15
December
2011
|
08:51 AM
America/Chicago

Freshmen Shine in History Essay Contest

The History Department put their students to the test this fall by holding a Freshman Essay Contest in hopes of encouraging academic excellence in introductory courses.

Faculty members nominated the best history essays written by freshman students in their classes and a separate group of faculty evaluated the entries. Three winners were selected based on the sophistication, reasoning and clarity of the presented arguments.

Jason Alvarez and Gabriella Olson each received a $200 bookstore gift card for winning the Formal Paper category, and Steven Olson received a $100 bookstore gift card for winning the In Class category.

"Good historical writing sharpens one's thinking and ability to communicate clearly. It requires that a person identify evidence and themes relevant to a question, synthesize arguments and evidence from one or more sources, draw reasonable conclusions, and offer an insightful, organized explanation of one's findings," said Theresa Case, associate professor.

Our student winners demonstrate that history students in a freshman class can achieve mastery of these crucial academic and life skills."