Departmental Guidelines for Requesting Letters of Recommendation From
Sociology, Anthropology, and Geography Faculty
You must supply your referee with the following:
- A copy of your curriculum vitae (resume) and/or RAP sheet.
- Your SSN (so that the faculty member can access your RAP sheet online).
- A description of the scholarship, job, or graduate program that you are applying to. Please specify what tasks you are expected to perform or program you are applying to.
- Hard copy for any required forms, and the address of the agency or department that you are applying to (and, if possible, the name and title of the person and/or committee that is in charge of making selection decisions), written on an appropriate envelope with postage already attached.
- The deadline that the letter is required.
- Information on how you want this letter sent: will you pick it up or should the Department mail it?
- Optional: a list or summary of things that you have done in the Department or local community that are of relevance (be specific—give titles, descriptions, and dates of papers, presentations, theses, internships, travel abroad, student recognition awards, area organizations, school activities, and other evidence of your active involvement in the University, Department, or community)
- Please note: as a general rule, faculty members in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Geography only write confidential letters of recommendation. This means that all letters are sealed and sent directly to the graduate school or job that you have applied to, or else sealed and the envelope signed before giving it to you, as required by some graduate schools. This is no reflection on the content of the letter or your value as a student; it is simply a standard policy that this department has adopted. Furthermore, it is strongly recommended that you waive the right to view these letters of recommendation. Non-confidential letters are not taken as seriously as confidential letters, and committees prefer an open and frank assessment of their candidates.
- You must give the faculty member at least two weeks to write this letter, preferably three. If the letter is of extreme importance to you, we suggest that you Email the faculty member a reminder one day before it is to be sent off (Tom-Buchanan@utc.edu, Obi-Ebbe@utc.edu, P-Geevarghese@utc.edu, Zibin-Guo@utc.edu, Nick-Honerkamp@utc.edu, Craig-Laing@utc.edu, Terri-LeMoyne@utc.edu, Barbara-Medley@utc.edu, Lyn-Miles@utc.edu Alice-Tym@utc.edu, Shela-VanNess@utc.edu,TomB@mail.hamiltonTN.gov)
- Please note: as a general rule, faculty members in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Geography only write confidential letters of recommendation. This means that all letters are sealed and sent directly to the graduate school or job that you have applied to, or else sealed and the envelope signed before giving it to you, as required by some graduate schools. This is no reflection on the content of the letter or your value as a student; it is simply a standard policy that this department has adopted. Furthermore, it is strongly recommended that you waive the right to view these letters of recommendation. Non-confidential letters are not taken as seriously as confidential letters, and committees prefer an open and frank assessment of their candidates.
