectures, but try to imagine the impossibility of ensuring the textbook is always completely up-to-date and includes no errors or even subjective interpretations that differ from your own. You'd be too busy reading textbooks to actually teach a course.

Do professors have an obligation to recognize the assigned textbook as an authority in the context of the course?

No, there is no such obligation.  It's a bad educational practice to choose a textbook that's seriously unreliable, but even good textbooks slowly go out of date, and they sometimes have a lack of detail or even outright errors as well.  It's important for professors to try to be clear about any deficiencies the textbook has, for example by highlighting them in class.  I provide a written list of any typos or other issues I am aware of (although I note that of course there may be others as well).  However, there is no obligation to accept the textbook's version as a correct answer, and there are no specific rules about how things must be brought to the students' attention.  It's entirely up to the lecturer's discretion.
I would expect that many professors would be more flexible or accommodating than what happened in this instance, but not all of them.  At least in the sort of universities I'm familiar with (in the U.S.), there's no way an administrator will change the grade under these circumstances if the faculty member who assigned it is unwilling to do so.
On the other hand, it's not clear to me from what you say whether this person is a regular faculty member (due to the lack of a Ph.D.).  If you are dealing with a teaching assistant, it could be worth asking the professor in charge of the whole course.  This will probably upset the TA, but it might work (since the professor will want to maintain common policies among all the TAs assigning grades).  Other than that, I don't see any recourse.
Added in light of Pete Clark's answer: I'm assuming your answer is definitely wrong.  I.e., either the textbook had an error in it or it's out of date regarding a clear scholarly consensus.  On the other hand, if you can make a case that your answer is actually correct or accepted by serious researchers (not just that the textbook says it, but that authoritative and up to date scholarly sources agree), then you've got more of a basis for disputing the grade.

I think a written list of errors would be reasonable. Otherwise, even going to the wash room is risky - you could miss the prof verbally correct something that ends up on the test. I think he's a faculty member, and is a "PhD candidate".
I think my biggest gripe is "How do you study with a book that's wrong?" Of course texts are not perfect, but I thought that an answer from the assigned textbook would always be accepted on a test, unless there's a written correction.

How do you study with a book that's wrong? — As opposed to what? I assume all textbooks have errors.

All textbook has errors. Also, we hear the story from a very peculiar point of view: someone tells it on behalf of one party without even himself would be familiar with the details or having any experience in the given subject. I can imagine that if e.g. someone spends 10 min in a class with a problem and even underline that the recommended textbook is outdated/not valid, be less happy with a student who maybe demands a better grade on basis that "how would I know that?". The devil is in the details, and we don't know those.

@JeffE For us it's "easy": mathematical errors can be clearly identified by careful reading. In less formal sciences, you have a much harder time. Also, there are often several competing "scholarly consensi"; the correct exam answer might change from term to term with the professor reading the course. (True story.)

@Egor: "even going to the wash room is risky" -- yes. The exam is intended, in large part, to test your knowledge of the subject. If your knowledge is impaired by your absence from lectures then the grade can reflect that. University study is not a game. Principles come into play that will compensate for certain circumstances (illness, incorrect information delivered by the lecturer), in which case the question could for example be excluded from consideration of your overall grade. But it's not certain that incorrect information in the textbook, corrected in lectures, should be of this kind.

And, "how do you study with a book that's wrong" -- you take better notes in lectures. There may be a systematic problem that one part of the university tells you lectures are optional, while another part of the university (this prof) treats them as essential. If so, you could argue to the university that this prof is unfairly requiring students to attend lectures (!). Otherwise, they're essential, and if you miss essential things and don't have a good reason for special consideration, then you lose marks. That's what "essential" means.

@SteveJessop I guess my argument is that there should be a fall-back mechanism that requires more effort but produces the same (or similar) result. Besides, if a prof is sick and misses a lecture, do they typically lose a chunk of their pay? Surely their attendance is no less essential.

Re: your next to last paragraph in the answer: when I was a TA I would love it when students would take their grade disputes to the administrator (my boss) because it'd be one less problem for me to deal with. Though as far as I know, they rarely ever did. Anyway, I think the fraction of TAs who think as I do on this matter may be more significant than your answer implies. (Not saying you should change it, just commenting)

I don't know if this is a particularly applicable analogy, but in professional work, I sometimes refer a client or coworker to a resource that is overall  very strong/thorough but includes an inaccurate statement or two (to which I include corrections). Even the best work can have mistakes or out-of-date information. I can't even imagine trying to find an entire textbook that is error-free. It can take weeks to read a comprehensive textbook from cover-to-cover even when you aren't closely evaluating it for inaccuracies.

ALL textbooks have errors. Without exception. I say this as a textbook author. On top of that all textbooks talk about things as though they are settled facts when in fact they are matters open to debate. Thats even before talk about things going out of date. Yes, if a teacher notices an error in the way the textbook talks about something, they should say so, and its probably good to list it in writing somewhere. But to be honest i'm never going to catch everything in a 500 page textbook I don't agree.

"In class I said that correct exam answer... This is an issue with any text and shows why class is so vital: Texts rapidly go out of date or (such as the broad text used for this course) demonstrate a lack of depth. Lectures are usually much more up to date."

Well, your lecturer is right. Text books are sometimes factually wrong. If he indeed pointed out the error in class and you were not aware because you did not go to class, you can hardly blame the lecturer.
That being said, most lecturers would probably be open for a sensible argument, but you should certainly approach it as a nicety or concession of the lecturer, not something that you can force by applying to some sort of obligation.

He's not a senior prof (not even PhD yet), so do you think going to his superior would help?

Rank doesn't really have a lot to do with it. Going to his superior (if such a person exists, which may depend on how your university works) may help, or kill your cause entirely. In my home university, complaining to the department head was generally a horrible idea. Department heads never decide against a lecturer in a case that is not a clear-cut violation of university policy. All you would do in this case is make the lecturer much more unsympathetic towards your cause.

Going to a superior with an attitude like "Do professors have an obligation to recognize the assigned textbook as an authority in the context of the course?" does not sound like the most sensible way.

@xLeitix: However, it's a different scenario if this is a multi-sectioned course with a "head lecturer" in charge of overseeing all of the individual sections.

@aeismail Good point. In the case of a teaching assistant, going to the person actually listed as the instructor might help. I did that successfully a time or two in labs, but it was generally where the TA had actually marked something incorrectly or was being unreasonably pedantic, not because I missed something mentioned in class. In the case of a professor, though, you're generally just at their mercy unless you have a really, really strong case that your answer is correct.

Textbooks, even very good textbooks, can contain errors, even egregious errors.  When that happens, I try very hard to emphasize the error and explain why something else is correct and the textbook is not.  I'll probably mention it in two or more class sessions.  For one book, I have an online errata sheet.
I will not accept an incorrect answer on an exam, no matter what authority the examinee might bring forward.  (But I will also consider that I might be the one who is wrong!)
There are already several good answers to this question.  I'm writing because you bring up the effect of this answer on your GPA.  The goal of a university course is not a grade; the goal is mastery of the material.  Master the material and the grade will take care of itself.  You have your eye on the wrong goal.
Unless it's already luminously obvious, go to the professor (in some universities, everyone in charge of a class is called "professor" regardless of academic rank), apologize for the email, and ask for help in understanding why the book's answer is not appropriate.  That probably will not get you any slack on the exam in question, but you'll get at least one item right on the final exam!

