The First World War: Total War in Europe

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.

30 points

Any 30 points at 200 level from HIST, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.

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.

30 points

Any 30 points at 200 level from HIST, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.

HIST243

Takahi: Colonisation

Colonisation has had a significant effect on the shaping of contemporary New Zealand society. This course will cover key events in the colonisation throughout New Zealand’s brief colonial history. This course utilises different theories of colonisation to critically examine the continued subjugation of Indigenous Peoples in Aotearoa and around the world. Special attention will also be paid to breaking down the power relationships that have emerged between coloniser and colonised.

30 points

Any 30 points at 200 level from CULT, HIST, or MAOR, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.

MAOR317, RELS322, CULT302

The Soviet Experiment and Its Aftermath

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?

30 points

Any 30 points at 200 level from EURA, HIST, or RUSS, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.

RUSS218, RUSS318, HIST274, EURA214

Maori and Indigenous Development

This course will examine the history of Maori economic development. Students will gain an understanding of recent developments and the factors which have affected Maori engagement with globalisation over the past two hundred years.

30 points

Any 30 points at 200 level from HIST or MAOR, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.

HIST262, MAOR212

Crime, Criminology and Policing in Modern Europe since 1750

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.

30 points

Any 30 points at 200 level from HIST, or CRJU201 and either CRJU202 or LAWS202, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.

HIST295

The Rise and Fall of Communism in Central and Eastern Europe, 1944 - 1991

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.

30 points

Any 30 points at 200 level from EURA or HIST, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.

EURA226, EURO226, EURA326, EURO326, HIST269

Heroines in History

From the days of the Virgin Mary to the advent of Lorde, this course travels through time critically recovering a wide variety of global and local historical heroines. It moves beyond traditional mythological celebration to consider how women's histories have been told, re-told, and represented. What does it take to become celebrated as an icon or role model? Themes include spirituality, health and well-being, warrior and regal identities, politics, governance and domesticity, cross-dressing, martyrdom and untimely death, imperialism, science and technology, education and glamour.

30 points

Any 30 points at 200 level from CULT or HIST, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.

HIST255, CULT336

Contested Heritage: Politics, Power and Practice

This course provides students with a hands-on introduction to the study of heritage. We explore ways we might understand and interpret contemporary heritage practices in a range of contexts, including post-earthquake Christchurch.

30 points

Any 30 points at 200 level from HIST, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.

SOCI388, ANTH388

Renaissance and Reformation Europe

A thematic study of two major transformations in European History between c.1350 and c.1600.

30 points

Any 30 points at 200 level from HIST, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.

HIST253

Making Imperial Britain, 1780 to 1914

This course explores social, cultural, political and economic developments in the history of Britain and its empire between 1780 and 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.

30 points

Any 30 points at 200 level from HIST, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.

HIST254

American Revolution and Civil War

An examination into the origins of popular government, the genius of American revolutionary politics, and the Civil War which ended slavery.

30 points

Any 30 points at 200 level from HIST, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.

HIST257

Fascism and the Far-Right in Europe

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.

30 points

Any 30 points at 200 level from HIST, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.

HIST293

Independent Course of Study

30 points

Any 30 points at 200 level from HIST, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA. Subject to approval of the Head of Department.