300-level

MAOR301
Ngati Apopo: Maori Futures
Description
This course explores the local, national and global trends that will materially impact on the future trajectory of Maori self determination and futures making. Students will investigate how Maori navigate such shifts and trends to advance self-determination as change agents.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2026
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
Any 30 points at 200 level from CULT, MAOR, POLS, or TREO, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
POLS331, POLS358, CULT319, MAOR425
POLS304
Environmental Politics and Policy
Description
Has green politics come of age? Around the world we are seeing spontaneous community movements challenging four difficult and intersecting issues: dangerous environmental change, growing social inequality, weak democracy and a paradigm of growth that has contributed to resource extraction beyond the capacity of the planet. Against a background of difficult issues including climate change and the impact of colonization, this course examines the roots of environmental thinking and activism and asks- what are the implications of these ideas for how we live as citizens, communities, businesses and nations and how might we plan for just transitions towards a more equitable and sustainable future? The course involves a weekend field trip.
Occurrences
Semester One 2026
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
Any 30 points at 200 level from POLS, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA, or LAWS, GEOG, or the Schedule V of the BCom.
COMS306
Media and Communication in International Context
Description
The course sets out to provide a critical insight and analysis into the role of media in contemporary international contexts. Its focus is on political communication during conflicts and wars, as well as its contribution to international collaborations and cross-border and cross-culture dialogues. Through a series of in-depth case studies, the course provides a comprehensive review of the key concepts and theories on the media's impact on, and role in international political communication. This course includes group work with students in the course collaborating with students from different countries, and requires active in-class engagement. It has on-campus and distance options. It features internationally-recognised top experts as our guest speakers. Research, team work, international collaboration, creativity, writing, presentation and cross-cultural skills are among the core skills this course aims to advance.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2026
Semester Two 2026 (Distance)
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
Any 30 points at 200 level from COMS or POLS, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
POLS332
POLS308
International Politics: Aotearoa New Zealand Foreign Policy
Description
This course will critically examine Aotearoa New Zealand’s past and present foreign policy while exploring future foreign policy directions.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2026
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
Any 30 points at 200 level from POLS, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA, or LAWS, GEOG, or the Schedule V of the BCom.
Restrictions
PACS303
EURA310
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 2026
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
Any 30 points at 200 level from EURA or GEOG, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
EURA210, EURO 210, EURO 310, GEOG 320 (prior to 2005), GEOG321 (from 2005)
POLS315
Global Politics: Political Economy of Contemporary Democracies
Description
This seminar course is an in-depth comparative analysis of the political processes, behaviour, and institutions in industrial democracies. The course considers the numerous avenues through which citizens influence politics and policy-making and considers the implications of formal institutional structures and informal forms of participation. In this seminar, we will survey (i) the historical, geographic, and economic context, (ii) institutions and electoral processes, and (iii) recent transformations and future challenges of modern industrial democracies.
Occurrences
Semester One 2026
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
Any 30 points at 200 level from POLS, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA, or LAWS, GEOG, or the Schedule V of the BCom.
MAOR317
Takahi: Colonisation
Description
Colonisation has significantly shaped contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand society. This course will cover key events in Aotearoa New Zealand's colonial history. Students will choose their kaupapa related to colonisation for their research project, which they will complete throughout the semester. In addition to the course content, weekly workshops will cover practical research and writing skills.
Occurrences
Semester One 2026
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
Any 30 points at 200 level from CULT, HIST, MAOR, or TREO, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
RELS322, HIST366, CULT302
POLS319
International Organisations: The United Nations and Contemporary Challenges
Description
An advanced undergraduate course examining international organisations with a special focus on the contemporary role of the United Nations.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2026
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
Any 30 points at 200 level from POLS, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA, or LAWS, GEOG, or the Schedule V of the BCom.
MAOR323
Research Essay
Description
Independent research essay for students with a demonstrated ability to progress to postgraduate research study and thesis writing. Enrolling students must have a B+ grade average. They are expected to see a lecturer in the School to develop a project with a supervisor and proposal.
Occurrences
Semester One 2026
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
Any 30 points at 200 level from MAOR or TREO, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA, and permission of the Head of School.
Restrictions
MAOR321
EURA324
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 2026
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
Any 30 points at 200 level from EURA or POLS, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
EURO224, EURO 324, EURA224, POLS224
MAOR329
Myth and History
Description
The myths we create are part of the fabric that makes up our past and how we understand it. This course will examine the interactions between history and myth. We will explore mythic narratives from Te Ao Maori, Te Moana-nui-a-kiwa, the Classical world, and medieval Europe. We will look at how myths have been studied, interpreted, and misinterpreted and consider some of the dangers of the misappropriation of myths. Students will engage with a range of texts, critically analysing them. They will become familiar with mythic archetypes and motifs and learn to interpret myth narratives.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2026
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
Any 30 points at 200 level from HIST, MAOR, or TREO, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA
Restrictions
HIST276, HIST353
SOCI368
The Politics of Need: Globalisation, Poverty and Welfare Provision
Description
An advanced study of globalisation that examines how our new world of risk (including global financial risk) shapes our experiences of wealth, poverty and belonging. As well as using case studies from around the world, it covers groundbreaking theorisations of globalisation and an interrogation of New Zealand's place in a global world.
Occurrences
Semester One 2026
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
30 points of SOCI including 15 points at 200 level; OR 30 points of SOCI or ANTH at 200 level; OR 60 points in related subjects including 30 points at 200 level with the approval of the Head of Department.
Restrictions
SOCI268, SOCI348 (prior to 2006), HSRV205, SOCI468
HIST374
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 Two 2026
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
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.
Restrictions
RUSS218, RUSS318, HIST274, EURA214

Not Offered Courses in 2026

300-level

HIST364
America and the World into the 21st Century
Description
An overview of American diplomacy, politics and culture during the Cold War.
Occurrences
Not offered 2026, offered in 2017 , 2018 , 2019
For further information see HIST364 course details
Points
30 points
MAOR365
Mana Wahine: Maori and Indigenous Women
Description
This course aims to provide an analysis of Maori and indigenous women in historical, political, cultural and social contexts. Topics include: Maori women, dominant interpretations in theorizing Maori women, mythology, historical accounts, social organization, leadership, Maori women in contemporary society. Both historical and contemporary influences on how Maori women are represented will be a feature of this course.
Occurrences
Not offered 2026
For further information see MAOR365 course details
Points
30 points
MAOR373
Whakaaro Wairua: Maori Spiritual Beliefs and Philosophies
Description
This course explores Maori philosophies, thought and, what has been described in the literature as, "spiritual beliefs" across time. The course will look at Maori concepts such as tapu, mana, mauri, ihi, wehi, wana and others, how these concepts have changed and the factors that have given rise to new understandings of these. We will also explore the ongoing maintenance of these concepts in the face of Christianity and modernity.
Occurrences
Not offered 2026, offered in 2024 , 2025
For further information see MAOR373 course details
Points
30 points
HIST378
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 2026, offered in 2021 , 2022
For further information see HIST378 course details
Points
30 points
HIST393
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
Not offered 2026, offered in 2017 , 2019 , 2020 , 2021 , 2024
For further information see HIST393 course details
Points
30 points