DAWSON CREEK – A Social Services Worker Diploma (SSWD) student at the Dawson Creek Campus of Northern Lights College is the 2011 recipient of the UNBC Award for Academic Writing.
Joseph Kafka’s essay, Bill C-31: Has it Succeeded in Amending Gender Inequality?, was selected for the award by a committee that included academic instructors from NLC, and the regional chair for the University of Northern British Columbia, Linda Selby.
The award, valued at $500, is presented annually to acknowledge an NLC student whose research paper demonstrates excellence in scholarly writing at a first- or second-year level.
“This is the first time that I have applied for any kind of competition,” Kafka said. “I was confident that I had written a very good essay, but at the same time, I was also a little surprised when I found out I had been selected for the award.”
Kafka’s research essay was written for Eva St. Jean’s course, Aboriginal Peoples of Canada (FNST100). The paper explored whether Bill C-31:
an Act to Amend the Indian Act succeeded in amending gender inequalities inherent in the Indian Act.
In selecting Kafka’s essay, the committee cited the paper as demonstrating substantial research, disciplinary relevance, and strong writing style.