This was the final exam, so unfortunately there's no getting the item right later on.
I agree that the goal of the university is not the mark, I only brought it up to explain why I'm going to such lengths.

That's unfortunate.  "You" should still ask for help in understanding the reason for the difference.

"I will not accept an incorrect answer on an exam, no matter what authority the examinee might bring forward. (But I will also consider that I might be the one who is wrong!)" But how can you admit that you are wrong if you will not accept any other authority on the subject but yourself?

The question is not whether I am right, the question is whether the answer given is right.  I did not say I will accept no answer other than my own, I said I will not accept an incorrect answer.  That's why the other respondents to your question were so insistent that discussion is the right approach.

There's no real "understanding" of the difference, it was a factual matter. The book made no mention that a particular Aztec god had some aspects, and the exam asked if he did. Some of the academic resources online do mention the aspects, while others do not.

I hope you haven't been as argumentative with your wife's professor as you're being here.  As I am here to help and not to argue, this will be my last comment.  I think we're finally getting down to the problem, though.  You write, "The book made no mention..." which is very different from the book contradicting what the professor said.  Lectures are supposed to add to what is presented in the textbook.  And students are supposed to learn that material.

I apologize, it was not my intent to offend. I simply don't understand some of the reasoning and I'm trying to explain how I think about it. I appreciate the answers.

I think the use of "I" and "you" when one might either be talking in the voice of the OP, OP's wife, the professor of the class, or the person answering, is resulting in unfortunate misunderstandings and the appearance of confrontation that was not intended. Just saying this as a person reading this comment thread with a fresh set of eyes.

@Egor: It seems to me that your explanation in these comments is not consistent with your framing of the question.  When you said "the textbook supports my answer", you meant that it supported it by having some information on topic X but not all the information that was given in class and then appeared on the final exam?!?  Based on that understanding I've deleted my answer.  Please feel free to provide additional clarification.

@BobBrown: Not that it makes a difference in this case, but I don't understand your policy fully. If you deliver a piece of information in class, and realise at or around the time of the exam that the information you delivered was wrong, and the students deliver the same information back to you in the exam, what is the result of "I will not accept an incorrect answer on an exam, no matter what authority the examinee might bring forward. (But I will also consider that I might be the one who is wrong!)"? Do you mark them wrong, mark them right, or exclude the question from the mark scheme?

I'd exclude the question.  Happily, I teach in a field where those sorts of mistakes are extremely rare.

@Egor: You've made some important clarifications in these comments, and it would be helpful if you could edit your question to include them there.  In particular, it's a crucial detail that the book didn't actually give wrong information; rather, it failed to mention something that was discussed in class, and you interpreted this absence of evidence as evidence of absence.  Not knowing this is leading others to give misleading answers.

@Egor: Thanks for clarifying the question.  I've undeleted my answer.

"In class I said that correct exam answer... This is an issue with any text
  and shows why class is so vital: Texts rapidly go out of date or (such
  as the broad text used for this course) demonstrate a lack of depth.
  Lectures are usually much more up to date."

All you need to know is right there in the professor's response.

The professor covered the correction in the lecture.
You missed the lecture.
Therefore, you missed the question.

That makes it officially, "Your problem."
The lesson is twofold:

Attend the lectures.
Textbooks are not the ultimate authority.

Is there an implicit assumption in this answer that the student chose not to attend the lecture?

@AndrewGrimm he stated he'd not attended. In my experience the vast majority such cases are by choice. If there's a good reason to not be there (say a medical emergency) there's usually a chance to get the notes afterwards (from a fellow student at least, usually the teacher/lecturer). And as others have noted, things like corrections to books and other literature are often given several times, not just once.

Presume the professor has power.
In my first job as an instructor, here is my basic memory of what the department chair said to me:
"Here is the syllabus.  You are required to talk about each of the items of the syllabus.  Just talk about them for 2-5 minutes.  Of course, talk about them more if you want, at your discretion.  But our goal is to create students with high quality. Do whatever it takes."
In fact, I did once use that strategy immensely. I was also required to give a final exam.  However, the exam didn't actually need to be about subject material.  When I found out that the course I had to teach was about Microsoft Internet Secure Accelerator, and I found out that this proprietary software had been discontinued in the marketplace for a couple of years, I spent 40 minutes covering the software, and then just took the course in a totally different direction which would actually be useful for students.
On the other hand, I recall at a different institution where I learned that a math instructor was required to assign very specific problems from the text book, and the topic covered each day was assigned to her.  So her department gave her no leeway whatsoever.
You could try contacting a department chair or dean or whomever, but know that you're likely to be "burning bridges"/"making enemies" by doing such things, and it might not help you at all. Chances are that the dean of your college isn't going to care if you get a GPA that is 0.4 higher. (S)he will be more concerned about the ideas that you skipped class and that you are not responsibly accepting the consequences of your action. If this experience causes you to learn that you should do what is expected of you, such as showing up to class and paying attention to lectures, then that will likely be far more favorable for the chair/dean than worrying about your grade.
If I were a dean and a student approached me about this, the best that the student might hope to get for is an "I will look into it".  And I would be diligent enough to get the instructor's side of things.  However, I would not be inclined to take the student's side and order the instructor to make a change. I would be far more inclined to want to show my fellow instructor that they have my full support.
Sometimes, your instructors might not have full autonomy in assigning grades.  For example, there might be a rule printed in the syllabus which says that exams will determine 40% of your grade, while quizzes will count as 25% of the grade, and remaining grade points may come from other items (like in-class assignments, participation, homework/research papers, etc.).  Your instructor may or may not have full control over the syllabus. I would expect your instructor to be absolutely bound to whatever is written in the syllabus. However, if your instructor decides to make one quiz worth more than another quiz, that could be fully within the instructor's rights. And if an instructor wants to say that one question has multiple accepted answers, and that another answer isn't accepted, I would expect that may be (and probably is) fully within the rights of the instructor to determine.
In a lot of ways, you don't have much power as a student. This is by design, as instructional institutions try to impose compliance to make sure that students can, naturally (from experience), easily adhere to certain professional expectations.
To summarize a lot of the above: Exactly what your professor is allowed to do may vary a bit, but if you do not have something in writing, chances are pretty high that your instructor has full leeway to make lots of decisions, certainly including disagreeing with the textbook and deciding what answers to accept as correct. (I recall as a community college student when an instructor even dis-enrolled me from a class, I think even after a class had started.)
And since the professor took an approach of defending a decision, and hasn't offered you any points yet, your bet bet is to seek points from some method other than getting points for your answer to that question. You are not likely to win this one.

If I get this one extra mark it will bump me up 0.4 GPA for the course.

I'd say this is the only real impetus present. Without this, either the instructor or you ought to let the marks slide. Have you discussed with the instructor how this seemingly small matter can substantially affect your grade, chances for future scholarships, grad school apps, etc..?
I say, ethically, the instructor was justified in their response, for the reasons that Pete lists. But you may as well schedule a face-to-face meeting and play your sympathy trump card.

I'm actually very surprised by the answers to this question.
First, I think it's very bad form for a lecturer to deliberately include a question on an exam where the assigned textbook gets it wrong. I would certainly never do that.
Second, if the lecturer thinks it's important that the students get the correct facts about this topic, (s)he should inform the students through a forum that all students are required to use (whether they use it or not), such as e-mail or a class website (I would do both, actually, just to make sure). Again, I think it's bad form and sloppy to think it suffices to just "mention it in class", especially if the lecturer intends to include it in the exam. All lecturers know that all students cannot make every single class, and I would think it's both unfair and childish to "punish" the students that didn't make that specific class in this way.

