The Scope
Submitted theses must be relevant to the scope and aims of the EuroCORECODE programme, and fit under the programme’s original Call for Proposals. Nominated theses should deal with at least one of the scientific goals of the programme as a whole, thereby addressing the subject of regional cohesion through one or more of the following themes:
- Expressions of regional cohesion and identity, including language and dialect, material culture, customs, myths
- Discourses of identity and power. The different tools and instruments used to exercise authority and to create attachment to their ‘region’: ideology (history, myth, ancestors), symbols (heraldry, architecture, images of the ruler, symbolic discourse), rituals (entrees, venerations of patron saints), the invention of tradition both in historical and in modern times etc.
- Institutions. Dynasties, political, juridical, economic and social institutions. The Church and educational institution
- Hierarchies. The concept of region is in a sense fluid, in size, in degrees of attachment to the region and depending on whether viewed from ‘inside’ or ‘outside’. Borders of regions may have changed over time. Regions that functioned in a historical period as strong entities may have been cut through by modern national (post-/supra-regional) borders
- Majorities/minorities. The relationship between majorities and minorities is a recurrent theme in the study of regional cohesion. Ethnicity and language often marked social difference and social hierarchy; religion (notably the impact of conversion and of the Reformation) could generate or reinforce minority identities
- Environment. The relationship between physical geography and regional identity; the structuring of space in terms of cores and peripheries; the role of distance from centres of power
For further details on the exact nature and intended scope of each of these topics, applicants are referred to the EuroCORECODE Background page.
Eligibility
All applicants must have graduated from their Master’s Degree no earlier than 2009 and no later than April, 2013. Please note that if candidates are scheduled to graduate in the time between December 2012 and April 2013, then official proof of graduand status must be submitted along with the application. Submissions will be accepted from both Taught and Research Master’s, though will be examined on equal footing, i.e. no differentiation will be made in assessment between theses that are/were part of Taught or Research Master’s Degrees. All submitted theses must be sole-authored and cannot be the result of group-work.
There is no word limit on theses, and although there are no restrictions on an applicant’s nationality, all nominees must have been affiliated with a recognised European institution while completing the Master’s Degree thesis under consideration. Submitted theses and application materials must be in English and all theses must describe original work. Please note that this language requirement is necessary for facilitating the international assessment of applications and that ability in English will not form part of the evaluation. If applicants are unsure of their eligibility they can raise the issue with the competition’s Managing Committee (eurocorecode[at]esf.org).
Failure to comply with any of the requirements indicated above is likely to result in exclusion from the evaluation phase of the competition, due to ineligibility. Decisions on eligibility issues are the sole responsibility of the Managing Committee of the EuroCORECODE Master’s Degree Thesis Award. Applicants of ineligible submissions will be notified as soon as the ineligibility issue is discovered, and the reasons motivating their exclusion from the competition will be duly explained. The Managing Committee’s decision on these matters is final.
Submission
Only electronic submissions will be considered. Applicants should submit their nomination as e-mail attachments to eurocorecode[at]esf.org. Only the following electronic formats will be accepted: Word document (.doc), Rich Text Format (.rtf), or Portable Document Format (.pdf).
Applicants will be sent an acknowledgment upon receipt of their submissions. Each submission must include the following documents:
- An electronic copy of the full thesis including all graphs, references, and bibliographies
- A letter of application stating how and to what extent the thesis addresses one or more of the EuroCORECODE themes
- A letter of recommendation from the thesis director of the nominated thesis
- An abstract of the thesis (between 1000 – 1500 words)
- A CV which includes the grade awarded to the thesis
If the candidate is to graduate in the time between December 2012 and April 2013:
- Official proof of graduand status
The closing date for submissions is **14th December, 2012** after which no further applications will be accepted.
Evaluation
All applications will be reviewed by a dedicated Selection Committee associated with the EuroCORECODE programme. All applicants will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:
- Scientific excellence
- Originality
- Relevance to the EuroCORECODE Call for Proposals
Nominations will be narrowed down to three finalists who will each be invited to the EuroCORECODE Final Conference, which will take place from 30-31 August 2013 (the place still needs to be confirmed). Part of an afternoon session will be dedicated to the finalists who will be given the opportunity to present their work to the conference delegates. The eventual winner will then be announced and awarded their prize money of €1,000. The ESF will cover the finalists’ costs for attending the Final Conference.
The jury reserves the right not to award the prize, or to invite a smaller number of finalists, if the theses fail to meet the required standards.
Organisers & Contacts
Members of the Award Scheme Managing Committee:
Dr Nils Holger Petersen (CULTICSYMBOLS Project Leader)
Professor Dick de Boer (CURE Project Leader)
Dr Bas Spierings (UNFAMILIARITY Co-Project Leader)
Dr Martin van der Velde (UNFAMILIARITY Co-Project Leader)
Contact details:
All inquiries concerning the EuroCORECODE Masters Degree Thesis Award should be addressed to eurocorecode[at]esf.org
