Undergraduate Award Opportunities
Ulysses Grant Weatherly Award for Best Undergraduate Paper
Background: This award was established by Mrs. Alice B Weatherly and Mrs.
Weatherly Gray in honor of former IU sociology professor Ulysses Grant
Weatherly. Ulysses Grant Weatherly was the longest serving chair of the
sociology department, holding the position for 35 years, from 1899 until his
retirement in 1935. The prize is designed to recognize undergraduate
scholarship in sociology by recognizing the best paper(s) authored or
co-authored by undergraduate sociology majors. If you have questions, please
contact Jim Gibson or the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Eligibility: This competition is open to undergraduate sociology majors. The
submission must be written or substantially revised in the context of a
course or independent study taught by or supervised by a sociology
department instructor. The paper may be a research paper, a theory paper, or
an honors thesis. It may be on any topic. Co-authored or group papers are
eligible.
Award: Recipients will receive a cash award (the amount will vary). If
multiple recipients are chosen, they will divide the prize money. Typically
the award will be divided between the best thesis and the best other paper.
The winner(s) will be selected by the Undergraduate Affairs Committee), who
have discretion over the number and composition of the awards. The award may
not be offered every year.
Application deadline: Friday, April 17, 2009. Presentation of awards will be at the annual
Graduation Tea, usually scheduled the Friday afternoon prior to graduation.
Materials to be submitted: Submit one hard copy of the paper to Jim Gibson. Please make sure the paper is single-sided, double-spaced,
and unbound.
Outstanding First or Second Year Sociology Major
Background: This award was established by the Department of Sociology in
2007 out of the desire to recognize the academic accomplishments of
outstanding undergraduates early in their college careers. If you have
questions, please contact Jim Gibson or the Director of
Undergraduate Studies.
Eligibility: This competition is open to undergraduate sociology majors who
have completed no more than two full years of their undergraduate degree.
Students may self-nominate or be nominated by sociology instructors.
Nominations should be made by submitting the name to Jim Gibson;
nominees will be contacted and encouraged to apply.
Award: Recipients will receive a cash award (the amount will vary). If
multiple recipients are chosen, they will divide the prize money. The
winner(s) will be selected by the Undergraduate Affairs Committee), who have
discretion over the number and composition of the awards. The award may not
be offered every year.
Materials to submit: (1) transcript; (2) two page essay describing your
involvement in the sociology department; and (3) a name of an instructor who
can be contacted for a reference.
Criteria for selection: Successful applicants will display the following
qualities: (1) high overall GPA; (2) high GPA in sociology; and (3)
substantial engagement with the department and the discipline of sociology.
Application deadline: Friday, April 10, 2009.. Materials should be submitted to Jim Gibson. Presentation of awards will be at the annual Graduation Tea,
usually scheduled the Friday afternoon prior to graduation.
Undergraduate Social Action Award
Background: The Undergraduate Social Action Award was created to recognize
students whose service has brought about constructive change in the
community or society-at-large.
Eligibility: This competition is open to undergraduate sociology majors.
Students may self-nominate or be nominated by other students or instructors.
Nominations should be made by submitting the name to Jim Gibson;
nominees will be contacted and encouraged to apply.
Award: Recipients will receive a cash award (the amount will vary). If two
or more recipients are chosen, the award will be divided. The Social Action
Award need not be given in every academic year.
Materials to submit: (1) a current resume that emphasizes social action
activities; (2) description of social action activities and their impact on
the community (no more than two pages, single spaced), answering questions
such as: why is social action important to you? why do you do it? what have
you done, and what effect have these activities had on the community? (3)
other supporting materials that document your social action activities, such
as flyers for an activity that you arranged or a report for some community
agency; (4) the name of one sociology instructor who can be contacted for a
reference.
Criteria for selection: Successful applicants will display the following
qualities: (1) exceptional service to the community in the pursuit of
progressive social change; and (2) a strong academic record.
Application deadline: Friday, April 10, 2009. Materials should be submitted to Jim Gibson. The recipient(s) will be selected by the Undergraduate
Affairs Committee. Presentation of awards will be at the annual Graduation
Tea, usually scheduled the Friday afternoon prior to graduation.
