Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Victoria's largest Faculty, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Te Wāhanga Aronui, offers a wide variety of BA, BMus, and graduate Diploma, BA (Hons), MA programmes and PhD degrees across the spectrum of humanities and social science disciplines.

Degrees

The Faculty administers the following undergraduate degrees:

Bachelor of Arts [BA]

Bachelor of Music [BMus]

Bachelor of Arts

From languages and art history to media studies and philosophy, studying the arts inspires you to reflect on society with curiosity and compassion. It is training for your spirit of discovery, training in analysis, imagination, and vision.

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) is Victoria's most popular degree. Its flexible structure means you can study the subjects important to you, but a Vic BA is about more than just subject areas. It's about gaining the skills and abilities essential to any career. You'll learn to critically assess information and to structure arguments with imagination and vision.

Vic's BA programme is exceptionally flexible, so you can shape a degree that suits you. Choose subjects that are closely related – like Asian Studies, Asian languages, and Chinese – for a focused, specialised degree. Or major in one subject that suits your career ambitions, while keeping your passions alive with study in other areas.

A BA leads to study in Victoria's Honours, Masters, and PhD programmes in a wide range of areas. The career opportunities for Arts graduates are equally varied. BA graduates are employed in almost every part of the workforce, both in jobs relating to their specialty subject and by employers who value their analytical and communication skills. Policy analyst, journalist, teacher, translator, diplomat, artist, market researcher, social worker, librarian, criminologist, aid worker... a BA is suited to hundreds of careers.

There are 10 schools in the Faulty

School of Art History, Classics and Religious Studies

Art History, Classics and Religious Studies are analytical, relevant and insightful areas of study. They teach us – students and staff alike – to describe, explain, interrogate and better understand our world, and be more effective participants in it.

Majors within the School of Art History, Classics and Religious Studies

Art History

From rock paintings of Aboriginal Australia to the work of contemporary artists who might submit themselves to plastic surgery - art history encourages you to think critically about art in all its forms. Art History at Victoria is a broad-based and comprehensive introduction to the history of visual art. You will not only learn about artists and art works, but also understand them as products of particular social and cultural situations.

An Art History Bachelor of Arts [BA] major starts with first-year courses giving a broad history of art as it unfolds in Europe, Asia, the Americas, and the Pacific. You'll gain insight into the central questions that have shaped art history. In second- and third-year courses you'll study a range of art movements, from Renaissance and Baroque to Modernism and Postmodernism, and explore thematic approaches to the art of particular places and periods.

Vic's Art History programme teaches you to think critically, research independently, and write effectively. You will experience first-hand the power of art, and realise its importance for humans as a way of giving meaning to their world.

Classics

Emperor Marcus Aurelius tells us, "All things fade into the storied past, and in a little while are shrouded in oblivion." But in Classical Studies, research into ancient Greece and Rome is more alive than ever. From language to democracy, the foundation of Western culture is in the classical world.

At Vic, you can take a Bachelor of Arts [BA] major in Classical Studies, Greek or Latin. No previous understanding of either Latin or Greek is required. You'll get a comprehensive training in rigorous thinking, analysis, and the understanding of complex issues, as well as an invaluable education in the literature, history, myth, and art of the ancient world.

Classical Studies also provides insights into other subjects such as English, Philosophy, Art History, and Religious Studies. "What follows is ever closely linked to what precedes," Marcus Aurelius also said. Go deep into the past and you'll understand the future.

Religious Studies

A Bachelor of Arts [BA] major in Religious Studies is a pathway to understanding the world we live in. The vast majority of people on the planet belong to religious traditions, and our legal, political, musical, literary, philosophical, and cultural traditions make more sense if we study the religions that inform them.

Vic's Religious Studies programme gives you a broad and comprehensive introduction to the major religious traditions of Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and Judaism, as well as the religions of India, China, and Japan. Learn about the ways in which religion impacts on the contemporary world, and as your degree advances you can link religion with other themes, like religion and healing, contemporary spirituality, religion and death, terrorism, identity, politics and ecology.

Religious Studies teaches you to appreciate human values in all their diversity - useful skills for living and working in our complex world. Knowledge and understanding of humanity at its deepest level are an invaluable guide, whatever career or personal path you follow.

