AUT awards top accolade to New Zealand historian who continues to innovate with new online paper on the Holocaust
One of New Zealand’s best-selling and most-respected historians, Professor Paul Moon, was last night acknowledged for his contributions as a researcher, academic and teacher. The AUT Excellence Awards recognise and celebrate excellence in the university’s community. Professor Moon was awarded the top accolade - the AUT University Medal - for sustained and exceptional academic achievement.
The award comes as Professor Moon prepares to launch a new online course, focusing on the Holocaust. The paper is the first of its kind in New Zealand and will be delivered entirely online, enabling people to study from all over the world. It is anticipated that the course will be available next year.
Surveying the Holocaust, from its historic origins in European anti-Semitism, through to its implementation during the period of the Third Reich, the course will centre on the preconditions of the Holocaust in Europe, its subsequent implementation and scale, and recent historiographical issues relating to its enduring significance. Students will have the opportunity to investigate in detail a specific case study relating to the Holocaust, and to examine the relevance of the Shoah in the contemporary world.
There will be lecturer support, tutorials for students to participate in, interactive learning, regular feedback on students’ work, and a comprehensive range of resources. The technical aspects of the paper will be supported by AUT’s Centre for Learning and Teaching.
“Now, more than ever, it’s important to remember the uniqueness of the Holocaust, and to understand the mentality that led to it,” Professor Moon says.
Professor Moon also received the Teaching Innovation award last night. His innovative approach to increasing student engagement has resulted in a number of fully online papers focusing on New Zealand history. These four papers have formed the basis of AUT’s minor in history.
In his 24 years at AUT, Professor Moon has built an international reputation in the field of New Zealand history. His innovative approach to learning has led to the development of online history papers and delivery of history based treaty seminars, resulting in a new undergraduate history minor at AUT in 2016.
Professor Moon has published 26 books, including Encounters: The Creation of New Zealand, which was shortlisted for the international Ernest Scott Prize in History. His works have been published by some of the biggest international publishers including Penguin, Random House and HarperCollins.
He has worked on several Treaty claims and with numerous government agencies on Treaty-related issues. He is one of only a few historians whose worked has been cited favourably in Parliament by MPs.
“The award is recognition of the growing role of history as a discipline at AUT, and of the contribution of all the people involved in teaching the subject,” Professor Moon says.
Professor Paul Moon
Professor Paul Moon is the winner of the 2017 University Medal, awarded at the AUT Excellence Awards.
Professor Paul Moon joined AIT in 1993 and in the 24 years since, has made an immense contribution to the university as a researcher, an academic colleague, and a teacher and mentor for his students.
He has written 26 books, and has contributed to hundreds of book chapters, journal articles, conference papers and oral presentations. While at AUT he has supervised 19 PhD and master’s students.
Professor Moon has been a reviewer for the Oxford University Press, the New Zealand Listener, Penguin Publishing and Monash University’s History Australia.
He has worked on several Treaty claims, and with numerous government agencies on Treaty-related issues.
His contribution to his field of expertise has been recognised internationally, and in 2003 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society at University College, London. He has also been awarded fellowships in the Royal Geographical Society, the Royal Society of Arts, the Royal Anthropological Institute and The Linnean Society.
A regular contributor on television and radio, both in New Zealand and overseas, he made more than 140 media appearances in the first half of this year alone.
He is a sought-after public speaker for organisations as diverse as the US Embassy, Te Papa Museum, the Auckland Medical History Society, and local schools.
At the 2015 AUT Excellence Awards Professor Moon received the Vice-Chancellor’s Special Commendation for Advancing Discussion of Current Public Issues, recognising his leadership of public debate in such matters as the Treaty of Waitangi, race relations, and New Zealand history.
AUT Excellence AwardsEstablished in 2012, the annual AUT Excellence Awards celebrate the university’s outstanding teachers, researchers and professional staff.
Introduced in 2013, the University Medal is the pre-eminent academic award of AUT. It is presented to a member of the university community in recognition of sustained and outstanding contributions to AUT that reflect and enhance the academic development and reputation of the university.