Freedom Degree: Templates for international university applicants

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Templates

In this section we collect useful templates and examples: CVs, letters of recommendation, letters to academic supervisors and more.

Motivation letter and CV templates. Basic Tips

Your CV and motivation letters are the most important part of the admission process to universities. It's likely that the only exam you'll need to take is a language proficiency exam. Representatives of the university will form an opinion about you based on your cover letters, which you need to provide alongside your study and work experience. It's important to take these documents seriously, as they reveal your personality and professional skills and give you an opportunity to talk about your talents, abilities, experience, and plans for the future. In this section, we'll briefly explain what a CV and personal statement are.

Your CV is essentially your academic résumé. It's where you specify your educational experience, years and fields of study, acquired skills, and other activities such as volunteering and internships, as well as relevant work experience. For Master's and PhD students, it's especially important to talk about their academic achievements such as publications, conferences, research projects and awards (if any). The CV format is similar to a résumé for an employer, but since we're talking about your academic future, it's worth talking mostly about academic success and experience, not employment experience.

Internships and volunteer activities can show that you're an active person who manages to do a lot and has broad interests. Don't miss the chance to talk about projects and reputable. well-known organizations with which you volunteered.

CVs are usually short - 1-2 pages. You may think that your biography and personal accomplishments are so impressive that you want to write about everything right away. But try to refrain from this and use the available space effectively. Include only the information about yourself that you think is the most important and relevant for application to specific places.

A Personal Statement is quite similar to a Motivation Letter. Here you need to explain why you chose this program, what skills and experience you have that will help you successfully master it, and how it relates to your previous education. The Admissions Committee wants to make sure that you are a good fit for the program.

For each program you apply to, you must write a unique statement that is based on the university and program's features. The Personal Statement might also be called a Motivation Letter or a Statement of Academic Purpose. A typical Motivational Letter consists of one page of text, which equates to 600-800 words. A Statement of Academic Purpose might be slightly longer, ranging from 500-1000 words.

Don't be afraid to talk about yourself openly and honestly. Think about what is relevant to the particular program and write in a way that is easy to read.

Processing applications and reading letters is a routine task, but adding some vivid details of your story can make you stand out. In your motivation letter, you can use quotes to narrate your story, recall significant moments from your life, and talk about the challenges you've overcome. Some applicants like the format of motivation letters because they allow them to be creative. But remember that you're not writing letters for self-satisfaction. You're writing for specific programs, for those who will read them in university, and for shaping your future. You're presenting yourself to strangers, so it's important to show the version of yourself that is suitable for a particular program.

It can be helpful to read examples of letters from other researchers and students to understand the format of such letters. Keep in mind that these letters should always be written in a formal and individual manner, specifically addressing a particular university and program.

PhD in History (personal experience). Duke University

We share with you the experience of a PhD student from Russia who successfully gained admission to Duke University in the USA to do a PhD in history. He describes the specific of the American PhD admission process and the required documents as follows:

One of the documents required is a writing sample, which should be a complete piece of research, a chapter from a thesis or an article of approximately 10,000 words or 30 pages. This document is crucial as it helps you communicate with your potential supervisor. Your supervisor will need to be interested in the text, and it should demonstrate your qualifications, knowledge of the articles and research on the topic, ability to work with information sources and formulate a thesis. This is important because the scientific adviser will have to convince the commission in your favor. Sending your writing sample to all the universities is probably the most labor-intensive part of the application.
The research proposal will be thoroughly assessed by the entire faculty or committee comprising experts in France and Africa, the Middle Ages and Reagan era, History of Religion and History of Science. This document must provide a broader context for your research and clearly outline the issues that are important to the entire commission. You must demonstrate who you plan to work with in the faculty and committee (2-3 other than your research adviser) and how your interests align with theirs. It is not sufficient for the commission alone to support your research; you must also have the backing of others in the faculty. Please mind, you are more likely to send almost identical proposals to different places, with the only difference being the part about working with the committee. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that you send the correct proposals to the right places, as it is easy to make mistakes and send proposals meant for, say, Rutgers to Cornell or vice versa, resulting in embarrassing outcomes.
Letters of recommendation play quite an important role. You can be sure that they will be read. You must find at least three people you worked closely with in recent years. Ideally, one of them should be a research adviser. Contact them in advance and explain the procedure (special portals will be available for document submission almost everywhere, you will need to register a couple of months before the deadline and specify the email addresses of your referees, afterwards they will receive an email with a link to upload your references, but you won't be able to read them). You should be in touch with your referees all the time and provide them with something to read about your project – drafts or samples, for example.

