HISTORY 700A/B : Settlers and Empire

Arts

2025 Semester One (1253) / Semester Two (1255) (30 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Explores the histories of nineteenth and twentieth century British settler societies, with a particular focus on New Zealand, Australia and Canada. Examines the key conceptual frameworks and major themes for thinking about the comparative and transnational pasts of these settler societies.

Course Overview

This  course interrogates the idea of settler societies and their relationship to empire. Settler societies are not just a British imperial phenomenon, but this course will focus on the British empire, and its nineteenth and twentieth century settler colonies, especially New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. Settler colonies are a very particular manifestation of both imperialism and colonialism, but one that arguably is still not very well understood. This course will ask what makes settler societies different? How well do existing conceptions of empire and colonialism explain this phenomenon? What are 'settlers', and what is distinct about the development of these societies? What are the impacts of settler societies for indigenous peoples and are these the same, or different, from other forms of empire? Does settler colonialism have an end, and what might that look like? And not least, what are the implications of the term 'settler society'?

We will aim to answer these questions with three approaches. First the course will look at existing ideas about empire, then we will turn to some key thematic content including aspects of gender, race and culture. Finally you will undertake your own primary research project, on a topic which excites you, and which will be presented to the seminar class.

Course Requirements

To complete this course students must enrol in HISTORY 700 A and B

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: People and Place
Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 7: Collaboration
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate an understanding of and appraise a complex historical force (Capability 1)
  2. Critically evaluate different structures of colonial power (Capability 4)
  3. Develop independent research skills (Capability 3)
  4. Demonstrate an understanding of the impact of settler colonialism in Aoteaora New Zealand and other settler societies (Capability 1)
  5. Develop skills of a working historian (Capability 8)
  6. Explore historical events though learning and discussion (Capability 7)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Assignments 20% Individual Coursework
Essay 50% Individual Coursework
Discussions 10% Individual Coursework
Assignments 20% Individual Coursework

You must complete all coursework to pass.

Teaching & Learning Methods

This course is seminar-based and requires full commitment to reading the materials provided (or selected by students ) for each seminar. These include book chapters, articles and even books themselves.Discussions will be driven by students with guidance from the lecturer. These will generally be in-person meetings.

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 30 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 2 semester 30 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect a two hour seminar, 3 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 5 hours of work on assignment preparation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at scheduled activities  to complete the course.
The course may include live online events including group discussions.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

This course was not taught last year.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894, which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 29/10/2024 10:13 a.m.