William McCagg Memorial Paper Contest

The Paper Contest award is given in memory of William McCagg, a historian and educator who specialized in Central and Eastern Europe. Dr. McCagg was Director of the Russian and East European Studies program at Michigan State University where he taught for 30 years.

The contest is administered by the Center for European and Russian Studies. Selection of winners is determined by the center's faculty advisory committee which will review and then rank the papers.

Papers may be submitted which contain a Western European or East European/ Russian component. Awards of $100 will be given at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in each category.

Contest Rules

Papers must be typed, double spaced, free of typo/spelling errors and any commentary by the professor who graded the original paper. There must be absolutely no reference on the paper to its author--this includes name and class or professor for whom it was originally composed. A separate sheet must be submitted containing this information. The cover sheets are available at the Center for European and Russian Studies or click here. Papers will not be returned. The deadline for paper submission will be February 23, 2007.

Only one paper may be submitted by a given student.

Any paper written for a course at MSU during the current academic year is eligible provided it contains significant European or Russian component.

2006-07 William McCagg Memorial Best Undergraduate Paper Winner:

Russian and East European Studies
Erin Biebuyck, "Shame and Obligation: Memories of Native Fascism in Hungary"

PREVIOUS WINNERS

2005-2006

Russian and East European Studies
Kali Koehler, "Democracy in Azerbaijan: Ensuring the Freedom of the Press"

Western European Studies
Bryan Victor, "Institutional Racism in Twentieth-Century France: From Assimilation to Social Exclusion"

2004-2005

Russian and East European Studies
Alan Sickner, "Nationalism, Ethnicity, and Human Rights in the Democratization of Georgia"

Western European Studies
Alicia Rattenee, "A Wolf at the Door: The Re-emergence of European Anti-Immigration Parties"

2003-2004

Russian and East European Studies
Charles Petrin, "Getting What you (Don't) Pay For: The Persistence of Wage Arrears in Russia"

Western European Studies
Greta Stahl, "Turkish Foreign Policy: The EU and/or Central Asia?"

2002-2003

Russian and East European Studies
Edward Timke, "The Invisible Woman?: Examining Newspaper Coverage of Feminist Issues in the Chechen Conflict"

Western European Studies
Gordon Jimison, "The United States of America's Policy Toward the ICC: Reasons and Reactions"

2001-2002

Russian and East European Studies
Megan Volk, "Ukraine's Role in the 21st Century Global Areana: A Study of the Advantages and Limitations of Ukrainian-Russian Relations"

Western European Studies
Sarah Heckemeyer, "The European Union's Dilemma: Trafficking in Persons"

1999-2000

Russian and East European Studies
Megan Biganeiss, "Russia in Transition"

Western European Studies
Jason Sakowski, "Stalin's Triumph: The Failure of Containment During Wold War II"