SPOTLIGHT ON POLITICAL SCIENCE
Political Science is the systematic study of power, authority and governance. How we identify and think of ourselves, the activities we are permitted and encouraged to participate in, and how resources are allocated throughout society all flow from our political decisions. Political Science at UWinnipeg offers a vibrant atmosphere of intellectual discussion and investigation. Students choose from a wide variety of courses within the following five streams: Global Politics; Political Thought; Law, Public Administration, and Public Policy; Canadian and Comparative Politics; City and Community Politics.
Tanya Narozhna photo by UWinnipeg staff
PROFESSOR – Dr. Tanya Narozhna – Refuting Deadly Stereotypes
We increasingly read grim news stories from around the world involving female suicide bombers. We often assume these women have been victimized, based on our gender stereotypes of women as nurturing, maternal, and peaceful.
Dr. Tanya Narozhna, Associate Professor of political science, has conducted research that examines 300 female suicide bombers dating back to the 1980s. She looks at how our understanding is coloured through the lens of gender stereotypes.
“There is an assumption that men kill for politics and women for personal reasons, but in fact females can also act violently in deliberate pursuit of political goals.”
Dr. Narozhna’s area of specialty is security in global politics. Her book, co-authored with W. Andy Knight (University of Alberta), is entitled Female Suicide Bombers – A Critical Gender Approach. It will be released in August 2016.
STUDENT – Adrienne Tessier – Understanding Power
Adrienne Tessier has always been deeply interested in current events and harbours a love of history —specifically, how people make decisions over time and who has the power to make those decisions.
Adrienne Tessier photo by UWinnipeg staff
Now in her third year of Political Science (Honours), she intends to go to law school after she graduates. Tessier says she wants to help people have a voice, and she has been gaining invaluable experience as a director with the Youth Parliament of Manitoba.
“It is amazing to see a young person blossom and deliver a speech in the Legislature. Youth Parliament is a place where young people find their voice,” she explains.
Tessier says she particularly enjoys the intimacy and connectedness that stem from the smaller community atmosphere at UWinnipeg: “I can walk into the cafeteria and have lunch with someone. You are not anonymous here.”
Laura Lumsden photo supplied
GRADUATE – Laura Lumsden – Working in the Foreign Service
Laura Lumsden is a foreign service officer, posted to the Embassy of Canada in Washington, D.C. In her current assignment, she helps to advance Canadian interests in the U.S. on trade and border issues.
“It is both incredibly challenging and rewarding work. I always wanted to live abroad and I have a drive for public service, so this is a perfect fit.”
Previously, she was posted in Moscow for three years promoting Canadian commercial interests.
Lumsden landed her dream job in 2007 after graduating with a BA in Politics (Honours). She picked up information at a recruiting booth on UWinnipeg’s campus and successfully passed the foreign service exams.
“I feel I was well prepared at UWinnipeg, and my education was genuinely applicable to my career. I had the great fortune to have well-versed and intellectually rigorous professors who were accessible and knew me by name.”
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