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Research Studentship - covering letter or letter of application for PhD studentship


leereel 3 / 8  
Mar 7, 2011   #1
I am not sure about whether it suits for covering letter, since it mostly shows the line of research previous as well as subsequent. Could you give some advice as to improve this letter? Thank you.

Dear Members of Research Committee,

I am writing to apply for Research Studentship in ---. I have completed the master thesis at --- University under the direction of Professor --- entitled "---". This thesis was published last winter in format of e-book and is further now in process for publishing in a paper book. (---)

My research has begun from the long lasting interest on the specific relation between literature and philosophy. In particular, during my stuides in --- I have focused on the alterity embedded in "autobiography" as a part of modern narrative, peculiarly "crisis of narrative" e.g. Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground. In process of clarification of this point I have attained much of ideas from French postmodernism or (post)structuralism. Further, through the psychoanalytical reformulation of the status of modern subject I have come to the point where crisis of narrative would be bounded by the discrepancy of modern subject.

Into this correlation of philosophy with literature within the tradition of French poststructuralism I have connected the context of German modern philosophy commenced from transcendental philosophy of Kant, over the period of three year coursework and research in ---. At that time I have transformed the modern literary form such as autobiography, letters or novel into the neologism "Topo-Patho-Graphy" as a main title of master thesis. I have attempted there to show the possible reappropriation of the pathological at once employed in Practical Philosophy of Kant and revived by German Philosophy of Culture (Cassirer) & French Epistemology of Science (Canguilhem, Foucault).

In the near future, especially with regards to the pathology in an era of late capitalism, I have a research plan to develop more points about the possible subject of the common motivated by the idea of communism, entitled ---. It would be distinguished from the normative approach of Critical Theory, although I have obtained this initial idea from Benjamin and Adorno.

In addition to the theoretical journey, as a graduate student I have combined research and teaching simultaneously. Over one year of writing a master thesis I had a chance to lead a tutorial seminar about ---. In order to find an effective teaching skill I have before participated in preparation seminar led by Professor ---. There we have read together two different philosophical texts such as --- and ---, stressing how to effectively convey the content of philosophical one to laity who are strangers to philosophy. The result obtained there, in terms of teaching skills I have then presented and discussed in colloquium where other professors and colleagues of the institute participated. Further, on the part of content, I have attempted to answer the question, to what extent love is a philosophical category, with the help of lacanian psychoanalysis and Badiou. Since the thema Eros, in particular two different perspects about Eros based on two different forms of narrative, namely tragical and comical one played a decisive role in developing my thesis, I have eagered to verify explicitly my implicit hypotheses by addressing and discussing them in the process of seminar. My research interest included, I have organized this course with my colleague in the direction of practicing the specific teaching skill being attained from the previous seminar. So the seminar proceeded in three steps, namely presentation of literature students, discussing the main points of relevant parts of text and feedback or summary. Though I myself am a foreign student, out of the experience of their appreciating my enthusiasm for the stimulus to more reading of relevant texts and my contribution to their critical thinking as well as to expansion of their research interest, I have realized the possibility of actual practicing of philosophy on the level of trans-nationality and interdisciplinary. I would be glad to send the final report to you, if necessary.

In terms of practicing philosophy or theoretical practice, not only do I refer to actual issues such as financial crisis, but rather reformulate it through the paring of Kant and Marx or Philosophy and Economy interdisciplinary, which I think might be urgent in an era of skeptics about the legitimacy of philosophy. As showed in the sketch of theoretical transgression or transposition form French theory over German philosophy to english-speaking Continental philosophy, I believe that my research would make a contribution to expanding width and depth of Post-Kantian Philosophy in your centre.

I have enclosed my curriculum vitae, and you will be receiving my letters of recommendation in the near future. Please let me know if I can provide additional information or writing samples to help you in evaluation of my application. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely yours,
EF_Kevin 8 / 13,321 129  
Mar 9, 2011   #2
I am writing to apply for Research Studentship in *** as advertised in your homepage (let's use this space to say something more meaningful. I don't know what it should be, but you can plant a powerful idea in the reader's mind at the end of this sentence instead of telling them something they already know about the website.

. I have completed Master *** on *** in *** . Out of the conviction that I could contribute to develop the research quality of your centre I sumbit this letter of application. This does not say anything.

During my studies in *** I have focussed on making convergence between literature and philosophy.---interesting!!

Here, use italics instead of " " marks if you can.----> Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground I have gained much of ideas from postmodernism or (post)structuralism.

Most importantly, you should give some clear, simple sentences that express what YOU want to do.

