Hi, I’m Sam!
I am a PhD candidate in Political Science at the University of Alberta and part of the Common Ground research project. My areas of specialty are Canadian and comparative politics, with a particular focus on Canada-U.S. relations and American influence on Canadian politics and Alberta separatism. I am supervised by the illustrious Dr. Jared Wesley.
I did my undergrad in honours political science at the University of Alberta and a master’s in behavioural science at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in London, London (graduating with distinction, if that counts for anything). I am proud and grateful to hold a SSHRC Canada Graduate Research Scholarship–Doctoral (CGRS-D).
Once upon a time, I was a seasoned babysitter, a produce stock person at a grocery store, and worked a farmers’ market stand for just over three years. And that’s just scratching the surface. I have worked for a city councillor, in the non-profit sector, for a strategic communications and advertising firm, and in public-sector consulting. I have held numerous research assistant and associate positions throughout my time in university ranging from the Faculty of Law to public health to post-secondary education to good old-fashioned political science. These experiences, in turn, have shaped my approach to research and the academy writ large. I am widely curious, I know how to speak to an array of audiences, and I get that academia needs to put in work for research to translate beyond journal articles and conferences.
My dissertation looks at how the Canadian political agenda is shaped by our exposure to the United States. In particular, I am interested in whether and how domestic issues in the United States are imported to Canada. This work is primarily focused on agenda-setting with downstream effects for Canadian public policy.
I’m also part of a research team focused on Alberta separatism. I maintain separate research focuses on municipal politics in Alberta and intergenerational political dynamics. I am a mixed-methods scholar with extensive experience planning, conducting, and analyzing focus groups and interviews, as well as conducting quantitative analysis of various kinds.
I currently hold multiple research assistant and associate positions, and when I have a minute, I love playing virtually any sport (but especially hockey and squash), reading widely (sociology, anthropology, economics, and sci-fi), and obsessing over coffee.
I am available for media inquiries on topics related to Canadian politics and Alberta separatism.
Email me at sgoertz@ualberta.ca.