Awards

The Department of Philosophy offers three awards annually to outstanding philosophy students. These include: the Paul C. Hayner Award for Outstanding Graduating Senior; the William H. Alamshah Award for the best undergraduate essay; and the Craig and Claire Ihara Award for service to the philosophical community.

The Paul C. Hayner Award for Outstanding Graduating Senior

Each year, the Department recognizes one senior as the outstanding graduating student based on demonstrated ability in philosophy and promise of a life-long contribution to philosophy. All philosophy majors who have filed for graduation are automatically considered by the Department. The award includes a $500 scholarship check and engraving of the student's name on a permanent plaque displayed in the Department office.

The William H. Alamshah Award for the Best Undergraduate Essay

In memory of Professor William H. Alamshah, the Department of Philosophy annually awards the Alamshah Memorial Prize for "The Best Essay in Philosophy" submitted by a CSUF student. All students at CSU Fullerton are eligible. First prize is $400 and second prize is $200. The name of the first prize recipient will be inscribed on a plaque permanently on display in the Philosophy Department Office.

Entries are to be in essay form (as opposed to e.g., poetry or film). The suggested length is 2,500 words (10 pages), with a minimum length of 1,200 words (5 pages) and a maximum length of 3,750 words (15 pages). A single entrant may submit no more than two papers for consideration.

A paper written for a philosophy course may be submitted for the Alamshah Prize, but if it is rewritten in response to the instructor’s comments, the latter must be explicitly acknowledged. Other than this, no faculty member may give special help on any essay submitted for the prize. There is no restriction on the topic or on the philosophical method and style employed in the essay.

A paper will be judged philosophically excellent and creative on grounds of (a) the insightfulness of the approach, or (b) the skill with which the essay is executed. In order to assure fairness, papers will be subject to anonymous review by Philosophy faculty, where the author’s identity is kept secret during the review process.

The deadline for submission varies, but is generally the end of Fall Semester or the beginning of Spring Semester. Papers should be submitted to the Philosophy Department Office staff. The staff will prepare the papers for blind review by Philosophy faculty.

The Craig and Claire Ihara Service Award

The Craig and Claire Ihara Award for Outstanding Contributions to the CSUF Philosophic Community recognizes a CSUF student who has made outstanding contributions to the CSUF Philosophy Community, through such activities as the organization of the philosophy symposium, participation and leadership in clubs and organizations related to the Philosophy Department, and representation of the Department in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Typically the award is made to a graduating senior to honor his or her service at Fullerton. Selection is made by the Philosophy Faculty each Spring Semester. Awardees receive a scholarship check and their names inscribed on a commemorative plaque.