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Sample Statement of Purpose, Page 3 of 4

more than one occasion, my own extensive use and analysis of conduct books and various obstetric manuals, works composed primarily by educated men, caused me to pause and wonder whether it was best to relate a history about women's actions or the patriarchal apparatus under which those actions were oppressed. While I refuse to see women as simply passive receptacles of masculine command, I neither wish nor aspire to focus solely on their achievements; for, in my mind, the history of women and the history of patriarchy are inextricably related.¹² My goal, then, will not be to detail just another example of how women in history were dominated by men, but, rather, to interrogate the means, in this case food, or, better yet, the cultural meaning of appetite, by which women's desires were suppressed or denied.¹³

Indeed I am proud of my thesis and, given extra time, could say much more. But I should also stress that that at the heart of my specific research concentration lies a more general interest in early modern European history, cultural and women's history to be more exact.¹⁴ To date, my knowledge of the early modern period has been informed and my imagination sustained by an array of courses on early modern history and literature (I was a joint history and English major), including a graduate seminar on Renaissance urban culture taught jointly by Professors Margaret Ferguson and Deborah Harkness. My personal penchant for cultural history stems largely, I believe, from my training in literature and literary criticism, where sensitivity to the importance of language and metaphor is a necessary skill. Also of crucial importance to a professional career in history are my growing skills in Latin and French, and my fluency in Spanish.¹⁵

This year I find myself in that difficult and frustrating transitional period between undergraduate and graduate studies. Though I would have preferred to directly continue graduate school after graduation, I opted to take a year off. A year away from school, I reasoned, would afford me the time needed to recuperate from an exhaustive undergraduate education, gain some perspective, and work on fulfilling the language requirement for a doctorate in European history. In fact, I am currently enrolled in a French course at a nearby university and plan to take a subsequent course during the upcoming spring semester. This academic hiatus, moreover, has imposed some much-

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• ¹² Note the nuanced and carefully measured way of speaking about her subject. Clearly the writer is well-read in theory and shows strong ability in critically evaluating her subject. Moreover, she tries to be the "objective" scholar in that she does not champion any cause. That is, she does not champion the cause of women even as she conveys deep empathy.
• ¹³ The reference to a parallel example of female appetite in contemporary culture as holding interest for the writer is aptly placed here. Were she to have mentioned it any earlier, it would have clouded the primarily historical nature and focus of her venture.
• ¹⁴ It is wise at this point to zoom out a bit and show that the writer's interest lies more broadly in early modern Europe and the history of women. Zooming in and out from the narrow to the general shows that you are capable of becoming a specialist without being overly narrow.
• ¹⁵ Showing interdisciplinarity and your abilities in language are key to your academic biography. In this case, the reader learns that she is a historian with training in literary and critical theory.