It's not clear if the lecturer knew about the discrepancy before Egor's wife complained about it.

@mhwombat That's even worse, because that means he doesn't even know what the book he himself has assigned as the class textbook says.

The professor did not "get it wrong."  The material wasn't covered in the text, but was covered in the lecture.  In a comment above, Egor writes, "The textbook makes no mention..."  And, I believe "coming to class" should count as a forum all students are required to use.

@Sverre to assign a textbook means to choose a respected textbook that covers the required topics sufficiently, nothing more. The lecturer is not required to proofread the textbook, and most likely would not read it in as much detail as the students do, as s[he] would have likely learned the topic from a different textbook, and taught it from a number of different textbooks as well. Especially with often released newer editions, I wouldn't assume that the prof has even read the latest edition of the textbook, if [s]he has used an earlier edition before. Textbook is just extra reading material.

I have to downvote this.  It would be a bit distasteful if the professor intentionally set the question as a trap for those who missed lecture, but we haven't seen any evidence that this is the case.  I don't think it's incumbent on the professor to call out every place where the lecture differs from the textbook, especially (as in this case, see comments on Bob Brown's answer) when he is merely discussing something that the textbook omits.

@NateEldredge I don't think downvoting because you disagree is how downvotes are supposed to be used.

@BobBrown I never said that the professor "got it wrong" ... And class attendance has never been a requirement in the classes I've taught. And it's simply a fact that not all students show up every time. Some students simply cannot come to class (they work full-time, they live too far away, etc.) We as teachers should take facts of the world into account when teaching.

@Peteris Well, we disagree. I would never choose a textbook without reading it myself. I don't claim teachers are required to do so, but I think good teachers should. We should know exactly what the students are reading when we are telling them to read it. My opinion.

@Sverre: No, you said the textbook got it wrong, and I garbled that in my comment.  The textbook didn't get it wrong, either; it was silent on the subject.

@Sverre a normal reading of a book wouldn't reveal "X isn't mentioned there" for all the contents of your lectures, unless you explicitly sourced all your lecture content from that book alone. Nor would a normal reading of a book reveal all or even most mistakes in it, proofreading and verification is a quite bit more intensive task than reading.

@BobBrown According to the OP, what the lecturer said in class disagreed with the textbook, and he quoted the relevant parts of the book that supported his answer. That doesn't sound like the textbook was silent on the subject to me.

Yes, that's what the OP wrote, but as we found out later, that's not what happened.  It came out in the comments that the textbook was silent on the subject and the professor added material to a lecture that was not in the textbook.

@BobBrown Well then the OP's question doesn't make much sense now, does it ... ? But still, I personally would never give a question on an exam whose right answer couldn't be deduced from the assigned readings or from class notes/handouts/slides.

I agree with your analysis of the question.  The other piece of the puzzle is that the OP's wife missed the class where this was discussed or it should have been in her notes.


text:
Should I challenge the GRE requirement for a doctoral program in education (in the U.S.)?
I'm just starting to investigate doctoral programs in education in the United States, and I'm considering how to handle the GRE requirement:

Hardline Activism: submit my incomplete application with a well-researched essay justifying my refusal to take the GRE.
Soft Activism: submit my complete application including my first-try GRE scores along with a well-researched essay debunking the significance of my GRE scores related to my value as a candidate in the Ed.D. program, AND flatly stating that I spent no more than four hours (the length of the exam. i.e. No test prep.) on the GRE, in light of my scientific conclusions about it's relevance in this situation.
Passive Acceptance: submit my complete application with my first-try GRE score and hope for acceptance.
Active Acceptance: Study hard and take the GRE, then study some more and take it again. Submit my complete application and hope for acceptance.

Are there other options that I'm overlooking?
My position is not "the GRE has no value." My position is "I'm an excellent candidate for this doctoral program, as evidenced by my application. GRE scores would not alter that conclusion."
I found this discussion very useful, especially the answer and citations by Jeromy Anglim.
As an aside, I admit that I enjoy testing boundaries just for fun, but this issue is more than that. As a proponent of thoughtful, responsible education reform, I'm leaning toward options 1 and 2.

I feel the goal is noble, but very dangerous given the power structure among the selection committee and candidates. There is a fine line between appearing confident and pompous, and if the application pool is large or if the committee is very conservative, you may put your application at risk. I'd suggest perhaps get a good score, get in, and volunteer to serve in a student senate or rep, and start working from inside the department as one of the members. That way you may get better buy-in.

Then write your essay and publish it. You will have much more weight as a critique of a test if you passed it with a good score. And you won't jeopardize your chances of getting accepted.

Let me get this straight, you did poorly on the GRE and now want to argue that it is valueless. I would be much more likely to believe you if your convictions were so strong you refused to take the test.

I think it is probably of critical importance that you are applying to Education departments. From my experience the field of Education has very different views of what is important from many other fields.

I agree with @StrongBad: your position would be more noble and more interesting had you categorically refused to take the GRE.  People who went to war and decided that it was not for them do not make ideal conscientious objectors.  And I agree with the following comment: I think the fact that this is the education department must have some significance here: if you were applying to a PhD program in (say) mathematics, a research essay about your refusal might make interesting reading, but: not only would we not consider your application, we would feel honorbound not to consider it.

Come study in Europe. (This reads as if you are against the GRE because you have a bad score, not on principle. If true, that does not make you cause noble but kind of sad.)

At least in my program (which is not an Ed.D.) the admissions process uses GRE scores as a very preliminary non-strict cutoff. Everyone above the cutoff gets viewed by one committee. Everyone* below the cutoff gets viewed by a different committee. About 80% of offers go to applicants above the cutoff and the other 20% below the cutoff.  *probably not everyone but I know most are

The other question you cite shows positive correlation between GRE score, GPA, productivity, and research citations, which doesn't really support your argument. Suggesting that the GRE score doesn't, or shouldn't impact the evaluation of a candidate effectively amounts to "the GRE has no value".

I think the answer to your question is this:
How much do you value getting into graduate school versus how much do you value feeling like you are making a point?
If you value feeling like you are making a point, by all means, pursue the Soft Activism. My guess is that it will come across to the department like a complaint that you didn't do well enough on the test and are going rogue to make your point.
If you value getting into graduate school, then engage in "begrudging acceptance" that this is how you get into that particular graduate school. Like it or not, there's often a line of people willing to take your place, suffer the test, and smile. Moreover, if there's money on the line in the forms of scholarships or fellowships, consider the time/money you put into the test an investment. Study, practice, and prepare until you get a score you can submit in the hopes of getting in. You don't have to actively like the idea, you just need to accept this is the means to acceptance in graduate school.
For middle ground possibilities, I actually think the "hardline activism" approach is softer and less whiney than your "soft activism", because true or false it makes it seem like you've had a principled stand against the GRE since the beginning. Depending on the contours of the education program that might bode well for you. Some education programs might agree that the testing is bunk; my colleagues in education don't like standardized tests.
You can of course just submit the scores you have, but if you think they are inadequate for acceptance, that seems unwise.

After you're in, then write all the principled essays you want against it and try to change the system.

