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Personal Statement

The Personal Statement provides an opportunity to highlight any information that you feel the Admissions Committee requires to make an informed and thoughtful decision about your application. It will be considered together with the rest of your application documents.

The Personal Statement consists of a mandatory Part A and an optional Part B.

Part A (Mandatory) – Two Sections, 2,000 Characters Each

Part A of the Personal Statement asks you to discuss topics such as community leadership and involvement, academic leadership and involvement, advanced academic work and athletic activities. You are also asked to elaborate on your interest in legal education and how you may use your law degree in the future.

Part B (Optional) – 2,500 Characters

Part B of the Personal Statement is optional. It allows you to discuss one or more of the following, if they apply: equity factors, work/life experience, performance considerations and diversity factors.

Equity factors relate to systemic barriers to equal access to educational opportunities. Most often, barriers giving rise to equity concerns will take the form of substantial discrimination on grounds recognized in the Ontario Human Rights Code or Osgoode’s Equality Resolution (race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, religion, political orientation, family status or disability). Economic disadvantage may also create a barrier to equal educational opportunities.

The admissions committee will assess how well you demonstrate that you overcame challenges, such as financial difficulty, illness, family conflict, social or cultural prejudice or language barriers. It is helpful to provide some insight into your character or understanding of your abilities. Examples:

• Growing up in family circumstances not conducive to educational achievement (for e.g. family size, level of parental education, quality of support).
• Growing up in a low-income community or household
• Living with physical, psychological, sensory or learning disabilities
• Working substantial hours in paid employment while a full-time student due to economic circumstances
• Facing discrimination or other barriers to higher education because of recent immigrant status
• Undertaking personal caregiving or other unpaid responsibilities due to family and/or economic circumstances.

For some applicants, work or life experience, rather than academic achievement, is the best indicator of their suitability and capacity for legal education. This would apply to candidates who did not pursue post-secondary education or have been out of an academic environment for years. Such candidates may wish to highlight how their experiences demonstrate they possess the necessary skills to succeed in the JD Program.

The admissions committee will assess how you demonstrate that your non-academic achievements and experience were demanding, important and led to skills or personal development, for example leadership, courage or confidence. Examples:

• Achieving leadership roles at work
• Managing the demands of full-time parenting
• Overcoming personal adversities
• Demonstrated commitment to life-long learning
• Significant contributions to work or community, paid or unpaid.

Performance

Circumstances or non-academic commitments that have negatively affected a portion of an applicant’s academic performance will be taken into consideration.

The admissions committee will assess explanations of anomalies in your academic record or LSAT performance. Examples:

• Significant involvement in student government or high-level sports
• Significant health issues
• Lack of accommodation for a disability that impeded LSAT performance
• Illness/death of a close family members

Osgoode aspires to admit an entering class that is enriched by perspectives and experiences that fully reflect the diversity of the Canadian population. Diversity factors may include, and extend beyond, equity factors. Particular attention will be paid to exceptional personal characteristics or experiences that are under-represented in the Osgoode student body, or the legal profession.

We look for explicit connections between your diversity and your intention to contribute meaningfully to Law School and the legal profession. You may note how you are culturally, socially or racially diverse and how these qualities have strengthened you. This is not meant for explaining how you support diversity theoretically.

Examples of diversity may include:

• Place of residence (e.g. where you lived as a child)
• Languages understood and spoken
• Cultural background
• Religious or conscientious beliefs
• Other special skills, talents or experiences that have produced a distinct intellectual perspective.

Supplemental Information

If you have cited circumstances which impacted your academic performance, or are otherwise relevant to your application, we encourage you, where possible, to provide corroborative documentation. This might include medical documentation, proof of economic circumstances or letters from individuals with knowledge of the cited circumstances. Such information is helpful to the Admissions Committee.

New or additional documentation in support of your application may not be considered if submitted after the application deadline unless it has been requested by the Admissions Committee or the Admissions Office.

Letters of reference must be confidential and submitted directly by the referee to OLSAS.  Up to three letters of reference can be submitted to OLSAS.

You must provide the names and contact information of verifiers for the activities listed in your OLSAS application, Autobiographical Sketch.

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Personal Statement

The social organization of our vocation – the professoriate (the status or position of professor) enjoys three equally significant and interrelated activities: research, teaching and service. No one statement can hope to do justice to the enormous interplay, breadth and depth of benefits accrued from teaching, service and research. The close match between research, teaching and community activities provides me with the personal and intellectual stimuli that are essential to effective teaching and learning. Throughout my many years at York University the task of effectively balancing my scholarly responsibilities, teaching, and service has been made possible by the ongoing and generous support from students, administration, colleagues, staff and the wider community.

This statement provides a chronological overview of the history of my research. My published scholarship and related contributions are organized to reflect what I consider to be three long-term research programmes. They are integrated and continuing programmes in the sense that each has a core of intellectual interests that have engaged me over the decades and each has had some cumulative development that have also influenced the other: law, culture and inequality; law, culture and crime; and, law, culture and justice.

1. Law, Culture and Inequality

The first programme has focussed on aspects of law, culture and inequality. The research on the impact of contemporary cultural segregation and stratification on law began during my graduate years working on my Master’s thesis (under the supervision of Dr Wilkins). This study on the ethnicization of Organized Crime led to a more systematic analysis of patterns of exclusion based on ethno-racial stereotypes, that is, the differential access to services by members of ethno racial communities. An inquiry into the relationships of ethnic/ racial inequalities and the formation of ethnic communities has led to a more focused reassessment of the relationship between inequality and legal formation(s) of criminality. My interest in law began with teaching courses in law and social services at Ryerson and continued in my work for Corrections Canada in the 1970s. I came to be interested in thinking about culture primarily because of the unequal application of law. Working as a Research Associate under Dr Ericson re. Mobile Police Studies in the late 1970’s as well as the several studies I undertook with the Social Planning Council of Metro Toronto in the mid-1980s, resulted in new developments in issues of access (Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Social Services for ethno specific communities). I have continued to develop these projects and taken up a variety of complementary ones. The focus on cultural patterns of inequalities and law mainly examined the relationship between law and inequality as mediated by culture. I have returned periodically to these research interests over the years, and they have influenced features of my second (cultural criminology), and third (ontonomology) research programmes. Figure one schematically highlights the horizontal and vertical movements of law and culture vis a vis the intersections of inequality.

