robthehero

Hello! I'm currently a rising senior majoring in Africana Studies. I will be applying for Ph.D. programs for the upcoming 2019 cycle. Unfortunately, I've had a bit of trouble identifying programs that would match my research interests. I am interested in researching how popular music genres affects Black diasporas. More specifically, I want to understand the role popular musical genres play in the formation of Black diasporic cultural identities. For example, I wrote a paper on the political nature of Linton Kwesi Jonhson's music and the essential role it played in the formation of Afro-Caribbean cultural identity in Britain. Ideally, I would like to continue my research in the same vessel. So far, however, I have only managed to find one potential POI whose research interests match mine (Alexander Weheliye @ Northwestern). I'd gladly appreciate suggestions for programs I could apply to and advisors that would be willing to take on my research. Thanks in advance!

Hey! I'm a rising junior in college. I'm a double major in Political Science and Spanish Literature, currently doing some preliminary research about Ph.D. programs in Hispanic and/or Luso-Brazilian Literature and Cultures. I am interested in 20th-century Latin American literature and the Latin American Boom. I am also interested in 20th-century Brazilian literature, immigration narratives, and representation of race/ethnicity in Latin American literature. Apart from this, I am also interested in Latin American urban music cultures (reggaeton, funk, reggae en Español, dancehall etc.) Do you have any suggestions for Ph.D. programs that I can look into that match some of my interests? I am not yet sure which Ph.D. track I am going to pursue yet, so I am open to all suggestions. A little bit of background info: I have a 3.60 overall GPA, and my Spanish Literature major GPA is 3.85. I plan on increasing both of those. I am also currently taking a DELE C1 preparation course at a university in Ecuador. I am fluent in Russian, German, and Portuguese, and I am working on my French. In terms of grad school applications, what should I focus on? Looking forward to your responses. :-)