CAUTG Prize for Best Canadian MA Thesis in German Studies

The CAUTG Masters Prize is usually awarded every other year (up to two awards). The next prize is to be awarded at the Annual Meeting of the Association in May 2018 in Regina, Saskatchewan, for master theses defended between Oct. 16, 2015 and Oct. 15, 2017.

Field of Research: MA theses from all fields that have been defended at a German department or program in Canada (Cultural Studies, Linguistics, Literature, Second Language Acquisition) or those written in any area of German Studies, including those written as part of the completion of a degree in, for example, Comparative Literature or Philosophy or History, etc. Dissertations written in English, French, or German are eligible to be nominated. Theses written in English, French, or German are eligible to be nominated.

Nomination Criteria: The MA thesis should demonstrate original and strong scholarship. Its defense must fall in the time period specified above.

Nomination Process: Self-application for the award is not possible. Candidates must be nominated by the Department / Program whose decision will be communicated by the Graduate chair/coordinators (or department head/chair or her/his designate) to the chair of the committee by March 1st, 2018. A major research paper of no fewer than 13,000 words (excluding bibliography) forming a constitutive part of the requirements for the MA may be accepted as equivalent of an MA thesis. Each department/program can nominate one candidate for every 10 students completing their degree in the specified time period.

Procedure: The committee requests theses to be submitted electronically (as pdf-, word- or rtf-files) to Nikola von Merveldt at n.von.merveldt@umontreal.ca . In unusual circumstances, the committee also accepts the submission of one paper copy, but electronic copies are clearly preferred. A letter of nomination from the graduate or department chair explaining the merits of the thesis and the reasons for nomination (including, for example, the examining committee’s or external reviewer’s remarks) must accompany the submitted thesis.

Prize: The award winners will receive an official CAUTG certificate and a cash award of $500. Further, the award winner is eligible for the defraying of travel costs to the annual CAUTG meeting at which the award is granted (even if she/he does not present a paper at that meeting).

Selection Committee: The selection committee consists of its chair and two other members who are currently active faculty members in German programs at Canadian universities. They will be appointed after the submission deadline in consultation between the chair of the committee and the president of the CAUTG.

Objectivity: The committee will ensure that the procedure will be as objective as a competitive award selection can be. The decision of the committee will be wholly based on the quality of the written thesis; neither the ‘name’ of the degree granting institution nor of the thesis advisor will play a role in the selection process.