Figure One Inequalities (horizontal and vertical)

2. Law, Culture and Crime

From my studies on law, culture and inequality, I moved specifically to law, culture and crime notably the social organization of knowledge and the making of official crime knowledge. With considerable encouragement from Dr Ericson, Dr Wilkins and Dr Shearing at the Centre of Criminology, I entered doctoral studies. Although accepted to the London School of Economics, I pursued my PhD at University of Toronto primarily because of Sociology’s strong interdisciplinary orientation to regulation, sociology of law and the sociology of culture. As a student of John A. Lee, Dennis Magill, James Giffen and Ted Turk I decided to conduct research on the regulation of youth. While pursuing my interests in youth cultures, I continued to research on ethno specific cultures with the Social Planning Council of Metro Toronto. These interests were further prompted in the early 1980’s by my detailed reading of Foucault and Gramsci and their influence on analyses of modes/ discourses of regulation. In the mid-1980’s I undertook a unique project based on male prostitution, drawing on new developments in critical ethnographic research combining praxis and criminological perspectives. I continued to develop projects on youths empowerment in a variety of complementary methodologies. My first published manuscript, This Idle Trade drew on interviews with prostitutes to construct an argument for conceptualizing prostitution as a work relation. I raised the concern that prostitutes themselves had been left out of shaping the discourses which construct their identities in popular culture, law, gay liberation, and so on. The main objective of the book addressed the social organization of prostitution (stages and contingencies) beginning with the assumption that a complex interplay of forces at particular historical moments in specific locations contributed to various career patterns, policy initiatives, and laws (social/ moral regulation/ governmentalities).The research on youth cultures focuses on a number of related topics: historical patterns of age based stratification; criminalization; social exclusion; peer composition; literacy and education. These studies have mainly examined the experience of youths using comparative longitudinal and cross sectional designs. My 2006 SSHRC funded book What do they Know?, the result of early formulations on popular culture and youth crimes analyzes the impact of the media on youth criminality. Figure two captures theoretically the embeddedness of youth crime.

In my studies, I compare occupational cultures, youth subcultures, the dominant culture, multi cultures (multiculturalism) as hierarchically ordered by class, gender, sexuality and race. Moreover, the violence that often accompanies authority and resistance were the results of criminal sanctions. With this in mind, current regulatory policies and practices need to be challenged, and criminality was relocated out of the realm of criminal law and into the realm of culture/ ideology. This then became the starting point for my third theoretical and empirical set of inquiries concerning the relationship between law (regulation) and justice (harmony/ balance).

3. Law, Culture and Justice

My work in progress extends my early analyses of law and culture by reassessing relevant legal theory (jurisprudence) and bringing new evidence to bear regarding the relationship of law and justice. I argue that the ontological bases of Western law, especially the foundation of twentieth-century patterns of equality are inimical to notions of individualized justice, let alone social justice. My work in progress, Ontonomology, for which I will be applying for SSHRC funding extends analyses taken up in the first cultural projects, reassessing relevant legal theory and bringing new evidence to bear regarding the relationship of law and culture to formation of justice. I argue that these changes in law are the foundation of current practices of justice and the understanding of law which are, in turn, essential to understanding our dominant ideologies. Figure three locates the study of law within the interrelations of three overlapping levels of analytic inquiries.

IDEOLOGIES (modernity, liberalism and capitalism)

INSTITUTIONS

Again, the generic theme that sustains my research is the relationship between law and culture. Further operationalized I have been examining the relationship between idologies and identities as mediated by institutions. I have studied cultures in terms of the following empirical sites: a) multi cultures (race, ethnicity); b) subcultures (youth); c) occupational cultures (criminal justice system and education); and, d) dominant culture (media, pedagogy, law). The strengths of my contributions are in the connections with the subject from so many hitherto neglected vantage points: interdisciplinarity, philosophical, feminist, critical race, critical legal, and community-based/ professional. Admittedly, this narrow field of inquiry (critical cultural criminology) remains non traditional with its emphasis on racism, misogyny, classism and social justice. Acknowledging the intellectual limits of orthodox thinking, a more critical analysis however seeks to make sense of the hitherto ignored relationship between crime and culture from various vantage points notably the pedagogy of praxis, dialectics of discipline and the primacy of partnerships. By pursuing the nature of this relationship, I examine a priori conditions, forms of ideological struggles and identifiable institutional trends. A troubling feature in conventional approaches is the glaring absence of a conceptual grasp of the intersection of culture and law, that is, the cojoint elements in the ideological- institutional nexus, the absence of which will erode any promise, let alone prospect of social justice. Moreover there is even less work on determining what conditions the constitution of the ideology-institution connections despite the proliferation of studies in criminology on the manner in which ideology facilitates institutional discrimination. In addition to the content of my studies the morphology of the methods (based qualitative, inductive, ethnographic as well as textual analyses, content analyses with an interdisciplinary focus) continue to exist outside mainstream criminology.

“To vision is to transform.... come let us share our visions, To create a greater Circle of Interconnectedness” (cited from Circle Works by Fyre Jean Graveline, 1998)

By presenting this brief reflection as a contemplative process, the concepts put forward indicate a form of commemorating images and imagination that explore the intersections of culture and community that shape teaching and learning. Education is a lifelong process for both teacher and student. It involves a constant unveiling of a reality that links the classroom to the discipline, scholarship and community.

The phenomenon of teaching is developed in reference to believing in the other, being the other. The corpus of curricular practices transcends local and situated boundaries to consider the relatedness of what we do well – connect with diverse communities. Our pedagogy, scholarship and administrative practices were located strategically within broader contexts of engagement. As educators we are encouraged to move beyond our traditional cultural roles and expectations, and to situate ourselves in the struggle for critically responsive alternatives. The culture and practices of teaching offer a complex system of offering alternatives to the ordering of “certain” stratified values that accommodates conveniently to market economics and instrumental rationalities.

