Departmental Awards
The Sociology Department gives four awards annually:
About the Award
The John D. Donovan Award is given in honor of one of the founders of the undergraduate program in Sociology at Boston College. Professor Emeritus John D. Donovan graduated from Boston College in 1939, earned his PhD from Harvard, and taught at Boston College from 1952 until 2002.
The award recognizes the best paper written in an undergraduate Sociology course within the calendar year. Winners may be from any academic year and any school within the university.
2024 Winner
The 2024 Donovan Award went to junior Math major Celina Xiong 鈥26 for her paper 鈥淎utonomy, Art, and Artificial Intelligence: Institutional Commodification of Art and Bourdieu鈥檚 Cultural Capital.鈥
- The 2023 awards went to Elizabeth Anderson for her paper 鈥淭he Impact of El Salvador's Civil War on the Religious Expression of Salvadoran Migrants in Boston.鈥
- The 2022 award went to Molly Walvoord for her paper 鈥淭o Immigrants With Love: The Cultures of Muralism, Immigration, and the City of Boston鈥
- The 2021 award went to junior Sociology major Deena Mohamed 鈥23 for her paper 鈥淭he Banana Massacre: An Unforeseen Tragedy or an Inevitable Development?"
- The 2018 award went to sophomore Sociology major Kiley Grundstrom 鈥21 for her paper 鈥淒rowning the Planet in Plastic Pollution鈥澛
- The 2019 award went to senior International Studies major Claire Wortsman 鈥20 for her paper 鈥淔actors Influencing the Initiation and Duration of Breastfeeding among Working Mothers鈥
- The 2020 award went to senior Elisabeth Frascotti 鈥21 for her paper 鈥淓xamining the Effectiveness of FOSTA-SESTA鈥
About the Award
The William A. Gamson Award is given in honor of one of the most renowned members of the Sociology faculty at Boston College. Professor Emeritus William A. Gamson is a prominent name in the study of social movements, past president of the American Sociological Association, and a fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as winner of the W.E.B. Du Bois Career of Distinguished Scholarship Award from the American Sociological Association.
The award recognizes a graduating senior for outstanding academic achievement in Sociology.聽
2024 Winner
The 2025 Gamson Award went to Elizabeth Anderson.
- The 2024 award went to Yuchen Gu.
- The 2023 award went to Caira Mathieu.
- The 2022 award was given to Kelli Rodrigues
- The 2019 award was given to Cristina Zubizarreta
- The 2020 award was given to Jessica Bridges
- The 2021 award was given to Larissa Truchan
About the Award
The Lynda Lytle Holmstrom Award is given in honor of a feminist scholar and longtime Sociology faculty member. Professor Emeritus Lynda Lytle Holmstrom developed courses that remain popular today, including 鈥淟egal and Illegal Violence against Women.鈥 Her wide-ranging research covered issues women faced in families, such as newborn intensive care, dual career couples, and midlife parenting.
The award recognizes the best class paper on the topic of gender with sociological implications submitted to an undergraduate course in the College of Arts and Sciences each calendar year. Winners may be from any class year.
2024 Winner
The 2024 Holmstrom Award went to senior Engineering major Ellen Ryan 鈥25.
- The 2023 award went to Alyssa Barrientos for her paper "Femicides in Mexico."
- The 2022 award went to Elizabeth McCarr for her paper 鈥淔rida Kahlo鈥檚 Mexican Heritage on Boston鈥檚 Appreciation of Art鈥
- The 2018 award was granted to senior Sociology major William Hubschman 鈥19 for his paper 鈥淭raditional Masculinity in Sport.鈥澛
- The 2019 award was granted to junior Environmental Studies major Karolin Velliste 鈥20 for her paper 鈥淲omen and Water: Putting Ecofeminism into Practice.鈥
- The 2020 award was granted to senior Elisabeth Frascotti 鈥21 for her paper 鈥淲hat They Don鈥檛 Want You to Know: Unpacking the Harmful Contradictions of Summer鈥檚 Eve and the Feminine Hygiene Industry.鈥
- The Holmstrom award was not given in 2021
About the Award
The David A. Karp Honors Thesis Award is given in honor of the long-time director of the Sociology Honors Program. Professor Emeritus David A. Karp was professor of Sociology at Boston College from 1971 until 2012, and he inspired generations of students to strive for the insightful sociological listening and beautiful writing that are hallmarks of his work.
The award recognizes the best senior honors thesis written in the Sociology department each academic year.
2024 Winner
The 2025 Karp Award went to Emilia Acevedo Quezada for her thesis 鈥淣arratives of Resistance: Artistic and Educational Practices as Mechanisms for Immigrant Rehumanization.鈥 Professor Shelley White advised the project.
- The 2024 award went to Laila Herrera for her thesis "Shifting Landscapes: The Role of Institutions of Higher Education as Drivers of Gentrification in Cities." Professor Latrica Best advised the project.
- The 2023 award went to Sarah Mansky for her paper 鈥淕etting Off the Sidelines: Individual Motivations for Joining and Remaining in the Line 3 Movement鈥. Professor Josh Seim advised the project.
- The 2022 award was given to Kara Johansen for her thesis 鈥淐leaning During COVID: Navigating Working Arrangements for House Cleaners and their Employers in Boston and Dallas.鈥 Professor Julie Schor advised the project, and Professor Zine Magubane was second reader.
- The 2019 award was given to Catherine Stampfli for her thesis 鈥淗ow Self-Directed Learning Relates to Technology Integration and Pedagogical Beliefs in Middle School Classrooms.鈥 Professor Michael Russell from the Carolyn A. and Peter S. Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College advised the project
- The 2020 award was given to Eilidh Currie for her thesis 鈥淲hat鈥檚 the Alternative?: Attitudes of Discrimination Investigators Toward the Efficacy of Anti-Discrimination Law.鈥 Professor Sarah Babb advised the project
- The 2021 award was given to Yitong Liu for her thesis 鈥淭he Making of a Viral Event: How Media Shapes Homeowner Protest in Urban China.鈥 Professor Julia Chuang advised the project