School of English, Film & Theatre with Media Studies

The School of English, Film, and Theatre came into being in 1997, when the Department of Theatre and Film joined the Department of English Language and Literature. This merger brought together a group of disciplines whose primary focus is the creation and interpretation of texts, whether written, spoken, theatrical, or cinematic. In 2001 a new area of specialisation, Media Studies, was added to the School's offerings.

Majors within the School of English, Film & Theatre with Media Studies

English

The study of English literature tells us who we are in ways that conventional histories never can. From Beowulf to 1984, Jane Austen to Janet Frame, English literature is one of the richest cultural traditions we have.

At Victoria we take you through an amazing arc of reading experiences. You'll study the classics of English, the books which have shaped our ideas of ourselves and of literature. And you can study contemporary New Zealand works and learn how books connect to visual media like film and television.

Few majors offer such freedom of choice and expression as a Bachelor of Arts [BA] major in English. It teaches you to think independently and rigorously, to solve problems and explain solutions rationally and with authority. In a world where the volume of printed material is always increasing, English teaches you to read for yourself.

Film

Film is the language of the eye. And Film in New Zealand is enjoying unprecedented attention as local filmmakers and their works catch the eye of the global audience. At Victoria, a major in Film is a major in taking film seriously.

You'll begin in your first year with an introduction to film study. Then you can pursue your interests with courses that focus on international and New Zealand film, and the creative aspects of filmmaking.

Film is a major for a Bachelor of Arts [BA], but Film courses are also relevant to majors in many other disciplines. Double majors are encouraged, and suitable subjects include Theatre, English Literature or Media Studies. Not only will you expand your appreciation and understanding of movies as art, but you'll gain the knowledge, theory, and experience that will prepare you for a career in film production, or one of the other fascinating fields related to the cinema.

Theatre

From Shakespeare to Shortland Street. From a simple chalk square to the most elaborate multimedia setting. Theatre offers the seductive possibility of getting into someone else's skin, of seeing life through a new pair of eyes.

The study of theatre at Victoria is the opportunity to understand this impulse, what it means for an individual, or a society. And it offers the opportunity to act on this impulse yourself using the resources of the Theatre Programme's own fully equipped theatre, Studio 77. You can study Theatre as a major for a Bachelor of Arts [BA], and Theatre courses can form part of a major in English Studies.

Wellington has New Zealand's most vibrant theatre community, alive with both mainstream and fringe performance, and, with the New Zealand International Arts Festival, host to innovative overseas acts. It is also home to the country's most exciting and quickly expanding film industry. Theatre at Victoria is a foundation for creativity and career paths in both stage and screen.

Media Studies

Is a newspaper a more trustworthy source of information than the internet? Most people believe it is, but why? In a world overloaded with information - and misinformation - the ability to analyse the media is a vital skill.

The Bachelor of Arts [BA] major in Media Studies looks at the central role played in society and culture by media such as newspapers and broadcasting, television, film, and the internet. Media Studies courses at Victoria analyse the way these media work, what they assume about their audience, and what their audiences assume about them.

After your first year of Media Studies, you can follow up on one of five important areas: Media, Society and Politics; Visual Media Culture; Popular Media Culture; Journalism; or New Media. You'll be equipped with a critical understanding of the way the modern world constructs itself. And you'll have rational, problem-solving and analysis skills that set you apart in a media-saturated world.

School of History, Philosophy, Political Science & International Relations

The School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations was established in March 2001. The Head of the School is Professor Stephen Levine, a specialist in political science and international relations.

The disciplines represented in the School – History; Philosophy; Political Science and International Relations – represent important fields of study, each with their own sets of concepts and perspectives. At the same time, these disciplines complement each other in many ways and this is reflected in the tendency of many university students to take courses in each of them.

Victoria University of Wellington recognises the distinctiveness of the disciplines of History, Philosophy, and Political Science and International Relations through its curriculum – all three have their own set of courses, and students can major in any of these three fields of study.

The School provides an administrative framework that allows the academic staff to carry out their research, and develop their teaching interests, in a way that will provide benefit to themselves, the community, and our students.