Teaching and learning offer a difference – something that sets us apart; “in” but not necessarily “of” mainstream thinking. Since its early years York teachers were never content in redefining the possible but rather were committed to making the possible real by forging new directions and never abandoning the distinctive principles well ensconced in its foundation. Departmental synergies contributed to this conscience. Juxtaposed against the mainstream, one easily observes the ontological character of the our community and its attendant articulation of historical mandates as unmasking the privilege of conventional curriculum. At the forefront of York’s contributions is its “engaging”, “transformative”, and “community-based” education where real-life experiences are integrated with academic requirements. By transforming sentiments into significant inducements to action, a benchmark of our credibility, social justice, community outreach and alternatives are formalized in curricular offerings. Flexibility mediates the relationship between York and its more “marginalized” populations. Over the years it was not just a phlegmatic unwillingness of mainstream thinking on campus to appreciate the contributions of progressive thought but rather there was a perniciously cemented resistance to knowing what this thought represented. We have succeeded in moving the conventional boundaries of orthodoxy to consider that which was much ignored -- community based alternatives and social justice models. This success however was not replicated easily elsewhere.

Accessibility and not that which is offered and paraded – fragmented availability is fundamental. Availability simply refers to the existence or provision of a specific service while access deals with the actual delivery of a service. That is, what may be available may be inaccessible. More precisely, access involves two components: (a) student access, that is, the extent to which students were able to secure much needed services; and (b) organizational access, the extent to which students (especially members of racialized communities) were represented and also participated in the delivery of courses. Organizational access is important since it relates very closely to the purposes and effectiveness of outreach. By contrast, students require responsive services that are as accessible as possible on a geographic, psychological, or cultural basis. Access to deliverable services especially to diverse and less privileged populations should remain a priority.

Accordingly, the process of seemingly incorporating the community model by the mainstream is of dubious success since it conceals as much as it reveals. Witness, for example, the neatly tailored homilies and the panoply of irreverent discourses on the “community” outreach.Clearly, selective institutional amnesia, economic convenience and the culture of corporate/ bureaucratic interests have diverted attention away from authentic community voices and action. As our dear colleague Howard Buchbinder has long argued, traditional decision-making has been replaced by a managerial hegemony in which market strategies predominate. Despite the aura of collegiality or the spirit of participatory democracy, an actuarial logic of “the bottom line”, guided by market place language, governs curriculum, planning and the “optics” of excellence.

In brief, a commitment to enabling the “othered” students, the “othered discipline, the “othered” communities can never be a negotiable commodity. Vision contributes consistently to a mission by developing inimitable models of interdisciplinarity – the co constitutive elements of liberal arts and professional studies.

In terms of pedagogical philosophy, I have maintained that the coterminous forces of context and content constitute an analytic framework for understanding how this privileged vocation wonderfully profits from the input of many constituencies. Context and content have shaped my identity as a teacher and my social interactions with my students. Context (affiliation with York University, resources skills, CST, motivations and self-concept) constitute experiences that condition the content of teaching. It is always an ongoing challenge to teach effectively and inclusively, to be committed to creative, critical pedagogical approaches to race, gender, sexuality, lifestyle and class-based differences and to recognize that all participants in the teaching and learning process are equal participants who have different roles to play.

Accordingly, teaching is the process of experiencing connections with our students. In order to enhance a more emancipatory and transformative pedagogy that seeks to invite the development of a sociological imagination, my courses and their concomitant learning objectives strive to respond to the critical faculties of all students. Students are encouraged to empower themselves conceptually, to engage in open debate and to document their experiences, consciousness, intention, and their relational contexts especially when examining social problems, criminology and culture. This pedagogy does not reduce teaching to simple instrumentalist transmission models of learning the “skill and drill”, but rather to engage in the interdisciplinary ethics of justice. For me, teaching is about the integrity of “reaching in” and “reaching out” wherein the personal and social converge rather than diverge as opposing interests. This emphasis on “being” and “becoming” aware is based on trust, respect and compassion which compel all – teachers and learners alike, to “redefine the possible” in terms of the “message” as well as the “method” of inquiry.

Courage, character and curiosity define one’s commitment to learning and teaching. Responsive to various sources of knowledge available and reflective of the changing interests of our students, my undergraduate courses consist of a coherent , clear and consistent program of study which includes a detailed reading list and a corresponding set of lectures and written assignments that highlight diverse concepts and problematics of the phenomena under investigation. After covering fully the fundamentals, these courses engage in applications - initiatives that are project based. These assignments balance the structured themes, lectures and assignments with the students' collective and individual initiatives. Processes of knowing how to ask and answer questions are fundamental if students are to understand criminology /sociology. I use a combination of lectures, guest lecturers, group discussions, activities, films, and student-led sessions to enhance learning and to make students more interested and involved. Not only does this maintain interest in the subject, but it also conveys the information in several ways to ensure that all students will grasp a successful understanding of sociology. Clear, well-organized lecture notes are essential for effective delivery and for student comprehension. I continually revise my lecture notes with an eye toward not only updating content, but toward improving their pedagogical effectiveness. While I tailor material and adapt teaching methods to fit each particular course, I also develop themes and methodologies within a teaching philosophy that cut across courses. This philosophy comes from my own practical experience and reflections as a teacher and learner, from studying diverse theories and applications of appropriate teaching and learning models and from my own research and experiences with the subject at hand.

My graduate courses have introduced students to prominent writings and the complex theoretical debates that energize the field of critical legal theory, critical human rights and critical criminology. Students participate actively in the teaching process, by contributing to the discussions and analyses of the literature, which are followed by lectures and students' seminar presentation. Students are also expected to act as discussants, following a presentation on one of the themes included in the course. To facilitate the active engagement of students in my courses, I use a learning-based, inquiry focussed approach. This entails the development of a variety of teaching practices that require students to become active learners, and to take responsibility for their own learning process. Three factors provide students with the right environment and motivation to learn: preparation, interest and effective communication.

