MA Liberal Arts, Social and Political Thought

I am black/Haitian, born in Haiti and raised in New York and Florida. I hold the degrees of B.A. (History) awarded by the UXX and Doctor of Jurisprudence awarded by XXXX University College of Law. My ultimate goal is to obtain a Ph.D. degree and to teach and practice law. A passion for history, especially as it relates to the relationship between blacks and whites in the United States, naturally fired an interest in the law as it was applied to legitimize slavery and, ultimately, to liberate African-Americans from the degradation of slavery and to reduce discrimination against them. For this reason, once I had obtained my B.A. in history, I sought to extend my knowledge of the law and successfully pursued the J.D. degree. My desire to go to graduate school arises from a desire for a fresh challenge, to stretch myself academically and to broaden my knowledge generally in those areas in which I have developed special interests. I also possess a reverence for education that arises from an early background of extreme deprivation.

 My specific interest in the MLA program arose because I am attracted by its interdisciplinary nature. My interests are quite wide and cover, among other subjects, history, law, philosophy, economics and political science. The program will enable me to undertake a broad field of study including several of my particular areas of interest. As an alumnus of the UXX, I am aware of the friendly, positive and challenging academic environment it provides and look forward to returning to it.

 I am particularly interested in studying Social and Political Thought; the historical study of social and political ideas and how they have affected the real world and, more importantly, how they might do so in future. I believe that my study of history and my deep interest in politics will enable me to excel in this area of study.

 My future career plan is to pass the Florida Bar exam and to practice law focusing on Criminal Law, Torts and immigration with a view to assisting the disadvantaged. Once I have some professional experience, it is my hope to pursue a Ph.D. in Social Philosophy in order to undertake study and research into such matters as economic inequality, neighborhood and spatial segregation, poverty, changing family structures, race and ethnicity, immigration, educational access and quality, political inequalities and participation and comparative and institutional studies of social policy particularly in the U.S. and western Europe. In the long term, I hope to practice law as a civil rights attorney, teach at university level and to publish work on legal and social issues.

 I believe that I am a competitive candidate for the program because my ‘generalist’ interests fits exceptionally well with the interdisciplinary nature of the program. I have a proven academic record in topics related to those that I shall be studying and I believe that this will also enable me to ‘add value’ to my class. I am confident that I can excel within the program because of my passion for the topics available to study and that this will provide benefits for both myself and the academic community. It may be relevant to add that I have given 120 hours of ‘pro bono’ service in Tampa/St. Petersburg and have worked with the Legal Aid Society serving the poor and marginalized, it is my intention to continue to ‘give back’ in this way to the local community.  Thank you for considering my application.