2003-2004 Essay Contest

The William James Society is offering a $100 prize and publication in Streams of William James for the best student essay (4500 words, maximum) on William James. Although this contest is intended primarily for graduate level work, we encourage undergraduates and continuing education students to submit essays as well.

Essays that receive honorable mention will also be published in an issue of Streams.

One theme that we suggest students consider is the application of William James's ideas to a contemporary problem. We are, however, open to other topics and streams of thought.

To submit an essay for consideration:
        1) Compose an e-mail to Randall Albright. Explain for whom the essay was originally written, class level, and other pertinent information.
        2) Attach an electronic copy of your article in Rich Text Format (RTF) or Microsoft Word format.
        3) Use the CC option to send a copy back to yourself for inherent copyright protection and send to Randall Albright <albright177@earthlink.net>.


Deadline: May 15, 2004.

Essay Prizes 

2002-2003 Essay Contests 

Winner, William James Society 2002-03 Essay Contest. Published in Streams of William James, Volume 5, Issue 3:

• "Numbered Among the Jameses: The Address at the Emerson Centenary" by Trygve Throntveit
  

Honorable Mention, 2002-03 Essay Contest. Published in Streams of William James, Volume 5, Issue 3:

• "'Philosophy' in The Varieties of Religious Experience: From Theology through the Science of Religions to a Science of Convictions" by Jacob Lynn Goodson
  
• "Was William James a Phenomenologist?" by Charles A. Hobbs
  
• "The Role of Temperament in the Philosophies of Emerson and James" by Megan Mustain
  

2001-2002 Essay Contests 

Winner, William James Society 2001-02 Essay Contest for The Centennial of The Varieties of Religious Experience; Published in Streams of William James, Volume 4, Issue 2:

• William James and the Genuine Option: Religion or Nihilism by Christian Noble

Winner, William James Society 2001-02 Essay Contest for "What Makes a Life Significant?"; Published in Streams of William James, Volume 4, Issue 2:

• Déjà Vu: "What Makes a Life Significant?" by J. Lynn McBrien

Honorable Mention, 2001-02 Essay Contest for "What Makes a Life Significant?"; Published in Streams of William James, Volume 4, Issue 2:

• The Ideal Life as a Life of Ideals: "What Makes a Life Significant" by Eric Vogelstein

2000-2001 Essay Contests 

Winner, William James Society 2000-01 Essay Contest for Graduate Work; Published in Volume 3, Issue 2: 

• "Closer to the Threshold: Kagan, Temperament, and WJ's Varieties" by Lynn Bridgers 

Winner, William James Society 2000-01 Essay Contest for Undergraduate Work; Published in Volume 3, Issue 2: 

• "Divided We Stand: Pragmatism, Bergsonianism, Agency, and Intimacy" by Myron Silberstein 

Honorable Mention, William James Society 2000-01 Essay Contest for Graduate Work; Published in Streams of William James, Volume 3, Issue 2: 

• "Denying the Good Samaritan: Morality and Value Assessment Through Learned Self-Regulation" by Allison P. Hobgood 
• "Surmounting 'Rationalism and Associationism' Controversies" by Renato R. Kinouchi 
• "'The One and the Many': WJ and his Contexts" by Amy Kittelstrom 
• "Anxiety and Interpretation: Shaping the Experience of William and Henry James Sr." by Tadd Ruetenik 

Honorable Mention, 2000-01 Essay Contest for Undergraduate Work; Published in Streams of William James, Volume 3, Issue 2: 

• "WJ: Quantum Mystic" by Dale A. Hildebrandt 

Art Prizes 

2002 Art Competition 

Winner, William James Society 2002 Art Contest in honor of the centennial of the publication of
The Varieties of Religious Experience.
Published on the Cover of Each Issue of Volume 4.

Imagery by Roy R. Behrens
ballast@netins.net

Honorable Mention, William James Society 2002 Art Contest in honor of the centennial of the publication of
The Varieties of Religious Experience.
To Be Published (Gray-Scale) in an Issue of Streams of William James, Volume 4. 

Other Societies Offering Awards for Writing About William James 

The Council on Spiritual Practices (www.csp.org) offers the William James Awards for masters' theses and doctoral dissertations focusing on empirical studies of primary religious experience and its consequences. Grants are awarded to pay direct expenses of student thesis research, up to $500 at the master's level and up to $1,500 at the doctoral level.

The Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association annually awards the William James Prize to the best paper in the area of American Philosophy that is both (a) written by a philosopher who received the Ph.D. after January 1, 1994, or is a graduate student, and (b) accepted for inclusion in the Eastern Division program by the Program Committee through the normal process of blind-reviewing. Thanks to a generous gift from Professor and Mrs. John Lachs, the James Prize carries with it an honorarium of $250. For purposes of competition for the James Prize, American Philosophy is to be construed broadly as including not only studies of the work of significant thinkers in the history of American Philosophy but also creative extensions or applications of the ideas, methods or results of traditional American philosophy to philosophical issues of current interest or lasting importance.

The Pragmatism Archive at Oklahoma State University offers research grants for graduate students and post-doc scholars for visiting the Archive. Each research grant will be up to $500, for any type of expenditure involved in a visit.

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