Christine Norris

June 1953 - September 1998

Dr. Norris was Assistant Director of the Revelle College Humanities Program.  She received her Ph.D. from the Literature Department at UCSD in 1982, and was appointed a Lecturer in Humanities that same year. While her principal research interest was the Danish writer Isak Dinesen, her teaching ranged from women's studies to the entirety of the Western Humanities tradition.  Her energy and enthusiasm for teaching inspired both her undergraduate students and the graduate students whom she trained and advised. The Revelle College student body honored her with numerous teaching awards and invitations to addres the college commencement.

Christine passed away on September 24, 1998, after a three-year fight against cancer.

Beginning in 1999, the Christine Norris Revelle Humanities Prize will be given annually to the best Humanities student completing the five-quarter sequence.

Prize Criteria

The criteria: The selection committee looked for the student who best exemplifies what Humanities appreciated about Chris Norris: an enthusiasm for learning; the ability and desire to explore ideas and issues for their own sake; careful scholarship; and a concern for a clear and forceful articulation of ideas. We looked for someone who was not only a conscientious student with strong academic achievement, but someone who might sit with Chris in her office for an hour discussing the meaning of a passage or the structure of a paragraph -- someone, in sum, who best embodies the humanity that Chris Norris gave to Humanities.

The process: We solicited nominations from Teaching Assistants familiar with sophomores based on the above criteria. We tabulated the students' grades, then spoke at length to each of the TAs about all the nominations (their own, as well as students nominated by other TAs). Finally, we looked at the students' Humanities papers, again not only looking for good writing skills and scholarship, but for originality, style, and a personal voice.

If you wish to contribute to the Christine Norris Scholarship Fund, please make checks payable to: "U.C. San Diego Foundation in Memory of Christine Norris." Donations may be mailed or delivered to: Humanities Office, Galbraith Hall, Room 180, 9500 Gilman Drive 0306 La Jolla, CA 92093-0306.

The 2009 winner:
LISSETTE WILENSKY

Previous winners:
2008: Daniel Feldman
2007: Jennifer Timmons
2006: Liam Vavasour
2005: Yue Wan
2004: Jan Melom
2003: Grace Hsiao and Judy Hsiao
2002: John Peter Rickgauer
2001: Vishal Patel
2000: Andrea Mann
1999: Charae Marie Gibbs