Students planning to enter the 12th Annual Philip L. Carret “Thomas Jefferson Essay Competition” now have another resource to use when conducting research for their work: past winning essays available on the Belk Library web site.
For the first time since the contest started in 1997, winning essays – along with the second- and third-place entries – have been digitized and posted online. Click on the link below to read past winners and to learn more about the history of the essay contest.
“Not only do these essays explore Thomas Jefferson as one of America’s presidents, but they also tie in many other subjects, including religious studies, gender studies, political science, race and ethnicity, history and geography,” said Katie Nash, the archivist and special collections librarian for Elon University. “All these essays can serve as primary sources for anyone studying or interested in the subject areas previously mentioned.
“The essays also serve as excellent examples of the type of academic and scholarly work students at Elon are capable of producing.”
Lynne Bisko, a non-print librarian, was responsible for getting all the essays online via the Belk Library web site, Nash said.
The focus of the 2008 contest is on the role of women in the formation of the United States during the Jeffersonian Era. Essays are judged “according to the quality and creativity of the response to the questions asked” in addition to the quality of writing and clarity of thought.
The deadline for submission is Thursday, April 3, at 4:30 p.m. to Melissa Holmes in the Registrar’s Office in Alamance 102. A brochure that can be downloaded is also available by clicking the link below.
The first-place winner receives a $1,000 cash award and a trip to Monticello in Charlottesville, Va., home of Thomas Jefferson. Second-place receives a $600 award, while third-place receives $400.