Pacific and Indigenous Studies
This subject explores the knowledge, language, culture, politics, methods and theory of Pacific and Indigenous Studies, while teaching students how to interpret new ways of understanding the world.
Pacific and Indigenous Studies focuses on the diverse Pacific region – which covers a third of the earth’s surface and is home to over 1200 languages – as well as on the histories, experiences and perspectives of Pacific people in New Zealand.
Students of Pacific and Indigenous Studies bring a wide range of background knowledge to their studies: from Pacific students who will find their own perspectives are valued and expanded through academic study in this area, all the way through to students who might have little knowledge about the region but bring a desire to learn about where we are.
All students of Pacific and Indigenous Studies learn a lot about the region and where we are, and also practice and develop skills of critical thinking, communication, and analysis of diverse perspectives.
This learning of specific content and skills is underpinned by questions which relate to the people of the Pacific region and the big questions of the 21st century: what does it mean to be human? What is the relationship between knowledge and power? What are the real costs and opportunities related to development, cultural change, and migration? What is the difference between equality and sameness? How do we learn from histories (of greatness and of genocide) in order to shape a better future? What legacy do we want to leave for the 22nd century?
Unlike other New Zealand or regional universities, Pacific Studies at Waikato is paired with Indigenous Studies – because this reflects our approach to the study of the region: Pacific-centred; and guided by the ideas about culture, politics, history, arts, migration and sustainability that underpin Pacific Studies and Indigenous Studies.
Students who major in Pacific and Indigenous Studies at Waikato explore key regional and local issues related to the Pacific through a series of core papers, and also have a chance to focus on areas of their own interest through papers offered by academics working in a wide range of disciplines.
Ever wondered why the 21st century has been described as ‘the Pacific century’?
Key information
| Study Location: | Hamilton |
|---|---|
| Area of Study: |
Study Pacific and Indigenous Studies in these qualifications
Study Pacific and Indigenous Studies as a specialisation of
Career opportunities
- Broadcasting and Journalism
- Educationalist
- Government Policy Analyst
- International Development Practitioner
- Research Consultant
Papers
Available Pacific and Indigenous Studies papers
100 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Points | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANTHY102 | Exploring Cultures: Aotearoa and the Pacific | 15.0 | 23B (Hamilton) |
| Social and cultural change in Aotearoa-New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, with special emphasis on national identities, regional relations and global forces. | |||
| HISTY117 | Global Indigenous History | 15.0 | 23B (Hamilton) |
| Indigenous historians ask critical questions about how we understand the modern world. With a focus on Indigenous peoples' scholarship, activism, and art this paper introduces central concerns in global Indigenous history over the past century. Students will explore histories of sovereignty, land and water protection, decolonial ac... | |||
| MAORI103 | Introduction to Māori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies | 15.0 | 23B (Hamilton) & 23B (Online) |
| This course examines Maori, Pacific and Indigenous peoples' philosophies and relationships with land, language, culture, resources, development and political frameworks within settler-colonial states and Pacific nations and others. | |||
| PACIS100 | Introduction to Pacific Histories, Languages and Cultures | 15.0 | 23A (Hamilton) & 23A (Secondary School - Unistart) |
| This paper introduces students to foundational elements of Pacific Studies, including various histories, languages and cultures and their importance to contemporary societies, surveying a number of Pacific Nations. | |||
200 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Points | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| GEOGY219 | Māori Lands and Communities | 15.0 | 23B (Hamilton) |
| This paper introduces students to Maori geographical perspectives and examines key events that shape Maori communities and their relationships to land, water and other taonga. | |||
| HISTY200 | Pacific History | 15.0 | 23B (Hamilton) |
| This course introduces students to the history of the Pacific from first settlement through to World War II, focusing on how indigenous peoples and diverse newcomers have engaged with each other and the Pacific's oceanic environment. | |||
| LINGS203 | Language, Society and Culture | 15.0 | 23B (Hamilton) |
| This paper explores the relationship between language and culture, particularly in the context of changing Pacific cultures, and relates topics to the main themes of modern linguistics and anthropology. | |||
| MAORI203 | Decolonising Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples | 15.0 | 23A (Online) |
| The paper looks at the detrimental effects that research has historically had on Indigenous peoples and the relatively recent creation of research methodologies by Indigenous peoples to counteract Imperial research, and to empower and decolonise. | |||
| MAORI204 | Māori and Pacific Health and Wellbeing | 15.0 | 23A (Hamilton) & 23A (Tauranga) |
