Congratulations to Justina Sung and Seth Conklin, who have been selected as co-recipients of the Center for the Study of Religion’s Savko Award for Best Undergraduate Paper. Justina and Seth were each awarded a $500 prize. Seth and Justina are both students in the Department of History. 

The Savko Award for Best Undergraduate Paper is a $500 prize for the best paper relating to the academic study of religion. The paper must have been written as part of an OSU course and may be submitted either by a faculty member or by the student directly. Papers may come from either fall or spring semester of an academic year. The next round of this award will have a deadline in December 2025.

Justina’s paper, “Asceticism, Apologetics, and Autonomy in The Acts of Thecla,” argues that the Acts of Thecla serves both as an apologetic text defending ascetic Christianity and as a narrative empowering women within early Christianity. While Thecla is a fictional figure, her legacy demonstrates the historical rivalry between different interpretations of Paul and his ethos. It refutes charges against ascetic Christians—such as being anti-family, seditious or immoral—while simultaneously expanding the roles and expectations for Christian women. 

Seth’s paper, “Asklepios: Artemidorus' Rival,” is about Artemidorus, a dream interpreter from Roman Greece, and his dislike of temple incubation as practiced by the followers of Asklepios. In the paper, Seth explores dream interpretation in the ancient Mediterranean and the views rival practices had of one another.