Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted

Under the recommendation of a professor at X university, I'm applying to both its English and interdisciplinary/cultural studies programs. However, I'm not quite sure how to alter my SoP for the latter. My goal is to teach English at a university level, though my research also involves digital media and online game communities. It's possible that both applications will be read by the same person/people, so I'm concerned about re-framing my interests to suit both programs. I've done what I think is a great job of explaining how my particular project/interests belong in an English department, and while I think I can walk the English back a bit, I'm concerned that any disparate info in my SoP will make me look unfocused or undecided.

I would ask the professor himself but, as great a resource as he's been (he's the one who encouraged me to go to graduate school), he hasn't been responding to any of my emails lately... also, we're getting close to the application deadline, and I'm afraid that the fact that this problem only recently occurred to me is going to make me look unprofessional. Is "cultural studies" nebulous enough that I can still emphasize wanting to teach literature and work in literature departments? Or will it only make sense for me to suggest teaching in actual cultural studies departments?

Posted

If I were a professor in a cultural studies department and I read your SOP talking about wanting to teach and work in literature departments, I would wonder why on earth you were applying to my program.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use