Welcome to the Fall 2025 semester

Warm welcome to incoming and returning students to the Department of Political Science. For those new to the department, this newsletter highlights department activities.

The start of the semester always makes me marvel at the pace of change. I recognize that my undergraduate experience would be incomprehensible to the current generation. Afterall, I was excited to be able to use a electric typewriter to submit my essays in my first year of university. The comparison to this generation living in a digital age doesn’t do justice to the technological differences between us.

Assuming the incoming class was born in 2007, our first year class has never lived in a world without social media, smart phones, or streaming services.

Currently we are grappling with the concept of generative artificial intelligence and how it will impact learning. The university has developed policies and guidelines, but the use of AI in the classroom and for your learning is dependent on the professor in each class.

To find out whether the use is permissible, you should read the course syllabus carefully, or speak to your professor regarding what you can and cannot do. You can find more information on the AI policy here. Without going into too much detail I would advise that at the very least, if you do use generative AI that you verify its accuracy. My favorite way to see how well AI is doing is to ask it to generate an image of me based on my social media activity. This is what Grok thinks @lmiljan looks like compared to my normal image.

The second thing I would like to stress is that if you do find yourself using generative AI, even if it is to come up with a title, help with an outline or edit your work, that you provide a citation of how you used it. For more information here on how to cite generative AI using Chicago Manual of Style.

Throughout this newsletter I have used AI assist when I wanted to summarize a larger report, or make a submission more in the style of a newsletter. For example, the EU Study Abroad report was summarized using Microsoft Co-Pilot. I also used the same process to rewrite a personal report from Anastasia Kulaga. As you will see, these uses are cited in the document.

The overall message is that AI is here to stay, but we need to be mindful of how we use it and be transparent when we use it.

In the past, it was an annual newsletter. For the past two years, we have been offering it on a monthly basis during the academic year, taking a break in the summer months.

Recognizing that both your and my time is valuable, we have decided to reduce the number of newsletters to three a year. Over the last year we found that our readers were mostly interested in the newsletter at the start of the semester, and that there was less enthusiasm as the semester continued.

For real time updates follow us on Instagram @uwinpol and announcements will be posted on the department Brightspace.

I wish everyone a successful and enriching Fall semester.

Table of Contents

• EU Study Abroad Program

• Student Spotlight: Anastasia Kulaga Honoured as Em …

• Celebrating Excellence in Equity, Diversity, and I …

• CJAO Essay Writing Competition

• Dr. Emmanuelle Richez Highlights Minority Language …

• Administrative Changes

  • Faculty General Admin Support - Irene Schiller

  • Graduate Program & Student Support - Alena Matos

  • Undergrad Program & Student Support - TBA

EU Study Abroad Program

This spring marked the fifteenth year of the University of Windsor’s popular European Union Study Abroad Program, a milestone in experiential learning and international engagement. Since its inception in 2009, over 300 students have participated in this immersive academic journey through the heart of Europe.

This year, 24 students—17 from the University of Windsor and 7 from Western University—joined the two-week program, which blends high-level policy briefings with cultural exploration. The program’s unique model emphasizes experiential learning, with students engaging directly with politicians, diplomats, journalists, NGO researchers, and EU officials in their professional environments across Belgium.

Aside from a lecture on “Sources of Resilience in Transatlantic Relations” delivered by the program director, the itinerary was packed with briefings at major institutions including the European Union, NATO, Europol, the College of Europe, and several country missions—this year featuring Ukraine, Poland, Germany, and Turkey. Students also met with Jeanna Smialek, Brussels bureau chief for The New York Times, and Ambassador Dirk Wouters, former Belgian envoy to Washington, DC.

One of the program’s most memorable encounters was with Catherine De Bolle, head of Europol, whose presence—accompanied by bodyguards—left a lasting impression. Students also appreciated insights from Dr. Peter Hefele of the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, a leading Brussels think tank.

Beyond the classroom, students experienced the rhythms of Belgian life—navigating multilingual train systems, mastering the Brussels metro, and walking an average of 25,000 steps per day. Cultural highlights included visits to UNESCO heritage sites such as the Grand’ Place, Groot Begijnhof, and Bruges, as well as a hike through the Flemish countryside and an optional 36-kilometre cycling tour.

A particularly poignant moment came during the visit to Breendonk, a Nazi transit camp north of Brussels. The sobering history of the site left a deep impact on students, many of whom cited it as the most powerful experience of the trip.

The group stayed at the historic Irish College in Leuven, a long-time partner of the program. Dr. Ryan McGuiness, joint CEO of the College, spoke to students about its rich history and cultural significance. The College provided a safe and welcoming home base, shared with other university groups from the U.S.

This year’s program was made possible thanks to the support of many individuals. Special thanks go to Dr. Lydia Miljan, Head of Political Science at the University of Windsor; Dylan Margerison, for administrative support; Christie Hall, for facilitating Western student participation; and Dr. Ana Chiarelli of Western International, who recruited an outstanding cohort from Western University. Gratitude also goes to Susan Hill at the Irish College and Ellen Lorang and Saskia De Landtsheer at the Residence Palace in Brussels for their continued hospitality.

