The McCormack-Reboussin Scholarship
for Rising Seniors in French & Francophone Studies
History of the Scholarship
This merit-based scholarship was established in 1995 by Mark McCormack, a distinguished alumnus and generous benefactor. The purpose of this scholarship is to support an outstanding French major during their final year at William & 玛丽.
The scholarship was originally named in honor of Marcel Reboussin. Professor Reboussin was Mr. McCormack's favorite professor from his days as a French major. The scholarship now also bears the name of McCormack as well. This change is in honor of his professional accomplishments, his devotion to W&M, and his support for student research in the field of French & Francophone Studies.
Mr. McCormack's daughter, Mrs. Leslie McCormack-Gathy, has continued his generosity. The scholarship is now awarded on an annual basis to a rising French & Francophone Studies senior at the university and is worth $12,000:
- Up to $4,000 is to support research on a topic of linguistic or cultural interest in a French-speaking country or region during the summer before the senior year
- The remainder of the award goes toward tuition and fees for the senior year
The scholarship recipient must remain in very good academic standing to remain eligible for the grants.
The recipient will provide detailed plans for the summer research grant. These plans will be prepared under the supervision of a faculty research advisor in French & Francophone Studies. The French & Francophone Studies faculty must approve the plans before the end of the spring semester of the recipient's junior year.
The plan will detail the project's topic, the methods of research used, the projected itinerary, and the projected budget. The research funded by this scholarship will serve as the foundation for further study during the recipient's senior year. The final result of the research has normally been an Honors Thesis, with accompanying defense.
How to apply
To apply, you must be a declared French & Francophone Studies major in your junior year, with plans to graduate the following year.
A complete application consists of:
- an application cover form [pdf];
- an updated William & 玛丽 academic transcript;
- a preliminary description IN FRENCH (2 pages in length) of the summer research project you want to conduct;
- a bibliography for the project; and
- a sample of your analytical writing IN ENGLISH (8-12 pages in length) on a topic of your choice.
The writing sample need not necessarily be related to French, but should be on a topic in the humanities. It may be a research or term paper completed for another course at W&M. The scholarship selection committee will use this writing sample to assess your analytical capacity, research skills, and ability to structure a sustained and balanced argument.
The project description must be your own original work. You may find it helpful to discuss potential research topics with a member of the French & Francophone Studies faculty. However, faculty members are not allowed to assist you in drafting your project description.
What to include in the project proposal
A research project is an intellectual process of critical inquiry and discovery. Your project could be a library research project or/and a field research project in any relevant French-speaking country or region. Your project description must identify a challenging and intellectually broadening experience. Please address the following points:
- 你研究的主题或领域是什么？你为什么选择它？
- 你希望从你计划进行的研究中获得什么学术和个人收获？
- 你想回答的具体问题（或一系列问题）是什么？
- 你打算如何回答这个问题？你的工作假设是什么？
- 为什么这种类型的研究项目是回答这个问题和/或检验这个假设的最佳方式？
- 为了研究这个主题和分析这些材料，你有什么准备？请讨论相关的课程作业、阅读、与教授的讨论以及个人经历。你可以在一个简短的参考书目中列出相关的来源。
- 你打算使用什么样的分析方法和批判方法？
- 你如何进一步为这次研究之旅做准备？
- 出国旅游时你会使用什么资源？他们在哪里？你预见在获得这些资源方面有什么困难？
- 你在国外旅行时如何安排时间？你的项目在这段时间内可行吗？
如果你进入决赛，你将被邀请参加选拔委员会的后续面试。在面试中，你将进一步详细地解释你的提案的要点（特别是与上面6-10点有关的要点）。
以下是麦科马克-雷布森奖学金前几位获得者的建议样本。由于申请是学生自己的工作，这些文件没有经过教师的编辑。你可以阅读Eve Grice的提案[pdf]和Laura Wagstaff的提案[pdf]。
帮助
希望对其提案获得个人反馈的申请人可以在2024年11月14日下午5点之前提交初稿（法语）。此文件应直接通过电子邮件发送给项目主管。与教师顾问的一对一反馈会议将于下周举行：11月21日下午5点至6点在315华盛顿大厅举行。我们强烈鼓励所有学生利用这个独特的机会，在最终提交之前加强他们的提案。
选择过程
最终的提案将于2024年12月4日下午5点提交。然后，法语和法语研究学院将证明所有候选人都是真正的法语和法语研究专业的学生，并成立一个委员会来选择最终入围者进行口试，口试可能在2025年1月28日左右举行。
评审委员会在甄选过程中采用以下准则：
- 一般学业成绩；
- 法语研究成绩优异，
- 提交的研究项目描述的质量；
- 提交的分析性写作样本的质量，
- 教师对申请人法语课程成绩的评估；
- 决赛选手的口头面试。
如果您对法语和法语国家研究的McCormack-Reboussin奖学金有任何一般性问题，请联系项目主任或其他法语教师。
