DEADLINE: October 15, 2008

THE AWARD:

This annual award was established by the Association of African Studies Programs of the United States at their annual meeting in Washington DC, April 6-8, 2000. It honors the memory of the late Francois Manchuelle, a distinguished Africanist who lost his life in the TWA 800 air crash off New York in the summer of 1996. Francois dedicated his scholarly life to the teaching and popularizing of African studies at the undergraduate level in four-year colleges and within small communities in the United States--groups normally overlooked by the large, research-oriented universities and foundations.

Award Recipients

The Francois Manchuelle Award is awarded for innovative work in expanding the domain of African studies at undergraduate and/or K-12 levels, and for promoting novel and effective outreach initiatives to American communities with an interest in Africa. In more precise terms, the Association of African Studies Programs would like to honor distinguished innovative work in the following areas: elementary and high school instruction on Africa; undergraduate programs about Africa; public education programs about Africa; outreach activities about African societies directed to communities in the US; or campus-wide activities dealing with Africa in four-year colleges and high schools.

The AASP is an organization made up of the Deans, Directors, Chairpersons, Committee Heads, or individuals who have the responsibility for organizing or leading the African Studies program at their college or university. The purpose of AASP is to keep all members informed of major national developments that impact African Studies programs. For more information visit our web site: http://aasp.asrc.cornell.edu.

HOW TO APPLY:

Nominations for this award should be directed to the vice-chair of the Association of African Studies Programs and should be received no later than October 15, 2008. Nominations should consist of a three-page double-spaced description of the project, together with any supporting materials.

Three judges, none of whom belongs to an institution applying for the award, will review the applications and decide on the winner. As per the AASP Constitution, the AASP Vice-Chair will chair the committee. The award consists of a cash prize of $500. The winner will be announced at the annual meeting of the African Studies Association (November 13 - 16, 2008) in Chicago.

Applications for the 2008 Award should be submitted to the AASP vice-chair, Professor Kelly Askew by October 15, 2008 at (kaskew@umich.edu).

• Nomination Form (PDF download)