Sociology

Awards

C. Wright Mills Award

The Department of Sociology annually awards the C. Wright Mills Award to the Outstanding Senior in Sociology. Seniors who will have completed all requirements for the major in sociology by the end of the spring semester are eligible. The award will not be given if no candidates are deemed suitable. The sociology faculty will select a candidate based on a combination of the following:

• GPA in the major
• GPA overall
• Extraordinary achievement in the senior project (which may be in-progress at the time of the award)
• Extraordinary achievement beyond the normal requirements for the major, for example, through study abroad, Carson awards, service learning, or other off-campus and co-curricular endeavors.
• Quality of independent work in courses (e.g., term papers, research reports, and the like) including creativity and ambition in the design and pursuit of projects
• Excellence in one or more core courses in sociology
• Skill in conducting and/or presenting research, when applicable
• Evidence of a sociological imagination, both within and outside the classroom

2007 Recipient

Krysti Hilton

2006 Recipient

Elizabeth Hickman

2005 Recipients

Jennifer Heidt, Katherine Neary and Amber Simonton

2004 Recipients

Suzanne Marsh and Barrett Ebright

2003 Recipients

Jessie Bowen and Katie Arntson

2002 Recipients

Anna Carpenter and John Harnetiaux

James B. Bjorkquist Award

The Department of Sociology annually awards the James B. Bjorkquist Award to the Outstanding Junior in Sociology. Juniors who have completed at least four courses in sociology by the end of the term in which the award is given are eligible. The award will not be given if no candidates are deemed suitable. The sociology faculty will select a candidate based on a combination of the following:

• GPA in the major
• GPA overall
• Quality of independent work in courses (e.g., term papers, research reports, and the like) including creativity and ambition in the design and pursuit of projects
• Excellence in one or more core courses in sociology
• Skill in conducting and/or presenting research, when applicable
• Evidence of a sociological imagination, both within and outside the classroom

2007 Recipients

Amy Johnson and Steven Yasumura

2006 Recipients

Krysti Hilton and Rajani Gudlavalleti

2005 Recipient

Robyn Southard and Katherine Tetu

2004 Recipient

Jennifer Heidt

2003 Recipient

Suzanne Marsh

2002 Recipient

Jessie Bowen

Sociology Award for Outstanding Social Justice Contributions

Current sociology majors who have demonstrated leadership in social justice work, using sociological tools to help create positive social change on campus and/or in the community are eligible. The sociology faculty will select a candidate based on a combination of the following:

• Commits to organizing positive social change at Willamette
• Models the ability to connect and use sociological tools in her/his social justice work
• Brings experiences from social justice struggle into sociology courses in meaningful ways
• Shapes career and vocation by both sociology and social justice values

Past recipient information is not available because this award was given for the first time in spring 2007.

2007 Recipients

Joshua Bilbrew and Drew Herbert