How specific should my research interests be?

[ghijklmn]

Hello! Like many on this site, I'm in the process of writing and rewriting (and re-rewriting) my SOP for Comp Lit. One concern my readers had is that I'm quite specific in the explanation of my interests.

Basically, I state generally that I'm interested in post-war American and European literature, primarily in the Netherlands, Germany, and France. Then I mention wanting to compare the works of Heinrich Böll to Kurt Vonnegut, as they both served in World War II, and the experiences hugely affected their writings. I would be interested in comparing the ways they go about criticizing post-war reconstructionist society.

Do you think that being so specific might hurt me? (For example, if they think I'm too focused, or if the faculty members I mentioned don't want to work with me.)

[obrera]

Hello! Like many on this site, I'm in the process of writing and rewriting (and re-rewriting) my SOP for Comp Lit. One concern my readers had is that I'm quite specific in the explanation of my interests.

Basically, I state generally that I'm interested in post-war American and European literature, primarily in the Netherlands, Germany, and France. Then I mention wanting to compare the works of Heinrich Böll to Kurt Vonnegut, as they both served in World War II, and the experiences hugely affected their writings. I would be interested in comparing the ways they go about criticizing post-war reconstructionist society.

Do you think that being so specific might hurt me? (For example, if they think I'm too focused, or if the faculty members I mentioned don't want to work with me.)

Did you contact the faculty members ahead of time to toss project ideas around? Being specific, in my experience, is a good thing. It demonstrates that you can pick a research topic and form a proposal that makes sense and can be completed. Grad schools don't want someone super indecisive taking 10 years to figure out a dissertation topic. My only advice is to contact faculty members beforehand and ask them what they think about it and how it would fit with their research. It it works for them, great. If not, how can you alter it for the one SOP to make the school a better fit?

[ghijklmn]

Thanks, obrera! Good advice. I've e-mailed some professors, but unfortunately it's the beginning of the semester, so I can't really expect any replies until the initial business worn off.

[Stately Plump]

There have been a few topics on this before.

You'll want to find a line somewhere between "this is a potential dissertation topic" and "I have no idea what I'm talking about." Too far to either side can be devastating. As mentioned, you want to prove you can identify interesting and advanced research interests; on the other hand, you don't want to be too specific, because 1) you don't want to come off as being unteachable and 2) you might pin yourself in a corner, like you said, where the program decides they don't really have the resources to accommodate you.

I would mention specific writers only as an example of what you might be interested in. Don't suggest you want to work only with Vonnegut and Böll, but rather use them as examples of the types of research you might be doing, or as examples of the types of questions you might be asking.

[Imogene]

You'll want to find a line somewhere between "this is a potential dissertation topic" and "I have no idea what I'm talking about." Too far to either side can be devastating. As mentioned, you want to prove you can identify interesting and advanced research interests; on the other hand, you don't want to be too specific, because 1) you don't want to come off as being unteachable and 2) you might pin yourself in a corner, like you said, where the program decides they don't really have the resources to accommodate you.

I would mention specific writers only as an example of what you might be interested in. Don't suggest you want to work only with Vonnegut and Böll, but rather use them as examples of the types of research you might be doing, or as examples of the types of questions you might be asking.

This is very sound advice for everyone. As I've already mentioned elsewhere in this forum, I made the mistake of erring too close to the "specific" end of this spectrum, and I'm pretty certain it hurt me--you don't want to close any doors on yourself, which can happen if you're too narrow in your research interests.

[cubiclemusic]

Ditto what everyone else said -- it's a very fine line that's different for every school and you'll just have to hope you're on it. Last year my interests were more on the general/umbrella/vague side, but I did show interest in very specific sub-fields. That got me noticed enough to be put on waitlists, however, it ultimately hurt me as schools chose students who were further along in developing their ideas within those sub-fields. I hope that makes sense!