Seth Wright

mrsethwright@gmail.com
July 23, 2016
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing to express my interest in obtaining a position within your organization. I
obtained my PhD in Sociology from the University of Arizona in 2015, and have been
teaching full-time for the last four years. I believe that my teaching, service, and
administrative experience makes me a strong candidate for a position within your
institution.
As my curriculum vitae highlights, I have had substantial experience teaching a variety
of courses. In addition to my experience with core sociology courses such as research
methods, I have taught a number of lower- and upper-division electives (including
deviance and criminology). My teaching experience includes employment at a
community college, private liberal arts college, and multiple large public universities. I
am familiar with a number of learning management systems including D2L and
Blackboard, and have taught extensively online. As such, I have experience with a
variety of teaching settings and formats.
My current position is with the Continuing Education division at the University of
Colorado Boulder. Approximately half of my workload consists of teaching
undergraduate courses in sociology. The remaining half of my responsibilities relate to
my position as a liaison between Continuing Education and the Sociology department,
such as supervising and assessing part-time sociology instructors. My previous position
was with Northern Arizona Universitys branch campus in Yuma, AZ. In 2013, I was
hired concurrent with the establishment of an online sociology degree offered through
NAUs Extended Campuses division. This program is specifically oriented towards
community college transfer students, so my work focused on creating educational
opportunities for non-traditional students during the three years I held that position. In
addition to being the primary instructor for the program, I contributed to the
development of instructor evaluation policies and provided regular input during the
scheduling of courses each semester.
My dissertation research was in the field of social psychology, specifically group
processes. Using experimental methods, I developed and tested an integration of the
Stereotype Content Model (SCM) from cognitive psychology with Status Characteristics
Theory (SCT) in group processes. The SCM suggests that perceptions of warmth and
competence form the core of social evaluations. SCT shows how cultural values and
beliefs affect the distribution of power and prestige behavior in small groups. By
combining these theories, I presented a more complete model of the cognitive processes
that stereotypes activate and how the resultant expectations affect small group
dynamics. As a microsociologist, I find that theories of small group interaction such as
described in my research can provide a widely relatable starting point for thinking about
larger social issues in the classroom.

More recently, due to my experiences teaching online courses, my research interests

have shifted towards student retention and distance education. For example, my
colleague in the online psychology program at Northern Arizona University and I have
collaborated on a number of presentations (and are currently collecting data) related to
best practices in online instruction, specifically as it relates to non-traditional students.
As my research interests suggest, I believe the use of technology is becoming
increasingly important in higher education. The internet is a repository of an incredible
amount of sociological material, which can bring life to various sociological topics. By
presenting relevant media in multiple formats, students with various learning styles and
abilities can more easily relate to the course material. In addition, many of my students
grew up using computers; utilizing online teaching tools allows students to use the
internet to download readings, take quizzes, upload writing assignments, and monitor
their grade. The increase in online courses and programs also creates new opportunities
for place-bound and distance learners. I see technology as a way to facilitate the
realization of my teaching philosophy, and attempt to stay abreast of new and
innovative developments in the use of computers and online environments.
As a sociologist with years of teaching experience and administrative responsibilities, I
believe I would have much to contribute to your organization. For additional
information about my credentials, please refer to my curriculum vitae. If you have any
questions, please to not hesitate to contact me at mrsethwright@gmail.com. I look
forward to hearing from you, and hope very much that you will give me the opportunity
to interview with you.

Sincerely,
Seth Wright