History

New Zealand's peoples occupy one of the most remote parts of the world. As an island people, their history has been one of constant connection and innovation. Surveying the dynamic movements that made Aotearoa New Zealand a destination for peoples from Polynesia, and later, Britain and other parts of the globe, students explore what cultures, conflicts and identities were formed in the islands of Aotearoa. Covering the period from the beginnings of human habitation to the present, the course brings the latest discoveries to the lecture room and encourages students’ own research endeavours.

This course offers an introduction to modern history in Europe and the world from the mid-15th through 18th centuries.

The course imparts a historical, literary, and cultural study of English-speaking post-colonial countries. It examines the literary works of prominent authors in their historical context, literary genres, and the culture of Africa, Australia, Canada, the Caribbean, India, New Zealand, and the Pacific. Other topics include the history of these regions from seventeenth-century British colonization to present-day, the relationship between literature and culture, and English language diversity among these regions.

This course studies the history of Spain from the 15th through 18th centuries. Attention is given to political, cultural, and economic aspects of Spanish history. The course is divided into the following units: the reign of the Catholic Monarchs; Spanish hegemony in Europe; the economic and political crisis of the 17th century; 18th century and the Bourbon reforms.

This course covers the history of Europe from c.1000 to 1500, covering areas on both sides of the Mediterranean. It covers problems of continuity and change in society, politics, religion, and culture, and introduces students to debates about the impact of the rise of Islam, the centuries of the Crusades and the European economic "take-off," the effects of the great plagues and revolts of the 14th century, and about the Renaissance, modernity, and the origins of European states. Students have the opportunity to consider how a vast series of transformations formed European culture, and to reflect on general themes, such as the interaction of religious orthodoxy and dissent, shifting perceptions of gender, or the friction between imperialist drives and cultural coexistence.

This course is an introduction to the political, economic, social and cultural history of the Middle East from 1950 to the present. It covers the coming to independence of nation-states in the region after the Second World War and examines the subsequent domestic and regional conflicts, ranging from nationalism, statism and socialism to Islamism and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

This course focuses on the political and diplomatic history of the Habsburg Empire, from the emergence of the Habsburg dynasty to the dissolution of Austria-Hungary at the end of World War I. Emphasis is put on key turning points, such as the reign of Maximilian I and his marriage policy, the figure of Charles V, the Battle of Mohacs and the birth of a Central European Empire, the Counter- Reformation, the enlightened absolutism of Maria Theresa and Joseph II, the system of Metternich, and the reign of Francis Joseph. This provides the framework for an analysis of interdisciplinary questions, such as the role of religion or the multinational Empire, focusing on the uniqueness of the culture developed in the Empire.