Political Science and International Relations
Make a global impact by tackling political challenges and opportunities
Political Science and International Relations at UWA offers innovative and cutting-edge programs that prepare our students to address our most pressing global challenges creatively and responsibly.
As a member of the prestigious Group of Eight Australian research-intensive universities, we combine our world-class research with our passion for teaching.
Drawing on our extensive networks, we engage our students directly with policymakers, practitioners and diplomats both in our courses and through a range of professional placements, from WA Parliament to the UN in New York.
Students also have the opportunity to be part of our own innovative research centres, including the Centre for Muslim States and Societies and the Vaccination Politics Lab (VaxPol Lab), as well as the affiliated UWA Public Policy Institute, Defence and Security Institute, Perth USAsia Centre, and Australian Institute of International Affairs.
Our Bachelor of International Relations and our major in Political Science and International Relations both provide students with work-ready knowledge and skills. Our fourth-year Honours program prepares students to write a thesis on a topic of their choice under the supervision of one of our academic experts, creating pathways to research careers, including our PhD program. We also offer flagship postgraduate programs in International Relations and Public Policy.
We prepare students for successful careers as policymakers, diplomats, politicians, policy analysts, journalists, organisational leaders, researchers and beyond – just ask our recent graduates, who have taken highly sought-after positions in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Department of Defence, and with global NGOs. The Discipline chair of Political Science and International Relations is Dr Kelly Gerard.
Research areas
- Public Policy and Administration
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Public policy and administration research at UWA reveals critical insights into how policies are made in contemporary societies and the practices required to deliver effective public outcomes. Scholars’ research programs explore the politics, pressures, and dynamics of policymaking and implementation, as well as the challenges of leadership in the modern public sector. Our work addresses contemporary issues across a wide range of policy areas in Australia and internationally – including the Asia–Pacific region – enhancing understanding of both the complexity and the practical realities of governing in diverse contexts.
Key researchers: Dr Kelly Gerard, Dr Hang Duong, Professor Katie Attwell, Dr Shevaun Drislane
- Political Geography and Ecology
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Political geography and ecology is the study of the entanglements between the material world, human politics, and ecological systems. It is often focused on the connections between global, state and local scales. Our researchers in this area focus on the politics of infrastructure projects, the political ecology of climate change, borders and borderlands, the politics of tourism, identity, heritage and nationalism, and cultural transformation of the Himalaya.
Key researchers: Dr Alexander Davis, Dr Ari Jerrems, Dr Felix Pal, Dr Ky Gentry
- Asian Politics
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Our scholars research Asian social movements, diasporic mobilisations, international relations and civil society. The discipline carries a specific expertise on India, the broader Himalayan region, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and their respective diasporas.
Key researchers: Dr Felix Pal, Associate Professor Jie Chen, Dr Hang Duong
- Security in the Indo-Pacific
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Expertise in the discipline covers the major security flashpoints in the Indo-Pacific, such as the tension across the Taiwan Strait, conflict over the South China Sea, and how these issues are entangled with Sino-US strategic competition. Our researchers also have expertise on non-traditional security issues in the region such as migration, climate change and political extremism.
Key researchers: Associate Professor Jie Chen, Dr Megan Price, Dr Ari Jerrems, Dr Felix Pal, Dr Isaac Frimpong
- Critical International Relations Theory
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Critical international relations theory rethinks the traditional assumptions of the discipline, reconsidering what international relations is, where and how it takes place, and what its objectives should be. Our researchers in this area engage with a range of perspectives including feminism, postcolonialism and the more-than-human turn, as well as insights from allied disciplines such as human geography, anthropology, sociology and history, to provide innovative perspectives on global politics.
Key researchers: Dr Ari Jerrems, Dr Alexander Davis, Dr Megan Price, Dr Ky Gentry
- Vaccination Policy and Governance
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Through the VaxPol Lab, our researchers explore the interface between vaccination social science and governance, focusing on policy, programs, and practices. A key current focus is the impact of vaccine mandates for COVID-19 upon individuals, societies, and politics. We also explore how governments make and communicate vaccine policy decisions across a range of global jurisdictions.
Key researchers:Professor Katie Attwell, Dr Hang Duong, Dr Shevaun Drislane, Dr Joshua Lake
Research grants
- MandEval
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This large-scale, interdisciplinary research program explores the impact of government COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Led by Professor Katie Attwell and funded by $4.7 million from the Medical Research Future Fund, it aims to improve the health system by evaluating the use and removal of vaccine mandates.
