Undergraduate Humanities Forum

Call for Papers
PHF–Weiner Undergraduate Essay Contest
What are the Ethics of Humanitarianism
in a Globalized World?

Cosponsored by the Penn Humanities Forum and the
Marvin and Sybil Weiner Fund, Penn Library

Submission Deadline: Monday, January 15, 2007 (5:00 pm)

On the face of it, no one would doubt the value of helping unfortunate people abroad. Yet the unprecedented reach of globalization in our day has surrounded humanitarian motives in controversy. Whether aid comes in the form of medical care, cultural exchange, or economic development, people fear that it will not only help but also change its recipients, allying them with forces and values that may be alien to their interests. In terms of the donors, whether they be governmental, corporate, or private, the line between generosity and exploitation is not always clear.

Today donors face complex ethical questions. What are the merits of offering aid in a politically neutral manner, versus tying assistance to political outcomes or interventions? Does the combination of relief and religion compromise the credibility of aid? Is there a conflict when international work in health care is combined with medical research, or is sponsored by the pharmaceutical industries? What are the implications when leisure travel meets humanitarian impulses, as in the recent boom in eco-tourism? Has humanitarian aid become a media spectacle? In an age when the emotional impact of crisis seems immediate, but the recipient may be distant, how do the media affect humanitarian aid for better or worse?

The Penn Humanities Forum in association with the Penn Library invites essays from Penn undergraduates which focus on some aspect of this problem. The winner of the 2007 PHF-Weiner Undergraduate Essay Prize will receive $1,500 and the opportunity to participate in a Penn Humanities Forum faculty symposium, "Travel for Humanity," to be held on February 14, 2007. Two runners-up prizes of $500 each will be offered as well.

The PHF-Weiner Undergraduate Essay Contest is open to Penn undergraduate students in any school. Essays should be approximately ten double-spaced pages (c. 3000 words) and be suitable for delivery as a 20-minute lecture. The faculty committee judging the submissions will be looking for depth of research, clarity of expression, and originality of thought.

To ensure fairness, students should not identify themselves or their majors on their submission, but instead should register a pseudonym with the Penn Humanities Forum.* Submissions (in double-spaced hard copy, not email) must be received at the Penn Humanities Forum, 3619 Locust Walk, no later than January 15, 2007. For questions, please contact Jennifer Conway, Associate Director, Penn Humanities Forum, 215.898.8220.

*Students will need to identify themselves, along with their school and class, when registering their pseudonym. This is strictly for administrative purposes and will be shielded from the committee until the awards are decided.