These opinions are based on my discussions with faculty members involved in PhD admission committees.
I think your crusade against the GRE will be more productive when you become the department chair or the dean of a school. Right now it just sounds like you're afraid.
Among the options you've listed, I would recommend #3. You should know that the GRE plays a small part in what gets you accepted in a good grad school. The admission committee cares about your essay, your letters, your past productivity, and how you've done in specific hard courses.
The GRE is correlated with IQ and simply enables the committee to focus their efforts on a smaller pool. They know that they might miss on a good candidate who inexplicably bombed the GRE but they also know that they would easily find many many equally good candidates in the pool of those who did average and above on their GREs.
If you do exceptionally well in your GRE (98 percentile +) then you will stand out. If you do average, the committee will focus on what they really care about, which is your essay, your letters etc. If you bomb it then your application likely won't be looked at.
Don't waste your time and money taking the GRE many many times. Your score won't change very much and what's really important is the rest of your portfolio.

" The GRE is correlated with IQ" - I'm not sure I agree with this unless you use a tautological definition of IQ as measured using a standardized exam. As faculty, I've only found a weak correlation between GREs and intelligence.

@RoboKaren - that might be because you only get to observe the correlation in a very small sample of applicants: those who were accepted. Those generally tend to have a narrower range of scores than the entire pool, and they are (hopefully) on the far end of the distribution, ability-wise.

As my response indicates, my department really deprecates the use of GREs. I also try to talk to candidates whose projects interest me, so I've chatted to people with a wide range of ability and scores. Very low GREs do bother me, especially in the writing portion, but there's no utility for me after that.

@RoboKaren by IQ I mean the very narrow raw logical and mathematical intelligence. I don't mean a multi-faceted human intelligence that accounts for emotional, linguistic, musical, and other facets of intelligence. I also don't mean any creativity that research requires. Nor do I mean the self knowledge, and knowing the lay of the land...  things that are usually necessary for success in all difficult endeavors and that a "smart" person would know well.

The GRE tests one thing: skill on taking the GRE. The fact that GRE prep increases your score indicates that it's not testing anything inherent.

@RoboKaren: Your use of GREs sounds quite similar to the way that most admissions committees use it.  In the math department, we don't really see candidates with less than good scores on the quantitative portion of the GRE (in fact there is a GRE math subject exam which we made a requirement while I was on the graduate committee), but a low GRE verbal score bothers me as well.  On the other hand, no GRE score, however high, is enough to ensure acceptance (in a department which is about the 50th best in its field).

"The GRE tests one thing: skill on taking the GRE."  The Nobel Prize tests only one thing: your skill in getting the Nobel Prize.  This is a tautology.  "The fact that GRE prep increases your score indicates that it's not testing anything inherent."  I don't happen to think it's testing your immortal soul, but your statement does not logically follow. Clearly most people cannot be prepped to get top GRE scores.  Conversely, you seem to discount that studying for the GRE actually increases knowledge and suitability for grad school: on the math subject exam, this is at least somewhat true.

@RoboKaren "GRE tests the ability to take the GRE" Lets say that's true of the  General GRE (It's certainly not true of the Math Subject GRE). That still doesn't invalidate it as a mildly useful signal if "the ability to take GRE" is correlated with some mathematical and logical ability.

Merely because prepping for the test can increase your score does not mean that the test only tests your ability to prep. One obvious area where prepping matters is in understanding the instructions for the test. One area where it has limits is that part of the prep is learning / reviewing a large number of vocabulary terms.

@PeteL.Clark on the math subject exam, this is at least somewhat true. — [citation needed]

@JeffE: I am saying that when I studied for the Math Subject GRE, in that I studied and practiced mathematics, I learned some mathematics, including at least a little bit on topics I was not exposed to in my coursework.  I have observed similar phenomena in others.  I am confident that I could find academic studies which document that studying and reviewing X at the university level is positively correlated with knowledge of X and success in future academic study of X.  But this will take some time: is your request sincere?

@PeteL.Clark Somewhat. I don't doubt that studying for the GRE (or any other math test) increases students's knowledge of (and more importantly, facility with) math. I'm considerably more skeptical about studying for the GRE increasing "suitability for grad school".

@JeffE: In that math PhD programs are selecting for candidates with knowledge and facility in mathematics, I'm not sure what you're getting at.  I certainly don't mean that studying for an exam increases one's suitability for grad school across the board or anything like that.  Really all I meant is that it is logically defensible -- and even plausible -- that students may acquire skills that make them more desirable graduate candidates in the course of studying for the GRE, so improved performance after studying does not seem like a criticism of the GRE.

It would take me too much space to properly explain myself, but I read @RoboKaren's comment as criticizing the GRE for not testing the student's inherent future promise.  The similarity of the "general" version of this test to what used to be called the Scholastic Aptitude Test abets such a view, but this is not consistent with the way the GRE is used by admissions committees in my experience (in math departments).  In fact I would criticize the idea that a 22 year old student even has some well-defined amount of inherent future promise...

....One could argue that math research has little to do with the undergraduate material tested on the GRE math subject exam, and that someone who did badly on this exam could still have all the inherent promise of a great future mathematician.  My response: sure.  But on the one hand that's even more true if someone has scored well, and on the other hand the exam is testing things we want the students to know upon arrival.  If you have the inherent aptitude to do well on the exam but don't, that does say something about your current suitability for grad school.

@PeteL.Clark While your points make sense for the subject GRE, I am not sure they do for the general test. I regret the time I had to spend preparing for the general GRE. All I learned were test-taking tactics, and some words that are useful when I read The New Yorker. I can't imagine how speed-solving easy high-school math problems says anything about my abilities relevant to a technical PhD program, except maybe something about how I manage with stress. Not to mention that until recent changes, the maximum math score on the general test was achieved by more than 10% of test takers.

@PeteL.Clark "Clearly most people cannot be prepped to get top GRE scores".   Check out a good GRE prep book and you will likely change your mind.  I suspect anyone capable of getting an english language bachelor's degree could be coached to a high score, if they can afford the coaching.

@Anonymous: My argument was along logical rather than empirical grounds.  In other words, I do not need to search the atlases to discover that there is not actually a town where "all the children are above average." Only 20% of the population can score in the top 20% of the GRE no matter how much coaching is done.  But since you ask: I think that what you suggest is a bit too strong, but some weaker version of it is true.

@PeteL.Clark I said "anyone" not "everyone".

@Anonymous: Right, but I spoke first and said "most people."  Anyway, it is not true (I think) that "anyone" could get, say, in the top 20% of the GREs with any reasonable amount of coaching.  As a math teacher, I know that many university students have very limited precalculus skills, to an extent that prevents them from passing calculus.

One word of caution regarding options 1 and 2: In many (if not most) U.S. colleges, the office of the Graduate School has the final say over who is admitted to candidacy for a graduate degree. GRE score requirements for that candidacy are usually a matter of official university policy and cannot simply be overridden by the faculty committee reviewing applications in a particular department. Getting an exception to university policy just because you don't like the GRE requirement seems very unlikely. There might be a few schools where that would work, but I would guess it to be a small minority.
I would agree with the advice of others that you play by the rules to get into the program and then work from within to change the requirements for others in the future. This doesn't require several levels of administration to approve exceptions to university policy, it doesn't make it look like you just don't want to take the test, it doesn't make it look like you're trying to hide or excuse a poor test score, it doesn't make it look like you feel entitled to special treatment that other candidates aren't getting, and it doesn't make it look like you're going to be unwilling to work with others when you can't have your way. Of course, as virmaior said, this decision also depends on how much you value getting accepted into the program. My answer is assuming you value it highly. Also, again, results at your particular school will vary and will depend strongly on the university policy of the school as well as the viewpoints of the graduate admissions committee in your department as well as any levels of administration that may be required to approve their decisions.

