Prizes and Honors
CHARLES A BEARD THESIS PRIZE IN HISTORY
Established in 2003 by the History Department, the Charles A. Beard Senior Thesis Prize in History is awarded annually for a senior thesis of superior distinction in any historical field and period.
2013 Recipient: “The Solidarity Network: A Transnational History of Chilean-American Human Rights Activism, 1973-1988” by Elisa Quiroz
GARRETT MATTINGLY THESIS PRIZE IN HISTORY
The Garrett Mattingly Thesis Prize in History, established in 2003 by the History Department, is awarded annually for a senior thesis of superior distinction in any historical field and period.
2013 Recipient: “Public Health of Promiscuity: Regulating Gay Bathhouses During the Outbreak of AIDS in San Francisco and New York City” by Eric Kutscher
CHANLER HISTORICAL PRIZE
A prize established at the bequest of J. Winthrop Chanler of the Class of 1847, the Chanler is awarded to the Columbia College senior who submits the best essay on a topic dealing with the history of civil government in America.
2013 Recipient: “Closing the Circle: The Ratification of the Genocide Convention in the United States” by David Asher Fine
ALBERT MARION ELSBERG PRIZE
Established by Mrs. Albert Elsberg in memory of her son, Albert Marion Elsberg, this prize may be awarded to a Columbia College student with sophomore, junior, or senior standing who has demonstrated excellence in modern history.
2013 Recipient: “Petr Kropotkin and the Anarchy of Science” by James Wiseman
HERBERT H. LEHMAN PRIZE FOR EXCELLENCE IN HISTORY
Given to a General Studies student with an outstanding record of accomplishment in history courses at Columbia. Preference given to those with substantial coursework in US History.
2013 Recipient: “Encounters at the Seams: English "Self Fashioning" in the Ottoman World, 1563-1718” by Jennifer Barrer-Gall
LILY PRIZE
For the best senior thesis in history on a non-US topic, established by James P. Shenton in memory of his mother.
2013 Recipient: “Thracian Gladiators and the Nation State: An Examination of the Diplomatic Relations between the Pomaks of Thrace and the Greek State, 1918-1922.” by Myrsini Manney-Kalogera
ALAN J. WILLEN MEMORIAL PRIZE
Established in memory of Allan J. Willen, Class of 1964, by friends and classmates, this prize is awarded to the Columbia College student who writes the best seminar paper on a contemporary American political problem. The selection is made jointly by the Directors of Undergraduate Studies in the Departments of History and Political Science.
2013 Recipient: “Bank Rolling the Bench: Independent Expenditures in State High Court Elections” by Grace Rybak
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Departmental Honors are awarded to a graduating history major on the basis of a high average in history courses and an excellent senior thesis. Only ten percent of graduating majors may receive departmental honors.
Please click on each student's name to download a PDF copy of his or her senior thesis.
The recipients of Departmental Honors for 2012–2013 are:
- Jennifer Barrer-Gall for her thesis: “Encounters at the Seams: English "Self Fashioning" in the Ottoman World, 1563-1718”
- F. Elias Boujaoude for his thesis: “New Freedom, New Law: The Southern Claims Commission and the Recognition of Slave Independent Will, Legal Standing, and Rights to Property in the Era of Reconstruction”
- Lisa Cant for her thesis: “How the Preservation of Archives During WWII Led to a Radical Reformation of Strategic Intelligence Efforts”
- John Eckels for his thesis: “Destiny Divina: Ideology and Confederado Migration From the American South to Brazil, 1865-1877”
- Benjamin Eckersley for his thesis: “The Colonial Mind and the Nigerian Oil Palm Industry, 1919-1939: the Challenge of Gradual Development”
- Jacob Goldenberg for his thesis: “The “Civilizing” Influence of Slavery: The Introduction of African-American Slavery into the Creek Nation and the Spread of American Slave Society into the Southern Frontier”
- Jonathan Huberman for his thesis: “Virtue and Improvement: The Panic of 1837 and the Making of Manhattan Whig Ideology”
- Elizabeth Jacob for her thesis: “The Choice of Francophonie in Postcolonial Africa, 1960-1970”
- Maria Lomaka for her thesis: “Totoshka, We’re Not in Kansas Anymore:Translating American-Soviet Cold War Tension Through the Wonderful Wizard of Oz”
- Kevin McWilliams for his thesis: “Sentries of Separation: Dimensions of Discourse on the Religious Issue during the 1960 Presidential Election”
- Claire Sabel for her thesis: “Intellectual Curiosity: Hans Sloane as an Architect and Artifact of Natural Knowledge in Early Modern Europe”
- Gabriela Siegel for her thesis: “French on Paper, French at Heart? France Debates Citizenship and Belonging in the Fifth Republic”
- James Wiseman for his thesis: “Petr Kropotkin and the Anarchy of Science”
The recipients of Departmental Honors for 2011–2012 are:
- Noelle Bodick for her thesis: “The Poetic Value of the Scientific: George Santayana’s Sense of Beauty”
- Danica Damplo for her thesis: “More than Murder: Prosecuting Crimes against Humanity at the Nuremberg SS Einsatzgruppen Trial”
- Brittany Edmoundson for her thesis: “Anatomy of a Tragedy: Agent Orange during the Vietnam War”
- Jillian Gottlieb for her thesis: “Salinity Crisis in the Borderlands: The Mexicali Campesino’s Fight for Colorado River Water in the Delta, 1961–1973”
- Veronica Hylton for her thesis: “The Geography of Antebellum Religion: Albemarle County, Virginia,1850–1860”
- Samuel Klug for his thesis: “The Unhabitual Ideal: William James’ Quest for Moral Strenuousness, 1891–1910”
- Adam Kuerbitz for his thesis: “Forsaken Country: The Polish Loan in U.S. Postwar Foreign Policy, 1945–1947”
- William Leonard for his thesis: “Comprehensive Contradiction: The Comprehensive Test Ban (CTB) and President Jimmy Carter’s Nuclear Non-Proliferation Policy, 1977–1980”
- Catherine Mas for her thesis: “Private Housekeepers, Public Health-keepers: The Economy of Health in Catharine Beecher’s Domestic Ideology”
- Kelly O’Reilly for her thesis: “Oklatopia”: The Cultural Mission of California’s Migratory Labor Camps, 1935–1941”
- Karen Rios for her thesis: “Voices From the Shadows: The Formation of Nicaraguan Refugee Identity in the United States, 1978–1983”
- Raul Alexandro Ruiz for his thesis: “The Experience of Plague in Sixteenth Century New Spain (1544-1600)”
- Amirah Sequeira for her thesis: “Choosing Between Two Killers: The Debate Over Needle Exchange in New York City, 1985–1992”
The recipients of Departmental Honors for 2010–2011 are:
- Gilad Bendheim
- Jonathan Dentler
- Andrew Edwards
- Greer Feick
- Learned Foote
- Yesol Han
- Jordan Katz
- Rachel Mark
- Scott Peters
- Timothy Reuter
- Sean Udell
The recipients of Departmental Honors for 2009–2010 are: