Would You Take Me?What follows is my essay so far to get into my PhD program. I am still tweaking, but I think it's shaping up. Any suggestions?Students entering CKS room 204 have grown accustomed to hearing “Good Morning, Scholar” as they step through the threshold. I tell them each day that they are called to scholarship. I too feel called to explore the world around me and consult those who have molded and defined the ideas that drive American culture.
After completing a Master’s degree at the University of Texas in Austin and subsequently undergoing training in education, I thought perhaps my years of formal study were complete. Soon, however, my thirst for knowledge began to exert itself, its need insatiable. I took a few classes in theology at St. Mary’s University; I devoured novels and joined two book clubs; I bought season tickets to several local theaters to investigate the past, present and future. When none of this sufficed, I embarked upon a serious study of the New Oxford American English Dictionary. After almost two years of daily reading, I am currently slogging my way through the Ts. The number of different kinds of antelope has been shocking, and I have occasionally scared myself into believing I was suffering from antiquated diseases! While I have discovered the meanings of enchiridion, habergeon, luxate, nocebo, and tamboura, and have filled four notebooks with delicious and puzzling new words, I have not found the intellectual satisfaction I crave. What I truly desire is a chance to investigate and write about the world of ideas.
Not only do I crave learning for my own gratification, I also have a passion for teaching. Having spent the last six years teaching composition, I have irrevocably fallen in love with the look on students faces when they have captured a concept for the first time. Witnessing the broadening of a smile, the quickening of the pulse, and a playful dancing behind the eyes and watching that lightning strike of inspiration is addictive. I strive to expand my own knowledge so I can help engender that awe, that “eureka” moment, more often in others.
My academic interests lie in cultural and material history, at the intersections of genres. I blame my 5th grade teachers for my passionate engagement with the multidisciplinary approach. One March day they announced that we would begin preparations for Greek Week. Not knowing what to expect, I came to school an average student and left on fire with a fervent desire to understand my world. During Greek Week, we studied the history of Ancient Greece, read mythological stories, wrote and performed plays based on the deeds of the gods and goddesses, studied the Greek’s scientific achievements, crafted ceramic urns, and even participated in our own Olympic games. That might have been the moment I caught a glimpse of the brilliance of the Greek political structure, and it was probably while shooting an arrow during the games that I realized this was the scholarship I yearned to pursue.
During the intervening years, my academic interests have shifted, but my approach has remained the same. My undergraduate thesis at Kenyon College focused on the concept and historical treatment of “The Other” as seen through the works of Herman Melville. I felt I could best view complex historical and anthropological ideas through the lens of literature. My master’s work was similarly multidisciplinary. Fascinated with consumer culture and the late 19th, early 20th century displays of spectacle, I chose to examine the emergence of the department store as a showcase for the American Dream. I explored the ideas of consumption and spectacle through the works of a man who had a pulse on the desires of Americans, L. Frank Baum. The idea that material culture can morph into art fascinated me. Also during these years I became particularly fascinated by how people construct their histories, representing them through museums and monuments. I spent two semesters collecting oral histories, a project I wish to continue. My years of working with teenage students have influenced my current academic interests. In much of history, the lives of adolescents remain murky and uncharted. I propose to trace shifts in ideas about adolescence through literature and material culture. The amount of money spent on and by adolescents has reshaped the economy. I am particularly fascinated by the ever lengthening childhood. I hope that by looking at the past, I can find some clues to the present cultural shifts.
I seek entry into the PhD program in order to grow intellectually and further my inquiries into the cultural history of the United States. Furthermore, I come not only to receive but also to acquire tools for sharing my knowledge with the next generation of scholars.