If you want an exception from the GRE requirement policy, submit other materials and politely ask the head of the admission committee for an exception. In the request build carefully your case as why you think you would be successful in the school. Remember, the school admission is not about your principles, it is about the Department having confidence you would be successful. And that's what you need to show in your petition.
In my case, my GRE scores were excellent, but too old (10 years). Since taking the test I completed a Masters at one of the top schools with high GPA, and had a successful employment record at reputable (and picky) employers. The Department for my PhD program had no issues waving the requirement to retake the GRE, simply because I had other means to show that I would be successful in the program.

Best option if you want to make a point: Take the GRE, get a perfect score, then write a letter asking them to disregard your score in their evaluation of your application on the grounds that it is not an appropriate measure of your ability.

Don't expect that if you submit an incomplete application the people evaluating it will see your application or if they do see it, they may not have time to read your well-researched letter.
It will likely be a committee, some of whom may not have looked at applications before the meeting (for an academic job hunt, my wife once learned she was on the short-listing committee when she got a 300 pg pdf file consisting of all the applications on Friday and was told that the meeting was on Monday).
Someone not involved in the decision process may go through and throw out any applications that don't meet the admission criteria - if you're admitted despite failing to meet the criteria they are opening themselves up to a lawsuit.

As someone who recently took the GRE for grad school I feel your pain. I didn't do badly but certainly not as well as I would have liked. I'm not a good standardized test taker and felt at a disadventage when taking it.
BUT, my department (no idea about yours), does not weigh the score of the GRE very heavily. Unlike the SAT or ACT, there is no minimum score that you have to meet. I actually emailed my advisor for grad school, asking him about my scores and if they would do (or if not, would I need to take it over). There is no "this score is good, this one is bad" scale so I really didn't know how I stood from other candidates.
My advisor essentially said this: they have the GRE as a requirment because they have to (or at least, it's the standard). However, they look more at GPA, letters of recom., and advise from the faculty. There are students from foreign universities who bomb it because of language barriers but that doesn't prevent them from getting in.
Bottom line, I would ask the school(s) you are appling to directly if you are worried about getting in to see how heavily it weighs. In my opinoin and from those that I've talked to, nobody really believes the GRE is some great test that determines sole ability for getting through grad school.
Now, if you just want to kick up some dust and try to take down the GRE all togehter, more power to you :p It's an antiquateated and unfair test and through my previous points of most schools (well, my school at least) not really caring about it, it's just a way to make more money.
Though I would advise against option #1. Not submitting a GRE I don't think will do anything than merely have your application by incomplete. Mine was all done online so without having every box checked off, it wouldn't let you submit it anyways and as fair as I know you can not apply unless it's online.

Consider a PHD program in Europe. To my knowledge and experience,
you will get more papers published during a European program,
and the number of papers in good journals is what determines your future academic career.

...but for most of them, you need a Master's first.

There are a lot of other implications of doing a PhD overseas, see here for a few, and some people think it is harder to get a job in the US after doing a PhD in Europe.  It seems to me that suggesting that someone change countries simply because they don't like the GRE is rather extreme.  There are many pros and cons that are far more significant than the GRE.

And many English-language PhD programs overseas require a GRE for admissions purposes. (Mine does, for instance.)

I am not sure why someone interest in a EdD in the States would benefit from a PhD in Europe. This seems like awful advice.

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Can an editor make substantial edits and publish them without the author's permission?
Can an editor make substantial edits to an author's book or paper and publish them without the author's permission?

No. The more interesting question might be what happens if someone does so anyway.

I think the situation might be different for books and articles. In my experience editors don't "edit" anything in submitter papers.

No.
Editorial review is an iterative process in which an editor, reviews and the author(s) have open (although usually blind) exchanges about the details of a manuscript. The process relies wholly on a full exchange of information between all parties.
A helpful and detailed account of a standard editorial process may be found at the National Institutes for Health website.

I will add that I'm sure some editors, using poor practice, make such changes and don't alert the author. But such practice greatly compromises editorial and scientific processes.

We tend to disprefer link-only answers. This might be flagged for further explication or for deletion.

As Cape Code remarks in a comment, things are probably different for books and papers.
For what concerns papers, it would be probably very difficult, if not impossible, for an editor to make substantial edits without author's approval for the following reasons:

The editor might not have access to the paper source files, which are frequently managed by another office.
The author usually has to approve the galley proofs before publication, and the editor changes would be easily detected. And if the editor makes a number of unapproved last minute changes, the author would be able to use the approved galley proof to put up a case against the editor.

If you have to ask the question, then it is not your original work.  As you said, you are "editing".   Editors are not the original writers.
When you change the structure of the sentence, you are paraphrasing the original passage and therefore, the original author gets credit for that!
In lieu of direct permission, a citation is an absolute must before you publish.

Welcome to Academia.SE. Sorry, but this does not answer the question, and there's nothing which suggests that the OP is the editor themselves.

Thank's for the feedback Massimo and I disagree.  I have certainly answered this question correctly.  Given the question, I don't believe we have enough information to get too specific.   What we do know is that Geramia or someone he knows [I use the term "you" in the general sense] wants to publish someone else's work after having edited it, of course in an academic paper  I assume because this is Academia and not Publishing.  Under these circumstances, I stand by my answer.

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Manuscript transferred from editor to editor
I recently submitted a manuscript for publication, and soon after received a message saying that it was "with Editor".
A few days later, I received a message saying it was "transferred to Associate Editor", and a few days after that "transferred to Subject Editor".
My question is about the different levels/types of editors in this process, not about the acceptance/rejection of manuscripts in general.
What does this mean?

This is probably the result of the journal's structure. I would guess that papers in this journal are handled by:

Author submits paper (say, on the topic of "simulations of the solar system's formation").
Someone (possibly the editor-in-chief, possibly the desk editor, possibly an automated system) assigns the paper to the associate editor with the closest expertise. Odds are the journal only has a few associate editors so at this point it could be quite general, e.g. the associate editor could be an expert in "general relativity" which is not the same as the paper's topic, but is relatively related.
The associate editor then assigns a subject editor. The subject editor is also a member of the editorial board but has a more specialized focus. For example the subject editor could be an expert on "planetary science" which is closer to the paper's topic than "general relativity".
The subject editor assigns reviewers.

So: nothing to worry about; wait for the process to run its course.

Can a desk rejection happen with any editor, or does it have to happen at the editor-in-chief or associate editor level?

@iwantmyphd most likely yes, anyone can desk reject, but different editors would look at different things, e.g. the publisher (aka. desk editor) would only desk reject the manuscript if it had very obvious problems. The associate editor would look at more general issues, and the subject editor would look at more specialized issues. If the subject editor desk rejects the manuscript, he would still need the associate editor's approval (who would then need the editor-in-chief's approval).

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My co-authors don't want to help get our manuscripts published anymore. What should I do?
Recently I've had three different sets of co-authors give up on the publication process.  Here are the three cases:

Publication was rejected on the basis that additional work was needed, amounting to repeating all the experiments.  One co-author has retired, another left academia, and a third just isn't interested in the field anymore (and has also left to work elsewhere).  To do all of the work myself seems a little unreasonable if after all that I'm still 3rd author.
Publication was desk rejected by multiple journals (5 so far) due to either being "too theoretical" or "too applied".  The other authors wanted to just turn it into a tech report, but after I started reformatting it, they decided they didn't care if it got published anymore due to the multiple rejections and wanting to move on to other things.  2nd author left our organization recently.
Publication has been written, but one of the authors refuses to move forward with the submission process because they are unsure if our conclusions are right.  Unless we have a "bullet proof" (their words) interpretation of our results, we can't submit.

