SOP for History MA
Hello,
I am applying to MA programs in international history. I would truly appreciate any constructive feedback that you could provide on my personal statement. It is supposed to be 500 words, but is currently 592. What are your opinions of my research interest? Too specific for a MA? Too vague? Should I delete something and make room for mentioning professors in the department? Any other comments or suggestions? Thanks in advance. This seems like a great online community!
It is often children that are capable of speaking the most truth. In my diverse social studies classroom of recent immigrants to the United States, the truth came from a young man named Jesus. Following a basic discussion of the Western Hemisphere, the young man inquired that if we are all from America (presumably referring to the two continents), why are my parents not allowed to come here? Without realizing it, Jesus had made an unintentionally profound statement that hinted at the importance of recognizing a shared hemispheric history between Canada and the United States, and Latin America.
For my master’s dissertation, I want to illuminate and contextualize the transition in American policy towards Latin America from the end of the Cold War to the present with a comparative study of the politics of Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia as a response to American policy in the region. In particular, given Latin America’s notable poverty, how did America’s decidedly lackluster approach to supporting the region economically over the past two decades contribute to its political evolution? In researching and constructing an answer to this question, I would balance an objective analysis of the policies and programs of American officials with the perceptions of Latin American governmental officials and intellectuals towards these policies in pursuit of a truly international history.
My interest in this research stems from the opportunity I had to study with U.S.-Latin American relations expert Dr. Mickey Mouse at Virginia, as well as the travel I have engaged in throughout the region over the past two summers. During my travels, I came to the realization that America’s relative neglect of the region since the Cold War has not infuriated or alienated its inhabitants in much the same way as many of its 1980s military and CIA adventures, but instead has profoundly disappointed them. The taxi drivers I spoke with in Quito, Ecuador described their government’s allegiance to the Chavez administration as one rooted more in pragmatism than ideology.
My diverse work background and research experience puts me in the position to efficaciously draw upon the myriad human and archival resources in New York and London. For both my distinguished major thesis and a documentary film produced for PBS, I sought out and conducted a variety of original interviews with individuals ranging from NAACP Chair Julian Bond to leaders of Virginia’s 1960s sit-in movement. I have also conducted significant archival research at the National Archives and in Virginia’s special collections. The opportunity this program presents to mix archival research with interviews of leading intellectuals and policymakers excites me greatly.
Within 10 years, I hope to obtain a doctorate in the field of international history. As such, the dual-degree program at McDonalds and the Leeds School of Marxists appeals to me for its rigor in research and language training, something I have found present only to a lesser degree in other international history programs. Further, I am attracted to the program’s emphasis on fashioning historians willing and able to tackle historical questions whose answers can serve as catalysts to solving problems of inequality and human rights in the present. As a student of the civil rights movement and an alumnus of Teach for America, my commitment to social justice is paramount. I see this program and the opportunity to directly study the forces reshaping the modern world as an extension of that commitment.
If invited to study international history at McDonalds and LSM, I would seize upon the opportunity to produce a sympathetically researched and articulated history respectful of the past and valuable for the future.