Postgraduate Study in History and Art History & Theory

Postgraduate

Prospective postgraduate students should consult the Department's Guide to Postgraduate Study for advice on admission procedures, general policies and other matters. Further general information on postgraduate study at Otago can be found on the University website.

Contact

Dr Judith Collard is Chair of the Department Postgraduate Committee and may be contacted concerning MA and PhD research degrees at judith.collard@otago.ac.nz. Please also feel free to make enquiries with any staff member whose research is aligned with your particular interests.

For information about the Honours year, Postgraduate Diplomas and Diplomas for Graduates contact the History Department administrator Tel 64 3 479 8606 or history.arthistory@otago.ac.nz

Postgraduate Study

Staying on (or returning to university) to undertake postgraduate study in History or Art History at Otago will greatly enhance your career prospects. Postgraduate study is essential for anyone wanting to secure a competitive edge in a job market where undergraduate degrees are increasingly common. A postgraduate qualification in History or Art History will give you the skills to excel in such a market. Students who undertake postgraduate study in History and Art History at Otago join a Department that has a vibrant community of postgraduate students as well as an established tradition of postgraduate research.

Expert Supervision

The Department can provide expert supervision across a wide range of themes, time periods, and locations for postgraduate students in both History and Art History and Theory.

For History these include: New Zealand History; Histories of Gender and Sexuality; Environmental History; Race, Religion and Ethnicity; Intellectual History.

For Art History and Theory these include: Modern and Contemporary Art; Medieval Art; Gender Issues in Art; Art Theory and Criticism; Histories of Photography and Sculpture.

Prospective students should familiarise themselves with the expertise of the relevant staff members as they formulate their topic and frame their proposal.

Research in Dunedin

Because of the strength and range of its cultural institutions, Dunedin is an excellent location for undertaking postgraduate research. The Hocken Collections are an incredible resource for both historians and art historians. History and Art History students regularly use other local collections at National Archives, the Otago Settler's Museum, Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand Archives, and Dunedin City Council Archives. The Dunedin Public Library has the McNab Collection specializing in New Zealand material and the Reed Collection specializing in medieval manuscripts and early printed books. The Dunedin Public Art Gallery is a rich resource for art historians, as are the host of galleries and art spaces within the city.

Postgraduate Research Culture

The Department is committed to fostering an energetic postgraduate community. The department has a friendly and open atmosphere. There are many opportunities, both formal and informal, for students to engage with staff and each other. Students attend our regular research seminars that feature a range of local and international speakers and frequently participate in the symposia and conferences hosted by the Department. The Department runs a dedicated postgraduate workshop that meets on a monthly basis that allows students to work on developing key skills and to share their writing. Grants are available from the Department to assist students undertaking archival research and from the Humanities Division to enable students to attend conferences. The Department provides internet access and study space for postgraduate students.

Postgraduate Qualifications

The Department of History and Art History offers a range of Postgraduate qualifications: Diploma for Graduates; Postgraduate Diploma in Arts; Master of Arts; Doctor of Philosophy.

Diploma for Graduates (DipGrad)

The Diploma for Graduates is a one-year course of study that is intended for people who have a degree in another subject, but would like a qualification in History or Art History. It puts a student in the same position as a BA graduate with respect to eligibility for higher degrees. Although not technically a postgraduate qualification, the DipGrad is a useful bridging course for graduate students who wish to change academic direction. Further information on the DipGrad is available on the University website.

Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (PGDipArts)

Students who have completed a BA or Diploma for Graduates in History or Art History may enrol for this qualification. It is equivalent to the fourth year honours course and puts students in the same position as a BA (Hons) graduate with respect to eligibility for higher degrees and scholarships. Further information on the PGDipArts is available on the University website.

Master of Arts (MA)

Students who have completed a BA (Hons) or Postgraduate Diploma in History or Art History are eligible to apply for admission into the Masters programme. The student must write a thesis of approximately 40,000 words under the supervision of two members of staff. It normally takes one year full time (or the equivalent part time) to complete. Prospective students should consult the Department's Guide to Postgraduate Study for enrolment details. Further information on the Master of Arts is available on the University website.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Students who have completed a BA (Hons), Postgraduate Diploma, or MA in Philosophy are eligible to apply for admission into the PhD programme. The student must undertake a major research project, and write a thesis of approximately 100,000 words under the supervision of two members of staff. It normally takes three years full time (or the equivalent part time) to complete. Prospective students should consult the Department's Guide to Postgraduate Study for enrolment details. Further information on the Doctor of Philosophy is available on the University website.

Scholarships

The University of Otago offers a number of postgraduate scholarships. See the University website for details.

List of Theses

Recent MA and PhD thesis completed in the Department include:

History

• Ron Palenski, "The Making of New Zealanders: the evolution of national identity in the nineteenth century ", PhD, 2010.
• Naomi Alisa Calnitsky, "Colonized Pasts, Labour Circuits and Post-1945 Mobility to New Zealand: A Case Study of Samoa and Vanuatu", MA, 2008.
• George Frederick Davis, "Anzac Day meaning and memories: New Zealand, Australian and Turkish perspectives on a day of commemoration in the twentieth century", PhD, 2008.
• Antje Cardin Lübcke, "The Photograph Albums of the New Zealand Presbyterian Mission to the New Hebrides", MA, 2009.
• Gwen A. Parsons, "'The Many Derelicts of the War'? Great War Veterans and Repatriation in Dunedin and Ashburton, 1918 to 1928", PhD, 2008.
• Rachel Standfield, "Warriors and Wanderers: Making Race in the Tasman World, 1769 - 1840", PhD, 2008.
• Petronella Johanna Maria van de Wijdeven, "From Art Souvenir to Tourist Kitsch: A Cultural History of New Zealand Paua Shell Jewellery until 1981", PhD, 2008.
• Elspeth Knewstubb, "Respectability, religion and psychiatry in New Zealand: a case study of Ashburn Hall, Dunedin, 1882-1910", MA, 2011.
• Michael Stevens, "Muttonbirds and modernity in Murihiku: continuity and change in Ka¯i Tahu knowledge," PhD, 2009.
• Kim Sullivan, "Scots by association : Scottish diasporic identities and ethnic associationism in the nineteenth-early twentieth centuries and the present day," PhD, 2010.
• Simon Wilson, "From Eau de Cologne to rat poison: Kempthorne Prosser and Co's New Zealand Drug Company Limited 1869-1918," MA, 2010.

Art History and Theory

• Mary Berry, "The architectural and social history of 'Olveston', 1902-1906," MA, 2009.
• Ralph Body, "Alfred Henry O'Keeffe in Retrospect: Paint and Personality", MA, 2009.
• Hannah Burgess, "The mirror of art : a Kantian theory of art criticism", MA thesis, 2008.
• Chanelle Carrick, "Light Sensitive: Alternative Photographic Technologies in Conyemporary New Zealand Art," MA, 2011.
• Warren Feeney, "The Canterbury Society of Arts 1880 - 1996: Conformity and dissension revisited", PhD, 2008.
• Jessica Tasman-Jones, "Kuki Shuzo and the Aesthetics of Iki", MA, 2008.
• Christine Whybrew, "The Burton Brothers studio: commerce in photography and the marketing of New Zealand, 1866-1898," PhD, 2010.

The Department keeps a copy of all completed theses. See the History Catalogue and the Art History and Theory Catalogue for details.

Current Postgraduate Students

A list of the Department's current students and their research can be found here.