Personal Statement. Harvard University. PhD in Brain and Cognitive Sciences

I am currently in my final year at NYU where I have been studying toward a double degree in Psychology and Neural Science and have thus far maintained a 3.85 GPA. Alongside classes covering topics in psychology, computer science, data analysis and neuroscience, I have also gained extensive and varied research experience. Together they have cultivated my interests in cognitive and computational neuroscience. The PhD program in Brain and Cognitive Sciences at Harvard will allow me to expand these interests and ultimately prepare me for a scientific career involving research.

During my sophomore and junior years I worked as a research assistant in the Hartley Lab at NYU. Here, I was involved in a study of the valuation of agency (ability to choose) across development with a central question concerning whether children and adults are differently sensitive to the degree to which agency has utility. The research I was working on was mainly concerned with learning how different cognitive abilities differ on the “behavior level”, and I wondered how it can be extended to the “Neural Networks level” and analyzed, helping to interpret and predict behavior.

I was able to gain valuable skills in recruiting and communicating with participants. This experience convinced me that I would like to continue conducting human research, while also fostering a deeper interest in the study of cognition. In 2019 I volunteered to help Doctor McKellar in a series of workshops organized for teenagers interested in science. While discussing the Thaumatrope and the speed at which humans process visual information, I began considering the computational processes that our brain goes through every second in order to arrive at a definite image or decision. I realized I want to focus on the Computational processes that our brain goes through in my future research.

I started working in Professor Rehder’s lab, where I investigate the effect of causal knowledge on reasoning and learning. My research involves testing a computational model, known as a mutation sampler, that accounts for failures in human causal reasoning, with assumptions including humans’ limited sampling pool and the idea that people reason symmetrically, ignoring the direction of causality. Our overarching aim was to provide insight into the human decision-making process in estimating and interpreting causal relations. Practically, over the course of this project I was able to develop more independent skills as I was given full freedom to recruit and run participants, checking the instructions and the computer application code, and fix any issues which arose while running the experiment. I was using Bayesian statistics and the Markov Chain Monte–Carlo method for analysis, as well as implementing my own code in Python for the experiment. Overall, this experience provided me with a rigorous training in scientific methodology and made me want to focus my future research on the physiological processes in the brain that underlie those computations and influence cognition.

As I was interested in learning and decision-making processes, I chose to investigate the Einstellung effect in groups on creativity for my honors thesis. Professor Wallisch became my mentor on this project, and he guided me while also allowing me to create my own experimental design. The experiment’s main focus is on two goals: the replication of research already done on the Einstellung effect, but in a group setting, and showing how each individual’s habituation can impact group creativity. It is not yet understood what high-level brain functions are responsible for the presence of the Einstellung effect, and I am planning to touch on them next semester. The findings have the potential to change what we know about scaling creativity in groups and adjust learning strategies, preventing the formation of the Einstellung effect.

Lately I have developed a particular interest in virtual reality (VR) technology and decided that I want to work with modern VR sets with eye-tracking which can allow the creation of experiments in 3D reality, thus facilitating the study of cognition by manipulating the environment. I believe that this technology has the potential to be hugely beneficial and so I am learning Unity to be able to design experiments in VR.

Based on my educational and research experience and reconciling my general scientific interests, I see myself focusing on research in cognitive and computational neuroscience, with a particular interest in neural networks underlining high-level brain functions in relation to behavior. With the high standard of research conducted by faculty in these areas and the world-class technology accessible to researchers, such as High Pressure Freezer, EM and fMRI scanners, I believe that the Program in Neuroscience at Harvard would be an ideal fit for me. I am excited for the challenging courses offered at Harvard, such as Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence and Asking Cells Who They Are: Computational Transcriptomics Using RNA-Seq, as well as the Matlab bootcamp, all of which would help me to acquire valuable knowledge and skills to apply to my own research. I would also value the opportunity to gain specialised training through the CiCN program. The first-year rotations will allow me to participate in exciting research projects conducted by members of the faculty. I am particularly interested in Professor Sam Gershman’s approach to studying decision-making and learning using Bayesian inference as well as Professor Gabriel Kreiman’s work on biologically-inspired Artificial Intelligence, such as IVSN. Professor Christopher Harvey’s computational analysis of neural circuits, memory and navigation is of notable interest to me because of his use of virtual reality experiments.

