In order to recognize student achievement and to motivate students to improve their communication skills, the Program in Writing and Communication offers awards with cash prizes for the most outstanding expository and analytical essays and oral presentations each academic year. Congratulations to our winners!
Annie Zhang, First Place, Best Oral Presentation
“Social Identity and Expectations in 'Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience'” view presentation
FWIS 191: The Art of Short Stories
Annie Zhang is a psychology and business double major minoring in neuroscience. She is a Sophomore at Hanszen college, originally from Shanghai and Vancouver. Through this presentation, Annie investigated the concept of socialization and the subsequent systemic conformity that is embedded in society. As an international student, she was able to incorporate foreign perspectives in the reading of Roanhorse’s piece.
Jamie Stewart-Aday, Second Place, Best Oral Presentation
“The Arc of History Does Not Bend On Its Own” view presentation
FWIS 180: Writing for Social Justice
Jamie Stewart-Aday is a sophomore at McMurtry College originally from Washington, DC. He is majoring in political science and social policy analysis. Through this project, and with the support of Dr. Campbell, Jamie discovered the immense history of marriage equality activism in the United States. Jamie’s presentation explores how this activism sparked one of the largest and fastest swings in public opinion in modern history, culminating with the Supreme Court fully legalizing same-sex marriage in 2015.
Annika Bhananker, Third Place, Best Oral Presentation
“American Democracy, a Shifting Idealization” view presentation
FWIS 147: America Through Foreign Eyes
Annika Bhananker is from Seattle, Washington and is currently a sophomore at Martel College majoring in Anthropology and Health Sciences. She is interested in using her major to learn more about the interplay between culture and healthcare. In taking “America Through Foreign Eyes,” she was able to explore a range of international perspectives to gain a greater understanding of the cultural influences in modern society.
Jae Kim, First Place, Best Expository and Analytical Essay
“History in Rhyme: Audrey Lorde's Poetic Evolution in Parallel to Historical Approaches to Racial Justice” read essay
FWIS 103: Women Artists
Jae is a sophomore from Brown College double majoring in environmental science and integrative biology. Originally from Seoul, South Korea, Jae moved to NYC in 2013 and has lived there since. While working on this paper, Jae discovered how poems and essays serve both as reflections of societal issues and powerful catalysts of social consciousness and change. As Audre Lorde wrote, "Poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence."
Ella Langridge, Second Place, Best Expository and Analytical Essay
“The Mona Lisa and the Male Gaze” read essay
FWIS 102: Blind Spots
Ella Langridge is a sophomore at Lovett College, originally from New Orleans. As an Art History major, she took the class "Blind Spots: Critical Approaches to Visual Culture" to gain the tools to think critically about her field. Her paper focuses on the dynamics of gaze and power present in normative visual culture, from the lens of feminist critique, through exploration of a documentary on the Louvre. Over the course of the class and her research, it became her goal not only to deconstruct and criticize a normative, hegemonic way of viewing art and women, but to briefly propose a paradigm for gazing with an eye to women's subjectivity.
Kathryn Phung, Third Place, Best Expository and Analytical Essay
“The Melting Madness of America” (to protect the privacy of the interviewees, this essay will not be published)
FWIS 147: America Through Foreign Eyes
Kathryn Phung is a Sugar Land, Texas native and a sophomore at Sid Richardson College. As the daughter of Vietnamese refugees, she has always had an interest in international immigration patterns and its effects on an individual level. Her essay discusses the experiences of second-generation Mexican-Americans with regards to identity, assimilation and acculturation with a special focus on the perceived effects of conflicting American social values. Throughout the process of collecting ethnographic data, she compared and contrasted the anecdotes shared by interviewees with her own experiences as a second-generation American.