This $2,500 scholarship is awarded annually to an American Culture student with financial need and who best represents the potential for excellence in our program. Calls for applications are sent out to all concentrators and minors every fall, with the application deadline in mid-November.

Eligibility
All undergraduate students (concentrators and minors) in American Culture are eligible to be nominated for the award by a faculty member or they may self-nominate if they wish.

Format
Please submit a 2– to 3–paragraph biography that also includes your academic and professional goals to the undergraduate program coordinator.

Each year, American Culture awards two $500 prizes to American Culture and/or Latina/o Studies concentrators for the best essays on a topic related to the field of American studies/ethnic studies. The establishment of these annual awards in 2007 marked the 55^th anniversary of American Culture at the University of Michigan and celebrates the Department’s ongoing commitment to support its undergraduate students in the pursuit of academic excellence.

Writing Award Application

Eligibility
Applicants must be American Culture or Latina/o Studies concentrators. Essays written during the current academic year are eligible for the competition. Students must have been enrolled at the Ann Arbor campus of the University of Michigan during the semester in which the essay was written, but the essay does not have to have been written for a class. Each author may submit only one entry.

Criteria
Essays are evaluated by the American Culture undergraduate committee. The committee will judge essays for their contribution to understanding an aspect of American culture, including issues emerging from ethnic studies, history, literature, media studies, performance studies, the social sciences, and other related fields. Essays will be judged on their originality and the clarity of presentation.

Format
Please submit one application form (see PDF application form above) along with four (4) copies of your essay. Essays should be no longer than 30 pages, typed and double-spaced, including notes and/or bibliography. To ensure blind review, the title page should include only the title of the essay.

Deadline
Essays are due no later than April 1^st of the academic year for which you are applying. If April 1^st falls on a weekend, your submission should be turned in by the first Monday after April 1^st. Essays can be turned into the American Culture Undergraduate Committee, University of Michigan, 3700 Haven Hall, 505 S. State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109–1045. We cannot accept papers submitted by fax or email.

Prize
Two entries will be declared the winners. Each winner will receive a certificate and a prize of $500, and will be honored at the Department's graduation ceremony in April.

Questions? Please e-mail the undergraduate program coordinator.

2012 Winner

Amara Lopez, "Notions of Home Beyond the Field"

About the Author

My name is Amara Lopez and I am a native to Ann Arbor, MI. My mother was born in Dearborn, Michigan and my father was born in Apan, Hidalgo, Mexico where he lived until the age of 26. I am a Latino Studies, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and Anthropology concentrator graduating this year from the College of LSA. My interests within these disciplines lie in U.S. immigration policy, U.S. international relations with Latin American countries (particularly with Cuba and how these dynamic history has affected Cuban youth today), and the African diaspora within Latin America (particularly afro-Cuban and afro-Mexican populations). After graduation I plan to move to Austin, Texas or Miami, Florida to live, work and be involved with the Latino communities there. I hope to earn a PhD in Anthropology building off the base of what I have learned through the American Culture/Latino Studies Department here at Michigan. I am very grateful for the opportunities I have had and relationships I have built here at Michigan, especially in the Latino Studies Department. It has been an invaluable academic experience.