The Lois and Willard Cohodas Literary Prize

Human Rights, Tolerance, & Understanding

This prize was established by Rabbi Samuel and Lynn Stahl and Nancy and Paul Oberman, in honor of the 65^th wedding anniversary of their parents, Lois and Willard Cohodas.  The goal of the competition is to provoke serious thought about one or more of the following topics:

--Enhancing religious, racial and cultural understanding

--Eliminating hatred and racism

--Promoting awareness of the Holocaust

--Advocating respect for human rights around the world today

 Awards:  First Place: $500     Second Place: $250     Third Place: $100

 Eligibility:  The contest is open to all NMU undergraduates.

 Deadline:  March 1st, 2009.  The winning entries will be announced in April 2009.

 Guidelines:

 --This is a prose non-fiction contest.  Entries should be approximately 1,500-2,500 words.  The winning entries each year will be posted, with permission, on the English Department’s web site and the Marquette Monthly.

 -- The judges are looking for well-written, well-developed, deeply thoughtful essays relevant to the one of the topics below (these topics will change each year).  The winning essays should have a strong, ethically informed thesis.  Entrants may use correctly documented research, though they are not required to do so; essays with research must be much more than mere reports.  The research should be marshaled to support the author’s original thesis.

 The Topics for 2008-09:

1. What allows genocide to occur and how can we stop it?
2. What can students do to combat prejudice?
3. Who do you know who has stood up heroically against injustice?
4. What experience have you had with racial bigotry?
5. What is religion’s role in promoting tolerance and intolerance?
6. Is today’s suicide mass-murder terrorism genocidal