University Lecture Series

The life of Cleopatra VII of Egypt (69 – 30 BC) is one of the most dynamic, tumultuous, and well-documented periods of Ancient History. The life of the last queen of the Ptolemaic Dynasty coincides with the twilight of the Hellenistic Period as well as the Roman Republic, and she ranks among the most influential figures in the ancient world whose legacy continues to fascinate us in the 21st century. As a Greek queen ruling over the ancient kingdom of Egypt and interacting with the expanding Roman Republic, Cleopatra is uniquely situated at the intersection of three fascinating and diverse ancient cultures. This paper uses Cleopatra VII as an anchor from which to explore the history and culture of Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, and how these worlds collided in the (in)famous figure of this queen.
This paper will thus give you a strong foundation in Egyptian, Greek, and Roman history, no prior knowledge of which is assumed. In the process we will explore the society of each through analysing a range of ancient source material including literature, archaeology, and coinage, and consider how our understanding of Cleopatra VII and her world have evolved in the millennia since her reign. The ancient and modern legacy of the queen and her impact on popular culture will be traced from Virgil to HBO’s Rome with an eye to separating her later repute from her historical persona; in other words, we will try to disentangle the myth of Cleopatra from the queen herself.

Lecturer: Alex McAuley

Tuesdays,12:00 PM to 1:00 PM & Fridays, 9:00 AM to10:00 AM

Participants are encouraged to attend both sessions, as the content builds progressively.

Explores Asia and its interrelationship with New Zealand, including Asia’s growing presence in New Zealand in all its manifestations, and the evolving political, social, economic, cultural,
and strategic relations between this country and Asia.
Topics will include historical and contemporary ties with Asia, Asian migration, literature, media and films. The course will focus especially on South-East and East Asia.

Lecturer: Ian Fookes

Fridays: 1:00PM to 3:00PM

Examines music’s role in the construction and reinforcement of identity.
Considers a range of culturally constructed concepts including class, gender and ethnicity; also considers the impact of mass mediated sound and unique nature of music in the cultural diaspora.
Examples and case studies range from the ritual musics of Africa and the classical music of South Asia to East Asian pop.

Lecturer: Sunhee Koo & Sharon Televave

Monday 2:00PM to 4:00PM

The uneven effects of globalisation and social transformations are radically reshaping our worlds.
How did we get here and what can we do about it? Using diverse local and global case-studies, this course examines how we navigate social and environmental change.
Students will explore social processes to gain a foundational understanding of inequality, sustainability, and environmental and social justice.

Lecturer: Rachael Boswell

Tuesday, 12:00PM to 1:00PM
Thursday, 11:00AM to 12:00PM

Participants are encouraged to attend both sessions, as the content builds progressively.

Considers Māori visual art from arrival from the Pacific to the present day. Examines how artists critically negotiated current notions of identity in their work. Forms including moko, carving, weaving, architecture, film and contemporary art are explored through key ideas such as gender politics, patronage, and repatriation. Artists examined include Raharuhi Rukupo, Te Kooti, Pine Taiapa, Lisa Reihana and Ralph Hotere.

Lecturers: Ngarino Ellis

Thursdays,12:00PM to 2:00PM

Covers the history, politics, society and culture of Rome during the late Republic and early Imperial periods. Topics include the army, religion, family, sexuality, literature, art and the life of the provinces, set against the dramatic breakdown of old systems of government and their replacement with a new model of rule.

Lecturers: Lisa Bailey

Tuesdays and Thursdays,12:00PM to 1:00PM