The Presidential Master's Prize

In support of its mission to promote the discipline of comparative literature, the American Comparative Literature Association is proud to announce the establishment of two new prizes recognizing student accomplishment in comparative literary study. The President's Awards for Best Master's Thesis and for Best Undergraduate Essay on a Comparative Topic together honor comparative work broadly construed at these important stages of educational achievement. Work will be judged based on theoretical rigor, comparative breadth, and lucidity of exposition. Though not a formal requirement, especially for the Undergraduate essay prize, work that engages in comparison across linguistic boundaries will be especially valued by the committee.

The Association welcomes submission of an entry by its member institutions.

The Presidential Master's Prize goes to the best thesis, report or substantial essay nominated by a department or program that is an Institutional Member of the ACLA. The project must be completed by July 1, 2011. The deadline for nominations has been extended to December 1st, 2011. Each institutional member may nominate one student in the field of comparative literature, identified as the best without regard to actual departmental affiliation. The prize carries an award of $500 and a certificate, as well as complimentary registration, complimentary ticket to the banquet and a travel grant of $300 to facilitate the recipient attending the 2012 conference.

Congratulations to the winner of the 2011 Presidential Master's Prize:

Michal Raizen (University of Texas at Austin), for her thesis, "Reflections of a Jewish ibn 'arab: Language, Identity, and Collectivity in Eli Amir's Yasmin." (CITATION)

Nominators should submit a letter or report of one or two pages, outlining the exceptional qualities of the nominated project to the ACLA secretariat, Alexander Beecroft, and the chair of the committee by December 1st, 2011. Copies of the nominating letter should also be sent, along with copies of the work, to each member of the committee by the extended deadline.

The prize committee for 2011-12 is Debarati Sanyal (Chair - Berkeley University), Nergis Erturk (Penn State University), and Leerom Medovoi (Portland State University).