For a more detailed examination of the teaching programme in each discipline, and for more information about the research and teaching interests of the staff, please take a closer look at the three disciplines' respective websites. If there are any questions that the material contained in these websites cannot answer for you, please do not hesitate to contact us directly.

Majors within the School of School of History, Philosophy, Political science & International Relations

History

We've all heard the saying that to understand the present you need to know the past. By looking at what's gone before, history is the study of what's happening now. What's a Waitangi Tribunal claim without the Treaty of Waitangi and 150 years of history? What's the fall of the Berlin Wall without the rise?

History at Vic takes you to different places, times and peoples. It's about understanding that who we are and what we believe has been shaped and influenced by our past. Within this framework you'll learn about the histories of New Zealand, Asia, Europe and the Americas, as well as the Pacific region and Australia. You'll get the opportunity to pursue your interests in a diverse range of subjects, such as the rise of the US to superpower status; the histories of race and racisms, of slavery and of human rights; of dissenting traditions in China and Europe; of colonialisms and nationalisms; the role of the media, especially film, in the creation and representation of history.

Training in history teaches you to understand complicated situations where the players have lots at stake. It trains you to analyse and solve difficult problems with flair and confidence, and to present well-reasoned arguments based on sound evidence, in good prose. By studying the past you'll open up your future.

Philosophy

Philosophy at Victoria focuses on fundamental issues about what we believe, about meaning and truth, about what we know and what might be possible. Many of the questions dealt with spring naturally out of everyday things we say and do, but some spring from the natural and social sciences.

Philosophy courses are invaluable in analysing and presenting arguments, and in understanding the logic underlying reason. These skills and approaches can be powerfully applied to many other subjects, and used in many careers. You can choose to major in Philosophy within a Bachelor of Arts [BA], or be confident that whatever your choice of major, there will be Philosophy courses relevant to it.

Analysing issues from multiple perspectives, thinking creatively and logically, and synthesising information are skills you can use in any career and any situation. Improve your mental fitness with Philosophy, the ultimate workout for your brain.

Political Science and International Relations

How do we organise our public life? How do the people who govern and the people who are governed really behave - and why? Can our political systems be improved? How can we do it?

These are the fundamental questions that are asked and answered in the Bachelor of Arts [BA] major of Political Science. And it isn't just theory. We use contemporary examples of political systems from around the world to show you what governments are and how they use their power. You can choose to focus your study on one of four broad topics: Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Philosophy and New Zealand Politics.

In your first year you'll get a broad introduction to political systems and ideas. From there you can go into the theory and ethics that determine how we are governed, or you can study revolutions and dictators, or contemporary organisations such as the European Union. It has never been more important to have a broad knowledge of world politics - you know it, and employers everywhere know it too. Where better than the capital to study politics?

School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies

Victoria's School of Linguistics & Applied Language Studies teaches Deaf Studies, Writing and Linguistics courses at undergraduate level and offers a wide range of postgraduate programmes in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics. These include the CertTESOL, DipTESOL and the MA and PhD programmes in Linguistics and in Applied Linguistics. The School's highly qualified staff have had professional experience in many parts of the world - Asia, the Pacific, Africa, Europe and North America.

The School also incorporates the English Language Institute which has, since 1961, taught students from over 100 countries in its English language courses and in its widely-respected teacher education programmes, the Deaf Studies Research Unit, which conducts research on topics relating to deaf people and their language in New Zealand and the New Zealand Dictionary Centre, set up in partnership with Oxford University Press, which provides a base for research into New Zealand lexicography and aspects of language in New Zealand.

Majors within School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies

Linguistics

How do men talk differently from women? How can we measure the ways in which you talk differently from your parents? How do we store words in our heads? Studying Linguistics at Victoria you'll learn the answers to these questions, and much more.

Linguistics at Victoria's School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies is the study of all facets of human language and how we use it. The School's highly qualified staff have had professional experience all over the globe - Asia, the Pacific, Africa, Europe, and North America. They run the New Zealand Dictionary Centre, the Writing Programme, and the English Language Institute, which has been teaching English language and providing teacher education to students from around the world for over 40 years.

A Linguistics major within either a Bachelor of Arts [BA] or a Bachelor of Science [BSc] gives you a grounding in the description of languages and language use which will be useful in diverse careers, from language teacher to software designer.

