Graduate Association

The Graduate Association of Political Science Students (GAPSS) is a professional organization geared toward the advancement of graduate students in the political science department at UC Davis. 

GAPSS is a graduate student-run program that provides opportunities for networking, research development and building relationships among graduate students. GAPSS events encompass "brown bag" sessions with faculty members, and mentorship programs between incoming and continuing graduate students. The organization also is a great resource for program and field advancement. GAPSS offers graduate student-led panels on managing comprehensive and qualifying examinations, dissertation development, and the publication process.

GAPSS continues to grow by introducing events to the political science program, such as research workshops and the breakfast meet-and-greet with incoming and continuing graduate students.

  • Recent Events
  • Research Workshop

    The first GAPSS-hosted research workshop included research presentations by eight graduate students, across three subfields. The objective of the research workshop was to allow graduate students an opportunity to present their research to department colleagues and receive constructive feedback on how to improve or modify their work. Each participant had eight minutes to present, followed by a five-minute Q & A session. The informal workshop included presentations on conference papers, seminar papers and developing ideas. The participants included:

    • Carlos Algara, "'The Collective Congress' on the Ballot? An Analysis of Collective Responsibility in Congressional Elections"
    • Jordan Hamzawi, "Deserters in the DPJ – Policy Preferences and Party Switching"
    • Fiona Ogunkoya, "Religious Homogeneity, Affinity, and the Choice of Allies"
    • Timothy Peterka, "Traditional Authority and Political Violence in Sub-Saharan Africa"
    • Nahrain Rasho, "Political Institutions and Governance in Divided Societies: When Divided Societies Democratize, What Types of Politics Institutions Do They Design?"
    • Marisella Rodriguez, "Human Rights Abuses by UN Peacekeepers: Do Country Attributes Matter?"
    • Daniel Tapia-Jimenez, "Using Spatial Difference-in-Differences to Model Environmental Treaty Spillover"
    • Lowell West, "Trade Agreements, Alternatives to Settlement and the Duration of Territorial Disputes."