In addition to classroom/ seminar, my teaching/ learning experiences are informed by my engagements in i) graduate student support, ii) undergraduate advising as SUSA, Law and Society advisor, Atkinson Sociology Chair and Sociology Coordinator, and ii) curriculum development. I believe that commitment to graduate student education is evinced in not only the courses that one teaches and the dissertation committees that one sits on, but through actively assisting students in their efforts to secure funding for their research and employment following graduation. Consequently, my commitment to student support is also reflected in my work on graduate programme committees, programme workshops, SSHRC presentations, mentoring, organizing panels and encouraging York graduate students to disseminate their respective research at various fora and assisting graduate students in publishing their respective studies. It has been extremely rewarding to observe a large number of students with whom I have worked succeed in pursuing academic appointments and senior government / industry portfolios. Second, it is my very good fortune to have been asked to serve as advisor for various student organizations (Sociology Undergraduate Students Association) and programs (Criminology, Law and Society). Equally, I have been honored by a number of teaching awards. I especially value the OCUFA, Faculty of Arts Award, FGS Award, and the Sociology Undergraduate Students Award (SUSA) primarily because students (undergraduate and graduate students) who cared enough about classroom engagements prepared the nomination files for them. I have been invited to act as Mentor for the Critical Mentoring Program, Division on Critical Criminology - American Society of Criminology. Third, in terms of Curriculum Development, I have served on a number of Committees developing courses, degrees (Criminology, Public Service Studies, Public Administration and Justice Studies and certificates (Certificate Anti Racist Research and Practice) in both the Faculty of Arts, the Atkinson Faculty of Liberal and Professional Studies and Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies. In addition, I have been invited to serve as a consultant for under graduate and graduate program reviews and invited to make presentations on curriculum. I have worked closely with the Dean’s Office re Police Executive Training and Management Committee in assisting in the preparation of a Proposal for Funding (Toronto Police Services), worked with colleagues in developing a graduate degree in Socio-Legal Studies; Public Policy, Administration and Law; Syllabi and Instructional Materials for Teaching Sociology of Law for the American Sociological Association and the American Society of Criminology, University of Toledo’s Masters degree in Criminal Justice. I have presented papers at conferences and different universities / community colleges and published on the subject of pedagogy. At York University I have developed In - Service Training Workshops for York University Security, participated in the Academic Planning Forum in 2006 with L. Sanders; with Pat Rogers re Critical Pedagogy at the “Rethinking The Curriculum: Race, Culture, and Liberal Education Conference. York University; acted as a member of the Advisory Group to the Dean on Matters Relating to Race, Gender, Multiculturalism and the Curriculum (Dean M. Stevenson) (appointed) and served on various curriculum committees (SPT, Criminology, Sociology).

A large number of my former graduate students enjoy post secondary teaching appointments. They include: Elarick Persaud, SUNY New Palz, NY; Anas Karzai, Laurentian University; Claudio Colaguori, York University; Curtis Clarke, Athabaska University, Alberta; Stephen Muzzatti, Ryerson University, formerly Iowa State; Gamal Abdel-Shehid, York University; David Baker, Southern Texas University; Marilyn Corsianos, Eastern Michigan University; Dick Butcher, SUNY Potsdam, NY; Michael Spivey University of North Carolina; Kathy Orban, Marygrove College, Detroit; Kevin McCormick, President of Huntington University, Sudbury; Lisa Jakubowski, Brescia University College, University of Western Ontario; James Hodgson, Ferrum College, West Virginia; Ron Stansfield University of Guelph; Naomi Couto York University; James Williams, York University; Merle Jacobs, York University; Anthony Micucci, Memorial University ; George Skoulas, University of Macedonia, Greece; Anna Leslie, Memorial University; Marianne Vardalos, Laurentian University; Kasia Rukszto, Centennial College George Rigakos, Carleton University;Cynthia Levine-Rasky Queen’s University, tenure stream; Karen Blackford, ” deceased, tenure stream Laurentian University; Egerton Clarke, Kent State U.; Melodye Lehnerer, Southwest Missouri State University; Alfred Choi, University of Singapore; Zoran Pejovic, Trent University; Kevin Baker, Dean, Durham College.

Service is an active and sustained engagement in the act of citizenship, a collective responsibility, and an expression of commitment to the well being of the university. It has been as much an honour as a delight to serve the university in a number of capacities. For me a critical goal of service is a commitment to ensuring that the central values of the university are sustained and strengthened. I have learned much from my active service record about the collegium, governance and administration and most notably principles of respect and trust.

Service exists within the fabric of relations that facilitate a sense of belonging. Service not only situates our “organic” position but clearly defines the intellectual as someone who is committed to a pedagogical framework that is "action-oriented", representing a world-view that focuses on how "concrete", "real" social phenomena. This social praxis in the life of the university is essential for the development of a genuine university citizenship. These opportunities facilitate a pedagogy that is "engaged", "transformative" or "critical" and "community-based". This inclination to learn from the processes and structures within which we are embedded/ connected life conditions our identity as educators, our sense of “being and belonging”. The university functions best with the well informed participation of all of its constituencies, that is, the quality of service shapes and is shaped by the quality of contributions of its members.

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York University Personal Statements

These UCAS personal statements have been kindly provided by students applying to The University of York. You can click on one of the links below to view the entire statement and find out if the applicant was offered a place.

You can also view our entire collection of personal statements or view personal statements for application at other universities .

History Personal Statement Example 2 I am captivated by the diversity and depth offered by a History degree; attracted by the way it encourages us to be analytical of the values and patterns of past societies. It was in my final year of secondary school that I was awarded the History Attainment Award, although my desire to study History dates back to an earlier age when I visited the site of the allied landings in Normandy at just eleven years old...

Computer Science Personal Statement Example 4 I find it amazing to watch as the digital revolution sculpts society at a rate that has never before been seen; there is so much to still be discovered. Quantum computing is a topic that particularly interests me, stemming from my studies and keen interest in physics...

Politics and International Relations Personal Statement Example 4 The era in which we live goes through constant turmoil and shifting powers. Not a day goes by without a change somewhere on our planet, which in turn has an effect on yet another change to come elsewhere...

International Relations Personal Statement Example Being of Pakistani heritage means I am at the heart of multiculturalism that many would say defines Britain today. Growing up as a British Asian in the last decade has allowed me to experience life embedded in a world of politics, not only from a Western perspective but also that of other cultures...

Economics and PPE Personal Statement Example My aspiration to study economics at both advanced and degree level has stemmed from my lasting interest in current affairs and world development. These issues require an application of economics in real-life situations and can be related to many diverse subjects such as politics, philosophy and psychology...

Physics Personal Statement Example 4 The elegance of the scientific subjects, in particular physics is what has established my eagerness for a deeper insight into the subject. What sets physics apart from the other sciences, in my opinion, is that it can be practically applied to all instances of life...

Languages Personal Statement Example 10 At the age of eight, a friend introduced me to Guy Hamilton's 1969 film 'Battle of Britain'. This instilled in me two things: my doomed childhood ambition to be a Spitfire pilot, long since grudgingly abandoned, but also, perhaps ironically, a love for the sound and feel of the German language that has stayed with me all through the intervening decade...

