Scholarship / Scholarship Essay on "My goals as a graduate student of XYXY (Department)" [4]

The entire prompt is in the title and, as you can probably tell, very vague (with a word limit of 600). I am an MA International Relations graduate student at a Japanese university. My focus is on on Cultural and Tourism Policy within Japan, East Asia, and the US. As most of the scholarships are provided by the school and the government, I'm not sure if this is a competitive essay and/or if I should elaborate on the ways in which my goals can contribute to the school / country. I've been looking over this so much that I can't really tell if the train of thought is clear so any advice on ways to improve on structure, clarity, and content is much appreciated. Please don't be reserved as I am in desperate need of funding.

PS. I have a bad habit of run-on sentences.

The essay is as follows:

social unrest and cultural backlash

If 2016 signified the rise of populist authoritarian governments, as demonstrated by BREXIT and the Trump presidency, 2017 is transpiring to be a year marked by social unrest and cultural backlash - from the terror attacks on European cities, black shootings and white supremacist rallies in the United States, to the growing resentment towards ill-mannered Chinese tourists worldwide.

My goal as a graduate student at XYXY is to combat this current fear of diversity and trend of nostalgic nationalism by examining ways in which popular culture and tourism can be used as a cultural policy instrument that can alleviate, and possibly bridge, the exacerbating rifts between communities and identities. In particular, I would like to focus on Japan-East Asia-US relations in view of Japan's national demographic challenge and immigration reluctance.

Within this area, I want to explore the tensions between Japanese residents and Chinese tourists juxtaposed by the popularity and high consumption of Japanese pop culture products by Chinese; the controversial South Korea-Japan comfort women agreement versus the reciprocal cultural exchange that ensued from the Korean Wave; and Japanese adaptation of American culture contrasted with negative perceptions towards non-Japanese, often derogatorily labeled 'weeaboos', who express an interest in anime culture in the States. In short, I wish to evaluate ways in which popular culture as a collective experience can unite and divide despite socio-demographic factors, in order to develop a sustainable outbound and reciprocal inbound pop culture-based tourism policy that can foster better mutual understanding between Japan, the East Asian cultural sphere, and the United States. The intention being, to encourage Japanese social receptivity to globalization and comprehensive foreign interest in Japan as a competitive destination for relocation, through increased, accessible, and enjoyable cross-cultural exposure.

As I lack the analytical skills, knowledge of international relations and politics, and historic understanding of Japan and the East Asian region needed to transition into a career in cultural and tourism policy research and development, I endeavor to undertake coursework offered by XYXY's team of expert and multitalented faculty. In particular, I want to focus on coursework that will allow me to contextualize popular culture and tourism policy as a foreign diplomacy tool, understand the role of history and culture in shaping state and non-state international cultural relations, and formulate potential solutions to social conflict via cultural policy.

On a more practical note, I intend to dedicate my time at XYXY to learning and becoming fluent in Japanese as to obtain a richer understanding of my research area, develop my own perspectives towards acculturation in Japan and the Japanese linguistic learning experience, and acquire a skill essential to my career goal. Being in Tokyo in the lead up to the 2020 Summer Olympics is a very unique opportunity, and I aim to study in real time the proposal and implementation of upcoming policies concerning language and cultural preparations, incorporation of pop culture elements and ambassadors, and promotion of Japanese heritage and diversity inclusion. Furthermore, I hope to actively participate and gain real-world working experience by undertaking an internship and attending related cultural tourism conferences.

Ultimately, I wish to acquire an extensive blend of experience, education, and insight from XYXY and Japan to add to my existing repertoire of Western and East Asian experience. Through which, I hope to offer a unique, cross-cultural approach to international negotiations, collaborations, and development that redefines cultural policy as reflective of a singular collective experience, but that of multiple ways of life. All in all, I would like to become a cultural heritage professional specializing in Japanese pop culture diplomacy and cultural tourism, and how it can be used to navigate and negotiate stronger understanding and relations between East Asia, Japan, and the US. (614 words atm)