Sample Cover Letter For An Advertised Faculty Position printable pdf download

Sample Cover Letter for an Advertised Faculty Position

Candidate’s Address

Date

Spanish Search Committee

Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures

Large University

Address

To the Search Committee:

I am writing in response to your notice in the October MLA Job Information List for the

position of Assistant Professor of Spanish. With the support of a Mellon fellowship, I am

currently finishing my dissertation at the University of X under the direction of Professor

Name, and anticipate graduating at the end of this academic year. Because of my

extensive coursework and specialization in Latin American literature, my interest in

interdisciplinary and cultural studies, and my commitment and success in teaching

undergraduates, I feel that I would be an excellent candidate for the position you

describe.

The position description indicates that you are seeking a specialist in Contemporary Latin

American literature. Although I have a solid background in many areas of Latin

American and Peninsular literature, my principal area of interest, as well as my recent

research, has been in the field of twentieth-century Latin American literature and culture.

My dissertation, entitled “Delinquency and Detection: The Neopoliciaco Genre in Cuba

and Mexico,” treats the detective novel after 1972, as both cultural construct and

ideological tool in these dissimilar post-revolutionary societies. After analyzing the

prevailing influence of Anglo-American models, the contributions of Borges and other

Southern Cone writers, and the cross-influence of the Spanish neopoliciaco, I use

criticism by Jameson, Sontag, Homi Bhabha, Luis Rogelio Nogueras, Carlos Monsivais

and others to examine the mechanism of control-and resistance-embedded in what has

been termed a popular genre. Portions of the dissertation that I have presented at

conferences have been well-received, and I anticipate developing the topic further after

graduation. My other research interests include nineteenth- and twentieth-century travel

literature, superstition in early twentieth-century Argentine literature, Regionalist

narrative and contemporary Mexican literary movements. An undergraduate degree in

Political Science, in addition to recent research trips to Mexico and Cuba, also

contributes to my preparation as a teacher of contemporary Latin American literature and

culture.

As my vita includes, I have taught Spanish at all basic undergraduate levels in addition to

serving as placement counselor for both French and Spanish. My preparation includes

training in the ACTFL proficiency program and communicative language instruction,

coursework in applied linguistics and pedagogy, and extensive research and design of

computer-aided language learning (CALL) tools. Anonymous evaluations by my students

Sample Cover Letter For An Advertised Faculty Position