- Taiwan and the cause of democratisation in China: Intellectual inspiration and actual support
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Funded by the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange (Taiwan), this project examines whether the state and civil society in Taiwan have provided meaningful support for pro-democracy and human rights organisations and activists of mainland China and Hong Kong.
This project is led by Associate Professor Jie Chen, with co-investigators based in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Australia.
- Resourcing Australian Aid: Examining the Use of Development Consultants
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This project investigates the factors that shape consultants’ and contractors’ roles within, and impacts on, Australian Aid.
It is funded through a UWA Research Collaboration Award and led by Dr Kelly Gerard, in collaboration with Annabel Dulhunty (ANU), Shahar Hameiri (UQ) and Emma Mawdsley (Cambridge).
- Understanding the Incidences, Drivers and Nature of Tech-Based Abuse Against Women in WA
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Against Women in WA Supported by the WA Department of Communities through its Women's Grants for a Stronger Future Program, this project is led by Emeritus Professor Samina Yasmeen. The project will explore technology-based violence against women in WA and the nature and drivers of such violence using an intersectional approach.
- Far-Right Diasporas in the Global South: Mapping Indian Hindu Nationalism in Southeast Asia
- This project aims to decentre the global north in diasporic far-right movement studies, and to interrogate how transnational far-right regional ambitions exacerbate local ethnic and religious tension. Beyond this, the project will identify precisely the material and ideological ties that link the Indian far-right to Southeast Asia, so that activists, journalists and academics can more readily understand Hindu nationalist organising. This project is funded by the Australian National University and led by Dr Felix Pal.
- Respiratory Syncytial Virus Immunisation Studies
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Since 2024, VaxPol Lab has secured funding for several studies evaluating the introduction of infant RSV immunisation (Nirsevimab) and maternal RSV vaccination (Abrysvo) in Western Australia. RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) is a highly contagious infection and is one of the leading causes of hospitalisation for infants and children aged under five in Australia.
Led by Dr Shevaun Drislane, these studies explore why parents whose infants were eligible for RSV immunisation in WA in 2024 chose to delay or decline immunisation, how governments around the world designed and delivered communication strategies and programs for parents and healthcare providers to support the rollout of infant RSV immunisation, and what guided parents’ choices to accept maternal RSV vaccination and/or infant RSV immunisation in WA in 2025.
Findings from these studies will help to guide future RSV immunisation messaging strategies in Australia and globally.
- Diaspora Politics and the International Mainstreaming of National Populism
- Research grant funding through the Open Research Area for the Social Sciences supports the study, led by Georg-August-Universität Göttingen – Centre for Modern Indian Studies (CeMIS), in collaboration with CNRS/CERI–Sciences Po (Paris) and King’s College London – King’s India Institute. UWA's Dr Felix Pal is a partner investigator on the project.
Research centres and affiliated institutes
- Centre for Muslim States and Societies
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The Centre for Muslim States and Societies conducts research to provide a better understanding of the beliefs and practices of Muslim states and communities in the Indian Ocean region.
- VaxPol Lab
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VaxPolLab is an interdisciplinary Lab led within Political Science that explores how and why vaccination policies are designed and implemented, details of design and operation, and implications for populations and government.
- Affiliated institutes
Featured courses
Research centres and affiliated institutes
- Centre for Muslim States and Societies
-
The Centre for Muslim States and Societies conducts research to provide a better understanding of the beliefs and practices of Muslim states and communities in the Indian Ocean region.
- VaxPol Lab
-
VaxPolLab is an interdisciplinary Lab led within Political Science that explores how and why vaccination policies are designed and implemented, details of design and operation, and implications for populations and government.
- Affiliated institutes
Research centres and affiliated institutes
- Centre for Muslim States and Societies
-
The Centre for Muslim States and Societies conducts research to provide a better understanding of the beliefs and practices of Muslim states and communities in the Indian Ocean region.
- VaxPol Lab
-
VaxPolLab is an interdisciplinary Lab led within Political Science that explores how and why vaccination policies are designed and implemented, details of design and operation, and implications for populations and government.
- Affiliated institutes
Contact the School of Social Sciences
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