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The Guetzkow Prize

The Guetzkow Prize is a senior prize awarded each Spring quarter for an outstanding paper written in the International Studies Integrating Seminar (Intl St 395). Each quarter the seminar instructors will nominate the top papers in the class. The paper must demonstrate exceptional interdisciplinary research and dedication to international scholarship. Each paper must be accompanied by a letter of recommendation by the seminar instructor. While the deadline is in Spring quarter papers can be nominated and submitted to the International Studies office during Fall and Winter quarter as well. Papers written during the student's junior year can be nominated but will not be considered until their senior year. The prize for the Guetzkow is $300.

The Guetzkow Prize is named for Harold Guetzkow, Professor of Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology from 1957-1986, who is a distinguished scholar of international studies.

The International Studies Program remembers Professor Harold Guetzkow, 1915-2008

Dr. Harold Guetzkow taught for Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology at Northwestern University from 1957-1985. His colleague, University of Kansas Professor Philip Schrodt remembers Guetzkow’s contributions to the field of International Studies, “The thirty years that Harold Guetzkow spent at Northwestern coincided with the development of systematic and quantitative methods for the analysis of international politics. Guetzkow was an internationally recognized leader in these efforts during the whole of this period, first with his adaptations of social psychological models to the study of politics, then with his pioneering efforts in human, then human-machine, and finally all-machine simulations of international behavior. Guetzkow’s influence can be seen not only in his own work, but that of individuals who were either his students or came to work with him at Northwestern as post-doctoral students: to name only a few, Paul Smoker went on to direct the Richardson Institute of Conflict Studies in Lancaster (UK), Ladd Hollist the International Studies Association, and Stuart Bremer the Correlates of War project.”

Former student Michael Ward (University of Washington) recalls, “After an active and influential career, Prof. Guetzkow retired from Northwestern University in 1985, having been feted at the 1985 International Political Science Association meetings with the presentation of a Festschrift, Theories, Models, and Simulations in International Relations: Essays in Honor of Harold Guetzkow (Westview Press, 1985). During 1987-1988 Prof. Guetzkow was elected President of the International Studies Association. At that time he took up a project focused on the study of values as they affect decision making in the international arena. He began a study of cultural values in decision making with scholars at the Pacific School of Divinity and also began a productive relationship with Kent Kille of Wooster College who brought the project to culmination in 2007 with the publication of The UN Secretary-General and Moral Authority: Ethics and Religion in International Leadership (Georgetown Press 2007). Throughout his career, Harold worked to support the efforts of other scholars interested in decision-making and international politics.”

Dr. Harold Guetzkow passed away on November 11, 2008 in San Jose, California at age 93. He was preceded in death by his wife Lauris, whom he had married in 1944. He is survived by sons James (Charlotte) and Daniel (Diana) Guetzkow, and his daughter Gay (Howard) Ben Tre. In his seven decades of active scholarship, he distinguished himself as a vibrant and path-breaking scholar as well as an incredibly talented mentor.

Donations may be made to “Northwestern University,” for the purposes of the Harold Guetzkow Prize in International Studies, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, International Studies Program, 2010 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL, 60208.