Leanne J. Smythe, PhD

Chair, Political and International Studies; Assistant Professor of Political and International Studies

Leanne Smythe is a native of Mission, British Columbia. She began her post-secondary education at Trinity Western University, graduating with a BA Honours in History with International Relations. Her research at TWU focused on Canadian Foreign Policy and her passion for the art of policy making motivated her to continue her studies at the graduate level. Smythe completed her MA in International Conflict Analysis at the University of Kent, Canterbury, and then went on to complete her PhD at the University of British Columbia in 2013. Her doctoral research compared how the national militaries of Canada and Australia adapted to the securitization of political issues (aka “non-traditional security threats”) in the post-Cold War period through changes to policy, procurement and training. She continues to study strategic planning and policymaking, with a particular interest in national and global security policy.

  • PhD in Political Science (University of British Columbia)
  • MA International Conflict Analysis (University of Kent, Canterbury)
  • BA (Hons) History with International Relations (Trinity Western University)

Expertise

Global security, Global governance, Military alliances, Canadian national security and foreign policy, Comparative public policy, Policy making

  • POLS 234 Canadian Government and Politics
  • POLS 312 Globalization & Global governance
  • POLS 334 Canadian Government & Politics
  • POLS 352 Government & Politics of the USA
  • POLS 355 American Foreign Policy
  • POLS 430 Global Politics
  • POLS 440 The Evolution of Canadian Foreign Policy
  • SOCI 234 Canadian Government and Politics in Comparative Perspective