Chinese

Which language can be traced back 2,000 years before the birth of Christ? Which language is both one of the five working languages of the United Nations and one of the most important new languages in New Zealand? It's Modern Standard Chinese (Mandarin), the standard language throughout China (including Taiwan), Singapore, and in Chinese communities all over the world.

Studying Chinese at Victoria means you'll learn the ideographic writing system, along with spoken Chinese. You'll study in a supportive and comprehensive programme that will make you confident and assured in speaking, reading, and writing one of the oldest languages in the world. Chinese is offered as a major for a Bachelor of Arts [BA] and can also contribute to a BA major in Asian Languages or Modern Languages. Chinese courses complement other courses in Asian languages, Asian studies, history, geography, or in commerce and law.

Chinese is one of the oldest languages in the world, but history isn't everything. Modern China is an economic superpower. Companies want to do business with China, and China wants to take its business to the world. There are flourishing career opportunities for graduates who can communicate in Chinese and English.

French

Parlez-vous Francais? Whether your answer is "non, not a bit", or "oui, un peu", French at Victoria has a carefully tailored and planned course for you to step right in and start learning.

In your first year studying French, a Bachelor of Arts [BA] major, at Victoria, you'll be introduced to all the magic, romance, and mystery of French language and culture. You'll experience comprehensive and supportive courses, using multimedia and tutorials, designed to get you speaking, reading, writing, and interacting in French. Then you can choose from an array of courses to improve your French and your appreciation of French culture, in an atmosphere of fun, interaction, and highly focused energy.

With the growth in the European Union, it's become even more vital for young people in the workplace to have a second language. At Victoria, we make it easy and fun to study one of the world's most fascinating languages, with an array of social and cultural activities in addition to study. And you'll be set up for careers wherever French is spoken - in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Africa, Canada, and the Pacific

German

One of the most influential states in the European Union, Germany is home to a definitive brand of culture, industry, art, literature, and innovation. The German language is both a leading world language and of prime importance in the EU, especially as that Union expands eastwards.

German at Victoria is a major designed with accessibility in mind. You can enter German at a university level no matter what your current level. Within the supportive environment of the German Programme, you'll soon be speaking, reading, and writing German. Students are automatically members of the German Club, there is a German library for student use and the German choir meets weekly during term time. You can major in German for a Bachelor of Arts [BA], or take German as part of a major in Modern Languages or European Studies.

People able to speak both English and German are valued in New Zealand and overseas. You'll be in demand for jobs in areas like tourism, marketing, and international business, and qualified also for a wide range of other careers.

Classical Studies, Greek and Latin

Italian

Italian is a language that evokes music and literature, art and cinema, and world-famous cuisine. Beautiful and expressive, it's the language of the poetry of Dante, of high fashion and of classical opera. Modern Italy is one of the leading international economies and a founding member of the European Union.

At Victoria our programme in Italian is designed to give you a broad, supportive introduction to speaking, reading, writing, and understanding the language. You'll learn basic grammar, how to hold a conversation, and some simple composition. After building on that foundation, later in your degree you'll be ready to study more about Italy and the Italian language through fiction and drama, poetry and film.

Japanese

Sushi, sumo, samurai. Sound very familiar? Japanese culture has had a profound and long-lasting influence on the West. Not only is Japan one of the biggest economies in the world, it also has one of the most fascinating cultures.

Studying Japanese, a Bachelor of Arts [BA] major, you get a programme designed specifically for your needs. Whether you've studied at school or are a complete beginner, the School of Asian and European Languages and Cultures gives you a comprehensive and supportive education in spoken and written Japanese. The emphasis is on getting you involved and speaking straight away. Through classes and fun tutorials, and the multimedia learning support at the Language Learning Centre, you'll find you're soon ready for later courses in modern Japanese culture and society.

The Japanese are enthusiastic travellers with a country full of opportunity. Open up a world of fascination by equipping yourself with Japanese at Victoria.

Second Language Education

From business people wanting to trade in other countries to refugees forging new lives abroad, millions of people need to learn a second language. The teaching of a second - or third or fourth - language is a specialised skill, much in demand throughout the world. Vic's Second Language Education Programme is specifically designed to provide a sound academic preparation for language teachers.