Aside from the high standard of research, it is evident that the PiN fosters a supportive and collaborative environment through initiatives such as the Nocturnal Journal Club and Computational Methods Club. I am excited to engage in this active community. I am confident that my experience and determination will make me a great addition to the Harvard graduate community and allow me to take full advantage of the opportunities that the program at Harvard has to offer, providing me a thorough and stimulating preparation for my future scientific career.

Statement of academic purpose. London School of Economics and Political Science, MSc

Personal Motivation and Goals

Since my teenage years, I have been deeply troubled by the injustices and inhumane practices occurring in my country. I developed a deep-seated desire to understand and address these wrongs. Influenced by courageous leaders like Alexei Navalny, I became involved in opposition protests starting in 2015. This early engagement not only solidified my resolve to effect change but also shaped my academic and career goals, driving me to seek a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that underpin these systemic issues.

The tragic events of the Russian war against Ukraine in February 2022 were a pivotal moment in my life, leaving me with no doubts about what I should devote myself to. Since then I was fully committed to eventually engage in politics in Russia in order to do everything that depends on me to prevent such disasters from happening in the future. While current circumstances hinder direct involvement within Russia, I continue my engagement through various non-commercial projects and political organisations, which I discuss further below.

Academically, the most logical and effective path forward for me is to deepen my expertise in political science. This will equip me with the necessary knowledge and help me build a network of experts, both of which are essential to achieve my goals and contribute to the establishment of a more just and humane political system in Russia.

Academic Background and Interests

During my undergraduate studies at University College London, I immersed myself in a broad spectrum of political science modules, with a special emphasis on Central and Eastern Europe and the Post-Soviet region. Throughout this process my main academic interests have taken shape.

I drew significant inspiration from Alena Ledeneva and her work on informality and the Russian Sistema. More specifically, I am interested in informal politics, patronalism and formal institutions in informal contexts, influenced by Henry Hale’s Patronal Politics and Magyars and Madlovics’ Anatomy of Post-Communist regimes. The dissertation I am currently finalising examines the independent effects of divided executive, presidentialist and parliamentarist constitutions on political openness in post-communist regimes, serving as a direct extension of these interests. Additionally, I am engaged with the topic of political technology and manipulation, particularly troll factories, stemming from my studies under Andrew Wilson.

My academic journey at University College London has not only deepened my knowledge in political science but has also equipped me with research skills essential for a postgraduate study. I have been trained in both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. The Understanding and Analysing Data module I took has helped me develop and implement data analysis skills using Stata for quantitative analysis. I also learned to work with R-Studio for my work on democratisation. I also took modules where I was trained in comparative political analysis, as well as qualitative research methods, where I particularly focused on netnography. I was also introduced to complexity thinking, which shattered a lot of the more linear and straightforward constructs in my thinking and introduced me to new perspectives and methods.

Relevant Professional Experience

As previously mentioned, my engagement extends beyond academic studies into practical involvement with non-commercial projects and political organisations. A large part of this has been my work with Freedom Degree, a charitable and educational initiative supporting students persecuted for political reasons in Russia. In my two years there, I have actively participated in the formation and development of the project from its early stages and spearheaded the expansion of the project’s support network among independent media and non-profit organisations. This role has also allowed me to significantly broaden my network, fostering strong relationships with diverse groups of activists, civil society workers, and numerous Russian politicians in exile. These connections have provided me with invaluable insights into Russian politics and offer promising opportunities for my future research and for my future endeavours in politics.

LSE’s MSc in Political Science (Political Behaviour)

The MSc in Political Science, with its specialisation in Political Behaviour at LSE, offers an invaluable opportunity to deepen my understanding of the dynamics that underpin public opinion and political engagement. The program’s extensive exploration of voting behaviour, public opinion, and the impact of social identities directly correlates with the key issues of my current project. By engaging with this at LSE, I aim to refine my approach and develop more effective strategies to combat propaganda and disinformation.

