Division of Social Science holds its fifth annual student awards ceremony

The Division of Social Science, in York’s Faculty of Arts, recently hosted its fifth annual awards ceremony honouring outstanding achievement of its undergraduate students. The event took place at the Underground on Oct. 23.

This year’s celebration brought out many senior and retired faculty members who attended not only to bestow awards, but also to lend a sense of the history of the awards and their connections between students, faculty and donors.

 

 
Pictured above are: Arthur Siegel, professor emeritus of the Division of Social Science and Communication Studies Program; York student Davica Ramdass; and Richard Wellen, chair of the Division of Social Science. Ramdass received the Otto Friedman Award and this year’s Eric Koch Award.

Davica Ramdass, a history & communication studies student was a dual award winner. She received the Otto Friedman Award and the Eric Koch Award. Professor Eric Koch attended the celebration to personally present the award to Ramdass.

Also at the event was political science Professor Carl Baar. He came to present the Ellen Baar Award, established in honour of his wife, to Andriy Menchynski, a fourth-year student in criminology and English. The Ellen Baar Award is presented to the student, entering his or her final year majoring in a Division of Social Science interdisciplinary program, who received the highest GPA in the third year of studies.

Left: Andriy Menchynski (left) with Prof. Carl Baar

When he made his award presentation, social science and communication studies Professor Emeritus Arthur Siegel spoke of Gordon Lowther when he gave the award named for him to Hiam Kogiashvili-Amar.

Lowther was one of the early members of the Division of Social Science, an anthropologist educated at the University of Cambridge. He felt especially at home in East Africa and taught at University College in Nairobi, before coming to York in 1970.

Next came a number of presentations:

  • The Lillian Lerman Book Prize awarded for the best first-year essay, went to Valerie McCarrol.
  • The Marion Miller Third Year Award was presented to Rebecca Tannahill.
  • The Marion Miller Fourth Year Award was presented to Christine Allum.
  • The Frances Frisken Prize was awarded to Daniel Hoang.
  • Mark Antoine received the SOSC 3700 Prize.
  • The Jane Banfield Book Award went to Mary Bakoias.
  • Karina Pogosyan received the Law & Society Prize.
  • The Criminology Honours Award went to Tamara Kupchak.
  • The Business & Society Honours Award was given to Jerusha Mack.
  • Jessica Jackel received the Esiri Dafiewhare Annual Scholarship.
  • The Law & Society Prize was awarded to Mikaila Greene.
  • The Stevenson Scholarship in African Studies was awarded to Datejie Green.
  • The International Development Studies Honours Award was given to Charlotte Henderson.
  • Rachel Kwan received the Social & Political Thought Scholarship.
  • Sean Gougeon was the recipient of the Labour Studies Student Achievement Award.
  • John-Pierre Karam was granted the Neil Reimer Award.
  • The Latin American & Caribbean Studies Honours Award was presented to Marisol Fornoni.

Right: Mary Bakoias (left) won the Jane Banfield Book Award which was presented by Prof. Kimberley White. Karina Pogosyan (not pictured) was also awarded the Jane Banfield Book Award. 

In health & society, Caitlin Murphy won the Health & Society Prize. The Health & Society Founders Book Prizes were awarded for original projects to Frank De Francesco, Caitlin Murphy and Sherry Stein.

In communication studies, the Reva Orlicky Award for studies in radio was presented to Mariam Asad. David Rayko was the recipient of the Penny Joliffe Award.

The awards ceremony was followed by a reception at the Underground restaurant in York’s Student Centre.

The event was sponsored by Richard Wellen, chair of the Division of Social Science; the Faculty of Arts; and the Teaching & Development Committee. Faculty of Arts Associate Dean of Student Relations Marilyn Lambert-Drache attended on behalf of the Faculty of Arts.

Left: Mariam Asad receives the Reva Orlicky Award from Prof. Mary-Louise Craven

For a complete description of each of the awards and the colleagues honoured, visit the Division of Social Science Web site.