Graduate Student Prizes

The Blair Rogers Major and James Russell Major Dissertation Award is given annually to the most promising student writing a dissertation in the history of Europe and of European expansion (including the British Isles), from classical antiquity to the present. This fellowship was created by the late Professor Major, a distinguished authority on representative institutions in early modern France, in collaboration with Blair Major, his wife, in grateful recognition of a grant they received when he was completing his dissertation at Princeton University in 1948-49. They were trying to survive with two small children on the G.I. Bill and a teaching assistantship when they unexpectedly received the Elias Boudinot Fellowship, for which they were extremely grateful.

To do the same for others, they established this award to go annually to the most promising student writing a dissertation in the history of Europe and of European expansion (including the British Isles), from classical antiquity to the present. Award preference will be given to qualified doctoral students working in the field of early modern Europe. The 2012 reformulation is designed to honor the intent of Russell and Blair by giving preference to qualified applicants in the early modern field, but also to make more students eligible in the event we do not have an early modern nominee in any particular year. The formula "history of Europe and of European expansion, from classical antiquity to the present," was consciously designed to be as capacious as possible. Depending of course on the dissertation topic, it will now possible to nominate students in fields that were previously not included - notably African, American, Ancient, Asian, Latin American, Medieval, and Modern European history.

Professor George P. Cuttino was a distinguished medieval historian in the Department of History for 32 years. In 1982 he provided a gift to the university to establish a scholarship endowment fund to aid history undergraduate students conducting research in overseas libraries. The George P. Cuttino Scholarship for Independent Study Abroad was established in 1985 and commemorates Professor Cuttino’s commitment to undergraduate teaching in the Department of History. In 1997, Professor Cuttino’s estate opened the Scholarship to graduate student applicants, though the priority remains to support undergraduate research.

The Cuttino Scholarship is offered annually, privileging rising senior history majors or joint majors in Emory College. As long as funds permit, however, graduate students in their first or second years may also apply for up to $5,000 of support for summer research abroad.

In years when a Cuttino Scholarship for graduate students is available, the Director of Graduate Studies will issue a notice and a deadline for submission of Cuttino Scholarship applications. Applicants must submit a proposal -- not more 3 double-spaced pages -- as to how they plan to utilize the scholarship if awarded. The proposal should describe the nature and value of the proposed research topic and include a precise research plan, itinerary, and anticipated budget (airfare, lodging, tuition, etc.). Students also need to ask a faculty member familiar with their work to submit a letter of recommendation.

The Cuttino Scholarship recipients from the two groups of students are selected by the Department of History Undergraduate Committee and Graduate Committee, respectively.

The Ross H. and May B. McLean Prize is awarded annually to the first-year student in history who achieved the most distinguished record for the previous year.

Each fall the program selects a recipient for the Francis S. Benjamin Prize, awarded for the best paper written by a graduate student during their first two years in the Emory History PhD program.  The submitted paper must be written in a graduate course taken in the previous year.  Submissions are made by students, rising second years and rising third years, with one submission per year allowed.  Papers ought to be of a length, quality, and form suitable for publication as an article in a scholarly journal.  Essays submitted for publication but not yet published are eligible.  No restriction is made on the time spent on research and writing.  Papers written for a course and subsequently revised or expanded are acceptable.

The Joseph J. Mathews Prize is a substantial annual award given to a graduate student in any field engaged in dissertation research.