200-level

HIST239
The First World War: Total War in Europe
Description
The First World War is often described as a total war. Between 1914 and 1918 over 9 million combatants were killed and European nations deliberately targeted civilians for attack. Governments gave themselves extraordinary powers over people’s lives as they tried to turn whole societies, economies and cultures to the war effort. The results of this ranged from social and political reform to revolution, genocide and the collapse of empires. Students will explore the war’s impacts on the people of Europe, investigating its origins; military, political and social developments; and the legacies of both peace diplomacy and war cultures. Focusing primarily on Britain, France and Germany, this course asks how the experience and endurance of total war affected Europe, and what this meant for the modern world.
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
HIST301, HIST302, HIST305, HIST339
HIST243
Kiwi Culture
Description
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.
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
HIST352
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
HIST253
Renaissance and Reformation Europe
Description
A thematic study of two major transformations in European History between c.1350 and c.1620.
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
HIST373
HIST254
Making Imperial Britain, 1780-1914
Description
This course explores social, cultural, political and economic developments in the history of Britain and its empire between 1780-1914. The course focuses mainly on events within the British Isles, but also investigates the expansion and operation of the British empire. A major concern of the course is the development of British identities, which is explored in the context of varying conceptions across the four nations of the British Isles as well as by Britons in the empire.
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
HIST376
HIST255
Heroines in History
Description
Heroines' histories will be used to represent different moments of womanhood and femininity, women's place in domesticity, war, religion, education, politics and governance. Themes include spirituality, health and well-being, warrior and regal identities, cross-dressing, martyrdom and untimely death, imperialism, science and technology and glamour. Heroines to be studied include Boadicea, Joan of Arc, Elizabeth I, Catherine the Great, Florence Nightingale, Kate Sheppard, Marie Curie, Te Puea, Jean Batten, Rosa Luxemburg and Diana, Princess of Wales.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level in HIST or CULT or CLAS120, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
HIST361, GEND215, CULT336
HIST257
America in Revolution and Civil War
Description
This course explores the basic political ideas and institutions of early America in association with a close examination of the American revolution and the Civil War. It considers ideas from multiple perspectives and by means of close reading of texts of multiple genre including political essays, letters, fiction and autobiography.
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
HIST377
HIST262
Maori and Indigenous Development
Description
This course will examine Maori and Indigenous development. Students will explore both historical and contemporary developments and the factors which have affected Maori and Indigenous engagement with globalisation. For example the course will look at areas such as economic development, education and health, amongst others.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level in HIST or MAOR or CLAS120, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
MAOR212, HIST379
HIST268
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 in HIST, CULT, HSRV, MAOR, POLS, or SOCI, or CLAS120, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
MAOR219, POLS218, POLS258, SOCI209, HSRV207, CULT219
HIST269
The Rise and Fall of Communism in Central and Eastern Europe, 1944 - 1991
Description
The end of the Cold War and of Eastern European communism in 1989-1991 did not mean the loss of global interest in developments in the former communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe. On the contrary, the recent history of these countries, the period of their post-communist transition to political democracy and a market economy, has been marked with new instabilities, crises and wars which have had serious implications for global trends. This course is designed to provide a broad background to an understanding of the political, socio-economic, and cultural developments in the former communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe as an essential prerequisite to understanding the modern world.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level in HIST or EURA, or CLAS120, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
EURO226, EURO222, HIST264 (prior to 2006), INCO225, HIST386, EURA226, EURA326, EURO326, HIST329
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
HIST283
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 in HIST, ANTH, MAOR, PACS, or SOCI, or CLAS120, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
ANTH223, MAOR230, PACS204, SOCI223
HIST292
Modern Histories of Ngai Tahu
Description
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.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level in HIST or MAOR, or CLAS120, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
MAOR285
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
HIST295
Crime, Criminology and Policing in Modern Europe since 1750
Description
Beginning in the mid-eighteenth century, this course traces the development of crime, criminology and policing in modern Europe. Paying particular attention to the rise of competing biological and sociological models of criminality and the birth of forensics, the course examines the social, political and professional implications of attempting to put the investigation, understanding, and punishment of crime on a scientific footing. Topics covered will include: crime and insanity, Lombroso and the born criminal, the professionalisation of policing, and the development of fingerprinting and crime scene analysis.
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, or 60 points at 100 level from Schedules C or E of the BCJ.
Restrictions
HIST395

