Cultural Politics/Cultural Activism

This course offers students a grounding in Cultural Studies theories and methods. It examines the political dynamics and historical foundations of contemporary culture, and the strategic roles that it can play as a force for change. Drawing from a wide variety of examples, it focuses on how culture - as a process, as a practice, and as the production of meaning - functions as a battleground in the assignment of and struggle for social power.

15 points

Any 15 points at 100 level from CULT or ENGL, or any 60 points at 100 level from any subject.

ENGL232

Introduction to Public Policy and Policy Analysis

This course introduces concepts of and approaches to public policy analysis and evaluation. The course examines the interaction of expertise, society, and public policy and clarifies the intricacies of the policy process in light of technological and social change.

15 points

Any 15 points at 100 level from HLTH, HSRV, or 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.

Social Media

This course contains practical work in the community and groupwork. The course prepares students to do public communication in a rapidly changing media environment. The first half of the course explores how a range of social media platforms work and how professional communicators are attempting to use it. Topics include networks, online community, social media analytics and social media campaigns. In the second half of the course students apply these ideas in small-group projects for a community organisation or company. This course is available only to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Communication.

15 points

15 points COMS or 60 points BC Schedule V. Subject to approval by the Head of Department.

COMS222 (2008-2012), DIGI207

Gender Sensitivity and the Human Services

This course provides students with the opportunity to critically investigate shifting socio-cultural constructions of gender. Students are introduced to theories, experiences and issues of gender, to think about how gender matters in the choices and opportunities available to us; in shaping ideas regarding individual and social well-being; the ways in which gender is experienced, defined, validated, and reworked.

15 points

15 points at 100 level in HSRV AND 15 points from either Schedule V to the BA, Schedule C to the BSW(Hons), Schedules C or E to the BCJ; OR 60 points from the BA, BSW(Hons) or BCJ.

HSRV308

Gender, Crime and Social Theory

This course considers a range of explanatory theories emanating from a range of disciplines that contribute to current understandings of gender, crime, deviance, social theory and social control. There is significant input from visiting professionals in criminal justice and allied practices relevant to the topic. Theories and constructions of crime, deviance, violence and gender will be discussed as these relate to gendered experiences within and without the criminal justice system.

15 points

15 points at 100 level in HSRV AND 15 points from either Schedule V to the BA, Schedule C to the BSW(Hons), Schedules C or E to the BCJ; OR 60 points from the BA, BSW(Hons) or BCJ.

HSRV303, HSRV310

Global and International Political Economy

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.

15 points

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.

Kiwi Culture

This course explores the invention of kiwi culture from first Maori contact with Europeans to Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films. Key questions asked are: How has national identity formed? What kiwi traditions have emerged? Who is a New Zealander and who is excluded from dominant concepts of nation? What aspects of culture are indigenous and how much is copied from overseas? Topics under examination include key defining moments, peacekeeping, sport and leisure, food, beauty, fashion, arts and crafts, literature and music, kiwi icons, kiwiana, overseas fame, sexuality and morality, environmentalism, national disasters, immigration and multiculturalism.

15 points

Any 15 points at 100 level in HIST or CLAS120, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.

HIST352

Te Ao Hauora Tangata: Maori Health Perspectives

A study of Maori health perspectives examining the current trends, issues, and challenges underpinning contemporary Maori health. The course draws from the experiences of Maori health practitioners, including those from Ngai Tahu and Maata Waka. Please note that this is an on-campus paper, which includes in-depth classroom discussion and debate on Maori health topics. There is also a group assessment and kanohi ki te kanohi (face-to-face) presentation.

15 points

Any 15 points at 100 level from HLTH, MAOR, or TREO, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.

Modern Histories of Ngai Tahu

The story of Ngai Tahu is a fascinating example of a small impoverished community of tribal members who by the 1970s had been reduced to a membership of less than 400. Within two decades this tribe had emerged as one of the largest corporations in the South Island with a tribal membership of over 40,000. It is the largest land-owner in the South Island with significant interests in fisheries and tourism. Explaining how and why this happened will be one of the core themes of this course. The first part of this course will look at some of the early history of Ngai Tahu through to their movement from its pre-contact era to initial contact with early explorers, the settler government and the subsequent land transactions that ran from 1844 to 1864. The second part of this course will trace Ngai Tahu’s claim over nearly 150 years and the concurrent development and implementation of corporate structures. It will then turn to an overview of how Ngai Tahu and the Crown negotiated one of the largest Treaty settlement packages in the nation's history, but also what opportunities and challenges that brings today.

15 points

Any 15 points at 100 level from HIST, MAOR, or TREO, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.

HIST292