Build a career in social research exploring gender in Russia

Prior work about Russia

Obtain a balance of both quant and qual skills

Prior studies

Get hands-on experience

This letter should describe the candidate's reasons for applying to this Master Program , in the

Context of the candidate's long-term career goals and background.

Reasons

 emphasis on research – I want to be able to translate social issues into something workable …
Laboratory for comparative Social Research
 international / Moscow – interested in Russia as area of study
 good foundation for future PhD work
o it will give me (shape my) direction, (improve) experience
 blending anglo-saxon tradition of profound humanitarian sciences and issues understanding
with excellent Russian math and statistics
 WHAT YOU BRING TO THE TABLE, WHAT YOU CAN TAKE FROM THE HSE, HOW IT WILL HELP YOU
CARRY ON THE NAME OF HSE
 Why Russia? Unique relationship to both east and west, defining itself as neither, rich history,
revolutions, diversity of peoples, …utopia of social research

Career goals

 continue education, do meaningful research

 Russian in the context of globalization, changes in gender… what it means to be a man, woman,
how young people are navigating expectations of the older generation while creating new
meaning, inequalities that arise as a result of deviation

Outstanding, enriching, valuable

background
  graduated from a small, women’s college w degree in Soc emphasizing teaching and learning,
not research and publishing… next logical step for me to get research exp
 already wrote several papers on Russian gender
 studied Russian language at MSU

Hook

Although I have a variety of interests and talents, I do my best, most passionate work when there is an
element of social injustice present. Inequality is in no short supply. I was immediately attracted to the
field of sociology because it challenged the learner to look beyond accepted views of the world and
critically analyze social hierarchies that had previously sensed, but could not explain.

HSE offers me the platform to translate my groundwork into something workable.

Since completing my Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from a small, private women’s college in
North Carolina, and venturing out into the real world, my passion has only increased. The
Master’s Program in Comparative Social Research at HSE would (catalyst) launch me from my
foundation in theory and social issues into the realm of research, so that I can translate social
structures into workable information.

Hook

Background

Career Goals

Reasons

Although I have a variety of interests and talents, I do my best, most passionate work when there is an
element of social injustice present. Inequality is in no short supply. I was immediately attracted to the
field of sociology because it challenged the learner to look beyond accepted views of the world and
critically analyze social hierarchies that had previously sensed, but could not explain.

Since completing my Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from a small, private women’s college in North
Carolina, and venturing out into the real world, my passion has only increased. I want to build a career in
social research that explores gender in Russia. Emerging from a legacy of state control as a dominant
force in a globalized world, Russia’s legacy offers a unique perspective on gender. As Russian aacademia
in the social sciences freely flourishes

Emerging from a long legacy as an empire an

So much academia on gender is Ameri- and Euro-centric, analyzing norms and values without reflexively
examining our own biases and ignoring the cultural and historical context of a nation. Emerging from a
legacy than that of Europe and North America, Russia offers a unique insight into gender