Not Offered Courses in 2024

200-level

HIST223
France in the Middle Ages, 1150-1350
Description
An in-depth exploration of late medieval France, focusing on society, culture and political ideas in the period 1150 to 1350. This course will chart the growing power of the Capetian kings of France and their impact on the wider European stage. Focusing on the twelfth, thirteenth and the first half of the fourteenth century, it will explore key themes in later medieval history including the crusade movement, the birth of gothic architecture and the development of political and intellectual ideas.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2021
For further information see HIST223 course details
Points
15 points
HIST235
Tsardom to Empire: Russian History 1480 to 1917
Description
This course explores aspects of social, political, economic, cultural, religious, and intellectual history of Russia prior to 1917, with a particular emphasis on the autocratic tradition as developed from 1480 onwards. The course also investigates the making of the Russian Empire while also examining ways in which political forces unique to Russia shaped the country's cultural specificity in the European context.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2016 , 2017 , 2019 , 2021 , 2023
For further information see HIST235 course details
Points
15 points
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
HIST259
Te Ao Marama: Maori Thought
Description
The paper explores key aspects of Maori thought, philosophies and ideas through Maori history and culture. Topics include: oral traditions and iwi traditions, tikanga, customs and social life, whakaaro rapunga, philosophies and Maori thought leaders, gender and sexuality, identity and Maori art and writing, conservation, natural lore of land, ocean, taniwha, kaitiakitanga and resource management.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024
For further information see HIST259 course details
Points
15 points
HIST265
Medieval Crusades and Crusaders
Description
A study of a key episode in world history. What motivated Christian Europeans to liberate the Holy Land, what did the Crusades achieve, and how were relations between Europe and Islam affected?
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2011
For further information see HIST265 course details
Points
15 points
HIST270
Anzac Neighbours: Australia and New Zealand
Description
This course compares and contrasts the history of New Zealand with the history of its largest and closest neighbour, Australia. The course explores the extent to which the neighbours share a history as well as what makes this country distinctive. Analysis extends from the Anzac tradition to the idea of Australasia. The aim is to understand why New Zealand is closely integrated with Australia today.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2013 , 2018
For further information see HIST270 course details
Points
15 points
HIST275
The Muslim World, 600-1650
Description
A social, cultural and political history of the Islamic world between 600 and 1650.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2012 , 2015 , 2018 , 2020 , 2022
For further information see HIST275 course details
Points
15 points
HIST276
Myth and History
Description
The myths we create are part of the fabric that make up our past and how we understand it. When we look into the past to find to find out what really happened, we not only face the problem of sifting myth from fact but we also face the danger of inventing new myths and traditions to go with it. This course will look at how history and myth interact and the problems that this interaction presents to the historian. Students will be introduced to tribal myths and how these stories assimilate 'historical events'. Students will then be introduced to a range of theories and methods historians and indigenous scholars use to manage the obvious tensions within.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2011
For further information see HIST276 course details
Points
15 points
HIST279
Social and Cultural History of India
Description
Focussing on ancient, colonial and contemporary India, this course considers themes such as untouchability and caste relationships, village and high culture Hinduism, religious conversion as social protest, violence against women and state use of spy and surveillance techniques throughout Indian history. The course investigates religion, gender and the state as contexts for regulation of and resistance to cultural and political authority at different times in Indian history.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2014 , 2015 , 2016 , 2017 , 2019
For further information see HIST279 course details
Points
15 points
HIST281
The Third Reich: Terror, Complicity and Resistance
Description
This course examines the rise of Nazism in Germany and the responses of Germans to it, including complicity and resistance. Beginning in 1919, the course traces the fortunes of the NSDAP during the Weimar Republic, explains their seizure of power in 1933 and their domestic and foreign policy up until the Second World War, concluding with an examination of the genocidal war they waged between 1939 and 1945.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2023
For further information see HIST281 course details
Points
15 points
HIST285
The Irish Revolution, 1916-1923: Violence and Memory
Description
The Irish Revolution, 1916-1923, marked the emergence of a modern independent Irish state. This course recreates the excitement and difficulties of this revolution, from the 1916 Rising and the War of Independence, to the Treaty, Partition of Northern Ireland, and the Civil War. The impact of Irish independence will be explored through legacies and memories of violence.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2020
For further information see HIST285 course details
Points
15 points
HIST288
Exploring the Past: Museums, Memory and Material Culture
Description
This course is a 'hands-on' introduction to public history and public anthropology taught through a combination of workshops, tutorials and field trips.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2023
For further information see HIST288 course details
Points
15 points
HIST291
Chinese Society and Culture since 1949
Description
China is making history with its stunning economic growth, with sweeping changes in its social, cultural and political life, and with its emergence as a global power. This course takes you on an exciting and thought-provoking journey to help you discover where these changes have come from and what they mean for China and the world. It is taught in English and requires no prior knowledge of China.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2011 , 2012
For further information see HIST291 course details
Points
15 points
HIST294
Recovering Christchurch 1850-2010
Description
As a systematically planned new world city on the edge of empire Christchurch has always been a fascinating place to study. Whose stories have formed the city's written collective memory, and what has been left out? Due to the earthquakes from 2010 the city has a unique rupture, or ending point for its colonial past. As Christchurch considers its future, this course critically remembers its history. Significant aspects of the social, cultural, political and economic history of the South Island's largest city will be investigated through a series of lectures and documentary exercises. Students will gain an overall knowledge of the city's urban history, with opportunity to focus on advanced research topics.
Occurrences
HIST294-24SU1 (C)
Summer Jan 2024 - Not offered
For further information see HIST294 course details
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
HIST394
HIST298
An Environmental History of Ancient to Modern India: Elephants and Empires
Description
This course considers the way humans have historically interacted with the land, water, plant and animal life in the Indian sub-continent and how these interactions shaped and were shaped by human kingdoms and empires from ancient to modern times.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2022 , 2023
For further information see HIST298 course details
Points
15 points