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2026
May 2026
16th Annual European Union Study Abroad Program
Make sure to check out the 16th Annual European Union Study Abroad Program
May 3 - May 16, 2026
University of Windsor/Western University
Details about the program available below:
https://www.uwindsor.ca/political-science/361/eu-study-abroad-program
February 2026
WAFAR Summer Research Internship Opportunity - Focus on Arctic Sovereignty
Deadline for applications is February 28, 2026.
Further details about this opportunity can be found on the here:
https://www.uwo.ca/academy/themes/Arctic_Sovereignty.html
Council on Foreign Relations Summer Internship
The Council on Foreign Relations Summer Internships are now open for applications!
This is an outstanding opportunity for IR students!
The application deadline is February 8, 2026. For more Information, please refer to the Council on Foreign Relations' website:
https://www.cfr.org/career-opportunities/internships
January 2026
'New world order' brings politics out of textbooks for these university students
(CBC article written by Isha Bhargava, published January 22, 2026)
Keeping up with the rapidly evolving dynamics of geopolitics can feel exhausting these days.
There was U.S. President Donald Trump wanting control of Greenland, threatening tariffs against his allies, and Prime Minister Mark Carney's provocative speech about a shakeup of the global order at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, all of which has happened this week.
But for some university students majoring in politics, the constant twists and turns have made textbook lessons come to life and forced them to apply theories to the changing world they live in.
"It's super overwhelming! I'm a little tired of waking up to unprecedented things," Finlay McFarlane, a third-year international relations student at Western University in London. Ont., said.
"As a young person and someone who's going to have to live in that 'New world order', this is frightening," he added referencing Carney's speech.
At the same time, the current political situation is shaping course work and how students engage academically, McFarlane said. He points to a history of genocide course he's taking where a hypothetical U.S. annexation of Greenland was among first topic of discussion.
It's something McFarlane, a dual American and Canadian citizen, couldn't imagine as a real possibility a few years ago. His peer Maria Maia agrees, adding that watching the world order change so quickly has been concerning.
"This brings more uncertainty, whether positive or negative," Maia said, who's in her third year of a political science degree. "It changes things and we can't predict them. And that makes it scary."
Maia believes this change in structure was inevitable and had built up over the years, she said.
"I think it's important as students of this discipline to know that we have to adapt to these issues. This isn't something brand new, international law and relations are so trust-based," she said, adding that it's difficult to see how the structure of the world can be changed by someone like Trump, who holds a hegemonic power.
Educators are also actively trying to wrap their heads around the changing landscape when it comes to teaching courses about international relations, Blair Welsh, an assistant professor of political science at Western, explained.
Students are bringing up concerns and conversations about Canada safety and hypothetical scenarios about its participation in wars, Welsh said. Last semester, many students spoke about travelling to or buying products from the U.S.
"It's definitely bringing up more questions than answers and we're now engaging in much more in-depth discussions for things that are changing on a day-to-day, week-by week basis," he said.
"You design a syllabus in advance and you think that we will run through these topics very naturally. But because of the way international relations are being reshaped, if you ask me what kind of conversations I expect to have by the end of the semester, I wouldn't be able to predict it."
Welsh has found a growing number of students from other departments are taking political science courses to learn more about it and the role they play in geopolitics.
Maia and McFarlane have also noticed more students becoming politically engaged. They believe it's a result of heightened awareness due to multiple global conflicts that are impacting communities in Canada, along with an influx of information online.
Many students walking by demonstrations happening on campus are asking questions and having discussions even if they're often polarized, said McFarlane.
"A lot of people would typically just ignore politics, but with the gravity of things and mass atrocities happening across the world, it's so in your face that you can't ignore it." he said.
Returning for the Winter 2026 semester…the Bi-Weekly IR Coffee Hour!
Throughout the Winter 2026 semester, The History Department will again be hosting our regular bi-weekly IR coffee hours on Wednesdays 11:30-12:30 pm, to allow for the continued networking and sharing of ideas and experiences with your cohorts within the IR program!
We invite all IR cohorts to join Frank Schumacher, the Director of the IR program, for a cup of coffee!
Bring your mug, we'll bring the coffee and snacks!
Where?
History Department, Lawson Hall 1227 (new location - ground floor!)
When?
Bi-weekly, Wednesdays, 11:30 -12:30 pm:
January 14
January 28
February 11
February 25
March 11
March 25
All of us in IR wish you a good semester, and we look forward to seeing you all at the next coffee hour, 11:30-12:30 pm, Lawson Hall 1227!