Shane Rice ('25) Awarded 2024 General Education Prize

The Department of Anthropology at Harvard University is pleased to share that Shane Rice (’25, Archaeology concentrator) has been selected as a recipient of the 2024 General Education Prize for an essay he wrote about his experiences in, and the impact of, the course Gen Ed 1105 Can We Know Our Past? taught by Professors Rowan Flad and Jason Ur. There were many excellent submissions, but the Prize Committee was particularly impressed by Shane's essay outlining how GENED 1105 served as a catalyst for his intellectual and personal development, and ultimately provided him with a platform to integrate a wide range of life experiences and intellectual interests while reconciling past identities with present aspirations. We hope you will join us in congratulating Shane on this honor. 

Shane shares with us: 

I would like to thank the Harvard College Program in General Education for considering me for this prize. I would also like to thank Professor Flad, Professor Ur, and the TF’s of GENED 1105 for putting on such an inspiring course. I hope this award serves to encourage other students to seek out opportunities for exploring their passions and interests.

Shane stated in his prize abstract: “In this submission, I recount my journey of personal growth during my first years at Harvard University. Amidst personal and academic rigors, I found myself grappling with a profound crisis of identity and purpose tied to my transition from service in the Marines to civilian life in college. The crux of my narrative revolves around my enrollment in GENED 1105: "Can We Know Our Past?", which served as the catalyst for my intellectual and personal development. Through its curriculum, I embarked on a journey of discovery, academic enrichment, and self actualization. GENED 1105 provided me with a platform to integrate a wide range of life experiences and intellectual interests while reconciling past identities with present aspirations. This transformative experience underscored the irreplicable value of a liberal arts education and the role of General Education courses in facilitating holistic personal development. Ultimately, my narrative advocates for the General Education program at Harvard as an essential component of my personal, professional, and academic development, and I ardently believe in its potential to enrich others’ lives as it has mine.”

Read the full submission here.