SOP for 2nd MA

[1000Plateaus]

So here is the rough draft of my SOP. I have already completed a M.A. degree in philosophy and am applying to M.A. programs in Political Science. I am interested in applying for 1-year M.A. programs, preferably course-work based, or with an MRP (I already wrote an M.A. thesis once). The main three points I have tried to hit are:

 

i) How the M.A. degree in philosophy is an asset to me as a applicant (i.e., how it's useful).

ii) How the M.A. program I am applying to will improve my academic training and further develop my education.

iii) How the M.A. program I am applying to will provide the necessary foundations for me to continue onto a Ph.D in political philosophy.

 

So, without further ado, here is my draft. I welcome all constructive criticism and input.
 

My training is predominantly in the Continental philosophical tradition, with a specialized interest in social and political thought. The host of thinkers that I have studied include but are not limited to: Plato, Aristotle, Spinoza, Kant, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, Lacan, Benjamin, Lenin, Bergson, Adorno, Marcuse, Arendt, Derrida, Deleuze, Žižek, and Badiou. As a Masters student in philosophy, I completed seminars on Theodor Adorno, Hannah Arendt, Gilles Deleuze, Immanuel Kant, Henri Bergson. My research is oriented towards the intersection of political praxis and philosophy. In 2013 I successfully defended my Master’s Thesis in philosophy at ____ University, titled _______. It was during my thesis research that I became increasingly fascinated by the contribution of critical theory to advancing our understanding of dynamic material social forces, as well as how late capitalist culture informs and reifies our multi-faceted political subjectivity. My experience as a Masters student in _____’s philosophy program has given me an invaluable background in the history of philosophy, and contemporary continental philosophy. Given my research in political philosophy, I am confident that a Masters degree in political science will be greatly advantageous in solidifying and reinforcing my academic interest in political theory.

 

            Eventually, I intend to pursue a Ph.D. degree, focused on political philosophy, however I  intend to improve and gain the necessary expertise and training in political science. So, it is to this end that I think the Masters graduate program in Political Theory at ____ University’s Department of Political Science will not only offer me an exceptional and necessary academic training in political thought and history. I believe that the program is the perfect choice for the continuation of my graduate education because of its strong emphasis on the history on modern political thought as well as its excellent commitment to contemporary political theory. I  view _____’s M.A. in Political Theory as the appropriate program for pursuing my future academic goals. The Masters in Political Theory is the ideal next step for my ongoing graduate studies because it will provide the necessary intellectual background in political thought before I continue on to a Doctorate program.

[TakeMyCoffeeBlack]

Question: will you be pursuing a Ph.D. in the US or Canada (or elsewhere)? I only ask because it seems to me that you'd probably be qualified to go right into an American Ph.D. program for political theory - of course, my knowledge about your profile is limited only to the theorists and philosophers with whom you're familiar. On the one hand, you may gain some valuable methodological skills that will help you get a spot at a dream Uni down the line, but you'll get that regardless.

 

Just a thought.

 

Otherwise - maybe lead in your statement with what you want to do, achieve, learn, and then back it up with your previous experiences.