200-level

POLS202
International Relations and Humanitarian Ideals
Description
This course examines the intersection of international relations and humanitarian ideals. It examines debates over the meaning of sovereignty, the role of identity and ethnicity in war, and the impact of human rights in international and global politics. These issues are illustrated via case studies of humanitarian intervention and the war on terror.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level from POLS, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA, or LAWS, GEOG, or the Schedule V of the BCom.
COMS205
Media and Politics
Description
The course provides an understanding of the role of the media in domestic and international politics. It does this by analysing key theoretical assumptions and debates on the role of media institutions in the struggle for power domestically and internationally. This course includes group work and requires active in-class engagement. It has on-campus and distance options. It features internationally-recognised top experts in the field of political communication as our guest speakers. Research, critical debate, collaborative work, networking, creativity, writing and presentation are among the core skills this course aims to advance.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Semester One 2024 (Distance)
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level from COMS or POLS, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
POLS232
POLS205
Politics of the United States of America
Description
This course focuses on the institutions and government of the United States. Topics include civil rights and civil liberties, the Courts, Presidential-Congressional relations, the national security establishment (e.g. the military and Central Intelligence Agency), the Trump Administration, and the 2020 Presidential election. We also consider key foreign policy issues such as the U.S.in the Asia-Pacific region, U.S.-China relations, U.S.-North Korea relations, and the global significance of the U.S. economy. Particular attention will be given to the dynamics of the 2020 Presidential election.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level from POLS, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA, or LAWS, GEOG, or the Schedule V of the BCom.
POLS209
Politics of International Aid and Development
Description
This course introduces the main discourses, theories and practices related to the discipline of international development studies and its actors. We will first study the contentious history of the discipline which remains at times influenced by its colonial roots. This historical review will be key in appreciating how, since the end of World War II, global and regional political and economic contexts have informed the rise - and fall - of development theories and practices. Building on these historical insights, the course then turns to the politics of development aid and its actors. Here, a critical analysis of the drivers and practices for and around aid allocation will be pivotal in assessing the impact of aid on the ground. We will discuss key debates in relation to why and how governments give aid (bilateral and multilateral aid) and why, despite billions of dollars spent on international aid over time, poverty still plagues many countries across the Global South. The third part of the course turns to international private aid flows. Here we will discuss the trends and issues that arise from a proliferation of private actors in the aid industry: foundations, corporations, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and broader civil society movements. Practical case studies will be utilised throughout the course, by reference to a variety of historical events, case studies of actors in the field such as the World Bank, NZAid, and Oxfam, as well as guest experts from the field.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level from POLS, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA, or LAWS, GEOG, or the Schedule V of the BCom.
EURA210
European Integration from Community to Union
Description
The course is designed to introduce students to the process of European Integration that has transformed post-1945 Europe and seen the European Union emerge as a new global power. The course draws on an interdisciplinary approach and is focused on policy analysis and case studies.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level from EURA or GEOG, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
EURA310, EURO210, EURO310, GEOG321
POLS210
Democratic Uprisings and Political Participation
Description
With democracy increasingly coming under attack around the world, this course examines democratic uprisings, focusing on the "people's power" uprisings in Southeast Asia, the "Arab Spring" uprisings in the Middle East, and contemporary uprisings in other parts of the world. It examines the causes of uprisings, the factors that lead to success or failure, and the role of both traditional and social media in the uprisings. It considers when newly created democracies are most likely to succeed and when they are likely to fail. Last, we consider the threats to contemporary democracies, particularly new democracies, but also with some reflection on more established democracies like our own.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Semester One 2024 (Distance)
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level from POLS, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA, or LAWS, GEOG, or the Schedule V of the BCom.
POLS211
China from Mao to Now
Description
This course will provide an introduction to the domestic politics and foreign policy of the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan (Republic of China).
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level from POLS, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA, or LAWS, GEOG, or the Schedule V of the BCom.
POLS212
Global and International Political Economy
Description
This course examines the politics of global economic relations. It will focus on issues of international trade, the international monetary system, and foreign investment-and the relationship of each to both domestic and international politics. Among the specific topics to be discussed are: trade and protectionism, the role and performance of global institutions such as the IMF, World Bank, and WTO, the significance of multinational corporations, efforts at regional economic integration such as the EU and NAFTA, the relationship of the world economy to the economic development of poor countries, the emergence of new economic players such as China and India, and the relationship between economic strength and political power.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level from POLS, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA, or LAWS, GEOG, or the Schedule V of the BCom.
MAOR219
Te Tiriti: The Treaty of Waitangi
Description