I don't want to give up, but it's demotivating to have co-authors who don't care.  Is it worth it to keep fighting these battles all by myself if they still benefit?

It is kind of hard to fault somebody who retired not being very interested anymore.

It's your work, nobody can answer that question but you. But sometimes it can be wise to just drop stuff and move on.

Only you can choose what the time of your life is worth and what you want to spend it on. If you want to keep bashing your head against the wall then you are free to do so. The ones who do pass learn the hard way to treat the new ones. They think it's the right way because that is what they were once taught and so the poison gets refreshed in each new generation. I've seen this first hand and it's not pretty. You can lose respect for people over far less stuff than how easily they lose their moral compass in that process.

If it went the rounds 5 times, wouldn't it be easier and more productive to dump it to arXiv (if even publishing it somewhere at all) and focus on something more productive?

But another 5¢: There typically is someone in each publication who cares much more than others. For that particular paper it seems that's you.

Parts of your question are too circumstance-specific to really be answerable without more details, but a couple of the final points can be answered a bit.

Is it worth it to keep fighting these battles all by myself if they still benefit?

You sound like you resent the fact that they still benefit.  That’s the wrong thing to be focusing on: the question is, do you (and your field!) benefit enough for it to be worth your time and energy pushing the work through to completion/publication?  If so, then do it — and if they benefit, then that’s a bonus, and with luck they’ll even be grateful to you for it later.
If you feel a third authorship isn’t worth the effort it’d take, but e.g. a first or second authorship would be, then discuss this with your co-workers as honestly as you can.  Say something like: “I think this work is worth the effort to get published, and I would be happy to do the main share of the work from here; but given the amount of work needed, I think in that case we should consider changing the author ordering to reflect it.  Would you be willing to consider that?”

I don't want to give up, but it's demotivating to have co-authors who don't care.

It’s not necessarily that they “don’t care”.  They may feel as frustrated and torn as you — caring about the work and wanting to see it published, but feeling dispirited about the chances of that, and that at this point their time and energy are better spent on other things.

on point 1) be more direct. "Because of the amount of work required to finish this manuscript, I require first authorship to continue pursuing the project further." If they have truly given up, and they don't disagree with the paper, surely they would agree to this. The alternative is that the paper doesn't get written and they get no authorship credit.

@PLL  IMHO, I guess I feel the way someone might feel on a school group project when people don't help but still get the grade.  Maybe that is resentful but I think that the story of The Little Red Hen applies here:  everyone helps, everyone benefits.  It's about being a team player and supporting others when they are having trouble, and I feel in this case that it hasn't been a two-way street.

You don't really have a problem here in most situations. If they are willing to have their name still applied and you are willing to do the work, then just do it.
If they don't want their name applied to the work then ask them to remove themselves as authors and just acknowledge them in the future work.
The problem would occur if they don't want it published at all. Most likely they can prevent it unless you want to step into an ethical issue.
But if it is published, make sure you give them a chance to review, especially if they are still authors of record.

I agree with a lot in the other answers but wanted to add a few things.
If you want to publish, then do it. If you decide to just archive some as tech reports, then do that. I understand this is a lot of work. Only you can decide how to allocate your efforts.
How to publish?  Some ideas to just get it done...
(1) Aim lower. Either continue submitting to different journals (go down a rung on the impact ladder to one with a higher acceptance rate) or break papers up and send to conference proceedings.
(2) Get help. Hire an undergrad to help with all this and supervise (spot-check the work). Solicit grad students (or even peers) to help. Offer to add them as co-authors if they make a significant contribution (you define what that means).
If that fails / you decide to stop:
Can't make that happen? Not worth the effort? Put the draft papers on your website as a tech reports and prominently display how to cite them.


text:
Is it appropriate to wear an honor stole/cord to my doctoral hooding and convocation?
I didn't have the chance to wear my academic stole or honor cord during my undergraduate graduation.
Question:  Would it be appropriate to wear the academic stole and honor cord to my doctoral hooding and convocation?
EDIT I should mention that at least one of the items was earned during my graduate career, if that has any bearing.
I can't find any guidance from my university.

Can you explain what an honour stole/ cord, doctoral hooding and convocation are?

Honor cords - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor_cords  Honor stole - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_stole  Convocation = graduation ceremony

I guess the answer could be location specific?

Please specify the country.

I went through my doctoral hooding ceremony today, and wore my honor cords.  No one asked or cared one way or the other.  I saw a handful of other people (there were several hundred students being hooded) who also wore honor cords, medals, etc.  So, I will answer this question by saying that I doubt that if you wear something unique that anyone will really care (as long as it isn't somehow rude or offensive), but to still ask if your university, college, or department have any guidelines.  If not, make the most of it!

Congratulations!

Formal regalia for convocations are highly stylised - even the side to which a tassel falls can have meaning. It would not normally be appropriate to wear representations of achievement that are unrelated to the degree you are about to receive.
If the honor stole/cord has particular significance to you, you can write to your university to explain your situation and to ask for permission to wear it at your convocation. You should then abide by their reply.

In particular, this will give off the false impression that you did something resulting in the awarding of the stole/chord in your doctoral program. That's not a good idea in general.

@StellaBiderman So if someone joins an honor society during their graduate career instead of their undergraduate career, would it then be appropriate?

@iwantmyphd if you get a chord due to a society you’re a part of as a PhD, then it would be totally appropriate. I don’t see how that could be in question.

Aesthetically, wearing a stole or cord with a hood seems unappealing. Practically, there is a slight chance it would complicate the hooding process. (It is surprising how hard even simple things like processing down an aisle can become when it's for a big life event, so making sure the hood goes on symmetrically and doesn't get caught on a stole or cord might be hard.)
Honestly, if I were you I would not consider wearing the stole and/or cord unless they have a deep cultural meaning to you (e.g. African-American stole of kente cloth). If they're purely academic or about undergrad activities--say, you did not wear an honor society stole for your baccalaureate graduation because you were embarrassed and now regret that--then don't look like you're bragging about your old undergraduate career while getting your Ph.D. You can take whatever pictures you want with the old stole and cord on your new gown, but focus on your current achievements at the ceremony.
If it is something deep--cultural recognition, perhaps recognizing a deceased parent--I describe next how to figure out the rules and a then a possible alternative.
Figuring out what the rules are and/or how to get permission.
 - For the doctoral hooding, talking with your advisor and the department staff in charge of this may work best. Above all, if the person hooding you (likely your advisor) disapproves, then do not disrespect them by insisting on it. The department staff will probably also know the rules for convocation.
 - Have you attended a prior graduation at your institution, and/or can
   you find pictures? I did not attend my own convocation for my
   doctorate, but many people (esp. undergrads) had decorated hats,
   inflatable toys, signs, etc. A meaningful symbol would not have been out of place.
Alternatives

You could probably wear a small pin (especially enamel, like a lapel pin) on the front of the robe.
You may be able to decorate your hat. I haven't seen Ph.D. students do this, but many bachelor's and master's students do.
Have family/friends bring something to put on right afterwards, like a meaningful stole or a flower garland. (Flowers would NOT survive if put on before the hood, anyway.)
Wear the stole under your gown and open the gown later when you take pictures. You may even be able to set it up to poke out of your gown, as the collar of a dress shirt would.
Wear something meaningful that shows despite your gown. For the sake of example, kente cloth pants, traditional footwear, a flower behind your ear, etc.