History Personal Statement Example 7 It isn't an exaggeration to say my devotion to History has moulded me into the diligent and ambitious person I am today. History continues to shape our contemporary world and my opinions have been formed from an intellectual curiosity about the resonances between the past and the present...

Biology Personal Statement Example 5 Outside was always my favourite place as a child, splashing in puddles, inspecting insects under magnifying glasses and having snail races with my brothers. The living world fascinated me. My enthusiasm has only increased over the years and living by the sea has inspired me further...

Chemistry Personal Statement Example 2 Science is not just a subject taken in school, or a body of knowledge; it is a state of mind as well – always inquisitive and wondering. As a child, the world around me constantly captivated me and inspired questions, and I found delight in having my questions answered, always wanting to learn more, from fundamental particles, to atoms and molecules, to organisms, planets, and the universe...

Biochemistry Personal Statement Example 1 The need to survive is a remarkable thing, for it has allowed evolution to equip organisms with a range of extraordinary capabilities in order to stay alive. Since reading 'Why Geese Don't Get Obese' by Widmaier, my interests have developed in the molecular adaptations of animals; for example, the antifreeze protein that prevents the blood of Antarctic Notothenioid fishes from turning into ice...

Psychology Personal Statement Example 11 “If she’s smart she will study Medicine.” This is an unwritten rule in my culture - all Nigerian parents want their children to become doctors. What becomes of the aspiring psychologist in the family? I met a junior doctor, at an educational conference, who wanted to specialise in psychiatry...

Biology Personal Statement Example 8 My interest in Biology started at a very young age due to spending a lot of time outdoors. I am intrigued by the functioning of living organisms and how they are all linked; one small change in one species will affect a whole range of others...

Maths and Economics Personal Statement Example 1 By skimming through a daily broadsheet or examining journals such as ‘The Economist’ it is clear to see that economic issues affect everyone both locally as well as on a global scale. However, I have been interested by Mathematics for many years and have found my enjoyment for it has increased as the depth of my understanding has grown...

English Personal Statement Example 22 What I enjoy above all else in a piece of literature is the feeling that it has brought about change, either in me or in some wider context. Literature which offers the opportunity for an adapted way of living or thinking, however slight, is I think a thing to be kept and treasured in our intellects...

English and Philosophy Personal Statement Example English has always been at the forefront of my mind, whether it be writing storybooks as a child, play-writing as a teen, or analysing literature at A Level. I enjoy the thrill of writing creatively but equally enjoy composing non-literary pieces where I can put across my views, inform or debate...

Chemistry Personal Statement Example (IB background) Few aspects of life fall outside the scope of chemistry and this is what fascinates me about this dynamic and fundamental science subject. From a young age I have enjoyed and excelled in mathematics which reflects my logical and enquiring mind...

English Literature and Creative Writing Personal Statement Example 1 I once aspired to be a visual artist, a photographer or painter. However, I later discovered the unique ability of poetry and the written word to maintain its power and resonance in a world saturated with images and messages...

Midwifery Personal Statement Example 4 From a young age I have had a desire to help and care for people. Once I was old enough to understand the uniqueness and beauty of all stages of pregnancy and birth, I knew that I wanted it to be a part of my everyday life...

Social Work Personal Statement Example 14 What can be more rewarding than finishing work, going home knowing you have made a difference in someone's life? In society we have individuals who need caring and support for them to have quality lives and be healthy beings...

English Literature and Sociology Personal Statement Example Since I have begun to study A Level English Literature, it is the way in which writers use expression within their writing to influence and manipulate the reader's emotions which has most intrigued me...

History Personal Statement Example 37 My interest in history lies in the simple fact that I have always been fascinated by the past. At eleven I won a full academic bursary to attend my current school. This was a way into a community in which my intellectual curiosity would be valued and where I could further my enthusiasm for history...

Physics Personal Statement Example 13 Attending university has been a lifelong dream of mine; ever since my childhood, I have been told that I should, and I have always agreed with the sentiment. If I were asked to pin down an exact reason, however, I would be forced to confess that I do not know - I just enjoy learning new things and exercising my mind...

Sociology Personal Statement Example 10 I have, for a long time, been interested in the inner workings of society: how and why subcultures develop. Also, how political policies shape the direction of society for years and I wonder why people act in the way they do (here, I have sympathy with Robert Owens' view that we are mostly the mere products of our environment), not only how we shape society, but how it shapes and changes us...

Chemistry Personal Statement Example 17 The realisation I wanted to study Chemistry at degree level came with my growing appreciation of its contribution and significance in shaping modern society, coupled with an increasing interest in the subject as my knowledge and understanding have developed...

Business Management Personal Statement Example 7 The role of a leader can be tough. Motivating people, supporting people, making decisions and learning from your mistakes are only just a few things you can expect from managing a team. However if you, your team members and your business prosper and succeed, it gives you a sense of achievement like no other...

English Literature & History Personal Statement Example 1 Throughout my education, I have constantly been captivated and inspired by my History and English studies. I have recognised how the two disciplines entwine and coexist to create an invaluable tool with which to explore the past and future...

Mathematics & Computer Science Personal Statement Example I have found mathematics a fascinating subject since my early years. I enjoy it as it is challenging and logical. I am particularly interested in decision mathematics as it is a field that is directly related to real-life applications of mathematics and can be used to solve problems, such as finding the optimal solution for transporting materials from one place to another while minimising the cost...

PPE/Politics and Economics Personal Statement Example 1 I have a strong interest in the close relationship between political events and economic developments, highlighted by a study of Russia in the lead up to the 1917 revolution. I was grabbed by the film adaptation of Ten Days That Shook the World, with its emphasis on its power of the masses...

Psychology Personal Statement Example 70 Quid est homo? Why do different people act dissimilarly in the same situations? Why are some people affected by mental illness (like my mother) and others are not? These and other questions have aroused my interest in the only subject that can answer these issues - psychology...

Archaeology Personal Statement Example 6 I have always enjoyed learning about different cultures and civilisations, reflected in my enduring love of history, and more recently, archaeology. Compared to modern history, archaeology carries a sense of enigma which makes it much more stimulating for an imaginative and inquisitive mind...

English Literature Personal Statement Example 20 I was once told by a writer at Bath "LitFest" that literature is "all about control". At a young age, his words seemed obscure, but years later, I am finally able to grasp his meaning. On one side of a barrier of ink and paper, a writer aims to understand and control their world, whilst a reader attempts to lose control in a boundless, imaginary world...

