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Study History at Otago

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Apply for the Bachelor of Arts (BA)

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Apply for the Bachelor of Arts and Commerce (BACom) through the Dunedin campus in 2021

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Apply for the Bachelor of Arts and Science (BASc)

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Apply for the Bachelor of Arts with Honours (BA(Hons))

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Apply for the Diploma for Graduates (DipGrad)

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Apply for the Master of Arts (Coursework) (MA(Coursework))

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Apply for the Master of Arts (Thesis) (MA(Thesis))

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Apply for the Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Subjects (PGDipArts)

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Overview

History moves like tectonic plates: mostly imperceptibly, but sometimes with astonishing ruptures.

What kinds of historical shifts lie behind a Brexit, a Trump, or a Treaty of Waitangi for that matter? What counts as historical truth in a world of ‘alternative facts’?

Studying history provides students with a deep feeling for the ways time has shaped today’s complex world, and the intellectual tools to tackle an enticingly wide range of professional and career challenges.

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Contact details

Email history@otago.ac.nz
Website otago.ac.nz/history

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Qualifications

Papers

See the full list of History (HIST) papers.

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Programme requirements

Bachelor of Arts (BA) majoring in History

Level Papers Points
100-level

Two 100-level HIST papers

Any 100-level ARTV paper may be substituted for one 100-level HIST paper.

 36
200-level

Three 200-level HIST papers

Any 200-level ARTV paper, CHIN 244 Writing China: Texts, Ideas and History, CHTH 206, The Reformation, ENVI 211 Environmental History of New Zealand, ENGL 215 The Anglo-Saxons: An Interdisciplinary Approach, or MAOR 207 Ngā Kōrero Nehe - Tribal Histories, may be substituted for one 200-level HIST paper.

54
300-level

Four 300-level HIST papers 

Any 300-level ARTV paper, CHIN 344 Writing China: Texts, Ideas and History, or MAOR 307 Te Tūtakitanga o Ngā Ao e Rua, may be substituted for one 300-level HIST paper.

72
Plus

198 further points; must include 54 points at 200-level or above.

Up to 90 points may be taken from outside Arts

 198
Total   360

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Bachelor of Arts with Honours (BA(Hons)) in History

Papers

  • HIST 490  Dissertation

  • HIST 452  Rethinking History

  • Two further 400-level HIST papers

  • One other relevant 400-level paper (which may include MAOR 407 Presenting Pacific Histories) may be substituted for one 400-level HIST paper, with approval from the Head of Programme, History.

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Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Subjects (PGDipArts) in History

The Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Subjects (PGDipArts) programme in History is the same as the programme for the degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honours (BA(Hons)).

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Master of Arts (Coursework) (MA(Coursework)) in History

Papers
  • HIST 590 Research Dissertation

  • Two of:
    HUMS 501 Writing and Revision for Graduate Research
    HUMS 502 Research Methods in the Humanities
    HUMS 503 Key Debates in the Humanities

  • two 400-level HIST papers
  • one other relevant 400-level paper (which may include MAOR 407) approved by the Head of Programme, History

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Master of Arts (Thesis) (MA(Thesis)) in History

Thesis

  • Thesis: HIST 5

Note: Students who have not completed a Bachelor of Arts (BA(Hons)) in History or a Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Subjects (PGDipArts) in History must complete the required papers for the BA(Hons) in History prior to undertaking the thesis.

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Minor subject requirements

History as a minor subject for a BA, MusB, BPA, BTheol, BSc, BAppSc, BCom, BHealSc, or BASc degree

Available as a minor subject for a Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Music (MusB), Bachelor of Performing Arts (BPA), Bachelor of Theology (BTheol), Bachelor of Science (BSc), Bachelor of Applied Science (BAppSc), Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), Bachelor of Health Science (BHealSc), or Bachelor of Arts and Science (BASc) degree

Level Papers Points
100-level Two 100-level HIST papers 36
200-level Two 200-level HIST papers 36
300-level One 300-level HIST paper 18
Total   90

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