Students majoring in Second Language Education will learn to describe language and language use in a way that helps second language learners to understand it. They will understand the psychological processes of learning and using a second language and know how to provide the best learning experiences for language learners.

This major is useful for those who are considering a career in second language teaching either in the Bachelor of Arts [BA] or as a teaching subject in the BA/Bachelor of Teaching. Although there will be some focus on teaching English to speakers of other languages, the content is also suitable for those who are intending to teach other languages.

Spanish

Spanish is the third most widely spoken language in the world. Apart from being spoken in Spain and Latin America, it is increasingly used as an alternative to English in the USA. Wherever your interests lie, Spanish at Victoria will open up a world of opportunities.

Like all languages taught at Vic, you can start at the level to suit you. Absolute beginners are taught through a supportive programme of tutorials and audiovisual sessions designed to get you reading, writing, and having conversations in Spanish as soon as possible. You can then go on to study the rich diversity of culture and history in both Spain and Latin America, and explore the literature and language in greater detail.

Take Spanish as a major for a Bachelor of Arts [BA], or as part of a Modern Languages major, and equip yourself with a fascinating language that you can use wherever you go.

Te Kawa A Maui

Te Kawa a Maui specialised in three different areas, namely Maori Studies, Samoan Studies and Pacific Studies.

Nau mai. Haere mai ki te Whare Wananga o te Upoko o te Ika a Maui. An active Maori community centred around Te Herenga Waka Marae and Te Kawa a Maui makes up around 8% of the University's student population. Te Herenga Waka Marae is a teaching facility and community based marae.

Talofa lava, Taloha ni, Kia orana, malo e lelei, Ni sa bula, Fakalofa lahi atu, and warm Pacific greetings. Pacific students make up around 4% of Victoria's student population, retaining their diverse cultural identities and enjoying what the University has to offer.

Majors within the Te Kawa A Maui

Māori Studies

Māori society and culture are a vibrant and dynamic part of New Zealand life. Te Kawa a Māui, Māori Studies and Te Herenga Waka Marae are the centres of activity for kaupapa Māori at Victoria.

Māori Studies offers students the opportunity to study kaupapa Māori within the authentic setting of Te Herenga Waka Marae. Bachelor of Arts [BA] majors in Māori Studies include Māori Resource Management, Māori Studies, and Te Reo Māori.

Te Kawa a Māui offers the Tohu Māoritanga, a unique, one-year diploma immersing you in te reo me āna tikanga. Students who complete the Tohu Māoritanga are permitted to cross-credit up to 90 points between the Tohu Māoritanga and their BA.

Coming to university is about becoming your own person, expanding your vision, and discovering your place in the world. Te Kawa a Māui is here to support you on your journey, therefore

Whaia te pae tawhiti kumea mai kia tata, ko te pae tata whakamaua kia tīna!

Reach out to the distant horizon, affirm the immediate horizon!

Samoan Studies/Fa'asamoa

Talofa lava and welcome to the first Bachelor of Arts [BA] major in Samoan Studies/Fa'asamoa in the world. The majority of Pacific people living in New Zealand are Samoan, and Samoan is the third most spoken language in this country.

The programme focuses on language, society and culture, and Samoan Studies courses complement others in Art History, Education, History and Music. The courses you take can contribute to majors in Pacific Studies or Modern Languages. The friendly staff at Samoan and Pacific Studies will help you select a pathway that will enhance your learning experience.

Samoan Studies can draw on your Samoan heritage, or open your eyes to an important culture for all New Zealanders to understand. It also offers a unique qualification with real relevance in New Zealand and Pacific society.

Pacific Studies

The Pacific is full of diverse peoples, cultures, languages and opportunities for learning. New Zealand is part of the Pacific region, and the BA major of Pacific Studies recognises and reflects this in its vibrant programmes.

Under the umbrella of a Pacific Studies major, you can study the many fascinating cultures and communities of the Pacific. The supportive staff in Pacific Studies will guide you through an education in the Pacific that you can shape yourself, drawing on topics that range from art history, music and dance, to international relations and law. You'll also take at least one Pacific Island language: Samoan, Maori or French.

