2008-2009 Core Essay Contest announced

The Core faculty is pleased to announce a competition intended to recognize the best essays written in Core during the 2008-2009 academic year.  Up to three essays may be recognized by a cash prize of $100 each to be presented during the Arts & Sciences Honors Convocation in April 2009.  Winning essays will be placed on the Core Web site as models for future students.

Guidelines

Submitted essays must have been written as regular Core assignments during the 2008-09 academic year.

Essays may be nominated by Core instructors or submitted by students on their own.   Instructors may nominate no more than one essay each for up to two students in each section they teach.  Students may submit no more than one essay.

As regards content, essays must be remain exactly as they were when submitted for final grading.  No revising for the purposes of this competition is allowed.  As regards form, however, essays may be reformatted to conform to the guidelines specified just below.

Essays must be 1,000-3,000 words in length.  They must have one-inch margins on all sides and use a standard type-face, 11-12 points in size.  All pages after the cover page must be numbered and must not contain the student writer’s name, which should appear only on the cover page, as described below.

Αn unnumbered cover page must be submitted as a separate electronic document and must contain the following:

1. The title of the essay, the name of the author, and the name of the author’s Core instructor

2. The following pledge:  “I pledge that I have not received unauthorized assistance during the completion of this essay, nor have I altered it (except as regards formatting) since it was submitted to my instructor for final grading."

3. A copy of the assignment that prompted the essay

Students must submit both this cover page and their essay as electronic Microsoft Word documents attached to an email message sent to Ray Hilliard no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 23, 2009. Questions and comments can also be directed to Ray Hilliard. 

Essays submitted on time and according to these guidelines will be judged by the Core Advisory Committee, which consists of six faculty members and two students.  Measures will be taken to assure that the committee will not know whose essays they are reading.  Faculty members on the committee will abstain from discussing essays written by their own students.

Posted July 18, 2008