This course uses the Treaty of Waitangi to frame examinations of contemporary New Zealand society. We ask questions designed to highlight and emphasise the relevance of the Treaty of Waitangi to everyday New Zealanders. In addition, the course looks at the importance of this document in the maintenance of Crown and Maori relations. Topics covered range from the signing of the Treaty, and historical developments, to the protest movements and activism of the continuing Maori renaissance period, race relations and one law-for-all.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level from CULT, HIST, HSRV, MAOR, POLS, SOCI, SOWK, or TREO, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
POLS218, POLS258, HIST268, SOCI209, HSRV207, CULT219
EURA223
The EU, Globalization and Migration
Description
This course addresses international migration as one of the most pressing and formative issues which shape both European integration, and the relationships of Europe with the rest of the world. It addresses the economic, social, political and policy aspects of international migration in the changing EU and global contexts. The course has particular resonance for students in New Zealand, a country whose society has substantially been shaped by migration to and from Europe and the rest of the world.
Occurrences
Summer Jan 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level from EURA or GEOG, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
GEOG213, EURO 223
EURA224
Democratic and Economic Evolution of Europe
Description
This course is designed to provide sufficient knowledge and understanding of recent economic developments and democratisation processes in Europe as a whole and within the EU as an institution. It will examine the institutional and policy changes that have happened since the European "reunification" in 1989, but significant attention will be paid to the economic and political history of the continent also.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level from EURA or POLS, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
POLS224, EURO224, EURO324, EURA324
COMS225
Politics and New Media
Description
A Facebook profile is required to take part in this course. This course is being offered at two universities at once in Finland and Aotearoa New Zealand. Students will take part in discussions with students from the other university and will be taught by academics from each university, with a tutor and lecturer at Canterbury coordinating the local version of the course. The course studies the latest developments on how public life and politics are being shaped by web-based communication. You will be asked to think critically about the globalisation of politics online, about the divisions between haves and have nots and about the ways different groups pursue their agendas online.
Occurrences
Summer Jan 2024
Summer Jan 2024 (Distance)
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
ny 15 points at 100 level from COMS, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
MAOR230
Ethnicity, Racism and Genocide
Description
This course provides a critical introduction to the historical and anthropological study of ethnicity, racism, genocide and migration.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level from ANTH, HIST, MAOR, SOCI, or TREO, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
ANTH223, HIST283, PACS204, SOCI223, SOCI323
EURA234
European Foreign Policy in the 21st Century
Description
This course focuses on how the EU, and its member states, are adapting to an international role in the 21st century. The course will critically examine the institutions of EU foreign and security policy, the creation of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) and the increasing number of civilian and military crisis management operations. The course assesses the EU's emergent strategy and strategic culture and strands of its foreign policy in action. Particular attention is given to EU development policy, the EU's engagement with the Sustainable Development Goals, EU trade policy, as well as how the EU engages with other world powers such as the US, Russia and China.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100-level from EURA or POLS, OR any 60 points at 100-level from Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
POLS234
HIST247
Slavery to Freedom in World History
Description
This course focuses on histories of slavery and bonded labour from the ancient to the modern world. It explores the links between histories of unfree labor, ideas of citizenship and the influence of ‘enlightenment’ thinking in the shaping of modern democracies.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level in HIST or CLAS120, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
HIST371
HIST274
The Soviet Experiment and Its Aftermath
Description
The emphasis is on Russia's 20th century Communist experience and its many legacies in the fast-changing post-Soviet society. Together we will examine the causes of the Bolshevik Revolution and the greatest social experiment in the history of humankind that followed it. The course will explore the roots of Stalinism, the causes and consequences of Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, the space race and other Cold War competitions between the superpowers, Gorbachev's reforms and the collapse of the USSR. Was the end of the Communist rule in the Soviet Union predetermined?
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level in HIST, EURA, or RUSS, or CLAS120, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
RUSS218, RUSS318, HIST374, EURA214
HIST278
America and the World into the 21st Century
Description
This course provides an overview of American foreign policy and domestic politics in the second half of the twentieth century.
Occurrences
Summer Nov 2023
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level in HIST or CLAS120, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
HIST364
HIST293
Fascism and the Far-Right in Europe
Description
This course examines the rise of Fascist movements in Italy, Germany, France and Eastern Europe during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries before considering the far-right and fascist regimes created by Franco, Mussolini and Hitler. The course also reflects on the state of the European radical right today.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level in HIST or CLAS120, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
HIST393

Not Offered Courses in 2024

200-level

HIST258
Revisiting Empire
Description
This course provides a critical understanding of decolonisation and legacies of empire in making the modern world. You will be introduced to major debates in the history of British World scholarship. Topics are from the latest ideas in the area and include commemoration and the toppling of statues, cultural symbols of nation and empire, landscape and power, war and patriotism, settler/indigenous contact zones, environmental imperialism, female imperialism, gender and sexuality, empire and memory, war and patriotism, travel and the sea, and food and marketing. Aotearoa New Zealand, Africa, Australia and Canada are examined.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2021 , 2022
For further information see HIST258 course details
Points
15 points