| This paper looks at health and wellbeing from Maori and Pacific perspectives, including models and frameworks in relation to Health, Sport, Human Performance, and Nursing. | |||
| PACIS200 | Pacific Migration, Diaspora and Identity | 15.0 | 23B (Hamilton) |
| This paper looks at the various socio-historic influences on migration in the Pacific and the relationship between Indigenous cultures of origin and diasporic cultures and identities formed in countries such as Aotearoa/New Zealand, Australia and the US. | |||
| PACIS201 | Pacific Texts | 15.0 | No occurrences |
| This paper explores the diverse written, film, media and online texts of the Pacific region. The main focus is on contemporary texts; these will be contextualised by an examination of traditional Pacific textual forms and the histories of textual production in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. | |||
300 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Points | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANTHY300 | Culture and Power in the Pacific | 15.0 | 23A (Hamilton) |
| This paper examines the cultural logics of different systems of political action, leadership and ideology in Pacific Island societies. | |||
| ANTHY308 | Many Worlds: Melanesian Cultures | 15.0 | 23B (Hamilton) |
| This paper introduces students to the anthropological work undertaken within Melanesia and demonstrates its centrality to the discipline as a whole. | |||
| HISTY302 | Blood, Land, DNA: Contemporary Indigenous Histories and Archives | 15.0 | 23A (Hamilton) |
| This paper explores critical questions about power, sovereignty, and belonging in contemporary Indigenous history, focusing on Aotearoa, the Pacific, and North America. Students will work with diverse archival sources to develop independent research questions. | |||
| MAORI303 | Critical Indigenous Theory | 15.0 | 23B (Hamilton) |
| This paper looks at the key theoretical influences, from Marxism to post-structuralism, upon critical Indigenous studies and the most significant writings by those Indigenous scholars who have chosen to engage with critical theory. | |||
| MAORI304 | Sustainability in Māori, Pacific and Indigenous Contexts | 15.0 | 23A (Hamilton) |
| This paper looks at Indigenous epistemological formations of sustainability as one of the most pressing issues for Indigenous peoples particularly in the Pacific, and also as a concept where Indigenous peoples can be prominent in influencing discourses. | |||
| MAORI390 | Kaupapa Rangahau | 15.0 | 23X (Hamilton) |
| A Directed Study is a taught paper that enables suitably qualified undergraduate students to undertake a piece of extended Indigenous Studies research. Students enrolled in this paper work on a focused piece of research under the guidance of academic staff with relevant expertise. | |||
| PACIS300 | Contemporary Critical Issues in the Pacific | 15.0 | 23A (Hamilton) |
| This paper provides an in-depth examination of a number of contemporary critical issues in the Pacific as identified by leading Pacific scholars, writers, artists, auteurs and activists. | |||
500 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Points | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| MAORI500 | Indigenous Creative Practices | 30.0 | No occurrences |
| This paper explores the wide range and purposes of Indigenous creative practices. While examining the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of creative practices, students extend their own current practice and/or investigate creative expression in the context of Indigenous Studies. | |||
| MAORI502 | Sustainable Resource Issues | 30.0 | 23A (Online) |
| This paper examines contemporary issues facing natural resource management among indigenous peoples with a particular focus on the experiences of Maori and Pacific peoples. | |||
| MAORI570 | Te Mahi Rangahau: Māori, Pacific and Indigenous Research Methods and Issues | 30.0 | 23A (Online) |
| This paper introduces students to a range of research issues, helps students identify and apply the most effective methodology, understand, review and apply various research methods including kaupapa Maori and indigenous epistemologies. | |||
| MAORI571 | Decolonising Theory and Indigenous Studies | 30.0 | 23B (Online) |
| A seminar programme on indigenous consciousness, knowledge, values and ethics and their applications to contemporary issues such as research ethics, environmental values and cultural practices. | |||
| PACIS500 | Critical Pacific Studies | 30.0 | 23B (Hamilton) |
| This paper provides an opportunity to critically engage the foundational ideas, texts, theoretical work, methods and perspectives of Pacific studies. These will be considered in the light of the history, politics, tensions, and potential of Pacific studies as a discipline. | |||
| PACIS590 | Pacific and Indigenous Studies Directed Study | 30.0 | 23A (Hamilton), 23B (Hamilton) & 23X (Hamilton) |
| Students have the opportunity to pursue a topic of their own interest under the guidance of academic staff. | |||
| PACIS594 | Pacific and Indigenous Studies Masters Thesis | 120.0 | 23X (Hamilton) |
| An externally examined piece of written work that reports on the findings of supervised research. | |||
800 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Points | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| MAORI800 | FMIS MPhil Thesis | 120.0 | 23X (Hamilton) |
| No description available. | |||
900 Level
Scholarships and prizes
New to Waikato? The International Excellence Scholarship is worth up to $10,000.
Visit our Scholarship Finder for information about possible scholarships
Contacts
Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies
Phone: 0800 924 528 ext: 4737 or + 64 7 838 4737
Email: [email protected]