Statement of Purpose, Dept. of History

[b]One of the proudest accomplishments of my life was earning my college [b]degree, despite the fact that my early adulthood pointed in the opposite [b]direction, beginning with my marriage at the age of 19. Throughout the [b]1990s I lived as one of the "working poor," someone who slipped through the [b]cracks of supposedly historic prosperity. By the age of 25 I was divorced [b]and frustrated with menial, low-paying jobs: clerk, receptionist, [b]housecleaner. There is nothing like scrubbing someone else's toilet to [b]inspire one with determination toward obtaining an education. Because of my [b]absolute commitment toward earning my degree, I got a flexible shift at a [b]retail warehouse which enabled me to acquire my degree while supporting [b]myself financially. [b][b]Enrolled at the local community college, I experienced a different world [b]opening up to me; excited by a new encouraging environment, I excelled [b]academically. I learned that if I tried hard, I could succeed; if I wanted [b]something badly enough, I possessed the ability to take advantage of these [b]opportunities. I worked a minimum 35-hour workweek for five years to put [b]myself through school without succumbing to the temptation of a student [b]loan. I paid tuition up front with the money I earned. It was the example [b]of my mother, a Puerto Rican immigrant working diligently to provide for [b]her family, who instilled a work ethic into me that has stood me in good [b]stead. [b][b]With a lifelong passion for history, I have developed an interest in the [b]cultural history of early modern and modern Europeans, especially women's [b]history. The experiences of ordinary women fascinate me: how they [b]constitute their world through popular folk tales and literature; how the [b]seemingly irrational paradoxes of the past to modern eyes are completely [b]rational when taken within the historical context; and finally, how these [b]historical changes and transformations in culture constitute the present. I [b]enjoy studying the early modern period of English history, especially the [b]Tudor-Stuart period, because of the tensions that existed between medieval [b]philosophies and the rising Enlightenment intellectualism. My influences [b]have been diverse. I read the popular historian Barbara Tuchman, not for [b]her technical accuracy, but for her beautiful prose. Natalie Zemon Davis's [b]research inspires me in the way that she cleverly picks out fresh life from [b]tired sources. And finally, Michel Foucault's philosophies have profoundly [b]influenced the way I write, for now I have a philosophical grounding that [b]makes me highly sensitive to my own biases. In fact, Foucault's post- [b]structuralist matrix has been instrumental in shaping my current project [b]focusing on the 17th-century midwife Elizabeth Cellier. In this project, I [b]am reexamining the current histories of English midwifery using Cellier as [b]a case study, detecting a decided bias embedded within them. The underlying [b]assumption of these histories is that pre-industrial professional women-and [b]Cellier in particular-struggled against patriarchy and oppression from the [b]male medical community, when in fact Cellier's literature shows that she [b]utilized the accepted discourses of patriarchy available to her in her [b]writing and turned them into usul tools of political and religious power. [b][b]As a student, I feel that my success lies in the fact that I approached my [b]studies as if I were a professional (historian, not student, that is). I [b]always enrolled in the most challenging courses and worked with professors [b]I felt were the most qualified in my areas of interest. Never did I settle [b]for an A- or B+. If I got one, I would ask what I could do to improve-and [b]ultimately, I utilized the advice to strengthen my work. My personal [b]academic milestone occurred while I was completing a research seminar on [b]historical methods. This required course was taught by an Americanist - Dr. [b]Julie Worth, director of the [school withheld] history department-so our [b]research topics were limited to American sources. I was able to work within [b]my main interest, which is marginalized women, while using the primary [b]sources of The New York Times. The resulting paper, "Biologically Unsound: [b]Women, Murder, and the Insanity Plea in the Progressive Era" examined the [b]preponderant use of the insanity plea for women who went outside [b]their "innate nature" and murdered, regardless of the circumstances which [b]drove them to kill. Although the topic was outside my focus, which is [b]European history, this paper was selected for publication in the Phi Alpha [b]Theta journal, The Historian. [b][b]My focus as an undergraduate has always been with an eye toward graduate [b]school and a career as a professional historian. Aware of the rigors of [b]graduate study, I have not only completed an undergraduate language [b]requirement in Spanish, but I am also currently enrolled in an accelerated [b]French course. In addition, I have become active in the historical honor [b]society, Phi Alpha Theta, including serving as chapter president. During my [b]tenure our chapter hosted the Phi Alpha Theta Regional Conference, the [b]largest regional conference in the nation. With the help of faculty adviser [b]Dr. Judith Gaillard, I created the conference sessions, chose appropriate [b]student commentators for those sessions, and gave a keynote speech. The [b]experience taught me that I have a flair for organization as well as [b]mediation. Under my leadership, our chapter also published its first [b]journal, and hosted a variety of campus activities. This year I am working [b]with the Computer Society in order to establish a Web site for students who [b]need help succeeding in history courses; we are going to call it the Clio [b]home page. My position as an authority figure both in classroom work and [b]within these various organizations has awakened a desire to embrace [b]teaching, for I enjoy sharing the excitement of education with my peers, as [b]well as helping them achieve their own academic success. [b][b]I feel that my life experiences as well as my commitment to education would [b]be an asset to Cornell's doctoral program in History. Cornell has a [b]exciting interdisciplinary program that is exceptionally impressive. In [b]particular, Dr. Rayna Wilhelm's specialty in Tudor-Stuart social and [b]cultural history complements my own interest in studying the experiences of [b]English pre-industrial women. This combination will provide the strong [b]background I desire in order to shape my future research interests. I feel [b]that Cornell is a premier institution for an aspiring Ph.D. candidate and [b]as such, a very competitive program. But I know I have the tools and the [b]determination to excel in such a stimulating and challenging environment. [b][b]立即咨询