My interest in the master of arts in sociology

I am writing to express my interest in the Master of Arts in Sociology specifically your Development studies program, offered at the University of Cape Town. Growing up and being raised in a 3rd world developing country like Sudan, opened up my eye’s to the complexity and challenges that this country is facing. I was brought up in an unstable era where I witnessed dynamic changes and shifting in its economy and politics that led to other crises such as poverty, ethnic conflicts and devaluation of human rights.

My Initial Interest in this field of Sociology and development studies was sparked by the social and economic difficulties that Sudan is currently undergoing, I came to witness this during my work as a Researcher for one of the top basic food products manufacturer in the Country at DAL Food Company, it exposed me to numerous matters we usually turn a blind eye on. During my field work, I visit a lot of families of different social and economic classes. The conversations I have with them usually turns to speaking about the current status of Sudan and how their voices have not been heard. They usually feel underrepresented and forgotten, and this is the case. Therefore I have witnessed the deprivation of basic needs and rights, as well as the tremendous economic gap between social classes which inherited our society nothing but poverty, lack of education and the very basic human rights. A sad but true fact that becomes even sadder when we realize that such poverty and misery is being suffered in one of the three countries – along with Canada and Australia – that are supposed to provide food and basic needs for the entire globe due to its richness in natural resources in general and arable land in specific. So all of that put together brings me to the conclusion that there is a tremendous margin for development and improvement in the economic status and thus the general standard of living which would – at its very least – guarantee access to the basic needs for everyone. Therefore this greatly moved me and generated a strong urge within me to strive for the poor and create a sustainable just, equal Sudan and world for all of us.

The reason I’m seeking a master’s degree abroad, is mainly because Sudan has been an unstable living environment due to the imposed US Sanctions, and the on-going conflict in the South and West, making it challenging to seek world class education and access to open source information. In addition to that is the lack of resources that gets in the way of young ambitious individuals aspiring to gain academic knowledge that would hand them the key to a brilliant and more promising future. Moreover, passionate young women’s efforts towards self-development are resisted constantly by society’s boundaries and beliefs which curbs their empowerment and sense of independence, causing them to settle for a career or a future far less significant than what their full capability allows. Furthermore, studying abroad will provide me the opportunity to build on my cultural cognizance so as broaden my experience on biracialism and raise my exposure on multicultural backgrounds.

After going through the program’s details; its structure and subjects offered, I believe it will offer me a wide range of courses that simultaneously bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practice. Similarly, this program will not only prepare me on how to address global inefficiencies, resource limitations, societal needs and poverty, it will equip me with the necessary tools to cope with the challenges inherent in the extremely obscure yet boundless endeavors of transforming our world for the better.

That being said, University of cape Town; being the evermore globally respected and accredited organization, fulfils my aspirations to join a world class educational institution that would provide an ideal academic, educational and inspiring environment that champions originality, social justice and academic excellence. I look forward to hear from you soon so we can discuss this opportunity further.