Oct. 27, 2022
Congratulations to Dawn Moffat McMaster
Best Graduate Paper is awarded for the best paper written for a graduate course in the Department of Political Science, open to both master’s and doctoral students in any area of Political Science
Dawn Moffat McMaster’s paper was written for POLI 621 Canadian Political Institutions and nominated by Dr. Anthony Sayers.
Dr. Anthony Sayers, tell us a bit about the course for which Dawn’s paper was written. What made their paper stand out to you?
Excellent research judgment was the key to Dawn's wonderful paper in Poli 621. Dawn recognized that the near coincidence in Calgary of elections across different levels of government was an opportunity to bring appropriate evidence to bear on the central theoretical concern of her doctoral research. This concern, whether the employment history of candidates who run for office shapes their electability, is challenging to explore yet potentially critical to representational outcomes. In electing representatives, voters are judging their suitability for office. A candidate's employment history is key to this assessment. That Dawn could identify this research opportunity, design an appropriate project, prosecute that project, and write up the results in a single term was a remarkable effort. The results will feed directly into her research and dissertation, the perfect outcome for a doctoral student and for an instructor.
Dawn, what was the title of the paper and can you give us a brief description of its main findings or arguments?
My paper, "Do All Roads Lead to the House? Occupation Sector and Electoral Politics in Alberta," looks at what jobs electoral candidates have when they run for office, and specifically whether those are in the private, public, or non-profit sectors. I was able to get information from federal, provincial, and municipal elections since we had two of those quite recently, and then check for trends by party, level of government, area in the province, etc. I was especially paying attention to gendered patterns, since each sector has distinctly gendered trends in employment, and I'm interested in whether and how those translate to electoral politics.
Any tips on writing an excellent paper?
I'd say write about something you care about. We spend so much time on papers, and I always think it's easier to make that investment when you're genuinely interested. I'll add that as students we can really benefit from both the great advice and tough questions that we get from faculty. Don't be afraid of questions that push beyond what you're comfortable with; that's where the interesting stuff is.
Can you tell us what’s next for you?
This paper is a test of the method I'd like to use for my dissertation work, so I'm hoping that with some editing I can present it and get some broader feedback. In the meantime, I need to get through the (dreaded) Field of Study exams, so my main activity for the next 6 months or so will be reading and more reading!
Congratulations to Dawn Moffat McMaster on your 2021–22 Award for Best Graduate Paper in Political Science!
To find out more about our paper prizes and past prize winners please visit the UCalgary Political Science website.