New Zealand is an important political, economic and cultural gateway to the Pacific, and those who recognise and understand Pacific issues are in demand in many areas of the workforce. Through Pacific Studies at you'll learn how we are all people of the Pacific.

School of Music

The School of Music offers BMus which is a three-year specialist degree for those wishing to pursue a career as a performer, composer or musicologist. While there is some opportunity to include other subjects in a BMus, if you prefer more broadly based study, then consider a BA in Music, or a BMus/BA double degree with the BA in another subject.

Majors within the School of Music

Composition

The composition programme at the School of Music fosters individual creativity, promotes interaction between composers and performers, as well as equipping students with the professional skills necessary for work in the arts, education and commercial music sectors. While studying at the School of Music, students can expect to work with all of the School's composition staff, which includes a number of New Zealand's best-known composers whose collective expertise covers all significant aspects of contemporary composition. The composition programme offers opportunities for student composers to work closely with student performers and School of Music ensembles, to collaborate with visiting world music artists and to write music for performance by some of New Zealand's premiere ensembles, including the new music ensemble Stroma and the New Zealand String Quartet. The School of Music also holds an annual composers competition, sponsored by the Lilburn Trust, to showcase the best instrumental, vocal and electronic works by School of Music composers.

Musicological Studies

Musicology is a branch of study that draws on research methods of history, sociology, anthropology and philosophy to examine the art of music. As a major study, it provides a broad education that can lead to a rewarding career in teaching, librarianship, radio work, or administrative roles in cultural organizations or other sectors of the music industry.

Historical musicology, the study of the history and literature of music, examines European art music by sifting evidence from history and from the body of music theory that has accompanied music's development as an art form. The musicologist can expect to acquire skills in many areas, including political and economic history, sociology, art history, education, bibliography, archive science, principles of music editing, literary history, languages, aesthetics, biography, and performing practice. Musicology students have access to original European sources in microfilm collections held in the University Library and also in the National Library. Students of New Zealand music have access to the rich holdings of New Zealand materials held in the Alexander Turnbull Collection of the National Library.

Ethnomusicology has been called ‘the study of music in culture'. It examines the music, musical instruments and dance of oral tradition outside the limits of European art music. Major areas are the musics of non-literate peoples, orally-transmitted musics of the high cultures of Asia, and folk music. The ethnomusicologist will develop a knowledge of the research techniques in related areas such as anthropology and sociology.

Musicologists on the staff at Victoria specialise in areas ranging from the 17th to the 19th century in Europe, New Zealand music, music of the Pacific and of Indonesia. Our Monday seminar series Music Forum presents the latest discoveries made by staff, students at Honours level or above who are working on research projects, and distinguished visitors. Last but not least, in an exciting crossover between disciplines, students of composition at Victoria are given the chance to explore the sound-world of ethnic musics through the direct input of visiting Asian musicians.

At Victoria, analysis is not taught as a separate stream, but as part of core music courses at 100 and 200 level. Each course in the history and literature of music includes training in the analytic techniques required for the music being studied. Similarly, composition courses provide training in analysis for composition majors. A course in Shenkerian analysis is available for all students at Honours level (MUSI 416), and advanced study of analysis is available also for the higher degrees.

Period Instrument Performance

Period Performance studies currently are receiving tremendous international attention, offering some of the most vibrant and exciting opportunities today to study and play music. The School of Music at present has the most comprehensive early instrument collection in New Zealand. The routes to learning about Period Performance are varied: through a specific performance major; as a second instrument study; performing with the school's Baroque workshop; or as a special topic of study. Recent graduates have gone on to study and perform in specialist graduate programmes in Europe and the United States.

The Victoria University Baroque Workshop is not so much a group, as an opportunity. Interested students meet each week to study baroque performance using instruments from the University's early instrument collection, performing concerts both as part of the workshop, and working alongside New Zealand's leading period-performance musicians in concerts outside of the school. In addition, the Baroque workshop has been used on a number of occasions to accompany Opera Victoria. Recent productions include: Monteverdi's Orfeo (2002), Eccles' Semele (2001) and Purcell's King Arthur (1995) under visiting early music specialist and musical director of the Parley of Instruments, Peter Holman.

