Genevieve D. Willis Senior Thesis Prize Competition
Genevieve D. Willis Senior Thesis Prize for the best thesis written by an undergraduate at Notre Dame on a topic related to Gender Studies ($150). This prize is named in honor of Genevieve D. Willis, whose family has provided an endowment for excellence for the Gender Studies Program.
The winning submission should be at least a 25-page academic thesis addressing issues pertaining to Gender Studies. It must have been written during the academic year. As we mention on our home page, “Gender Studies analyzes the significance of gender—and the cognate subjects of sex, sexuality, race, ethnicity, class, religion, and nationality—in all areas of human life, especially in the social formation of human identities, practices, and institutions.” The winning thesis will address gender, or gender plus any of these cognates. It will demonstrate advanced, if not original, academic research in Gender Studies. Stylistically, the winning thesis will conform to the expectations of professional academic research and writing at the advanced undergraduate level.
Philip L. Quinn Essay Prize Competition
Philip L. Quinn Essay Prize for the best academic essay written by an undergraduate at Notre Dame on a topic related to Gender Studies ($100). This prize is named in honor of Professor Philip L. Quinn (1940-2004) who taught in the Notre Dame Philosophy Department for many years and was a generous supporter of the Gender Studies Program. Philip Quinn joined the faculty of University of Notre Dame in 1985 as the John A. O'Brien Professor of Philosophy. A scholar who specialized in the philosophy of religion and the philosophy of science, Quinn was the author of more than 200 articles, reviews, and entries in major reference works and presented more than 180 papers or lectures for learned societies and universities. He served as the editor of Faith and Philosophy from 1990-1995 and on the editorial boards of eight other journals, and was a significant force in the American Philosophical Association. In 2003, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
The winning submission should be an academic essay written by an undergraduate for a course taken at the University of Notre Dame. The academic essay may take the form of a research paper but cannot be a senior thesis. It must address issues of gender, or gender plus any of its cognates, as defined above. The winning essay will demonstrate advanced work in Gender Studies. It will also have a logical structure, clear language, and a well-supported argument.
Submissions for the thesis prize competition and the essay prize competition should be sent electronically to: gender@nd.edu on or by NOON on the Second Friday in April. If Friday is a holiday, then submissions will be due on Thursday.