Other than direct practical application of knowledge I intend to gain at LSE’s I also want to more broadly grow academically. I have deeply investigated many facets of political science during my time at UCL but I haven’t engaged as much with the topic of political behaviour. This will not only fill a gap in my academic background but will also provide me with a better understanding of political psychology, improving my ability to analyse and impact political behaviour in academic and practical settings.

A number of non-compulsory modules available in this program also intrigue me significantly. I am particularly eager to take Game Theory for Political Science to build upon earlier studies of game theory and explore it specifically within the context of political science. I am also interested in The Second Europe module to continue my exploration of democratisation and to learn about strategies adopted by political elites and social classes in the face of modernisation, imperial decline and nationalism.

MSc Political Science (Conflict Studies and Comparative Politics)

Should I not be admitted to my first choice of Political Behaviour, I would be equally enthusiastic about pursuing the Conflict Studies and Comparative Politics stream. This path would align seamlessly with my main academic interests, including formal institutions in informal contexts and democratisation, and allow me to further pursue them. Moreover, both programs share several elective modules, including The Second Europe. One module I am particularly interested in here is Local Power in an Era of Globalization, Democratization, and Decentralization. This course's in-depth focus on subnational authoritarianism resonates strongly with my interest in patronal politics.

Conclusion

In conclusion, my academic and professional pursuits have consistently focused on understanding and influencing political behaviour and structures. Enrolling in the MSc in Political Science at LSE would provide the ideal academic setting to refine and expand this focus. I am enthusiastic about advancing my theoretical knowledge and research skills, aiming to make a meaningful contribution to the field of political science and to politics in practice.

Statement of Purpose. Master's program in the EU

PhD, Project Proposal. King's College London

Speculative Research Beyond Academia: Theoretical Knowledge Production in Contemporary Russia

Summary

In contemporary Russia, opportunities for empirical sociological and political research are restricted due to the authoritarian political regime. Censorship and aggressive propaganda of conservative ideology in academia has even led to the disappearance of certain disciplines (such as “human rights” or gender studies) from university curriculums as “irrelevant”, so the possibilities for creative research are limited (Dubrovskiy, 2017, p. 186). Nonetheless, Russian intellectual and cultural life is thriving, despite the violence that surrounds it (Iampolski, 2018, p. 15). Many ambitious scholars who cannot leave Russia are choosing to work outside of academic institutions – however, in this case their research may often be overlooked by the international scientific community. My aim is to examine the field of theoretical knowledge production in Russia that takes place beyond conventional academic institutions and explore the ways in which speculative research in non-Western societies may contribute to the ongoing discussions in the fields of philosophy and social sciences.

Central research questions and objectives

While many researchers covered the development of social sciences in Russia analyzing academic institutions (e.g., Batygin, 2005; Bikbov, 2014; Sokolov, 2010, 2019), the theoretical work taking place outside of academia – such as grassroots philosophical and theoretical initiatives run by independent scholars, students and activists – remains underrepresented in both Western and Russian sociology of science and cultural studies. My aim is to fill this gap while contributing to ongoing theoretical discussions related to the process of decolonization of knowledge in philosophy and social theory and at the same time collect insights that will help researchers and activists from non-Western societies to promote their work.

My general research questions can be divided into two major domains.

1) Theoretical

Which actors are responsible for overcoming the epistemic inequality between Euro-American and non-Euro-American centres of knowledge production and dissemination?

In what ways can academics and policy makers utilise the concepts and ideas developed in non-Western speculative research?

How original speculative work from non-Euro-American intellectual communities contributes to the fundamental discussions in philosophy, social sciences and arts as a whole?

2) Practical

How are everyday processes of knowledge production organised in non-academic projects directed at production and dissemination of new theoretical knowledge in the fields of philosophy and social sciences in Russia?

What are the attitudes and the final goals of the actors involved in these projects?

What instruments and channels do they use to illustrate and disseminate their ideas?