***I have to take the essay down, because it appears on another site. Please to not post any essays that appear elsewhere on the Internet.

:-)
OP leereel 3 / 8  
Mar 10, 2011   #3
The essay above written by myself I also uploaded on another website to get some comments. Is it not possible?
OP leereel 3 / 8  
Mar 10, 2011   #4
I have one more question. I don't need to write the covering letter in a more conventional way? As I have first written it above, it seemed much of abstract.
EF_Kevin 8 / 13,321 129  
Mar 12, 2011   #5
The essay above written by myself I also uploaded on another website to get some comments. Is it not possible?

Yes, I believe you. Please see the TOS, though (link at the bottom of the screen). It cannot be posted here if it appears elsewhere on the Internet.

About whether it should be more conventional, I think it should be. It is indeed very abstract. So, I suggest using a few short sentences with good action verbs and "imagery words," and make a statement to the reader about what you intend to do.

Make a statement like that in the first paragraph, and then you can give this same discussion but make sure it is being used to help explain your meaning.

Your essay should have one central meaning, one message. It should be a letter about what you intend to do. Make it an interesting plan! :-)
OP leereel 3 / 8  
Mar 12, 2011   #6
Many thanks for your comment! Could I later post a rewritten covering letter here? And is it also possible to post here a six pages long proposal or to send it to you for critique? If necessary, I'd love to help other unanswered ones correct.
EF_Kevin 8 / 13,321 129  
Mar 14, 2011   #7
Yes, please visit the "Unanswered" threads. Thank you!

Please start a new thread with your 6 page paper. I look forward to reading it.

If you rewrite this one, please post it in this thread, below.

:-)
EF_Kevin 8 / 13,321 129  
Mar 20, 2011   #8
Add a sentence to the end of the first paragraph, and make it a sentence that expresses your main theme, your message to the reader. Add a sentence at the end of that intro paragraph, and let it be one that you would want the reader to see if you could submit only one sentence for their consideration. What is the sentence that captures your main idea and purpose?

This sentence is vague:
My research has begun from the long lasting interest on the specific relation between literature and philosophy.---Many of us have interest in these two subjects, but I think it is only meaningful if you specify a particular relationship between a particular kind of lit and a particular kind of phil. I see that you say "In particular" after this sentence, but I want you to be particular within this first sentence of the paragraph.

I think the paragraph about your communism project should have a few more sentences so that the reader can really appreciate and understand it.

The last few paragraphs of the essay are very impressive, and overall the essay is very impressive! You will be well-received, I think. :-)
OP leereel 3 / 8  
Mar 24, 2011   #9
On last Tuesday I have posted a research proposal on a new thread, but it was disappeared. How could it happen?
EF_Kevin 8 / 13,321 129  
Mar 27, 2011   #10
It could be because you did not use a descriptive thread title, or it could be because you put it in the wrong category. See the TOS and you'll probably be able to figure out the reason. I'm sorry for the inconvenience!

My research has begun from the an interest on in the relation between otherness and sameness.

alterity?

I think this part is not clear enough: pathology in an era of late capitalism----It seems like a big subject that requires some more explanation. Use sentences that are as simple as possible, because the subject matter is complex.

:-)

pathology should considered from the outset in relation to Kantian transcendental critique by means of distinction between the transcendental and the empirical that attempts to ground the (possible) experience in general.-----See, this is very difficult to understand. I think you need a sentence of explanation right after this sentence so that the reader can understand and appreciate what you mean.
EF_Kevin 8 / 13,321 129  
Apr 1, 2011   #11
I have a research plan to develop more points about the possible subject of the common motivated (What does that mean?) by the idea of communism, entitled Critique and Communism.

It would be distinguished from the normative approach of Critical Theory that defines pathology as deficiencey deficiency of rationality necessarily led to healing, although I have obtained this initial idea from Frankfurt School. I will argue instead that the pathology should be regarded from the outset in relation to Kantian transcendental critique by ...

Transferring this (epistemological) crisis into one of capital on the context of political economy of Marx and then supplementing it by theory of (political) subject, instead of transcendental one, is the focal point of the coming research.

I can't say I understand it all, even though I have studied Kant, Marx, and pol. sci. It is a complex subject matter! When I write about complex matters, I try to use language that makes it so simple that anyone could understand. People only pretend to be able to understand very complex sentences like these. For facilitating comprehension, it is good to continue to simplify. How would you explain this to me if I was twelve years old? That is the way to write powerfully, because when you do some of the decoding for the reader you intensify the experience you provide them.

:-)


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