BC Sociology students have won a number of impressive awards and made spectacular achievements in a wide range of fields. A few of those students and former students are listed here, along with links that can help you to apply for your own fellowships. One of the ASG winners, Nicole Picone, says that the application process is a lot less intimidating than you might think, and the experience can be incredibly rewarding. Fellowship awards provide not only funds and great listings on your grad applications and CVs, but an opportunity to do creative research in areas that are personally and socially compelling.
If you see a grant or award you’re interested in, ask Professor Mike Malec to suggest a faculty member who might be able to advise you. If you need a faculty member to nominate you for an award you think you might be eligible to win, just ask a professor who has some understanding of your qualifications to do it for you.
| Possible Fellowships:
Sociology department calendar: Gives deadlines for various awards with links to the award descriptions. Keep in mind when reviewing these deadlines that some of the applications take time to develop; the Advice section of the Fellowship site recommends you start a semester in advance. University fellowship website: Provides lists of undergraduate fellowships, study abroad fellowships, and summer programs, and describes advanced study grants. Note that the advice section includes special sections for freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Departmental awards: The sociology department annually presents the William A. Gamson award for outstanding academic achievement in sociology (generally chosen from graduating seniors who have been elected to Phi Beta Kappa), and the John D. Donovan award for the best paper written in a course in sociology (papers are submitted by faculty throughout the fall term and in the beginning of the spring term. AHANA fellowships: The four primary awards on this page are the Martin Luther King memorial, Oscar Romero scholarship, the Amanda V Houston travelling fellowship, and the Asian American scholarship, but be sure to check the rest of the main AHANA page for a longer list of awards as well as links to other award sites. The Martin Luther King section also has a link to a list of 200 scholarships and the Amanda V Houston section has a link to a separate scholarship and funding page. Both of these lists include minority fellowships, but they also include many fellowship opportunities that are available to everyone. Student Leadership Awards: The Student Programs Office (SPO) offers yearly awards recognizing the contributions of students to the co-curricular life of the University, students' growth in leadership roles, and students' creative involvement in campus life, as well as their faculty advisors. Nominations can be submitted by students, organizations, or faculty. To see a list of Student Leadership Awards and nominate someone for an award visit the SPO Awards Website. If you’ve got a great academic record, consider the Scholar of the College award. |
Fellowship Recepients and Other Achievements by Sociology Majors
Advanced Study Grant: Claire Duggan ('09) was awarded an ASG and will conduct a sociological study of the educational system of Senegal, with emphasis on the education of young girls.
The John D Donovan Award was presented to Allison Manuel ('09) for her paper, "The GLBT Name Game: The Classification of Sexuality and the Transcendence of the Monolithic Gay Identity." |
Katherine Adam is the first undergraduate alumn in the history of BC to have her undergrad thesis developed into a book. The book, The New Feminized Majority, was co-authored with her thesis advisor, Sociology Professor Charles Derber. 
In AY 2008-9, Sociology major Sarah Onori received the Amanda V. Houston Fellowship to help finance her proposed project, an ethnographic comparison of Italian and African-American families, with an emphasis on extended family and on food at important family gatherings.
In 23008-9, Sociology major Connor Fitzmaurice received an Advanced Study Grant for his study of organic farming in northeastern United States.
Fulbright Fellowship: Jamel Mims ('08) received a Fulbright Fellowship to study in China, where he plans a sociological study of Beijing's hip-hop, urban and street culture.
Sociology Major Eric Asuo-Mante ('09) won the Martin Luther King Scholarship Award, presented annually to the junior “who reflects King’s philosophy in his or her life and work.”
Sociology Major Malak Yusuf (09), a former Advanced Study Grant recipient, received the Asian American Scholarship, awarded for a combination of academic achievement and Asian-American activism.
Person of the Year: Sociology Major Jessica Young ('08) is one of five young women who form the Senior Board of Ecopledge, which was recognized by the BC Heights as the 2008 “Person of the Year” for its work to raise BC’s environmental awareness and sustainability.
Scholar of the Collage and McCarthy Prize: Thomas Laidley ('08) was designated a Scholar of the College for his thesis, “The Road Paved with Good Intentions: Primed Reactions to Global Warming and the Cognitive Dissonance of American Attitudes.” Mr. Laidley was also the recipient of the McCarthy Prize, awarded to the Scholar whose project is deemed best in the social sciences. His project was supervised by Juliet Schor.
Scholar of the College: Patrick Denice ('08), who was supervised by David Karp, was also designated a Scholar of the College for his project, "A More Conscious Consumer Class? Consumption Patterns of American Students Recently Returned From Abroad." The William A. Gamson Award for academic excellence was also presented to Patrick Denice.