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About

Peter Graefe
Department of Political Science Chair & Professor

Message from the Chair

Welcome to the Department of Political Science!

When I ask students about what sparked their interest in political science, their answers are often the same as mine. They saw something in the world and they said, “that’s not fair” or “that’s not right” or “how could we do better?” From there, they want to understand the forces that have produced our world, the powers that maintain the status quo, and the paths to making change.

Through its teaching and research, the Department engages with these questions of power and change, over a wide array of topics and employing many competing perspectives. Whether its war, climate emergency, elections, misinformation, health or poverty, if it’s a political question, chances are there is someone in our department who is on top of it. Take a look at the news and the faculty profiles on our website and see for yourself all the ways that we are engaged.

The Department offers programs at all levels of study.

Our undergraduate programs have been transformed in recent years. We have added options like a co-op program and specializations in Global Citizenship and Public Law and Judicial Studies to provide additional opportunities to apply classroom learning or to deepen their engagement with topics of personal interest. Our teaching has always had the objective of giving our graduates a sophisticated and critical understanding of politics, and this has been augmented with more explicit attention to developing in-demand skills in teamwork, strategy, organization, communication, and data analysis.

Students looking to perfect their analytical and research skills should consider our graduate program. We are a research-intensive department that emphasizes exposure to a diversity of theoretical perspectives and the development of methodological and analytical rigour. Our department is an ideal size for graduate students: we are large enough to cover the discipline, but small enough for close student-instructor contact and meaningful peer-to-peer learning. We offer a Masters in Global Politics that is unique in Canada, as well as a Masters of Political Science that covers studies of public policy, comparative politics, political theory and Canadian politics. Our PhD program made its reputation for its emphases on International Relations and Comparative Public Policy, but is now open to all fields.

Please get to know us better by looking through our website. We are enthusiastic to share our passion for studying politics, and hope to hear from you!

Peter Graefe, Department of Political Science Chair & Professor

Our Location

Department of Political Science
Kenneth Taylor Hall, 527
1280 Main Street West
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
L8S 4M4

Campus Map & Driving Directions

Contact Information

General Inquiries
Phone: 905-525-9140, 24741
Email: polisci@mcmaster.ca

Undergraduate Student Advisor
Dr. Nibaldo Galleguillos
Email: gallegui@mcmaster.ca

Office Hours

Our office is now open Monday – Friday, 9:00AM – 4:00PM (closed daily 12:00PM – 1:00PM).

If possible, please send any inquiries via email. Voicemails will be reviewed occasionally.

Administrative Contacts

Peter Graefe Learn More

Chair, Professor
Kenneth Taylor Hall (KTH) 527
Phone: (905) 525-9140 ext. 27716 
Email: graefep@mcmaster.ca   

Netina Tan Learn More

Graduate Chair, Professor
Kenneth Taylor Hall (KTH) 507 
Phone: (905) 525-9140 ext. 24742
Email: netina@mcmaster.ca

Todd Alway Learn More

Undergraduate Chair, Professor
Kenneth Taylor Hall (KTH) 538
Phone: (905) 525-9140 ext. 23886
Email: alwayto@mcmaster.ca  

Wendy Ryckman

Academic Department Manager
Kenneth Taylor Hall (KTH) 532
Phone: (905) 525-9140 ext. 24420
Email: ryckman@mcmaster.ca  

Manuela Dozzi

Graduate Administrative Assistant
Kenneth Taylor Hall (KTH) 527
Phone: (905) 525-9140 ext. 24742
Email: dozzim@mcmaster.ca  

Sara Binnie

Undergraduate Administrative Assistant
Kenneth Taylor Hall (KTH) 527
Phone: (905) 525-9140 ext. 24741
Email: binnies@mcmaster.ca  

Associated Groups

McMaster Political Science Students Association Visit the MPPSA Facebook Page

The McMaster Political Science Students Association (MPSSA) is a student-run club directed at undergraduate students who have chosen to pursue the discipline of Political Science and who wish to engage in activities related to their academic and future careers outside of the lecture hall.

Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis Visit the Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis Website

A world-class interdisciplinary health research centre that fosters excellence in acquiring, producing and communicating socially relevant knowledge in the fields of health economics and health policy analysis to inform fair and sustainable health and social systems.

Institute on Globalization and the Human Condition Visit the Institute on Globalization and the Human Condition Website

The Institute on Globalization and the Human Condition plays a crucial role in promoting research and teaching on global and international issues and themes.

Spark: a centre for social research innovation Visit the Spark Website

Spark connects researchers to the people, skills and tools needed to stand at the forefront of social research innovation.