Literature review and cultural context

Historically, social sciences have used concepts as one of the main instruments of research and means of knowledge production. The conditions under which new concepts were introduced and legitimised have been the point of inquiry for social theory and history of science for a long time (most famously – for the so-called “Cambridge School''1). At least since the beginning of the 20th century, it has been widely recognised that epistemological questions – such as “Does objective knowledge exist, and what are the conditions for its production? How do we choose between different types of knowledge? Is there a universal instrument for prioritising this or that way of describing the world?” – cannot be examined independently of ontological and political questions. This idea is common for both analytical philosophy (Wittgenstein, 2001, p. 68), continental philosophy (Foucault, 1995, p. 23), and social sciences (Latour, 1993, p. 159; Law, 2004, p. 137). However, for the last 50 years, researchers tended to focus on the epistemological questions rather than think about ontologies (Bryant, 2011, p. 16). This position lately has been criticised by both philosophers (e.g., Bryant, 2011; Pickering, 2008) and social theorists (e.g., Law, 2019; for the postcolonial perspective – Amelina et al., 2021). I argue that in order to take this critique into account it is necessary to refer to speculative research.

In this work, I will address the speculative research in a broad sense of the term – as it is proposed by Savransky, Wilkie and Rosengarten (Savransky et al., 2017, pp. 7-13). Thus, speculative research in my understanding will include artistic, philosophical, educational and research projects united by the ambition to explore and affect the future(s) by using novel and sometimes non-canonical languages and instruments. The importance of such research today is highlighted by the fact that in some sciences theoretical work can directly affect real world practices. Michelle Callon gave an example of how it happens in economics in his research on economic markets (Callon, 1998, pp. 23-32). There is evidence that cutting-edge theoretical and conceptual scientific work often stays overshadowed by mainstream theories (Chu, Evans, 2021). Established researchers push other actors involved into the process of knowledge production into the background – “our language lacks an all-inclusive term for the women and men who participate in the production, evaluation, and use of what counts as social knowledge” (Camic et al., 2011, p. 4). “North Atlantic domination” in social sciences bottles up the creative power of “Southern” approaches (Keim, 2011, pp. 124-129; Patel, 2021). This kind of relationship between scientific knowledge and the “real world” can obstruct if not dismiss the very possibility for radical thinking, policymaking and emergence of original artistic projects informed by philosophy and social sciences.

At the same time, one could argue that in non-Western countries, particularly in Russia, the field of speculative research is thriving – although most of it remains unnoticed by the majority of Western academics and artists. While I will present my position on the more specific reasons for this situation below, I believe that the broader factor for that is the colonial perspective in which a colonial artist or researcher may be the object of discussion but never the subject who participates in one with his own arguments and ideas. Scandalous and sometimes violent performances of Petr Pavlensky or “Pussy Riot” brought these artists international fame and support – that they probably deserve – but their public image was largely established around their political views and persecution that they had to face in Russia2. Sex and violence successfully “sold” them to the Western audience, more interested in a beautiful story about radical artists in their struggle for freedom against Putin’s regime, than in the complexities of cultural and social context of what is actually happening in Russia – for example, the fact that Pavlensky systematically abused his partner (Denisova, 2015). In the meantime, I argue, Russian intellectuals have a lot more to offer than just political radicalism and violence.

Contemporary Russian intellectual life is not self-centred – intellectuals are not concerned solely with specific local problems. On the contrary, one could argue that interests of the Russian scholars are embedded into latest socio-politico-theoretical discussions. Scholars and artists reflect on such topics as “Anthropocene and anthropocentrism”3 , “planetarity and terraforming” (Boyadjiev, 2021), “dark ecology”4, “postconceptual theory”5, contemporary philosophical schools and branches of research, such as accelerationism6, object-oriented philosophy (Koroleva, 2021), speculative realism7 etc. Some well-known Western thinkers are collaborating with Russian organisations and activists who are trying to establish contact with the Western intellectual world and become a part of an international dialogue. Among them – Slavoj Zizek8, Helen Hester9, Reza Negarestani10, Yuk Hui11 and others. However, for some part of Western academics, it is still difficult to see the potential and the scale of conceptual and theoretical work happening in Russia, as it takes place beyond academic institutions.

Main argument

My main argument is that Western and non-Western social sciences and philosophy may benefit from the use of non-Western concepts, approaches and theoretical perspectives in order to examine complex and fundamental social and political issues. However, the possibilities for such cooperation today are limited by two main obstacles.

