The Clark Cunningham Undergraduate Essay Award

An Academic Research Paper Contest in Asian American Studies
For Undergraduate Students, 2007-2008
Sponsored by the Asian American Studies Program
University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign

In order to encourage undergraduate student research in Asian American Studies, the UIUC Asian American Studies Program is sponsoring an award for the best undergraduate student research paper in Asian American Studies. There are three available awards: $500 for first place; $350 for second; and $150 for third. The awards committee reserves the right not to grant any awards. Awardees will be recognized at the annual APA Leadership Awards Ceremony held during the Spring 2008 semester.

Application process:
Applicants must submit the following items. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure their applications are complete and submitted correctly:

- an academic research paper on Asian American issues, minimum of 8 pages in length. This can be any academic paper (in any field such as history, ethnography, literary criticism, sociology) which advances the knowledge on Asian Pacific American issues.
- paper must have been written by the applicant during his/her time as a student at UIUC;
- a brief cover letter detailing when the paper was written and for what course (if applicable);
-applicants must be a current UIUC undergraduate student or have graduated no earlier than December 2007;
-in addition to the submission, one letter or email recommendation submitted by any UIUC faculty member. This can be directed to Viveka Kudaligama, Assistant Director for AAS at <kudaliga@uiuc.edu>.

*note: in order to ensure an anonymous reviewing process, no identifying information should appear on any portion of the paper except for in the cover letter.

Applications and relevant documents are due February 8, 2008 at the AAS office, 1208 W. Nevada MC 142, Urbana IL 61801. Attn: Mary Ellerbe, Undergraduate Awards Submission. Applications must be brought or put in campus mail to the AASP office. For more information, contact the AASP at 244-9530.

This award is named in recognition of Dr. Clark Cunningham, who currently is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Professor Cunningham was instrumental in building the Asian American Studies Program at the University of Illinois. He served as the vice chair of the unit from 1997-2000 and chair of the program's first curriculum committee. He taught the first Asian American studies course on campus "Asian American Experiences" in 1992 and is widely regarded on campus as an inspiring teacher, mentor, and colleague among his students.