100-level

HIST128
New Zealand History from Waka to Weta
Description
From the arrival of the first peoples, to the successful creativity of Weta Workshops, this course introduces the essentials of New Zealand history according to the very latest scholarship. Located at the fault lines of the past, the course mixes wars, strikes, disease, guilt and apology with utopic visions and world-leading creativity and innovation. Major themes are Maori and Pakeha conflict and collaboration, the development and tensions of a ‘new world’ colonial nation, and New Zealand’s changing place on the world stage. Through a series of innovative assignments, you will learn how to research and write history at the university level.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2026
Points
15 points
Restrictions
HIST108, HIST109, HIST124
HIST136
Revolutions and Revolutionaries
Description
This course explores the nature of revolutions and their role in shaping the modern world. After looking at various definitions of the term 'revolution', and a range of historical approaches to the study of revolutions, the course looks in turn at a series of case studies such as the American, French and Russian revolutions, and their causes, course and consequences.
Occurrences
Semester One 2026
Points
15 points
Restrictions
HIST123
HIST137
Modern World History
Description
The end of WWII and the beginning of the cold war is the time when Europe lost her empires in Africa and Asia and new nations like India and Israel were formed. This course focuses on post-war decolonisation and the making of new nations. It looks at the impact of communism and capitalism on Europe and Asia and on global politics. We study the way race, religion and competition for resources challenged fledgling democracies and the way that oil and other resources continue to shape post-cold war politics. The course is truly global, including aspects of Middle East, African, Asian and Pacific history as well as European and American. It asks the question: Which are greater, the forces bringing the world towards greater unity or the forces tearing it apart?
Occurrences
Semester One 2026
Semester One 2026 (Distance)
Points
15 points

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 2026
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.Either 15 points in HIST at B grade or better or 30 points in HIST or Ancient History (CLAS111, CLAS112, CLAS113) with a passing grade. Alternatively, a B average in 60 points.
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 2026
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
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 2026
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.Either 15 points in HIST at B grade or better or 30 points in HIST or Ancient History (CLAS111, CLAS112, CLAS113) with a passing grade. Alternatively, a B average in 60 points.
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 2026
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.Either 15 points in HIST at B grade or better or 30 points in HIST or Ancient History (CLAS111, CLAS112) with a passing grade. Alternatively, a B average in 60 points.
Restrictions
HIST361, GEND215, 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 One 2026
Semester One 2026 (Distance)
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.Either 15 points in HIST at B grade or better or 30 points in HIST or Ancient History (CLAS111 and CLAS112) with a passing grade. Alternatively, a B average in 60 points of coursework.
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 2026
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 2026
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 2026
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.Either 15 points in HIST at B grade or better or 30 points in HIST or Ancient History (CLAS111 and CLAS112 with a passing grade. Alternatively, a B average in 60 points of coursework.
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 Two 2026
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
15 points in HIST with a B grade or better or 30 points HIST or Ancient History with a passing grade. Alternatively, a B grade in 60 points. RP: RUSS111/HIST138Any 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
HIST275
The Muslim World, 600-1650
Description
A social, cultural and political history of the Islamic world between 600 and 1650.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2026
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.Either 15 points in HIST with a B grade or better, or 30 points in HIST or Ancient History (CLAS 111, CLAS 112) with a passing grade. Alternatively, a B average in 60 points.
Restrictions
HIST375
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 2026
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 2026
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
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 2026
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
15 points in HIST with a B grade or better or 30 points HIST or Ancient History with a passing grade. Alternatively, a B grade in 60 points.15 points in HIST with a B grade or better; or 30 points HIST or Ancient History; or 60 points with a B grade or better; or 60 points from Schedule A of the Bachelor of Criminal Justice degree regulations.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

300-level

HIST329
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 2026
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
30 points at 200 level HIST, or 200 level Ancient History or 200 level MAOR; 15 points of EURA or EURO at 200-level OR any 45 points with B average at 200-level with approval of the Head of DepartmentAny 30 points at 200 level from EURA or HIST, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
EURA226, EURO226, EURA326, EURO326, HIST269
HIST339
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 2026
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
30 points at 200 level HIST, or 200 level Ancient History or 200 level MAOR.Any 30 points at 200 level from HIST, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
HIST352
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 2026
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
Any 30 points at 200 level from HIST, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
HIST243
HIST353
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 or MAOR, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
HIST276, MAOR329
HIST361
Heroines in History
Description
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.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2026
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
30 points at 200 level HIST, or 200 level Ancient History or 200 level MAOR.Any 30 points at 200 level from CULT or HIST, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
HIST255, CULT336
HIST366
Takahi: Colonisation
Description
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.
Occurrences
Semester One 2026
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
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.
Restrictions
MAOR317, RELS322, CULT302
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
30 points in History, Ancient History or Maori at 200 level with a passing grade. RP: RUSS111/HIST13830 points in History, Ancient History or Maori at 200 level. RP: HIST235/EURA235/RUSS235Any 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
HIST375
The Muslim World, 600-1650
Description
A social, cultural and political history of the Islamic world between 600 and 1650.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2026
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
30 points at 200 level HIST, or 200 level Ancient History or 200 level MAOR.Any 30 points at 200 level from HIST, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
HIST275
HIST376
Making Imperial Britain, 1780 to 1914
Description
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.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2026
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
30 points at 200 level HIST, or 200 level Ancient History or 200 level MAOR.Any 30 points at 200 level from HIST, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
HIST254
HIST377
American Revolution and Civil War
Description
An examination into the origins of popular government, the genius of American revolutionary politics, and the Civil War which ended slavery.
Occurrences
Semester One 2026
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
30 points at 200 level HIST, or 200 level Ancient History or 200 level MAOR.Any 30 points at 200 level from HIST, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
HIST257
HIST379
Maori and Indigenous Development
Description
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.
Occurrences
Semester One 2026
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
Any 30 points at 200 level from HIST or MAOR, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
HIST262, MAOR212
HIST395
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 2026
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
30 points in History, Ancient History or Maori at 200 level with a passing grade.30 points in History, Ancient History or Maori at 200 level; or CRJU201 and CRJU202.30 points in History, Ancient History or Maori at 200 level; or CRJU201 and either CRJU202 or LAWS202.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.
Restrictions
HIST295

Not Offered Courses in 2026

200-level

HIST216
Individual Course of Study
Occurrences
Not offered 2026
For further information see HIST216 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 2026
For further information see HIST259 course details
Points
15 points
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
HIST298-26S2 (C)
Semester Two 2026 - Not offered
For further information see HIST298 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
HIST398

300-level

HIST398
An Environmental History of Ancient to Modern India: Elephants and Empires
Description
This course emphasises the human/animal relationship as a primary factor in the environmental history of India. It focusses particularly on the environmental factors of disease, climate and health among both humans and animals in the shaping of India's history from ancient to modern times.
Occurrences
HIST398-26S2 (C)
Semester Two 2026 - Not offered
For further information see HIST398 course details
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
Any 30 points at 200 level from HIST, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
HIST298