On May 23rd, we celebrated our graduate and undergraduate award winners from the Class of 2024 during a special ceremony at the Arts Student Centre!
Each of these students excelled in Political Science during their degrees and these awards recognize and celebrate their achievements.
Graduate Awards
W.J. Stankiewicz Memorial Prize
First Place: Martina Zago
Martina Zago would like to thank the Political Theory Committee for selecting her essay. Martina is currently revising the piece for submission to a major academic journal, which she hopes to do by next month. One aim of the manuscript is to illustrate how artists and their art can serve as an underexplored source of political thought, including novel and imaginative critical thought, which deserves much greater attention from scholars. This is also the aim of her doctoral dissertation. Martina is honoured to receive this and would like to warmly thank the committee again for selecting her paper for a W.J. Stankiewicz Memorial Prize!
Second Place: Kelsey Brady
A $2,000 prize has been endowed by Professor Marketa Goetz-Stankiewicz in memory of her husband, the political philosopher Dr. W.J. Stankiewicz, to recognize outstanding work in the area of political theory by a graduate student in the Department of Political Science. Although it is preferred that only one prize be awarded annually, the award may be split between two recipients at the discretion of the Department Head in years when two candidates of equal achievement are nominated. The award is made on the recommendation of the Department.
Undergraduate Prizes
Arnold Webster Memorial Scholarship
Winner: Michael Claassen
Michael graduates with a major in political science. He receives this award based on his exceptional performance throughout his time at UBC, including a remarkable average of 90.3% in his courses this past year.
This coming year Michael will be starting his Master’s in Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary in preparation for a future career in the Canadian Armed Forces. He thoroughly enjoyed all his courses at UBC, the professors were very devoted to their subject matter and enjoyed teaching which greatly improved the quality and enjoyment of his degree. Michael wanted to extend his thanks to the entire Department of Political Science for their commitment to education and helping students in any way possible.
A $500 scholarship has been endowed by Mrs. Daisy Webster in memory of her husband, Arnold A. Webster, B.A. '22, M.A. '28 who as a teacher and principal in the Vancouver Secondary School system also served on the UBC Senate and as a commissioner on the Vancouver Parks Board. He served as Leader of the Official Opposition in the B.C. Legislature and as a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons. The scholarship is made on the recommendation of the Department of Political Science to an outstanding student in that department.
Walter D. Young Prize
Winner: Areesa Lalani
Areesa receives this award as one of our best students in Canadian politics. She earned a very high average grade in her upper-level Canadian politics courses.
Areesa is graduating with a Major in Political Science. In September, she will be starting her Master’s in Public Policy in Ottawa.
As a memorial to Professor Walter D. Young, a distinguished teacher, scholar, alumnus, and participant in the university community, his friends and colleagues have endowed a prize of $250 to be awarded to the best student in Canadian politics. The award is made on the recommendation of the Department of Political Science.
Stewart L. Chambers Memorial Prize (Essay Prize)
Winner: Siavash Salamatian
Siavash receives this award for the best essay on Canadian government and politics for his Honours thesis titled “A typical Canadian Constitutional story: The mechanization of the notwithstanding clause as a tool for decentralization.”
He compiled elite discourse on the notwithstanding clause in the Canadian constitution and public opinion data to explain how the public will tolerate its use, particularly to defend provincial interests.
Starting in August 2024, Siavash will begin work in Ottawa as a ministerial advisor to the federal Minister of Energy and Natural Resources before attending McGill law in September 2025.
A $450 prize has been endowed in memory of Stewart L. Chambers, LL.B., M.C., a member of the university’s first graduating class in Law, whose life-long avocation was Canadian politics. The prize is made on the recommendation of the Department of Political Science, to the undergraduate student submitting the best essay in a course on Canadian government and politics. The award may be withheld if no suitable essay is submitted.
Kevin Wells Prize
Winner: Maya Buchanan
Maya graduates with a Major in Political Science. The Kevin Wells Prize recognizes her outstanding work in Canadian politics courses and community service including considerable volunteer work both on and off campus.
Maya has excelled academically and she has also demonstrated leadership in the Political Science Students’ Association, as a Student Directed Seminar co-coordinator, and as a Teaching Assistant in the Department. Next up for Maya is a Master’s in Political Science at the University of Toronto with a SSHRC fellowship.
A $400 prize has been endowed by friends to honour the memory of Kevin Wells, a UBC student in political science who died prematurely in 1981. The prize is awarded on the recommendation of the Department of Political Science to a student studying Canadian politics who best combines academic achievement and community service.
Claire Goddard Memorial Prize
Winner: Logane Rolland
Logane Rolland, an Honours in Political Science and International Relations student, receives the Claire Goddard Prize for the best work submitted on the politics of the Australasian region.
