<p>Hello everyone,</p>
<p>I would appreciate any and all advice on improving my statement of purpose for a terminal MA program in international history. Don't hold back! And thanks in advance! I have changed the school names to nonsense only because that is what I have seen other people on here seeking writing advice do as well.</p>
<p>In my diverse social studies classroom of recent immigrants to the United States, the truth came from a young man named Jesus. Following a basic discussion of the Western Hemisphere, the young man asked, If we are all from America, why are my parents not allowed to come here? Without realizing it, Jesus had made a profound statement that hinted at the importance of recognizing a shared hemispheric history between Canada, the United States, and Latin America.</p>
<p>I want to contextualize the transition in American policy towards Latin America from the end of the Cold War to the present with a comparative study of the politics of Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia. In particular, given Latin Americas notable poverty, I want to examine how Americas decidedly lackluster approach to supporting the region economically over the past two decades contributed to its political evolution. I would balance an objective analysis of the policies and programs of American officials with the perceptions of Latin American governmental officials and intellectuals towards these policies in pursuit of a truly international history.</p>
<p>My interest in this research stems from the opportunity I had to study with U.S.-Latin American relations expert Dr. Good Humor at Virginia, as well as the travel I have engaged in throughout the region over the past two summers. During my travels, I came to the realization that Americas relative neglect of the region since the Cold War has disappointed its inhabitants in the same way that many of its 1980s military and CIA adventures angered them. </p>
<p>My diverse work background and research experience puts me in the position to efficaciously draw upon the myriad human and archival resources in New York and London. For both my distinguished major thesis and a documentary film produced for PBS, I sought out and conducted a variety of original interviews with individuals ranging from NAACP Chair Julian Bond to leaders of Virginias 1960s sit-in movement. I have also conducted significant archival research at the National Archives and in Virginias special collections. The opportunity this program presents to mix archival research with interviews of leading intellectuals and policymakers excites me greatly. I plan to incorporate both kinds of research into my graduate studies.</p>
<p>Within 10 years, I hope to obtain a doctorate in the field of international history. As such, the dual-degree program at K-Mart and the Wal-Mart School of Marxism appeals to me for its rigor in research and language training, something I have found present only to a lesser degree in other international history programs. Further, I am attracted to the programs emphasis on fashioning historians willing and able to tackle historical questions whose answers can serve as catalysts to solving problems of inequality and human rights in the present. As a student of the civil rights movement and an alumnus of Teach for America, my commitment to social justice is paramount. I see this program and the opportunity to directly study the forces reshaping the modern world as an extension of that commitment.</p>
<p>If invited to study international history at K-Mart and WMS, I would seize the opportunity to produce a sympathetically researched and articulated history that is respectful of the past and valuable for the future.</p>