Internships
This page consists of internship opportunities that may be of interest to our students. The Department of Political Science does not represent any of the internship or field experience placement sites below, with the exception of the Undergraduate Summer Research Internship (USRI). The postings contain information created and maintained solely by other public and private organizations. Please contact the agencies directly if you have any questions about the information found on this page. For more information on internships at Western, please refer to the Student Success Centre website.
For ease of use, this page has been divided into sections. To navigate between sections, click on the links below:
- Undergraduate Summer Research Internship (USRI) Program
- Funded Internships/Paid Positions
- Unpaid Internships
- Volunteer Opportunities
Undergraduate Summer Research Internship (USRI) Program
Learn about the Department's Undergraduate Summer Research Internship (USRI) Program from past interns:
Intern |
Research |
Biography |
Testimonial |
|
Katie Campbell |
Through the analysis of third-party reports and academic literature, Katie conducted research on third-party election spending in Canada under the supervision of Professor de Clercy and Valere Gaspard, a Research Fellow at the Leadership & Democracy Lab. |
Katie is a fourth-year Honours Political Science student. Her academic interests include issues facing Canadian politics. Currently, Katie is a Student Director at the Leadership & Democracy Lab at Western and will be working with the Consortium on Electoral Democracy this fall. |
"The USRI program has enabled me to foster foundational research skills that has further developed my critical thinking skills as well as my personal interest in Canadian elections and electoral spending." - Katie Campbell |
|
Andrei Chen |
Andrei examined the role of ideology in the 2022 Conservative Leadership Race under the supervision of Professor Harmes. The aim of this project was to determine the extent to which ideology helps to explain candidate positioning and coalition building. |
Andrei is a fourth-year undergraduate student pursuing an Honours Double Major degree in Political Science and Economics. He is the Senior Editor of the Western Undergraduate Economics Review and a Team Leader in the Leadership & Democracy Lab. |
"USRI has been an invaluable learning experience for me. The abundance of professional development opportunities and program support have further enhanced the USRI experience." - Andrei Chen |
|
Cynthia Huo |
Cynthia conducted research on Indigenous-local water sharing agreements under the supervision of Professor Alcantara. Her co-authored article entitled "Overcoming barriers to Indigenous-local water sharing agreements in Canada" has been published in Canadian Public Administration. |
Cynthia is a fourth-year undergraduate student pursuing an Honours Specialization degree in Political Science and a Minor in Economics. She is currently VP Events in Western's Political Science Association. |
"As someone planning to pursue graduate studies in political science, I am incredibly fortunate to have been able to develop skills through the USRI program that will benefit me in my academic career and beyond." - Cynthia Huo |
|
Abigail Sobin |
Under the supervision of Professor Biswas Mellamphy, Abigail created The Feminist Thinkers Database to showcase the development and progression of women's rights and popular feminist discourse. The database will be used as a teaching tool for POL 3207G: Women, Sex, and Politics. |
Abigail Sobin is a fourth-year undergraduate student pursuing an Honours Specialization in International Relations and a Minor in Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction. |
"Being involved in the USRI program has given me invaluable information on the publishing process. I recommend that every student participates in the USRI program if given the opportunity!" - Abigail Sobin |
Faculty Supervisor Testimonials
Read testimonials from faculty supervisors of the Undergraduate Summer Research Internship (USRI) program:
Professor Alcantara
"The USRI program is crucial to producing new and cutting-edge research in political science at Western. Faculty rely on undergraduate student interns to complete lit reviews, collect and analyze data, and sometimes write up results. Interns come away from the experience with practical research skills learned from faculty members and an array of research workshops offered by the university and sometimes co-authored academic journal articles with faculty."
Professor Harmes
"The USRI summer internship is a terrific program. It provides students with excellent research training and experience as well as funding. Faculty supervisors also benefit from having a dedicated research assistant over the summer months. My intern did excellent work and I have hired him from my own research funds to complete the project and work towards a co-authored publication. I would definitely participate in the program again."
Professor Horak
"The USRI program is a valuable opportunity for students and supervisors alike. This summer, I've had the pleasure of working with a talented and motivated undergraduate Research Intern, Amanda Gutzke - who has assisted me with research on migration from Toronto to rural areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other things, my USRI intern has analyzed census data, conducted semi-structured interviews with policy-makers, and coded and analyzed interview transcripts using NVivo software. The USRI program itself supports students with an excellent series of professional development workshops and gives students the opportunity to prepare a capstone product from their work and share it with their peers. USRI Interns get a unique inside perspective on how academic research works. They learn valuable skills and develop relationships with mentors and peers that will serve them well in the future. I strongly recommend the program for any undergraduate student who is interested in an intensive opportunity to develop their research skills."
Funded Internships/Paid Positions
Unpaid Internships
Volunteer Opportunities
| Amnesty International Canada | Heritage Toronto |
| Canadian Crossroads International | Oxfam Canada |
| Canadian Feed the Children | UNICEF Canada |
| CUSO-VSO, International Volunteer Program | War Child Canada |