Mathematics Personal Statement Example 16 I have always had a passion and a thorough understanding of the subject of Mathematics. This helped me to progress academically because, unlike a lot of people, I have not had to worry about passing my GCSE Maths exams...

Law Personal Statement Example 84 The reason I want to study law, is that it has always intrigued me; there’s never been any other option for me it has always been law. I am captivated in the development of the law as it interests me the way the law is changing around the needs of civilisation...

Sociology Personal Statement Example 12 A Gospel choir tour around South Africa was the catalyst for my fascination with human culture. As I travelled I was able to directly experience a multiplicity of cultures even within this one country...

Mathematics & Physics Personal Statement Example 2 My enthusiasm for Mathematics and Physics comes from the fact that they are both used to further our understanding of the universe and have applications in all other areas of science. My main area of interest in Physics is particle physics as this tells us how fundamental parts of our universe interact with each other...

Computer Science Personal Statement Example 56 Computer Science - the most exciting insight into humanity's mission to conquer the future. It has been my favourite and most fascinating preoccupation since childhood, though back then I did not even know it...

Politics, Philosophy & Economics (PPE) Personal Statement Example 3 In this day and age virtually every aspect of our lives may be considered political. My passion to study Politics stems from this tenet and a belief that a comprehension of Politics is integral to understanding the current state of humanity...

Chemistry Personal Statement Example 18 Chemistry explores the properties of all matter and energy in our universe, which eventually leads to breakthroughs that benefit mankind, ranging from how to prevent food from decomposing to understanding what chemicals can help or harm you...

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The in's and out's of writing a personal statement

A personal statement is your opportunity to stand out from the application pile and is an essential part of many Graduate and Professional Studies applications. Sarah Bailey and Rony Daniel share their insight on writing and preparing for a personal statement.

Sarah Bailey recommends research once again! Making sure you know the details of the program you are applying to and what the institution is looking for. There may be specific volunteer or work experience they are looking for, as well as the academic qualifications. Most institutions see your academics on your transcript, so your personal statement can showcase your understanding of the program and why you choose it, your motivation to study or for a profession specifically, if applicable.

Rony Daniel from the MMPAL program of York University recommends tuning your personal statement to the individual program you are applying for. There are a lot of examples to look at, but each kind of field and program is looking for something specific. Asking yourself, how can you differentiate yourself from the traditional applicant; it could be work or volunteer experiences, it could be social or personal experiences you’ve been dealing with that make you unique in that way. A personal statement should show that past your GPA and academics.

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Personal statements

A personal statement can be included as part of your application. For some courses it forms a part of the assessment process.

Unless stated otherwise, your personal statement should be between 500 and 1,000 words. It must be in English, and be your own work. You should tell us:

• why you're interested in and suitable for the course
• about your relevant background experience
• how this course will benefit your career plans.

Departmental requirements

Details of what to include in your personal statement will be provided during the application process. To help you to prepare before you apply, you can find out about course-specific requirements below. The  course pages  will also give you some ideas about what to include in your statement.

Got a question about applying to York? Email our friendly Admissions Team for advice and support.

If you've already applied to study at York please use You@York to upload any documents. Please do not email documents to us.

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Outline the reasons why you are suited or well-qualified for this course, your motivation for applying and how you will benefit from the course. You should also add any other information that you feel will help us to assess your application.

Supply a personal statement of approximately 1,000 words which explains:

• your interest in the course
• how your previous studies or current interests intersect with the course
• why you are attracted to an interdisciplinary course
• what you expect to gain from the course.
• how your previous studies or current interests relate to the course

Provide brief details of why you are interested in the interdisciplinary study of the Renaissance and Early Modern period, and of your aspirations following the degree.

You may wish to comment on the range of modules you're interested in, and/or on prospective dissertation topics and supervisors, though this is not compulsory. You should also give details of any relevant experience beyond your academic career.

Write one to two pages about your background, why you are interested in the course you are applying to, any relevant experience you have and any other information you feel is relevant to your application.

If you are applying for the MSc in Data Science,  describe your scientific interests and experience, and explains in which field(s) you would be most interested in carrying out a research project and why.

Write a short statement detailing your motivations for studying the course, your previous experience in this area, and how you meet the entry requirements.

Course-specific requirements

• PG Cert in System Safety Engineering
• PG Dip/MSc in Safety Critical Systems Engineering

These courses are intended for students with considerable practical engineering in an industrial setting. Please highlight these elements of your experience in your personal statement.

MSc in Psychology in Education

Please enclose a personal statement with your application. This should be between 300 and 400 words in length, and cover:

• how the course you have applied for suits your needs and your academic interests
• how it fits into your future plans
• details of relevant work or voluntary experience.

MA in Social Justice and Education

Your personal statement should be between 300 and 400 words in length, and cover:

• relevant details of your academic and education background
• details of relevant activities you have undertaken, like designing teaching materials, or organising short courses
• how the course you have applied for suits your needs and what attracts you to it
• how it fits into your future plans.

All other MA courses

Your statement should be 300 to 400 words and tell us about your academic interests and your reasons for applying to the course.

Please include any additional information about your academic background, work experience and why you are applying to study for this course.

Supply a personal statement of approximately 500 to 1,000 words which explains your interest in the MA, how your previous studies or current interests intersect with the course, and what you expect to gain from the course.

MSc Sustainable Business: Leadership, Innovation and Management

Students who will be most successful on this course are those who are able to demonstrate the following skills and attitudes:

• keen to drive change towards a sustainable future
• highly motivated and independent learner
• willingness to fully engage with a range of different learning activities
• collaborative approach to working within a team
• ability to be creative and help generate solutions to real-world business challenges
• interest in developing a global perspective.

Please provide a short, 500 words, statement providing evidence to demonstrate that you have the skills and attitudes to be successful in this programme.

Provide a brief summary outlining your reasons for choosing your course.

Your personal statement should be 500-1000 words in length. Please tell us why:

• you wish to study the course
• how your previous studies and experience have prepared you for it, and
• what you hope to gain from the course.

Please also include any other information that you feel will help us to assess your application.

We are keen to hear about your academic and other experiences, which may or may not include previous study of the history of art.

You should explain your interest in the subject, which may include approaches as well as periods or artists.

Finally, explain what has attracted you to the course at York and what you would like to do here.

Your personal statement should be no more than 500 words.

