SVU Student Awards

This program of an organized annual competition among undergraduate students and graduate students who have submitted the best essay dealing with some aspect of Czech and/or Slovak culture was initiated in 1987 by Professor Vera Borkovec, who was at that time SVU Vice President for Student Affairs (this action was reported by President Jiri Nehnevajsa in the January-February 1988 issue of Zpravy). The idea was to promote interest in things Czech and Slovak among college students and thereby attract the younger generation to join our ranks.

These were the conditions of the contest: the essay had to be written as a term paper for a specific university course taken during the academic year. It was to be submitted by the student’s professor with his/her recommendation. The reward was a check for $250, a year’s membership in the Society and a subscription to one of the Society’s journals.

The original committee judging the submitted papers consisted of Prof. Vera Borkovec (American University), Chair; and Profs. Josef Anderle (University of North Carolina), and Jan Triska (Stanford University).

Later Prof. Ivo Feierabend (San Diego State University) replaced Prof. Jan Triska.

The 1988 student awards went to:
Derek Paton (U.of London) for his essay “Parallels in Time: Independent Activity in Czechoslovakia as and Expression of Czechoslovak Political Culture”
and to
Jarmila Charfreitagova (U. of Munich) for her paper on “Czechoslovak Exile Press in Western Europe Since 1948”

1990 Award
Barry J. Hurewitz (Duke University) for his study: “Czechoslovakia : An Evaluation After the 1989 Revolution”

1991 Award
Petr Polak (University of Ostrava): “In the name of Socialism and the Working Class: Political Trials in Czechoslovakia in the Years 1948-1953”
Karel Bus (Charles University, Prague): “Czech Nationalism”

1992 Awards
Kevin Hannan (U. of Texas): “Moravian Nationalism in the Nineteenth Century”
Jindrich Juzl (Charles U., Prague): “When This Night Passes....A Portrait of the Poet Rudolf Tesnohlidek

1993 Award

Pavel Jerabek (University of Zuerich): “Der Transformationsprozess der tschechoslowakischen Volkswirtschaft 1990-1992”

1994 Award
Jon P. Youngs: “The Post-Communist Czech Republic: Out of the Wilderness”

1995 Award
David Korfhage (Princeton U.): “The Uses of (In)Authenticity: Rukopis Kralovedvorsky and Rukopis Zelenohorsky as political, cultural and national symbols”

1996 Award
Jonathan Bolton (U. of Texas): “The Hilsner Affair: A Study of the Workings of a Tenacious andDespicable Superstition, as well as of a Valiant but Failed Attempt to Defeat It in Turn-of- the Century Bohemia”

1997 Award
Bruce B. Berglund (U. of Kansas): “Lidice and the Czechoslovak Exiles in Britain”

1998 Award
Charles Sabatos (U. of Michigan): “The Glory of Exile: T. G. Masaryk in America”

2000 Award
Petra Ticha (American University): “Westernization in the Czech Republic: Blessing or Stepchild of Democracy?”

2001 Award
Daniel Neval (University of Zuerich): “Edvard Benes: der Erbe des Praesidenten und Befreiers”

2002 Award
Leah Markowitz (George Washington U.): “Unity Through Pluralism: Contemporary Czech-Jewish Identity”

2003 Award
Dana Copithorne (U. of British Columbia): “Disordered Borders and Border Crossings: Articulations of the ‘Inside’ and ‘Outside’ Worlds in Twentieth Century Czech Literature”

2004 Awards

2006 Award
Kevin Grieves (Indiana U.): “An Uncertaiin Image: U.S. Television Coverage of Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia”

The present committee evaluating the submitted entries consists of Prof. Vera Borkovec (American University), Chair and members Prof. Ivo Feierabend (San Diego State University) and Prof. Milan Hauner (University of Wisconsin).
The award now bears the name of the Dr. Joseph Hasek Student Award. The winners (one undergraduate and one graduate student are eligible) receive a check for $250, a Certificate of Merit, honorable mention in the newsletter Zpravy and a year’s membership in the Society.