The EU Study Abroad Program is proud to be recognized as a return visitor at the EU, NATO, and other institutions. After a two-year pause during the pandemic, it has been a joy to reconnect and offer students what many describe as the highlight of their university experience.

Click here for more information about this exciting program.

Report provided by Professor Stephen Brooks, with a summary using Microsoft Co-Pilot

EU Study Abroad At a Glance

📍 Locations: Brussels, Leuven, Belgium

🎓 Participants: 24 students (17 Windsor, 7 Western)

🏛️ Institutions: EU, NATO, Europol, College of Europe

📣 Speakers: Jeanna Smialek, Dirk Wouters, Catherine De Bolle

🚆 Transport: Train, Metro, Walking (25,000 steps/day)

🏰 Cultural Sites: Grand’ Place, Bruges, Groot Begijnhof

🚴 Activities: Flemish countryside hike, 36 km cycling tour

🔍 Reflection: Visit to Breendonk Nazi transit camp

🏠 Stay: Irish College, Leuven

⏱ Engagement: 40–42 hours of meetings and cultural activities

Student Spotlight: Anastasia Kulaga Honoured as Emerging Scholar in Rome

This summer, Anastasia Kulaga, a fourth-year History and Political Science student, represented the University of Windsor at the 15th Annual Conference on Religions and Spirituality held at Sapienza University in Rome. With support from the Department of Political Science, Anastasia presented her undergraduate thesis to an international audience of scholars, engaging in meaningful dialogue and receiving insightful feedback.

Her outstanding contribution was recognized with the Emerging Scholar award, a distinction that also led to an invitation to moderate several conference sessions. These experiences deepened her understanding of global debates surrounding religion, politics, and identity, while also expanding her academic network.

Reflecting on the experience, Anastasia shared:

Anastasia’s participation exemplifies the department’s commitment to fostering student research and global engagement. Congratulations to Anastasia on this remarkable achievement!

Article generated using Microsoft Co-Pilot from a report authored by Anastasia Kulaga

Celebrating Excellence in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

The Office of the Vice President, People, Equity, and Inclusion is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Awards.

These awards honour individuals and teams who have made outstanding contributions to fostering a more inclusive, equitable, and diverse campus and community. The recipients have shown exceptional dedication to dismantling systemic barriers and addressing historical and contemporary injustices faced by Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, racialized communities, the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community, women, and other equity-deserving groups.

🎉 Congratulations to Esentsei Staats-Pangowish, Assistant Professor, Political Science, who won the 2025 EDI Faculty Award!

Her work exemplifies the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion, and we are thrilled to celebrate her achievements.

CJAO Essay Writing Competition

Gabriella Riggi won the 2025 Student Essay competition. The award was open to full-time undergraduate students at a recognized Ontario University or College interested in criminal justice.

Her first prize essay on how recent shifts in the American political landscape have had political and economic impacts that may impact Canada’s criminal justice system. Her paper will be published in the Canadian Criminal Justice Associations Justice Report and she was awarded a $500 cash prize.

Dr. Emmanuelle Richez Highlights Minority Language Rights and Bilingual Digital Practices at Acfas Conference

Dr. Emmanuelle Richez had the pleasure of participating in the Acfas annual conference, a key event for French-language research in Canada. She presented a paper entitled "The Future of Elected School Boards: The Quebec v. ESBA Case and Its Impact on the Rights of Official Language Communities" as part of the conference "Section 23 and Legal Remedies Concerning English-Language Education in Quebec" organized by QUESCREN. It was a wonderful opportunity to discuss the legal issues surrounding education in minority contexts.

Dr. Richez  also presented an online research poster, created in collaboration with Dr. Vincent Raynauld (Emerson College), Victorieuse Sambao (2nd year Law and Politics), and Andrelle Mboudjeke (2nd year Law and Politics), on the use of official languages ​​by federal elected officials on their social media. This project highlights bilingual digital practices in the Canadian political sphere.

Administrative Changes

This year marks some significant changes in the administrative level in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Dylan Margerison, who was the Head’s secretary has taken a new position in Research Finance as a Research Grant Accountant. Before his departure, his hard work and dedication for the Department of Political Science was recognized by FAHSS with the Staff Service Excellence Award for 2024-25.

The new shared service model brings to Political Science three new staff members who share responsibilities between other departments. Please welcome our new staff members. We are still working out a schedule of where the staff will be on a day-to-day basis, but rest assured, there will be an administrative support person in the department throughout the week.

Faculty General Admin Support - Irene Schiller

Graduate Program & Student Support - Alena Matos

Undergrad Program & Student Support - TBA

The Undergrad Program and Student Support secretary provides administrative support to undergraduate academic programming and undergraduate students. This role is front facing to undergraduate students and will assist them with their inquiries and needs. We are currently waiting to hear who will fill this position on a permanent basis.