James W. Jackson Award for Excellence in Library Research in the Social Sciences

Purpose and Eligibility

The purpose of the James W. Jackson Award is to recognize and encourage excellence in the use of library research skills in the social sciences (Economics & Management, Education, Environmental Studies, Geography, Global Studies, History, School of Leadership Studies, Journalism, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology and Anthropology, Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies).

Upper division students are eligible, based on a research paper completed during the present academic year. Papers previously submitted are ineligible.

The winning paper should demonstrate a depth and breadth of effective use of research materials in the social sciences and clear evidence of thoughtful command of these resources. Excellent research projects which do not make significant use of library research materials (e.g., experimental projects) cannot, regrettably, be considered. Undergraduate honors theses are not eligible for the Jackson Award. Winning papers from previous years can be accessed in the UR Scholarship Repository.

Procedure

Nominations must be made by a faculty member. Each faculty member may nominate up to two students by submitting their research paper(s). The deadline for submission will be announced during the Spring semester.

Please submit all papers via e-mail to JacksonAward@richmond.edu. No written recommendation required; just attach the paper in PDF or Word format. Make sure to include the student’s name.

2024 Deadline: Monday May 6, 2024 at 5pm

The Jackson Award Committee is comprised of members of the Faculty Senate University Libraries Faculty Committee and one of the Social Sciences Librarians. Members of the Jackson Award Committee will read the eligible submissions and select a winner. For more information, email JacksonAward@richmond.edu or University Librarian Kevin Butterfield at kbutterf@richmond.edu.

Award

The award consists of a check for $1000 and the winner's name will be inscribed on a plaque in Boatwright Memorial Library.

Nico Ellis2023 James W. Jackson Award Winner:

Student: Nico Ellis

Paper Title: “In Her Words: An Analysis of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Use of Emotive Language in Her Authored Dissenting Opinions”

Nominated by: Dr. Jennifer Bowie, Associate Professor of Political Science

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  • James W Jackson Award Past Recipients
    1984 Brian M. Sheahan 1985 Catharine N. Morrison 1986 Jeanette K. Williams
    1987 Paula L. Domenici 1988 Mary Delicate 1989 Kate Ravenel
    1990 Robbin F. Kohler 1991 James H. Carter, IV 1992 Robert Bennett
    1993 Jonathan S. Marashlian 1994 Sean P. Byrne 1995 Daniel F. Diffley
    1996 Jeffrey K. Staton 1997 Melanie Ann Bailey 1998 Kelly J. Schoeffel
    1999 Marianne Wilson 2000 Jennifer A. Gaines 2001 Elizabeth J. Peiffer
    2002 Rachel Finer 2003 John Kevin Dunn, Jr. 2004 Heather Lynn McQueen
    2005 Nicholas Klaiber 2006 William Wilkes 2007 Amy Bradshaw
    2008 Chris Cotten 2009 Jacob Johnson 2010 Kelly Behrend
    2011 Marianne Williams 2012 Sarah Fishman 2013 Edward Beach
    2014 Kate Lawrenz 2015 Solee Park 2016 Grace DeVries
    2017 Carly Sibilia 2018 Helen Richardson 2019 Kay Dervishi
    2020 Ellie Owen 2021 Caroline Hernandez 2022 Peter Hawes