Your personal statement should be 500 to 1,000 words in length.

It should include clear information about how much (if any) linguistics you have previously studied.

If you're applying to a specialist course you should explain why you have chosen this course, and why you believe that your background is suitable.

MA in Interpreting, Translation and Applied Technologies

Your application should include a 500-700 words personal statement describing your background, relevant information about your language background, relevant personal, academic and/or professional experience, and why you want to study this programme. At the top of your statement, you should specify the languages in your language combination with which you intend to study.

A personal statement of no more than 500 words should be submitted, explaining why you want to study for this course at York.

Your statement should be no longer than 500 words. It should include:

• an explanation of why you want to study the course
• a discussion of any previous work experience which may be relevant to this course
• what you hope to do with your Masters degree upon completion.
• MSc in Clinical Anatomy
• MSc in Clinical Anatomy and Education
• MSc in Pharmacology and Drug Development

Your personal statement include information about your academic background, relevant experience and motivation for undertaking the course.

MSc in Physician Associate Studies

Detail your previous grounding in Chemistry, either through your degree or A Levels, and explore your motivation to undertake the role of a professional Physician Associate.

All other courses

A personal statement should demonstrate your motivation for undertaking the course at Hull York Medical School. You should provide information about your academic or clinical background and your current clinical role if applicable.

Your personal statement should be as specific as possible, telling us for example:

• what engages you academically about the middle ages
• what are the main questions or scholars that inspire you

You might also draw our attention to anything else that might demonstrate your commitment to study (work experience, relevant extracurricular activities) and any additional skills or abilities (for example, language skills).

Please tell us in your personal statement about your music studies/experience to date, your plans for the future, and why you think the course is the right choice for you.

Outline the reasons why you are suited or well-qualified for this course, your motivation for applying, how you will benefit from the course and what you hope to bring to the research group. You should also add any other information that you feel will help us to assess your application.

The statement should be 500 to 1000 words in length, in English, and your own words.

Your personal statement must demonstrate your enthusiasm for the course you're applying to. For example, you might explain your intellectual passion for the subject, or show your interest through discussing practical or work experience you may have gained.

MSc courses

Supply a one to two-page statement describing:

• why you would like to take this course
• your relevant background experience and training
• your plans for the future.

Your personal statement must demonstrate your enthusiasm for the course you are applying to. For example, you might explain your intellectual passion for the subject, or show your interest through discussing practical or work experience you may have gained.

MSc Social Media and Management and MSc Social Media and Interactive Technologies

In your personal statement you should use the course information available and tell us what you hope to learn and where the degree will lead to after graduation.

MA in Film and Television Production with Sound

Please provide a personal statement in the form of a recorded video 'self tape' lasting no more than four minutes, with you directly answering these questions:

• What is it about sound for Film and Television that interests you?
• What filmmaking experience do you have working in sound?
• What qualities do you possess that you feel would make you a good sound engineer?
• Why do you want to come to study the MA with Sound at York?

Your self-tape must be presented in one unedited piece to camera, and show your face clearly in a suitable, balanced mid-shot or medium close-up frame. The quality of the sound, camera or lighting is not important, provided we can hear and see you at all times, but you may wish to use this as an opportunity to demonstrate your creative and technical skills in sound as part of this submission. Again, the quality of the edit is not important, but your answers to the questions asked are.

Your self-tape can be provided as one of the weblinks alongside your project examples in the written portfolio PDF or Word document (see other application requirements), or you can provide a link to the self-tape in a separate PDF or Word document if preferred.

MA in Film and Television Production with Editing

• What is it about editing for Film and Television that interests you?
• What filmmaking experience do you have working in editing?
• What qualities do you possess that you feel would make you a good editor?
• Why do you want to come to study the MA with Editing at York?

Your self-tape must be presented in one unedited piece to camera, and show your face clearly in a suitable, balanced mid-shot or medium close-up frame. The quality of the sound, camera or lighting is not important, provided we can hear and see you at all times, but you may wish to use this as an opportunity to demonstrate your creative and technical skills in editing as part of this submission. Again, the quality of the edit is not important, but your answers to the questions asked are.

MA in Film and Television Production with Cinematography

• What is it about cinematography that interests you?
• What filmmaking experience do you have working in cinematography?
• What qualities do you possess that you feel would make you a good cinematographer?
• Why do you want to come to study the MA with Cinematography at York?

Your self-tape must be presented in one unedited piece to camera and show your face clearly in a suitable, balanced mid-shot or medium close-up frame. The quality of the sound, camera or lighting is not important, provided we can hear and see you at all times, but you may wish to use this as an opportunity to demonstrate your creative and technical skills in cinematography as part of this submission. Again, the quality of the edit is not important, but your answers to the questions asked are.

MA in Film and Television Production with Producing

• What is it about producing for Film and Television that interests you?
• What filmmaking experience do you have working in production?
• What qualities do you possess that you feel would make you a good producer?
• Why do you want to come to study the MA with Producing at York?

Your self-tape must be presented in one unedited piece to camera, and show your face clearly in a suitable, balanced mid-shot or medium close-up frame. The quality of the sound, camera or lighting is not important, provided we can hear and see you at all times, but you may wish to use this as an opportunity to demonstrate your production skills as part of this submission. Again, the quality of the edit is not important, but your answers to the questions asked are.

MA in Film and Television Production with Directing

• What is it about directing for Film and Television that interests you?
• What filmmaking experience do you have working as a director?
• What qualities do you possess that you feel would make you a good director?
• Why do you want to come to study the MA with Directing at York?

Your self-tape must be presented in one unedited piece to camera, and show your face clearly in a suitable, balanced mid-shot or medium close-up frame. The quality of the sound, camera or lighting is not important, provided we can hear and see you at all times, but you may wish to use this as an opportunity to demonstrate your creative and technical skills in directing. Again, the quality of the edit is not important, but your answers to the questions asked are.

MSc in Digital Design

Please tell us why you are interested in design and the MSc in Digital Design and how this degree might support your career aspirations. Please also include and explain an example of something related to design that you’ve either been involved in, or an existing digital design product or service that you feel is particularly interesting or significant.

Kamala Harris’ purported Irish ancestry highlights complicated backstory of identity and enslavement

Director of Ireland's Great Hunger Institute, Quinnipiac University

Associate Professor of Sociology, New York University

Assistant Professor of History, Mary Immaculate College

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The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Quinnipiac University provides funding as a member of The Conversation US.