Congratulations! You're almost there!


text:
PhD supervision numbers by discipline
My faculty imposes some numerical "recommendations" for promotions. Instead of arguing this sort of recommendation is ridiculous, I think it is wiser to provide some evidence the recommended numbers are far too high for (pure) mathematics.
Is there data available for the average or mean number of PhD completions when applying for Associate Professor and Professor in the at e.g. R1 universities in the USA, or for any other country, for mathematics and ideally for other scientific disciplines as well.

Shouldn't the local numbers be more relevant here? What is typical historically at your place? You can probably do the stats yourself.

Depending on their goals, I'd caution you that this may be very unlikely to be persuasive. For example, if they want to promote faculty based on likelihood to mentor graduate students, arguing that your field doesn't mentor many graduate students at all would be counter to your goals.

That data is not available, to my knowledge. However, ask a librarian at your uni. They are great with identifying data sources.

local numbers are not a good measure of arguing that their standards are not appropriate as the response will be well maybe your dept is underperforming, in fact the best witness of inappropriate standards is that people who got Professor title sometimes a decade or two ago would have to be demoted based on these new "standards". Luckily a group of them have now taken action to try and fix these quantitative incentives which lead to low level publications and poor supervision.


text:
Should I give an extra credit assignment to a student who failed to drop the course on time?
I am currently teaching an elective course
for undergraduate students in the College of Business,
at a university located in Hong Kong.
Students who choose to take the course
can use the course as one of the elective courses
to fulfill their graduation requirements,
but there are many other elective courses which they can select instead.
A few weeks before the end of the semester,
a student in the course, let's call them Tardy,
asked if they could drop my course:

I was hoping you would allow me to late drop this class... I know it's very late into the semester but I have taken too many courses this semester and it is quite overwhelming for me alongside certain other things I am dealing with. I have been trying to get better but my mental health is still taking a toll on my ability to work. I am stressed out about my workload and my grandmother passed away so that has been hard to deal with.

(In my university,
students are allowed to add and drop courses freely in the first 2 weeks.
If students wish to drop the course after that point,
it is possible but the process is administratively more complex:
"requests for late drop of courses will only be approved under exceptional circumstances, and such late requests must be submitted via email no later than the end of the teaching period for the relevant semester/term for approval by the Head of the course-offering academic unit.")
I told Tardy that I would support their application to drop the course.
At that point,
they then stopped attending classes and submitting course assignments.
Unfortunately, Tardy tarried on the task of going through the process of dropping the course,
and it seems that they missed the deadline to drop the course!
At that point, they realized that they had missed multiple course assignments,
and this would have a significant effect on their course grade.
In fact, since I have to give them a score of zero for those missed assignments,
they have definitely failed for the course.
Realizing this, they sent me an email begging me to give them a chance
to complete extra credit assignments to make up for the missed assignments.
Questions:

Should I give an extra credit assignment to a student who missed multiple course assignments,
due to their fault in not dropping the course on time?
As a teacher, is it within my discretion to do this?
Is it a good idea for me to give them a chance to make up for them mistake?
Or perhaps it is a good chance for them to learn a painful (but ultimately not that serious) lesson?

Clarification: What happens if the student fails the course
The student will receive a D or F grade,
which will negatively affect their GPA.
If the course is offered in the future,
the student could retake the course,
which will overwrite the previous failing grade.
Since the course is an elective and not a required course for graduation,
and the student is not in their final year,
failing the course should not delay the student's graduation plans.
Clarification: What is the difference
between dropping a course and failing a course?

If a student drops a course late, it shows up as an X on their transcript,
which indicates a late drop,
but does not affect their GPA.
Whereas if a student fails a course, the student gets a D or F on the transcript,
which will negatively affect their GPA
as the GPA is a a weighted average of all of their course grades.

Should I give an extra credit assignment to a student who missed multiple course assignments, due to her fault in not dropping the course on time?

It seems like this could be seen as unfair to other students who did not miss their assignments. Any make up assignment should keep in mind the goals of the course (does the assignment show that the student has met the learning goals of the course, or encourage them to learn the assigned material?).

As a teacher, is it within my discretion to do this?

This depends on any specific policies at your university. Instructors can have a lot of leeway in how they decide to assess their students, though some places standardize things a lot more and may even limit assessment to broadly administered exams at the end of semester. I am guessing if you were in this type of institution you would already be aware of that, though. Surely you can check with a mentor you have at your institution if you are unsure, but otherwise you really need to be aware of policies like this at your own institution if you are going to be teaching there.

Is it a good idea for me to give her a chance to make up for her mistake? Or perhaps it is a good chance for her to learn a painful (but ultimately not that serious) lesson?

I don't think this is answerable objectively. It's possible the student is dealing with something that is taking up all their attention (mental/physical health; grief/loss, etc.), and there isn't need for any "lesson" but rather for care. Also, especially if this is an early course, the initial transition to the individual responsibilities of college life are often a struggle for students.

Suggested approaches:

At institutions I've attended/worked at, there have been policies in place for "incomplete" grades to be assigned at the end of a semester. An example is here: https://onestop.umn.edu/academics/grading-policies Resolving an incomplete grade is a matter of creating an individualized contract with a student to complete work after the course deadline to convert the grade into a standard grade. Presumably this work would be equivalent to the work the student would have done as a normal part of the course, not "extra credit" or a side assignment. If the contract is not upheld, the grade becomes a failing grade. I would recommend you check whether there is a similar policy at your institution (again, talking to a faculty mentor of yours would be a good idea). My expectation, though, is that such a policy is highly up to your discretion as an instructor. There is no imposed requirement on you to allow a student this avenue to revise their grade.

Alternatively, I would check whether it is possible in your institution's administration to override the missed drop deadline and retroactively register the course as a drop. Clearly the student had an intention to drop the course prior to the drop deadline, and stopped their involvement in the course at that time. The existence of a deadline like this is administratively imposed, so it can in theory be administratively ignored. It's possible, though, through stubbornness or strict adherence to policy this request will be denied. However, based on the language you've added on the drop policy, I would, in consultation with the student, write to the administration that this is an exceptional circumstance where a student facing substantial challenges outside their coursework a) intended to drop the course early and consulted with you about dropping, b) stopped attending and participating in the course after that point, c) will certainly fail the course if they are not permitted to drop due to the missed assignments, and that d) as the instructor you would ask that they approve a late drop given the circumstances. I would also discuss personally with the "head of the course-offering academic unit" and ask them directly that they approve this request (presumably this person is effectively your 'boss' for matters of teaching and I'd expect they are someone you are at least somewhat familiar with). Do this as soon as possible to not miss any further deadlines.

I worry that your first comments about fairness imply competitive grading or that "same treatment" is equivalent to "fair treatment". Students are individuals. You can be fair to every student without making things the same for everyone. I think there are biblical stories about that, actually.

@Buffy I think my suggested solution to create a plan for making up the course material is clearly not advocating that every student get the same treatment to be fair; I do agree that one can be fair without being the same. I meant what I wrote at face value: other students could see this as unfair. If you've set expectations for them to do things a certain way to succeed in the course, they will probably see it as unfair if someone else is allowed to circumvent those expectations. That doesn't mean it isn't okay to offer another path, but that path should be thoughtfully measured.

