Jewish Studies Essay Contest Winner 2011-2012
We had several worthy submissions to the annual competition for the best essay in the area of Jewish Studies. The winner is:
Kelly Anderson
who wrote her paper for English 371, Issues in Jewish-American Writing.
"The Plot Against America: A Thoughtful Conclusion” is Kelly’s essay examining the controversial conclusion of Philip Roth’s novel The Plot Against America. In this book, Roth fabricates the rise to power of an antisemitic demagogue during the 1940 presidential election, leading to a fascist administration that turns against U.S. Jews. Kelly presented various critical reviews of Roth’s mode of concluding his novel (as a sudden turn of events and quick alignment of the historical fantasy with reality) and explained why she found the conclusion to be appropriate and compelling.
A copy of this essay is available in the Jewish Studies Program office (Sierra Hall 194) for all to read and enjoy.
The Jewish Studies Interdisciplinary Program sponsors a $250 prize each year for the best paper in the area of Jewish Studies.
Eligibility:
Essays on topics related to Jewish history, literature, society, or arts written by a CSUN undergraduate for any CSUN course held Spring 2012 - Spring 2013. Essays must be submitted after they are graded; revisions are permitted. Open to students of all religious and ethnic backgrounds.
Format:
The essay may take the form of a case study, a report on research, or an analysis that is literary, philosophical, historical, biographical, sociological, or theological. The essay must be the original, unpublished work of the student.
Criteria:
The essays will be judged based on Jewish Studies content, quality of writing, clarity of argument, and originality.
Submission:
Submit a hard copy of the essay to the Jewish Studies Program, Office of Interdisciplinary Studies, Sierra Hall 194, along with a completed entry form available in the Office of Interdisciplinary Studies. Except for the entry form, the student's name should not appear anywhere on the submitted work. In addition, submit a digital copy in Word to jewish.studies@csun.edu – this copy should not include the student name. Only one submission per student is permitted.
Deadline:
Spring submission date is May 13. Final decisions are announced three weeks later.
Judging:
The contest will be judged by Jewish Studies Faculty.
