About the Mary C. Turpie Prize

The Mary C. Turpie Prize, established in 1993, is given to the candidate who has demonstrated outstanding abilities and achievement in American studies teaching, advising, and program development at the local or regional level. Recipients of the award receive lifetime membership in the association. The award is announced at the annual meeting of the American Studies Association.

This award honors Mary C. Turpie, an early pioneer in American studies scholarship. Turpie was a long-time faculty member in the American Studies department at the University of Minnesota where she contributed to the development of American studies pedagogy, departments, and scholars through intensive mentorship and advising. She advised over a hundred students at any given time while presiding over dozens of dissertation projects.

Eligibility Requirements and Application Procedure

Who is eligible: Current ASA members who have demonstrated ability and achievement in American studies teaching, advising, and program development at the local or regional level.

Who can nominate: Anyone can submit a nomination on an ASA member's behalf. Individuals can also apply, or self-nominate. While those submitting the nomination need not be active members, they must create an account online in order to submit a nomination.

How to submit a nomination:

Step 1: Assemble the materials required for consideration. These include: 

  1. A statement describing the nominee's achievements in developing degree programs, curricula, and (or) academic or public forums; the intellectual orientation of this programming (e.g., the critical frameworks or priorities that informed the design); the contribution of this programming to the home institution, as well as to local and regional publics; and (if relevant) its contribution to the field of American studies at the national or international levels. This statement might also address the contributions of the nominee's research to the field of American studies, as well as the bearing of the research on the teaching and programmatic work.
  2. Two or three American studies (or otherwise relevant) syllabi.
  3. Supporting letters from collaborators, colleagues, and mentored students. These letters can be individually authored, but nominators might consider soliciting a smaller set of collectively authored letters with multiple signatories.
  4. A list of URLs to relevant websites (if applicable).

Submitted materials should be representative, rather than exhaustive. Additionally, the committee strongly encourages that longer documents (e.g., program reviews) be excerpted or summarized. Total materials submitted should not exceed 50 pages—and, where possible, they should be combined into a single PDF. 

Step 2: Log onto the ASA website to upload the materials and submit the nomination. You will be asked to enter the nominee’s information (title, affiliation, address) before being prompted to upload a PDF of the materials outlined above. Nominations must be received no later than June 30. On your behalf, the Office of the Executive Director will share the nominating materials with the prize committee. 

Committee Members:

  • Chair: Alyosha Goldstein, University of New Mexico
  • Wendy Cheng, Scripps College
  • Juliana Hu Pegues, University of Minnesota

When is the deadline: June 30

This Year's Winner (2021)

No selection

Past Winners 1994-2020

  • 2020: No selection
  • 2019: Patrick McGreevy, American University of Beirut
  • 2018: Matthew J. Mancini, Saint Louis University
  • 2017: Jean-Christophe Agnew, Yale University
  • 2016: Robert Rydell, Montana State University
  • 2015: No selection
  • 2014: Melody Graulich, Utah State University
  • 2013: Joy Kasson, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
  • 2012: Alan Wald, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • 2011: Thomas Vernon Reed, Washington State University
  • 2010: Matthew Pratt Guterl, Indiana University
  • 2009: Vera Norwood, University of New Mexico
  • 2008: Maria Irene Ramalho de Sousa Santos, University of Coimbra, Portugal
  • 2007: James Salem, University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa
  • 2006: Michael Steiner, California State University, Fullerton
  • 2005: Joanna S. Zangrando, Skidmore College
  • 2004: Norman R. Yetman, University of Kansas
  • 2003: Daniel Horowitz, Smith College
  • 2002: Eric J. Sandeen, University of Wyoming
  • 2001: Robert A. Gross, College of William and Mary
  • 2000: Jesper Rosenmeier, Tufts University
  • 1999: Simon Bronner, Pennsylvania State University
  • 1998: Jay E. Mechling, University of California, Davis
  • 1997: Michael Aaron Rockland, Rutgers University
  • 1997: Lois P. Rudnick, University of Massachusetts, Boston
  • 1996: Alma Payne, Bowling Green State University
  • 1995: Richard Slotkin, Wesleyan University
  • 1994: Paul R. Baker, New York University
  • 1994: Charles Bassett, Colby College