Megan MacDonald, below, with Dr. VanderBilt, was awarded the 2009 Mary Ann Davis award for excellence in Literary Criticism. Katelin Tressler was the graduating English Major with the highest GPA. Congratulations!

The Clarence Amann Award in English Established in memory of Professor Clarence Amann by his professional colleagues, The Clarence Amann Award is given for the best piece of writing in a category other than literary criticism. $100 is awarded to a graduating Senior, with a piece of work that was written for an English class at Fisher. (We recommend you revise the piece before submission.) Individual poems may not be submitted, unless they are epic-length, but collections and chapbooks are welcomed. Only one entry may be submitted.

The Mary Ann Davis Prize in English Established in memory of Professor Davis by her professional colleagues, The Mary Ann Davis Prize in English is given to the best example of literary criticism (the essay may focus on one text, a several texts, or on theoretical approaches to texts). $100 is awarded to a graduating Senior, with a piece of work that was written for an English class at Fisher. (We recommend you revise the piece before submission.) Individual poems may not be submitted, unless they are epic-length, but collections and chapbooks are welcomed. Only one entry may be submitted.

2008 Clarence Amann Award Erin Hurd
2008 Mary Ann Davis Award John Snyder
2008 Honors Thesis Leigh Graziano "John Steinbeck the Philosopher: Transcendentalism as a Means of Social Reform in the Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden"

To be eligible:

• You must be a senior graduating in this academic year, and you need to have earned at least 60 credit hours here at Fisher. 
• The work must originally have been written for a Fisher English course*, though not necessarily one taken in your senior year.  (Note: an English Honors thesis is not eligible for either of these prizes.)  *We strongly encourage you to revise your entry, to make it as good as you can, before you submit it for the competition.
•  Individual poems may not be submitted (unless they are epic-length), but a collection of poems or a chapbook is welcome.
• You may submit only one entry for each award. 

The English Scholarships
One $2,000 scholarship and two $1,000 scholarships are awarded every year by the English Department and are renewable for up to three more years.  Renewal requires the student to maintain a 3.000 GPA and full-time status.

Senior Awards in English
The English Department sponsors two cash prizes for seniors.  These awards are determined every year by an essay contest held in the last month of Spring semester.  The deadline for submissions is in early February and will be announced well in advance.   Students should retain their best essays for submission for these prizes.  Note that in the case of the Davis Prize, the winner need not be an English major.  If you have questions about the senior awards, please contact Dr. Deb VanderBilt.

Honors in English (Senior Thesis)
English majors with a cumulative GPA of 3.3 and an English GPA of 3.5 are eligible to pursue Honors in English by  writing a senior thesis.  A thesis, whether in the writing major or the literature major, is an extended work of research or creative writing averaging about 50 pages.  The senior thesis is a great opportunity for advanced students to pursue independent work that goes beyond the scope of regular classwork.  Successful Honors in English candidates have the words with honors in English added to their diploma and transcript.  Steps to completion:

• you should begin pursuing the project around the end of your  junior year.
• find an advisor in the English Department who is willing to supervise your work.  With this professor, you will take English 498H and/or 499H (3 credits each).  Each is a semester-length independent study for which you will receive credit, supervision, and a grade (distinct from your thesis grade, below).  Your advisor might be a specialist in the field you want to study, or could be a professor with whom you have a good working relationship.
• write an honors thesis worthy of the grade "A".  The paper should display originality, sophistication, and stylistic excellence.
• successfully defend the thesis at an hourlong open colloquium comprising members of the English Department and other interested readers.  The colloquium is usually held during Finals Week.
  

• have completed at least four college-level English courses
• maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 in English.
• rank at least in the highest 35% of your class (by cumulative GPA)
• have completed at least three semesters of college course work
• have declared a major or minor in English
  

The Campuswide Honors Program
The Honors Program sponsors unique courses that are accessible to Honors Students only.  In most semesters, two Honors courses are offered (one lower-division, one upper-division).  See the catalog for course listings.  Honors courses may be applied to the College core in the disciplines in which the professors teach, or as alternates.  To graduate from the college Honors Program, students must:

• have been admitted to the Honors program when they matriculate
• maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.3
• complete between 4 (transfer students) and 6 honors courses (see catalog)