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The Andrew P. Smith Writing Award
2005 Topic Question: What are the benefits of a classical liberal arts education?
Awards Coordinator: David Leitner, Department of English, SIUC
First Prize $200
Second Prize $50
Traditionally, a classical liberal arts education involved training in both tools (grammar, rhetoric, dialectic) and subjects (astronomy, arithmetic, geometry, music). The term has come to mean a lot more these days, and comes with its own set of baggage, depending on who you talk to. Certainly, our modern curricula contains some of these elements, but includes many more. Some say that engaging in the classical liberal arts is the only way for people to learn how to really think; some say this kind of education is only truly possible at a small liberal arts college. Others claim that it is outdated, and that a college education costs too much to simply "learn stuff," that students need truly marketable skills and abilities to gain employment upon graduation. Current debates have attempted to resolve the question: Do we go to college to get a job or to gain an education? It is a difficult question to tackle in whole, though writers and thinkers have attempted to answer smaller, more focused questions in an attempt to understand the issue better. Some of these questions deserve revisiting from different minds and experiences; others are waiting to be asked. Some suggested questions essay writers might wish to pursue are:
- What can philosophy teach me about the law?
- Will my college writing class help me become a better math teacher?
- Why are various homeschooling associations attracted to classical liberal arts curricula?
- Are there civic or democratic virtues inherent in a classical liberal arts education? Can democracy exist without this kind of education?
- the classical liberal arts tradition elitist in its assumptions? How is it elitist, and because of what assumptions?
- Can vocational students be served better at a technical college? Or do technical colleges need more liberal arts education?
- Do corporations influence universities and colleges to change their curriculum? If not, what does? How would a classical liberal arts education respond to or influence these changes?
- Does the phrase "classical liberal arts education" simply need a new definition? What is it?
Essay Guidelines:
Length: 1000-1500 words
Submission Format:
Do not write your name or any identifying information on your actual essay. Submit your essay with a coversheet bearing the following information:
- Name
- Address, Phone Number, Email (Please include permanent contact information if you are graduating this year.)
- Year in School and Major
- Essay Title
- Hometown and State
Essays should be sent to Dave Leitner in the Department of English (Faner 2380 or Mailcode 4503, if using campus mail), and should arrive no later than 4:00 p.m., 2 March 2005.
History and Information About the Award:
This award, which honors excellence in interdisciplinary writing and thinking, was begun in honor of Andy Smith, an exceptionally-gifted alumnus of Southern Illinois University-Carbondale's English Department. He finished his Master of Arts degree here in 1996, and headed to Stanford University to begin his Doctoral studies in English. His life was tragically cut short in 1997, and his friends and former colleagues, under the direction of Steve Long, designed this award in 1998 to honor his memory and to encourage conversations between the disciplines. The award is managed, and funds are raised for it, by the Association of English Graduate Instructors and Students. Any students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members who wish to donate money to help finance the award should contact Abbey Waldron. We hope to create an endowment to guarantee the award's continuity for many years to come.
Both full-time undergraduate and graduate students may enter this contest, and there is a separate category for each. Within each category, one essayist will win the first prize ($200) and one will win the second prize ($50). All full-time students, regardless of major are invited and encouraged to submit; indeed, our previous winners have come from all over the university. One previous undergraduate winner had originally been a student in the Basic Writing Program, a fact which points to the excellence of our Composition Program, but more importantly, to the winner's hard work and initiative. Our three faculty judges volunteer from across the University to maintain a diversity of readership; we find this diversity of judges and winners to be our greatest strength.
Judging:
The judges are three faculty members from a variety of disciplines, and those who agree to serve in this capacity change yearly. Judges' decisions are final.
Announcement of the winners will follow in late March; an Awards Ceremony is planned for early/mid April. More information on the ceremony soon.
Further Questions? Contact Dave Leitner at davidleitner@gmail.com (Awards Coordinator) or Abbey Waldron at gobnait@siu.edu (AEGIS Chair).
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