James and Ruth Brown Undergraduate Award
This award is provided by a generous donation from the James and Ruth Brown family. The purpose of the award is to provide financial support to undergraduate students studying rhetoric. Dr. Brown was particularly interested in enhancing reading skills to strengthen a student's ability to participate in public debate.
Two $3,000 awards. Note: Funds will be awarded fall semester 2024. If the recipient of the award currently receives financial aid through the University of Minnesota, the award will be applied toward the student’s financial aid. All scholarship awards will be processed through a student's University account (via the scholarship automation process).
Applicants for this award:
- Must be a Technical Writing & Communication (TWC) major with at least one semester of coursework remaining.
- Must have completed at least 12 credits of WRIT courses in the TWC major by the time of award (transfer courses do not count).
- Must be registered full time during the following fall semester at the University of Minnesota.
To apply for the award, submit the following:
- A sample paper or project that engages a public issue, debate, or controversy
- A reflective essay of 500-750 words maximum describing your paper/project (see criteria below)
- An unofficial copy of your transcript
The writing sample could be a paper/project from a previous course or an original paper/project. The topic and/or approach of the sample paper/project should be to enter the ongoing conversation around the topic and contribute something of value.
Examples of Possible Samples for the Application
Example issues could be climate change, social justice, diversity, healthcare, a political issue, or a community organization etc. Students could also connect the topic to their TWC sub-plan.
- Course Paper
- Digital story or argument (e.g., with subject interviews)
Writing Sample Requirements
- Project must address and productively engage in a topic of public debate.
- Project must provide an application that reflects critical reading and makes a meaningful contribution to the topic or issue.
- Project must reflect intellectual analysis and close reading of the topic.
- Project must reflect solid principles from WRIT courses such as writing, organization, editing, and document layout.
- Project must be authored by the applicant with correct citations for all outside sources.
- You may use a project or paper from a course, but please review and revise your work as appropriate to meet the criteria.
Reflective Essay Requirements
Reflective essay should explain and discuss how the paper/project goes about its work engaging the chosen public issue. Your reflective essay might respond to the following questions:
- What debate do you address in your paper? What is important about this issue?
- How would you situate your paper in relation to this debate or public issue? Does your paper take a clear position, or are you working to understand this issue?
- Who is/are your target audience(s)? How would you imagine them engaging with your paper?
- After reading your paper, what action would you want your audience to take?
When evaluating these writing samples and statements, in addition to the writing quality, the scholarship committee looks for the following:
- Document design and organization
- Audience awareness
- Ability to engage complex ideas and cite sources when appropriate
- Depth of engagement with topic
Note: Winners are required to send a thank-you note to the Brown family.
Contact [email protected] with any questions about the award or application process.
- 2024: Jack Teske and Alessandro Rasgattino
- 2023: Hannah Hanson and Autumn Viker
- 2022: Sumeya Jeilani and Olivia Trout
- 2021: Rosemarie Lam and Mark Mathison
- 2020: Natalie Gardner & Jaclyn Willems
- 2019: Emily Raper