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Welcome to the new website of the University of Otago's Department of History and Art History. Originally two independent academic units within the University, these fields became part of a larger academic unit several years ago. The department was recently renamed to reflect the cross-fertilization and integration of our teaching, research, post-graduate supervision, and administrative functions since the initial merger.
History is...
History is much more than the study of the past: it is the study of how and why the past has meaning in the present. History is one of the most exciting subjects offered at University. As an intellectual discipline it explores how and why change has occurred in human societies over time. The study of history asks us to think about ourselves as individuals and as members of a society and a culture located within a broad continuum of human experience across time and space. It helps us to recognise the distinctive forces which have shaped our own society and determined our particular place within it, while also making us aware of common links which we share with all humanity.
Art is...
Art is an essential part of the human experience. It is seen and made everywhere. Works of art provide us with a means of understanding cultural and ideological changes in society through the ages. Art is a political statement. It is also an aesthetic object; it is Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, and it is Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe, something intended to be looked at and appreciated for its intrinsic value. But what is this value? Is it beauty? The study of visual art at Otago reconciles art history (the study of art within the historical and cultural context of its creation) and art theory (the interrogation of diverse theoretical and conceptual issues vital to the study of art).
Contact Details
2nd Floor Arts 1 (Burns) Building
Tel 64 3 479 8606
Fax 64 3 479 8429
Email: history.arthistory@otago.ac.nz
Department of History and Art History
University of Otago
P O Box 56,
Dunedin 9054
New Zealand
Head of Department
Professor Barbara Brookes
Postgraduate Enquiries
Dr Judith Collard
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