The Baroque Workshop is able to draw on the expertise of its academic staff in Baroque musicology and performance practice. Staff includes Douglas Mews (harpsichord, fortepiano, organ), Euan Murdoch, Peter Walls, Shelley Wilkinson , Richard Hardie (baroque strings), Penelope Evison (baroque flute), Michael Kirgan (natural trumpet), Edward Allen (natural horn), Katrin Eickhorst-Squire (recorder) and Greer Garden (voice).

Graduate School of Nursing and Midwifery

Victoria University of Wellington has been continuously involved in nursing education for over 70 years.

The name "Graduate School of Nursing and Midwifery" was adopted in 2001, and our activities consolidated on the Kelburn Campus at The Fieldhouse Centre, 81-83 Fairlie Terrace Kelburn Wellington.

The Graduate School of Nursing and Midwifery enacts the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi: partnership, participation and protection. These principles are embodied in the leadership stance taken by the School in the provision of education within the health care disciplines, in the generation of research which aims to improve health outcomes, and in making expertise, particularly in nursing and midwifery, available to a national and international public.

We facilitate students' personal and professional development within a supportive, respectful and flexible environment. We value, respect and attend to the aesthetic of learning, teaching and the educational environment. We strive to demonstrate the qualities of openness, balance, rigorous scholarship, and respect for diversity and creativity. Innovation in policy, practice and research is actively encouraged.

Fundamental to the Graduate School's philosophy is acknowledgement of the vulnerability of those who need health care. Staff, students and graduates of the Graduate School strive in various ways to meet these needs in a compassionate, sensitive, safe, resourceful, effective and efficient way.

Staff in the Graduate School use their academic voice, scholarship and professional standing to offer social and professional critique, and to advance practice, policy and scholarship.

Majors within the Graduate School of Nursing and Midwifery

MA Applied in Nursing

The MA (Applied) offers the opportunity for you to combine courses which interest you and a thesis where you research an area of your practice. A research methods course is compulsory. In addition students are required to complete either a 90 credit point thesis or a 30 credit point research project as part of their masters programme. Students are able to choose the remaining courses so that they suit their area of practice or future career goals.Staff have expertise in a range of research methodologies Staff can offer supervision in a range of areas of research interests including:

Evidence-based nursing

Mental Health

Practice Development

Palliative Care

Trauma & Emergency

The Graduate School of Nursing and Midwifery offers on-site schools through the enrolment period.

MA Applied in Midwifery

Evidence-based midwifery practice

Risk in maternity care

Normal birth

Birth environment

History

The Graduate School of Nursing and Midwifery offers on-site schools through the enrolment period.

School of Asian & European Languages & Cultures

Welcome to the School of Asian & European Languages & Cultures. We co-ordinate the teaching of Asian and European languages, cultural studies and literatures.

Each language has its own library/common room with foreign language books, newspapers, magazines, and its own student club which organises student drama productions, video shows and many other social events.

Students in the school have full use of the Language Learning Centre, which has audio, video and computing facilities, and offers self-access through a comprehensive catalogue system.

Majors within the School of Asian & European Languages & Cultures

Asian Studies

Welcome to the Asian Studies Programme.

Asian Studies can be taken as a major for the BA. Students are encouraged to combine their Asian Studies major with an Asian Languages major or a major in another discipline.

European Studies

European Studies can be taken as a major for the BA. Students are encouraged to combine their European Studies major with a European Languages major or a major in another discipline.

Modern Languages Degree

Students who study Modern Languages as their major subject combine the advanced study of two or more chosen languages with courses in Linguistics.

School of Social & Cultural Studies

The School of Social and Cultural Studies, established in March 2001, brought together the respective teaching, research and scholarship strengths of Anthropology, Criminology, Social Policy, Social Science Research and Sociology. We are interested in critical social theory and what you can expect to learn from us are current analyses of how societies and cultures are formed, how they are governed, how they break down and how we might envisage new and viable future social and cultural systems. This knowledge and the skills you will acquire along the way can then be applied in a wide range of occupations.

In addition, the School is home to two applied research centres - the Crime and Justice Research Centre, and the New Zealand Institute for Research on Ageing.