1) Disciplinary and academic boundaries. In Euro-American academic philosophy, the distinction between analytical and continental tradition still determines the legitimate ways of making a successful academic career. Analytical philosophers mostly work with questions concerning logic, mathematics, language and mind, when researchers of continental tradition tend to re-read recognised classics of European philosophy instead of creating their own original works or developing projects using concepts and ideas that do not belong to the “canon”. The logic of academia tells them that it is the shortest way to academic tenure. While philosophy is a traditional source of inspiration for social scientists (some scholars even have emphasised that it may be a problem to distinguish one from another (Adorno, 2000, p. 54)), and developments in social science are often seen as a base for policymaking and artistic work, the ultimate result of this situation is decline in a number of original spot-on political decisions and art projects.

2) The places and conditions of production of theoretical and speculative knowledge. One of the distinctive features of the contemporary Russian intellectual sphere is that a significant amount of theoretical and conceptual work happens outside of academia. Conservative character of Russian academia with its censorship and Soviet legacy discourages young researchers and nudges them to invent new channels to promote and discuss their ideas – from channels in Telegram (such as “Koinsidentalniy Institut” [“Coincidental Institute”]) and horizontal online-platforms (syg.ma). Alternative networks and chains of knowledge production based on informal connections – from privately curated stand-alone websites (such as lmnt.space) to alternative online universities with more than 40 courses and hundreds of students (such as the Free Moscow University) – emerge as Russian-speaking researchers have to support each other in times of political pressure. By ignoring these developments, one may get an inadequate and misleading account of the state of scientific knowledge production in a particular region.

Research design and methods

In the theoretical part of my research, I am planning to rely on both conventional academic research (focusing on the works of late actor-network theory authors: John Law, Bruno Latour and others), contemporary philosophy and history of science (particularly Roy Bhaskar’s legacy), postcolonial approaches in social sciences and transdisciplinary research within and beyond non-Western academia. I will provide a broader view on how the conceptual core of a theory may correlate with its impact, and how conceptual work in social theory may affect the political and cultural processes.

In the practical part of my research, I am planning to organise 15-20 expert in-depth interviews with people involved in non-institutional quasi-scientific projects in Russia to see how exactly the non-academic field of knowledge production is structured. I will explore the practices and technologies that non-Western researchers use to disseminate and visualise their theoretical insights. Apart from that, I will examine the mediums, technologies and digital platforms that Russian activists, researchers and artists use to disseminate the information about their theoretical projects. I will consider real and target audiences of these projects, multimedia elements used to illustrate the ideas, the accessibility of their content for general and academic public, etc.

Perspectives on dissemination and impact

My ambition is to use the results of this part of my research to provide a guide or collection of best practices for researchers in other countries. At this point I see it as an online-exhibition or crowdsourced platform with recommendations on how to promote your theoretical work using digital instruments and insights about the process of knowledge production. My first-hand experience of working as a journalist, UX-editor and project manager for a number of digital projects and research institutions, along with my insider position in the field of knowledge production in Russia will help me to create a project that will be useful for underrepresented researchers in non-Western countries that look for options to draw attention to their work.

Bibliography

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Master's program at Central European University, History

Dear Admission Committee,

My name is Daria Khokhlova. I am a final-year undergraduate student majoring in Philosophy and minoring in Public History (HSE, Moscow). I aspire to pursue an academic career in memory studies, public history, and visual culture. I would be most eager to apply for the MA in Comparative History at CEU.

While still an undergraduate student, I developed an interest in memory research. I co-authored an article for the Institute of Musical Initiatives’ New Criticism [Novaya Kritika] volume on nostalgic and post-ironic images of the USSR employed by Russian contemporary pop singers, subsequently elaborating on its findings for the PoSoCoMeS Conference. I came to the conclusion that young musicians have a long tradition of critical reflection on post-Soviet memory. I also took the HSE course ‘Oral History — Yves Montand in the USSR’, which introduced me to oral history methods as well as theoretical issues surrounding them. I conducted interviews with people who attended Montand concerts in order to investigate the links between actual memory and the Soviet media discourse.

