Richmond history major wins prize in national writing contest
January 19, 2007
University of Richmond senior Robert Cole turned a classroom trip to Mumbai, India, into a research paper that won the World History Association/Phi Alpha Theta (WHA/PAT) student paper prize competition for undergraduate work.
The Farmville, Va., history major wrote about colonial architecture in Mumbai, after studying the subject in person. He will receive a cash award from WHA/PAT and present his findings at WHA's annual meeting next summer in Milwaukee.
During the fall 2005 semester, Cole enrolled in the Global Cities course offered by University of Richmond's English department. The course concluded with a two-week trip to Mumbai in January 2006. Cole said that while most research projects involve much time in the library, the opportunity to conduct physical research in the field provided extra motivation.
Cole is a teaching assistant in this year's Global Cities course, which focuses on Shanghai, China. He is conducting new research for the class and completing a minor in Chinese.
He also plays the harpsichord, piano and French horn with the university's Chamber Music and Wind ensembles and helped launch the campus chapter of Amnesty International.