#2 sounds like the best solution. Simply contact the person who supports students dropping courses and say "person X asked to drop the course but appears to have failed to file form B27. Can you please remove them or contact them to support this. They already asked to be removed and I said they could" at which point it becomes an admin problem, not your problem.

Essentially the same as Bryan's answer, but I would perhaps emphasize a few points differently.

Should I give an extra credit assignment to a student who missed multiple course assignments, due to her fault in not dropping the course on time?

As phrased, absolutely not. Three reasons:

It is patently unfair to create "extra credit" assignments based on the needs of one student and to make these assignments available to only one student. In most cases, giving lifeboats to students who miss your deadlines is unfair to those students who reluctantly cut corners to meet your deadlines (possible exception if you are well known for giving extensions to anyone who asks for it).
It is not a good use of your time to be essentially creating a second version of your class for an individual student.
Expecting a student to "cram" your class in half the time or less is not reasonable. This student already claims to be overloaded and suffering with mental health issues, so allowing or forcing them to do all this "extra credit" work will make things much worse. If you do grant this opportunity as the student requests, I seriously doubt the student will complete all the work on time -- my experience is that in most cases, they will either (a) start doing the extra work, give up, and then gracefully accept a poor grade, or (b) ask you for yet more leniency.

Is it a good idea for me to give her a chance to make up for her mistake?

Yes, giving someone an F because they messed up the paperwork is a bit unfortunate. If it's within your power to find a different administrative solution (and it might not be), I would recommend trying to do so.

See what your options are for a late drop. The policy you quoted says that these can be granted "until the end of the teaching period" -- is it really so late already? (If so, the "extra credit" solution seems even more far-fetched). In any case, late drop requests coming from instructors may be treated differently than those coming from students.
Look into what happens when a student retakes a course. At some universities, the initial grade is completely gone, "like it never happened."
Giving an incomplete grade may also be an option. Again, I would advise against creating a second version of the course just for this one student. But if you can give an incomplete grade now and let her "finish" the missing assignments the next time the course is offered, that would work well.
You could also look into retroactively changing the grading option from letter grade to P/F or P/NC. Failing such a course may be "better" than failing a letter grade course; alternatively, in some institutions, you may be able to set a threshold for "P" that is lower than the threshold for a "C" (but in deciding whether this is fair, consider whether any of your other students might have switched to P/F if this option had been available to them).

But then is any accommodation made to any student for any reason patently unfair? Giving a student an opportunity to demonstrate competence affects the grade of no other student (unless competitive grading is used, which is itself patently unfair). And any of those other students with issues (too many courses, health, death in the family) can ask for some accommodation. Note that the student isn't asking for leniency, but for an alternate path. Compassion is a virtue recognized almost universally, but maybe not in academia.

I actually left that caveat in #1 with you in mind -- if you are clear with all students from the beginning that you understand that things happen and will generally be agreeable to exceptions, then there is no real unfairness. This is probably a better idea in a small, upper-level course than a large 101 course, of course. The trouble is only when you have policies and don't follow them. And this student is asking for a massive exception -- not just tweaking a few due dates, but replacing entire assignments with "extra credit assignments" after (it seems) the course has already ended.

For me it's #3 followed by #2. Unorganized students who fall behind never catch up. They need the structure of the class (when they retake it).

Agree (the reasons were not in any particular order), especially in this case. It sounds like the "teaching period" has already ended, so the student is essentially asking to do several weeks worth of work during a few days while taking finals for other classes.....that's not going to end well. Even if the timeline isn't as compressed as it appears, the student got into this mess because they were overloaded and wanted to drop a course; this concern is still valid, and extra-valid now that they are way behind.

A notable fact here is that the student already asked for and was given grace regarding their circumstances and desire to drop the class. After this the student made a secondary lapse in their opportunity to take advantage of the grace you extended. Now, the student requests not only grace but also special treatment including the creation of special assignments.
If you are feeling generous, the individual course extension (eg. Incomplete) is better than creating extra credit assignments. This way the student will simply have extra time to complete and be graded on the same material other students were given.
That being said, sometimes students fail courses. Often it is the result of such negligent behavior on the part of a student, but with improvement thereafter can be explained away if the student continues in academia. Students often over inflate the significance of their GPA, but that doesn't mean their professors have to do the same. You don't "owe" this student a passing grade.

+1 for incomplete. This is the option I would have given long ago when I was a TA with some of my own courses I had the power to do that in - with the recommendation to attend/audit the next semester to actually learn the material and take exams at the same time the next round of students did.

There are two reasons here that operate against the proposal for extra-credit work.  The first problem is that it cuts against the basic problem the student has that she is overwhelmed and unable to handle her existing workload.  The second problem is that it raises issues of fairness for other students.  To justify the extra-credit assignments Tardy would need to get some formal "special consideration" in your course, which would require you to follow the usual rules for assessing special consideration.  (To answer your other question: yes, as a university lecturer you have the authority to depart from the formal assessment structure; however, you need to follow the special-consideration policy at your university when you do this.)
I agree with your decision to support Tardy's application for late withdrawal from your course.  The fact that she is overwhelmed by work is not an exceptional circumstance, but the loss of her grandmother is; bereavement is a valid "exceptional circumstance" in these cases in my view.  Unfortunately this is one of those instances where there is a bit of a Catch-22 --- the administrative process for the withdrawal can actually be a barrier to the type of student who is suffering the exceptional circumstances that warrant the application.  I would recommend that you contact the university administration to see if you can push through a late-late withdrawal after the administrative deadline, with minimal/no further input from Tardy.  Let then know that Tardy was in the process of completing the application and see if they will withdraw her based on your authority.  They might not let you do this, but it is worth a try.  (There might be an option for "withdrawal with failure" if it is after the deadline.)  If you're unable to have her withdrawn then she is probably going to fail and this is largely beyond your control; there might be some options for giving an "incomplete failure" in this case, without specifying a numerical grade.  In this case you can look at the administrative lesson as a silver-lining in an unfortunate situation.

I suggest that you go along and give her the extra work. The "painful lesson", unfortunately, could have lasting consequences on her future that she might be unable to compensate for if not now.
The important thing is that she learn enough to pass the course and be able to demonstrate it to you adequately. Taking a different path than the one you set out is within your power to permit. I suggest you do that.
My teaching philosophy, not universal I realize, is that my job is to teach students and enable success, not to "grade" them.
You can, of course, make the assignment difficult enough that it will be a challenge, though not an impossible one.

My teaching philosophy, not universal I realize, is that my job is to teach students and enable success, not to "grade" them. I really like that statement. It's a teachers responsibility to set their students up for success and not to roughen them up and hope that that leads to more desireable outcomes.

As psithurism mentioned as a small part of their answer, if your institution allows it, assigning a grade of Incomplete is a really good option here. Don't give the student who didn't actually take the course an opportunity to pass it without meeting the same standards other students did, but instead give them time to actually take it. This is the option I would have given long ago when I was a TA with some of my own courses I had the power to do that in.
If the course if offered every semester, I would recommend they attend/audit it the next semester and participate, hand in homework, take exams, etc. at the same time the new round of students does. Otherwise it would be on them to do the whole thing as self-study and just hand in assignments. If there are closed-book/proctored exams and no opportunity to take them as the same time new students are doing so, they'll probably have to miss out on the opportunity to take those unless you're feeling really generous, but if you have time you'll be in your office anyway you could let them sit and take those in your presence while you do something else productive.