Stony Brook University’s Center for Italian Studies
in collaboration with the
Center for Excellence and Innovation in Education
is pleased to announce the
Spring 2008 Essay Contest for Secondary School Students

Students are invited to submit papers on the following 2008 Theme:

Updating Immigration History-Examining Recent Italian Migration to the United States (1960-to date)

 Background Statement: Provide a brief summary of the characteristics and prevalent understandings of Italian Immigration to the United States prior to 1960. Reveal  how these understandings can be updated through a series of interviews/profile studies on persons who have emigrated from Italy to the US since 1960. 

A.     Select 5 persons who have emigrated to the US (preferably from different decades) 1960-to date.

B.     Write up and include these interviews in your essay submission addressing in particular the Name, Age, Gender, Occupation of person being interviewed. Date of immigration; Entry point in US, Method of travel to the US. Current Domicile in US; why selected. Process of Immigration: What procedures had to be attended to in order to emigrate from Italy to the United States. Reasons for emigrating and coming to the United States. Experience in the United States since immigration.

C.      Include any other inquiries you think will help you update this history. 

Using the information and understandings you have gathered from these interviews, conclude what you think is the current history of immigration from Italy to the US.  Compare and contrast this with the more usual presentation of this history covering the period prior to 1960.  Include how this interview process (primary research) changed or supported your own historical perspective on Italian immigration to the US and any other personal reactions you experienced in conducting these interviews that are pertinent to the essay topic.

 Requirements:

 Essay text should be  submitted in duplicate  (no carbons) on  8 ˝" by 11" white paper, double spaced and typed on one side of each page. Citations and notes should be numbered consecutively and assembled at the end of the text.  References used should follow the endnotes and be listed on a separate page in standard bibliographic form.

  • Required cover page info:
  • essay title,
  • student/writer's name, social security number and address; class; sponsoring faculty's name;
  • school name and district; and school telephone number.
    •  
    Essays should be submitted to sponsoring faculty within the student's school district, who in turn transmit entries to:
     
    Center for Italian Studies,
    Stony Brook University,
    Stony Brook,  NY 11794-3358.

     

     The deadline for submitting entries: Friday, May 2,  2008
     
    Writers of the three (3) essays judged best by a committee  made up of representatives from both the Center for Italian Studies and the Professional Education Program Outreach will each be recognized with a $75 money prize, a souvenir Italian wrist watch, and a certificate of excellence. 
     
    Call (631) 632-7444 for additional information.