Each year, the Core Curriculum recognizes continuing and graduating students who distinguish themselves through exemplary academic performance, classroom participation, and community leadership.<\/p>\n
To be considered for the award:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A committee of Core professors will review the submissions and select at least two winners who will be notified in the early summer. If there are more than two outstanding applicants, additional awards may be considered. Winners will be announced at the annual spring Core Banquet.\u00a0Students with questions about the award or application process can contact core@bu.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n About Prof. Devlin:<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0Dr. James Patrick Devlin (1943-2010) was a philosopher, a programmer, and a teacher through and through. It was his way to examine all of life and then to examine it more, sometimes with hilarity and always with originality, honesty and thoughtfulness. He inspired those who came into contact with him to do the same.\u00a0Prof. Devlin pushed the pedagogical envelope, and is remembered by students and colleagues\u2014most fondly, with deep admiration, and even awe\u2014as an outstanding teacher and a brilliant lecturer in the Core Humanities. <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n Awarded since 2014, the Divisional Distinction Awards<\/strong> recognize the exceptional performance of students in each of the four academic divisions of the Core Curriculum: the First-Year Humanities; the Second-Year Humanities; the Natural Sciences; and the Social Sciences.\u00a0Nominations for the Core Awards for Divisional Distinction are submitted by faculty members to the awards committee in the spring semester, and the awards are announced at the annual Core Banquet. Winners receive book prizes.\u00a0Students with questions about the award program are asked to direct their inquiries to the Divisional Awards Committee at\u00a0core@bu.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n 2025:<\/p>\n 2024:<\/p>\n 2022:<\/p>\n 2021:<\/p>\n 2020:<\/p>\n 2019:<\/p>\n 2018<\/p>\n 2017<\/p>\n 2016<\/p>\n 2015<\/p>\n 2014<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n Given to graduating seniors, the Polytropos Award<\/strong> honors students whose varied accomplishments and extraordinary service to the Core Curriculum merit the perhaps somewhat extravagant yet proleptically likely designation of “polytropos,” the first adjective applied by Homer to describe the hero of his Odyssey<\/em>. The Polytropos Award is given both in recognition of what a student has<\/em> accomplished and in expectation of what he or she will<\/em> accomplish, and in gratitude for their ongoing mindfulness of the Core community. Each Polytropos recipient has helped the Core in areas such as tutoring and mentoring, classroom visits, Freshman Fridays, Summer Advising, Open Houses, focus groups, presentations on Core and major concentrations, speaking about the Core with parents, reporters, and visitors, and help with the day-to-day functioning of the program. Polytropos awards-winners are announced at the annual Core Banquet, and receive\u00a0a certificate and book prizes.<\/p>\n The full text on the award certification reads as follows:<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n We strive to be as complete as possible in this record of our honorees. If you are aware of Polytropos honorees who are not listed here, please contact the Core office<\/a> so we can update this page.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n The Journal of the Core Curriculum<\/em>, published since 1992, is a student-led venue for exemplary thought and expression. In 2020, the editors instituted an awards program to recognize outstanding student work. That first year, awards were presented for essay-writing and creative writing; in 2021, a category was added to reward work which addresses the issue of sustainability. Winners receive a certificate, a book prize, and recognition at a spring creative showcase event or at the annual Core Banquet.\u00a0To be considered for a Core Journal Award…<\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n>>> past winners<\/h3>
\n
Core Awards for Divisional Distinction<\/h3>
>>> past winners<\/h3>
\n
<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
2023:<\/p>\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
The Polytropos Award<\/h3>
\n\u201cWe shall not cease from exploration \/ And the end of all our exploring \/ Will be to arrive where we started \/ And know the place for the first time.\u201d \u2014T. S. Eliot<\/em><\/p>\n>>> past winners<\/h3>
\n
Core Journal Awards<\/h3>
\n