Offered :

2021 Term 4

Next Offered :

2022 Term 3, beginning the week of 1 August 2022.

Date & Time:

This course will be offered again in 2022. Dates and Times forthcoming.

Description :

A Social History of Birds: Our Fascination with Life on the Wing: For centuries, we have been fascinated by the lives of birds. Starting in antiquity and ending in the present day, this course explores how humans around the globe have fallen in love with, studied, and changed the world of our feathered friends, and how they, in turn, have changed us. We will look at birds in religion, myth and the arts, the rise of the natural historians, conservationists and bird-watchers, the role of birds in 20th century statehood, and finally the history of avian domestication.

Meet our Instructor

History Instructor Michael Burton Smith

Michael Burton-Smith, BA (Hons), works with EarthDiverse as both an administrative assistant and as a lecturer for our history courses. After four years living in Aotearoa’s windy capital city, Michael returned to his hometown for some much needed rest and recuperation before hopefully heading to the United Kingdom for his MA in 2025. Between now and then, you’ll likely find Michael in the EarthDiverse offices helping to keep EarthDiverse running in any small way he can, and if you come into class in person you may even see him frantically running between rooms to sort out our technology before classes begin! Though his undergraduate work featured a smattering of political science, history, international relations and art history, it was history which was Michael’s main calling and which he followed through to his honours year at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, completing a dissertation on sensory experiences of British bird-watching between 1918 and 1939. Michael has taught courses for EarthDiverse on the relationship between birds and people through history, including one course on a social history of birds and another on birds during the First World War. In 2024, Michael is excited to be introducing a new course on Lenses of History, exploring different strains of historical methodology.

Distance-Learning

This course has distance-learning options for those unable to attend the live class sessions in Hamilton. Students have three options for attending our courses once they have registered: attend in-person classes in our Hamilton classrooms at the regularly scheduled day and time, attend our live on-line classroom sessions via Zoom at the regular scheduled day and time, watch the live-recorded class sessions at your leisure, at a time, day and place more suited to your schedule. These options can be mixed and matched throughout the course to suit your own availability and location.

Distance-Learning Options:

This course is offered on-line only and has no in-person component. Live-streamed classes are available via free Zoom software, which allows you to participate fully in your own learning, ask questions of the instructor and participate fully in the same way as if you were in the physical classroom. Those unable to attend the scheduled date and time of the actual class sessions, or those who need to miss a class or two due to previous engagements or unexpected illness, can watch any or all of the live-recorded video sessions on their computers, laptops, tablets or mobile devices and study at their own pace and in their own time. Detailed instructions on how to access our distance learning sessions will be sent after completing your registration. There are no additional fees for this service. However, distance learners will need access to a desktop or laptop computer with a good quality web-camera (tablet devices and mobile phones can also access our live-streamed classes), a built-in microphone (most modern laptops have built-in microphones) or a headset with a microphone. You will also need to download and install the free Zoom software on your computer or device. Those accessing the video recordings will be able to do so with a simple web browser on any device.

Location:

All in-person classes are held at the EarthDiverse offices and classrooms temporarily located at 401 Grey Street, Hamilton East, Hamilton. Please enter via the Cook Street entrance (see map below). Those looking for parking for our evening classes can park just in front on the main entrance in any of the available car parks via the Cook Street entrance. On-street daytime parking can be found on Cook Street, Grey Street or around Steele Park. There is a single Disability car park located a few steps from the front door. Plenty of space for bicycles too!

Pricing options

Course curriculum

Course curriculum in progress

  1. Chapter name

  2. Chapter name

  3. Chapter name

About this course

  • $65.00
  • 0 lessons
  • 0 hours of video content

Notes:

Any Term can be taken independently of the others, and there are no prerequisites for any of the Term courses. This class has no assignments, required readings, quizzes, tests or exams. All classes encourage questions and group discussion. PDF copies of each class presentation, where appropriate, are emailed to all participants the next day so that you are free to focus on class content rather than taking notes. You are most welcome to come, sit back, relax, take part in and enjoy the discussions! Course fees include a short tea/coffee/snack break somewhere in the middle of each session. There are no refunds for missed classes. Missed classes can be made up by watching the on-line recording of the class session, which is usually posted within 24 hours. Guests of registered participants are welcome to attend a single class at no charge. Certificates of Completion for any particular Term Course or Series are available for Professional Development purposes upon request at the end of each Term or Series.

Prerequisites :

There are no prerequisites for this course