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When Barack Obama was elected president, the people of Moneygall in Ireland celebrated . Birthplace of Obama’s great-great-great-grandfather on his white mother’s side, the village commemorated the victory – and a later visit from the 44th president – with pints of Guinness and a kitschy trade in “O'Bama” memorabilia .

In contrast, the response in Ballymoney to claims of Irish ancestral ties for a would-be U.S. president has been more muted.

In 2018, the Black father of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, the Jamaican-born professor Donald Harris, wrote that the family was descended from white enslaver Hamilton Brown. Brown was born in Ireland in 1776 before moving to the then-British colony of Jamaica.

If Donald Harris’ account of his family history is correct, it is likely that, as was true with American abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass , the Black mother in question – and Harris’ ancestor – was a woman on one of Brown’s plantations. In such cases, mothers and children were often separated shortly after birth.

The ramifications of Harris’ Irish links have mostly been greeted with shame or silence in Ireland.

Some commentators in the U.S. have construed the alleged Irish link to suggest that the Democrat’s family “owned slaves” – the insinuation seemingly being that Harris’ ancestry means she is a beneficiary of the system . Such allegations, of course, negate the fact that most offspring of plantation owners and enslaved women were the product of rape . Even if consensual, the idea that Black offspring of a white plantation owner benefited from slavery is, of course, nonsense.

While the full story of Harris’ Jamaican and Irish roots may never be known, the ancestral claims nonetheless allow scholars of Black American and Irish history like us a moment to reexamine Ireland’s multilayered historical identity.

Colonized and colonizers

Referred to as England’s “first colony,” Ireland held an anomalous position in the empire. At the same time as being at the forefront of opposing British colonialism at home, many Irish people also played an active role in the British imperial project, a colony-building exercise that involved the subjugation and enslavement of nonwhite peoples around the world.

The work of scholars, including Barbadian historian Sir Hilary Beckles , has highlighted the Irish experience in the Caribbean from the foundations of British incursions there commencing in the early 17th century. They have shown how foundational the Irish presence was in various slave societies in the developing of race hierarchies.

In a desperate search for labor and profit, British sugar planters created indentures, or contracts, of four to seven years for white servants, bringing thousands of Irish poor to the Caribbean. At the same time, the planters also imported enslaved Africans.

The latter were preferred, as they became workers for life. As societies in the Caribbean developed, and indentures came to an end, the Irish generally found themselves benefiting from the racial hierarchies that evolved. To be sure, most remained poor while fanning out across the Caribbean island in search of work, and they lacked meaningful political power relative to the British ruling elite. But they had their freedom.

Contested terrain of Irish identity

The history of the Irish people is understandably dominated by narratives of British colonization and cultural suppression and the Irish freedom struggle . But a more nuanced conversation reveals the ways in which Ireland was drawn into some of the dark recesses of modern history.

And it is here we find Hamilton Brown , Harris’ alleged slave-owning ancestor who poses another challenge when it comes to understanding Irish identity.

Brown was born in County Antrim, which today forms part of Northern Ireland and is part of the United Kingdom. His own ancestors would have been participants in a colonial project known as the “Plantation of Ulster” in the early 17th century that displaced the native Irish and replaced them with settlers, mostly from Scotland.

For British imperial authorities, the northern part of Ireland was always considered the most troublesome, so replacing the Catholic natives with Protestants from Britain was seen as a way to make the country more governable.

In all likelihood, the Anglican Brown family did not identify as being Irish at all. When thousands of these settlers moved west to the Americas in the 1700s, they would subsequently describe themselves as Scotch-Irish .

In Jamaica, Brown made his fortune as a lawyer and an enslaver in St. Ann’s Parish, which he later renamed Brown’s Town .

Brown was an outspoken supporter of whipping and the forced separation of enslaved families. He was also an entrenched critic of the abolition movement, even accusing leading British abolitionist William Wilberforce of having “a cloven hoof.”

When Britain officially outlawed slavery in 1834, there were 1,200 enslaved people working on Brown’s mainly sugar plantations, for whom he received over 12,000 pounds in compensation – more than US$12 million in today’s money.

Hidden figures

As the British empire expanded, Ireland found itself in the paradoxical role of being both colonized and colonizer, the latter arising from the country providing the manpower for the British army, the civil service and other parts of the imperial infrastructure. Endemic poverty and intermittent famines in Ireland drove the people to seek opportunities elsewhere, where they found themselves at the bottom of the economic ladder and despised for their immigrant status. Nonetheless, they had the right to move, marry freely and receive an education – unlike those who were enslaved.

Such a bifurcated history complicates the narrative surrounding Irish history and identity, as well as the way we talk about Obama’s and Harris’ ancestors. Moreover, the hidden figures in these contested histories are often the enslaved women, who were frequently victims of nonconsensual sex, but whose children and descendants form a kind of Black Irish diaspora, the extent and significance of which scholars are only now beginning to uncover.

Recent initiatives in Ireland, Britain and the United States have started to proactively build community across the more diverse aspects of the Irish diaspora. Engagement and reflection on the complicated ways people come to a connection with Ireland is a pivotal part of the process.

How present resonates with past

While the truth of Harris’ ancestor may be hard to ever fully pin down, her potential Irish origins may in any case align more with that of former first lady Michelle Obama rather than that of President Obama. As Rachel Swarns revealed in her book “ American Tapestry ,” Michelle Obama is similarly linked to Ireland via a slave owner .

There has long been a symbiotic relationship between Ireland and American presidents.

If Harris is elected this fall, and assuming her genealogical link to County Antrim is correct, she would become the 24th American president of Irish heritage .

But her links are different in nature from those previous presidents and, as such, do not evoke the joy in Ireland that greeted the discovery of Obama’s roots or the electrifying visit of another Irish American President , John F. Kennedy, 60-odd years ago.

Nor are we to expect the same fondness President Joe Biden has displayed in regard to his own Irish heritage.

But whatever the circumstances, acknowledging Harris’ potential Irish and Scottish roots – alongside her Jamaican, African and Indian heritage – allows us a way into thinking about the complexities of history and their resonance in the present.

• Barack Obama
• Northern Ireland
• Colonialism
• British Empire
• Kamala Harris
• Presidential elections
• Colonial history
• Irish history
• John F. Kennedy
• 2024 US elections

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