Richard deCordova Memorial Endowed Fund

The American Studies Program at DePaul University sponsors the Richard deCordova Scholarship competition to honor and celebrate our late, beloved colleague, a founding member of the American Studies Program, and one of the Program’s most loyal supporters. In keeping with Richard deCordova’s teaching and scholarly interests, and with his own standards of excellence, essays or projects in U.S. American Studies or U. S. film or media studies, by currently enrolled DePaul undergraduates, are eligible for the scholarship.

Essay or project submissions will be evaluated based on:
• originality
• interdisciplinary perspective
• clarity in reasoning, writing, and presentation
• adequate and correct documentation

In addition, essays or projects previously submitted as a part of a class requirement, as well as revisions of such essays or projects, are eligible for submission—as are essays or projects designed only for the competition. Each student may submit only one entry. If a collaborative project is submitted and wins, the scholarship will be split. Only one submission will receive a monetary award, which will be dispersed to the student’s account during the winter and spring quarter. During some awards cycles, the deCordova Awards Committee may also select an honorable mention; Honorable Mentions will receive a certificate but will not receive a monetary award.

Essays must be a minimum of 1500 words (not counting notes/citations). Projects may include, but are not limited to creative works such as plays, films, or exhibits. All non-essay-based projects MUST include a 500 word statement explaining the project’s intended intellectual/artistic contribution, and how the project has been influenced by interdisciplinary perspectives.

Students are responsible for adhering to the submission requirements of their specific project. If you have any questions, please contact the American Studies Program.

Submission instructions:
• If you are submitting an essay, please upload it in the file upload prompt provided within the application. Remove your name from any essay submissions. Do not include your name as part of your essay’s file name.

• If you are submitting another work, including but not limited to a play, film, exhibit, or another interdisciplinary project, please submit all necessary materials to document the project so that the committee can evaluate it. Please also include your 500 word statement (see above). Remove your name, to the extent that is possible, from all materials.

• If you need to submit something that cannot be uploaded or linked, please fill out the application online, give a short description of the project via the short answer box, indicate that you are submitting a hard copy, and contact the American Studies Program to schedule a drop-off time. In-person drop-offs must be delivered prior to the end date of the application period. Hard copies are not an option for essays or anything that can be linked to digitally.

In keeping with the spirit of Richard deCordova’s intellectual interests, American Studies majors/minors and Media, Cinema, and Studies majors/minors are especially encouraged to apply, but all DePaul students are welcome to submit their materials for consideration.

In order to be considered for this scholarship, please be sure to upload your unofficial transcript as recommended in your general application.