Statement Of Purpose For MA Application
Posted on July 1, 2009 - Filed Under College | 11 Comments
Give me some comments, and give me them soon. I have to swiftpost this biatch sometime this morning, after I crawl back out of bed.
Statement of Purpose
I am applying to this MA program so that I can resume studying philosophy after a disastrous year of medical school. I always enjoyed philosophy as an undergrad and I would like a place on this program so that I can gain some experience in dissertation writing, perhaps in preparation for doing a philosophy PhD someday. Honestly, I do not know quite what I would like to end up doing career-wise, but I think that doing this MA would definitely help me make up my mind about whether I want to pursue a career in academia.
My academic research interests lie mainly in the areas of ethics and political philosophy. I’m interested in competing ethical frameworks, their foundations, and their comparative strengths and weaknesses. I’m particularly interested in Utilitarian theory and the dilemma that arises in situations where certain conceptions of the theory call for actions that run counter to common visceral notions of justice and morality. I’m also fascinated by Friedrich Nietzsche’s thundering denunciations of Christian morality, but I’ve yet to study his work academically.
The areas of political philosophy that interest me most are social contract theory, and ideas concerning rights. The rich history of social contract theory is something I’ve long found intriguing, and I’m especially interested in variations of Rawlsian social contract theory that expand its parameters so as to include non-human animals. This is related to my interest in theories of rights, which is centred on how such theories can be adapted and applied to interactions involving humans and other species. Other areas of philosophy that appeal to me are existentialism, Marxism and determinism.
Although I do not yet know exactly what shape my dissertation would take, given my interests I would love to write something on the matter of animal rights. The areas of philosophy that appeal to me most are usually ones with direct application to everyday life, and I have found that my time spent studying philosophy has altered not only how I think about life but how I live it. Ideas about individual autonomy and a broad conception of Utilitarian theory were significant in my decision to switch to a vegan lifestyle, and I would relish the opportunity to develop a strong philosophical argument in favour of this lifestyle.
Furthermore, I would like a place on this MA program so that I can take another module with Dr. Bufacchi, and hopefully even have him supervise my dissertation. I always found Dr. Bufacchi’s classes engrossing as an undergraduate due to their content and his lecturing style, and so I would be delighted if I could persuade him to oversee my thesis preparation and its composition. Finally, I feel that I learned an enormous amount from my first year philosophy tutorials, and I’d love the opportunity to teach some tutorial classes of my own if this is still possible next year.
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11 Responses to “Statement Of Purpose For MA Application”
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Not sure I’d say ‘disastrous year of med school’…
and play up the ‘practical philosophy’ part a bit more?
Cheers, John. Exactly the kind of thing I was looking for.
I think your first paragraph is too honest.
Also, this may seem hypocritical of me (I’m about to embark on my second master’s in the same thing), but if you want to do a PhD, apply for a PhD.
You did get a first in your undergrad degree which was Politics and Philosophy. Taught courses might be a waste of time at this point. You’d of course have to contact a supervisor directly, but if you’re enthusiastic about it (you’re clearly able for it), you might get taken on.
Just a thought…
Thanks, but it’s too late to do much about it now anyway.
bit too conversational and a bit lick-arsey at the end
Ok, you know what, I’ve sent it off now so there’s no point in leaving comments about how it could have been better.
lick-arsey. That’s the phrase I was looking for…
lick-arsey.
Yeah, fine, whatever. I think I’m just going to have to delete this post altogether.
well.. i hope you get the place. And im just sorry I didnt read this sooner.
I would be extremely surprised if you didn’t get it, especially in the “current economic climate”.
Personally, I liked the tone, wouldn’t change a thing, came from the heart. How can anything be “too honest”?
Good luck Cian!