Majors within the School of Social & Cultural Studies

Anthropology

Anthropology, which literally means 'the study of human beings', involves the investigation of humankind in its broadest sense.

Although anthropological research has been carried out among people living in small-scale societies, often in remote areas of the world, anthropologists also work in large-scale societies. Understanding how other societies organise their lives and give meaning to their existence increases our understanding of our own social and cultural worlds.

The study of Anthropology is an international discipline and students will learn about the major themes within Anthropology research. The research of the School's Anthropologists includes investigating aspects of New Zealand society and culture.

Criminology

Criminology is the study of crime and the social response to crime.

Criminology addresses many fundamental questions about the nature of society, social order and the law. It includes the nature and functions of crime and criminal law; the relationship between crime and other forms of deviance; the nature and basis of social attitudes and fears about various forms of crime; the characteristics of offenders and their victims; the "causes" of crime; the effects of crime on victims; the operation of the police, the courts and the penal system; the prevention and control of crime; and the philosophy, nature and effects of the punishment of offenders.

Students also have the opportunity to study the nature and effectiveness of policing and other law enforcement strategies, the way in which offenders are investigated, prosecuted and tried, and the operation of the penal system.

Social Policy

Social Policy is a broadly based subject in which social, economic and political perspectives are used to comment on specific social issues in New Zealand, including the alleviation of poverty, the provision of health care, the allocation of housing resources, equity in education and how all of these concerns are understood within an analysis of bicultural perspectives.

Social Policy provides an analytical approach to the study of social problems and social trends. It is concerned with the policies and social service provision made by central and local government, as well as those of voluntary organisations, those providing or financing social services for profit (including insurance companies), and the extensive network of caring work provided by family and community.

Social Policy analysis thus examines the potential social and economic arguments for the creation of welfare policies and discusses how various aspects of citizenship and social obligation are affected by current political and management trends.

A course in Social Policy is appropriate for students from throughout the University because questions about how a society meets people's needs are a prominent part of current public concern and debate. At least one course in Social Policy should be regarded as an integral part of a university education.

Social Science Research

The MA (Applied) in Social Science Research at Victoria University has been established for graduates interested in pursuing a professional career in applied social science research. The course is expected to appeal to graduates with some employment experience as researchers; to more recent graduates with an emerging interest in research as a possible career direction; and to those thinking of changing their career direction and/or to deepen their understanding of the theory, philosophy and practise of social science research and its links with social policy.

The development of the course has been built on experience of research activity and knowledge of a particular area of research practice, providing a broad, multi-disciplinary exposure to social science research.

Sociology

Sociology is the systematic study of social life and can be seen as an attempt to integrate a range of insights drawn from other social science disciplines. In particular, Sociology is concerned with the impact of social change on various aspects of society, including class, gender, population, religion, crime and deviance.

At one level, Sociology looks at the body and its relationship to social practices, and at the construction of identity, for instance of a gendered or deviant kind. At another level, Sociology examines major social institutions such as the State and at macro processes such as population change and globalisation.

Whatever their specific area of study, Sociologists see the world we inhabit as being substantially socially constructed and therefore as capable of modification by human agency. Hence, there is a link between Sociology and those approaches to society which take a more policy-oriented direction.

Sociology is an exciting discipline that enables you to gain fresh insight into the society around you. The scope is broad, the perspectives are challenging and the insights are thought-provoking. While the range of sociological interests is wide (including such topics as gender, class, ethnicity, the family, deviance, social change, health, politics, religion, sport, work and leisure, technology, cyber space and much more) the central focus remains the same: exploring, understanding and explaining changes in behaviour and social relationships within contemporary societies.

Sociology can be effectively combined with other social science subjects, such as Anthropology, Social Policy, Economics, Geography, Political Science and Psychology. Very useful combinations can also be made with Criminology, Education, History, Media Studies, Philosophy and Religious Studies. Computer Science, Information Technology and Mathematics are always useful subjects for students with an interest in social data analysis and research. Sociology can also provide an effective comparative focus for those who are interested in languages and literature. Sociology also has an affinity with many aspects of Law and Commerce, and those interested in the social context of legal and business institutions will find it of interest.