Course syllabus

 

HISTORY 262: Social Welfare in New Zealand

SEMESTER 1, 2018

15 points

 
Course Convenor: 

Linda Bryder l.bryder@auckland.ac.nz

 

Timetable and room details can be viewed on Student Services Online

 

Summary of Course Description:              

The goal of this course is to enhance your understanding of New Zealand society and politics, past and present. The nature of the provision made for poorer and disadvantaged members of society reveals much about dominant social attitudes and prevailing ideologies. In this course we will investigate the changing nature of social welfare, both state and voluntary, and the reasons why certain social concerns were at the forefront of public attention at different times. We will examine the ongoing debates between community and individual responsibility for maintaining well-being. Current political and social policy debates will be viewed in their historical context.

This course (HISTORY262) is taught concurrently with HISTORY362. Students should be aware that the course requirements, assessment tasks, and expectations of achievement for the two courses are different even though the lectures are common to both courses. If you are enrolled in HISTORY262 be sure that you comply with the requirements at 200-level History.

Course outcomes:

It is intended that students who complete History 262 successfully will:

• Improve their knowledge of New Zealand political and social policy history.
• Gain familiarity with a number of significant primary sources from the period and learn how historians have interpreted them.
• Engage with and critically evaluate historiography on major issues and debates in the field.
• Have fun and enjoy the course.

More broadly, in line with the Graduate Profile for students in the Bachelor of Arts degree, History 262 seeks to develop transferable skills valuable for employability by helping students to:

• Enhance their aptitude in critical thinking, rational debate and analysis, effective academic communication and presentation of ideas.
• Seek solutions to problems of historical interpretation through discussion of primary sources and relevant academic literature, both in written and oral formats.
• Demonstrate personal academic integrity and efficiency through the timely submission of assignments based on their own research and writing.

 

Lecture Programme

 27 February                Introduction: Welfare history

2 March                       A Colonial Poor Law: nineteenth-century welfare

6 March                       British context (Professor Martin Gorsky) 

9 March                       Liberal Government, 1890-1912: a progressive era

13 March                     Reform and United Governments, 1912-1935: self-help

16 March                      Labour Government, 1935-1949: social security

 

Themes in welfare history, 1900-1950

20 March                     Infants

23 March                     Childbirth

27 March                     Children

17 April                       Maori

20 April                       Housing (Ella Arbury)

24 April                       Health

 

Erosion of welfare, 1950-2000

27 April                       Welfare in prosperity, 1950s and 1960s

1 May                         Changing times, 1970s and 1980s

4 May                          Labour, 1984-1990

8 May                         National, 1990-2000

 

Themes in welfare history, 1950-2000

15 May                        Health & Housing

18 May                        Childbirth

22 May                        Voluntary sector

25 May                        Children

29 May                        Maori

1 June                         Conclusions

  

 Workload and deadlines for submission of coursework:           

The University of Auckland's expectation is that students spend 10 hours per week on a 15-point course, including time in class and personal study. Students should manage their academic workload and other commitments accordingly. Deadlines for coursework are set by course convenors and will be advertised in course material. You should submit your work on time. In extreme circumstances, such as illness, you may seek an extension but you may be required to provide supporting information before the assignment is due. Late assignments without a pre-approved extension may be penalised by loss of marks – check course information for details.