UC: Davis English and PepperSprayGate 2011

[TripWillis]

Forgive me for being a little cheeky, but is anyone going to mention PepperSprayGate2011 in their SoP? In all honesty, my work has a lot to do with literary activism and protest... so... I might. Would definitely be relevant, if touchy.

Check out the department website: "The faculty of the UC Davis English Department supports the Board of the Davis Faculty Association in calling for Chancellor Katehi’s immediate resignation and for “a policy that will end the practice of forcibly removing non-violent student, faculty, staff, and community protesters by police on the UC Davis campus.” Further, given the demonstrable threat posed by the University of California Police Department and other law enforcement agencies to the safety of students, faculty, staff, and community members on our campus and others in the UC system, we propose that such a policy include the disbanding of the UCPD and the institution of an ordinance against the presence of police forces on the UC Davis campus, unless their presence is specifically requested by a member of the campus community. This will initiate a genuinely collective effort to determine how best to ensure the health and safety of the campus community at UC Davis."

[Timshel]

LOL. Well, I am applying to Penn State, and my area is trauma studies, so I could make a connection there, too, but I wouldn't dare. I say do it at your own risk.

[Grunty DaGnome]

I think it's a good idea to stick to your own experience in the SOP. That's a rule of thumb I pretty much just invented, but I can't really think of a way to mention internal UC issues from an outsiders point of view without it seeming gratuitous.

...but it might be a different story if you were at the protests, or at protests in another city and witnessed or were involved in something similar. That's really the only context that I can imagine referencing the protests would make you sound like a more compelling candidate.

Edited November 22, 2011 by Grunty DaGnome

[TripWillis]

Heh, well I was being funny, but 10% of me thinks there may be a connection between my interests and PepperSprayGate 2011.

While we're on the topic:

http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/memes/best-pepper-spraying-cop-meme

[Two Espressos]

Heh, well I was being funny, but 10% of me thinks there may be a connection between my interests and PepperSprayGate 2011.

While we're on the topic:

http://www.smosh.com...raying-cop-meme

Haha! I was cognizant of the UC Davis incident, but I didn't know a meme had sprouted up. The Modern Warfare 2, Mario, and Pink Floyd pepper-spraying memes are my favorite. Thanks for the link; I nearly cried from laughter!

[user_name]

maybe protesters should start carrying pepper spray, bats, gun, gas masks....then this wouldn't happen

[ecritdansleau]

Forgive me for being a little cheeky, but is anyone going to mention PepperSprayGate2011 in their SoP? In all honesty, my work has a lot to do with literary activism and protest... so... I might. Would definitely be relevant, if touchy.

This is a great question.

On the one hand, a professor once advised me away from making this sort of reference in paper because sometimes you don't know how political allegiances of the readers may be turned off by what you say. I also recall reading in guidelines for a peer-reviewed journal that one should avoid references to contemporary events, as they unnecessarily "date" one's scholarship.

On the other hand, it is not uncommon for scholars to conclude a monograph, or even open one up, with discussions of how their work is relevant to current events. In fact, it seems that some of the most established scholars I can think of are very much invested in this line of thinking. But perhaps the key word there is "established"--they don't run the same risks that you and I might run when we decide to talk about certain politically-charged topics.

Personally, I think it can be a great way to showcase one's original thoughts on a topic--but if one is to figure it into an SOP (which I'm not quite sure I would), I would tread very, very carefully to not align yourself on one side of the controversy so much as emphasize the importance of continuing dialogue about such matters.

Edited November 23, 2011 by ecritdansleau