Logane is also the winner of the Carolyn Atwell Memorial Prize, a $150 prize endowed by friends to honour the memory of Carolyn Atwell, a UBC student in Honours Political Science who died in 1990. The prize is awarded on the recommendation of Department of Political Science to a student submitting the best essay on some aspect of third world development in a Political Science course.
The title of Logane’s undergraduate thesis is “Charting Climate Discourses: The Power of Ideas and the Role of Small Island Developing States in Crafting the 1.5°C Norm in International Climate Negotiations”.
In her thesis, she draws on norm diffusion literature and frame theory to examine how small island developing states played a crucial role in advocating for the 1.5°C global warming limit in the 2015 Paris Agreement. Next for Logane is a Master’s degree in European Affairs in New York and London to pursue research on the role of small European countries in global climate governance.
A $850 prize has been endowed in memory of Claire Goddard. The award is made on the recommendation of the Department of Political Science, for the best in-class essay, submitted in any course in Political Science, on the subject of Australasian affairs.
Robert Lorne Stanfield Prize in Political Science
Winner: Priscilla Ng
Priscilla graduates with a Major in Political Science and a Minor in International Relations. After graduating, Priscilla is to join the 2025 B.C. Legislative Internship Program as 1 of 12 interns selected this coming year. Following that, Priscilla will return to UBC for law school.
A prize of the value of $200 is awarded on the recommendation of the Department of Political Science to a student with an outstanding record in this field of study. This award has been endowed by individual donors on the occasion of Mr. Stanfield's first official visit to British Columbia as Leader of the Opposition.
Prem Goel Prize in Political Science
Winner: Qiu Guan
Qiu receives the Prem Goel Prize in Political Science for her outstanding work in our courses with an exceptionally high-grade point average. She graduates with an Honours degree in Political Science.
Qiu wrote her undergraduate Honours thesis on how Orientalism applies to discourses on modern China, drawing from the works of Edward Said and Michel Foucault. In her time at UBC, she has been particularly interested in courses related to critical theory.
A $500 prize has been made available annually through a gift from the Goel Family in memory of the victims of the Jewish Holocaust for an outstanding graduating undergraduate or graduate student in the Department of Political Science. The Prize is made on the recommendation of the Department of Political Science.
Professor Jean Laponce Memorial Prize in Political Science
Winner: Micah Matsuno
Micah receives the Professor Jean Laponce Memorial Prize in Political Science for the best undergraduate Honours thesis.
Micah’s thesis is titled “Dasein Beyond Humanity: A Heideggerian Justice for Non-Human Animals,” and critically reevaluates Martin Heidegger’s concept of Dasein to include non-human animals, challenging the deep-seated anthropocentrism in contemporary philosophical and political theories. This work argues for a model of interspecies justice that recognizes non-human animals as active participants in their existential projects, advocating for ethical frameworks that respect the authentic modes of being of all sentient creatures.
Looking ahead, Micah is eager to pursue a graduate degree in the areas of political philosophy and phenomenology.
A $1,350 prize has been made available through an endowment established by friends and family in memory of Professor Jean Laponce to an undergraduate honours student in the Department of Political Science who presents the best thesis. Professor Emeritus Jean Laponce joined UBC in 1956 as the university's first full-time political scientist. He directed the UBC political science honours program and left an indelible mark not only on the university, but also on the broader political science community. UBC awarded Professor Laponce with an honorary degree (LL.D. honoris causa) in recognition of his long service. The award is made on the recommendation of the Department of Political Science.
Department of Political Science Scholarships
Winners: Chloe Kang, Nazgol Tavakoli, Maja Grandinetti
Chloe has earned a BA with Honours in Political Science and a Minor in International Relations. Chloe will be continuing to work with Transport Canada’s regional policy team.
Nazgol graduates with a Major in Political Science and a Minor in “Law and Society”.
Maja graduates with a Major in Political Science and a Minor in “Law and Society”, and she will start law school at Allard Law in September.
Each winner of the Departmental Scholarships is awarded a prize of $300. They receive these awards based on their exceptional performance in our Department’s courses. They all complete their degrees with extremely high grades.
Political Science Gold Medal
Winner: Noah Nurse
Noah graduates with the highest overall average of our degree recipients this year. He has earned a Major in Political Science. Noah is headed back to the United States to attend law school at UCLA and is currently eyeing a specialization in intellectual property or patent law.
Noah Nurse is the fourth winner of the Department of Political Science Scholarship ($400), and is also the recipient of the Department’s Gold medal for the most outstanding student in our graduating class. Noah graduates with the highest overall average of our degree recipients this year.