My academic interests were profoundly influenced by the academic minor in Public History, where I discovered an interest in ways of representing historical trauma and violence in public space. After finishing minor courses, I attended a winter school on memory and cultural policy (European University, Saint-Petersburg) to further my understanding of memory practices . During this school, I studied examples of public archival projects undertaken by EU scholars and became acquainted with the most complex aspects of Russia's current memory politics. I went on a research expedition to Vyborg, North-West Russia, at the invitation of my public history teachers and gained experience of research of cultural memory in a tourist location. I interviewed local historians and museum employees to investigate how different people construct the ‘usable past’ of Vyborg, and how the traumatic past of the Finnish period in the town’s history competes with its imagined ‘Mediaeval’ past.

My BA thesis focuses on post-Soviet nostalgia, with examples drawn from Soviet childhood museums, so I am continuing to deepen my understanding of memory research. Interviews with museum staff and visitors will be conducted in order to re-examine the dichotomy between restorative and reflective nostalgia and to assess the political potential of nostalgia for Soviet childhood. This topic arose from my interest in post-Soviet nostalgia, museum studies, visual interpretations of the past, and oral history.

For several months, I have been involved in a sociological project aimed at describing the attitude of Russian youth toward the Cold War, specifically Russia’s confrontation with the West in terms of historical continuity. My first task for this project was to conduct a literature review on Cold War memory, with an emphasis on post-Soviet secondary school textbooks. Because the project focuses on the construction of Russian national identity through rivalry and imagined enemies, I looked for articles which revealed the opposition between Russia and the West in school education.Many researches of Russian history education focus on how school textbooks create a positive, ‘great power’ image of the nation, fostering a sense of national pride and patriotism, yet fail to cover how the textbooks describe (and perpetuate) confrontation between Russia and the West and, thereby, construct an external enemy. The project proposal for your MA program is based on what I discovered while researching the Cold War public history in Russia.

I would like to expand my knowledge beyond the confines of the post-Soviet space. It is also crucial for me to research social imagination and identity formation in various communities. Traditional approaches to memory politics are based on European or American cases, but they are less effective in the Global South. I was inspired to study postcolonial and gender theory after attending a summer school on self-determination at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. Researchers and artists presented non-Western and subaltern approaches to self-determination during the school. This experience also influenced me to look into narrative practices and visual representations for expressing traumatic experiences.

My first project in subaltern studies was a paper with a philosophical analysis of migrant identity in Salman Rushdie’s novels, which I presented at a postcolonial studies conference with a colleague (University of York). In addition, I am working on a paper about cinematic imagination, subaltern perspective, and memory in Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s films. Weerasethakul’s cinematic language allows him to address local and global audiences alike while transmitting the memory of the Cold War and civil war in Thailand.

MA in Comparative History is therefore of direct relevance to my academic interests. Above all, CEU provides a diverse range of courses with interdisciplinary approaches to history (courses on public history, memory wars, museum studies, places of memory, archival practices, documentary cinema, etc.). It is also essential for my future academic career to study visual approaches, and the Certificate in Visual Theory would be an invaluable asset to my professional development. Prof. Oksana Sarkisova’s courses have especially inspired me, as her research interests are related to memory and identity formation through visual culture.

Importantly, CEU researchers have high expertise in Eastern European studies. The university environment and communication with professors would provide me with insights and theoretical background for my project on Cold War memory in contemporary Russia. Furthermore, CEU has several researchers who specialize in Cold War memory. Prof. Marsha Siefert’s studies of the cultural aspects of the Cold War is of particular interest to me, and I would be most eager to write a master thesis under her guidance.

CEU’s values and strong emphasis on criticizing various forms of inequality and coercion appeal to me. Year after year, master’s and doctoral students at the Department of History write papers about underprivileged communities (based on race, ethnicity, religion, or gender) and condemn various forms of colonialism. Working with such insightful people would broaden my personal horizons and inspire me to continue working on historical traumas and violence.

A combination of courses on public history and visual studies as well a focus on post-Soviet and Cold War studies would be of great value for my academic development. Building on the expertise I would gain during this MA, I could amplify the methodology of my master thesis about Cold War memory in Russia and undertake more in-depth groundwork for my future PhD proposal in the field of public history.

I would like to thank you for your consideration of my application and look forward to your feedback.