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