The patronage and politics that defined 16^th and 17^th Century England is being offered through a new course at the University of Waikato starting in November.

Dr Jemma Field from the University of Auckland will cover the reigns of successive Tudor and Stuart monarchs from Henry VIII through to Charles I.

Dr Jemma Field. Photo: Supplied.

'This paper presents an in-depth exploration of historical material culture in England during the 16th and 17th centuries,” says Jemma. 'It explores a period dominated by issues of dynastic legitimacy, colonialism, and major power struggles as the monarchy sought to define its supreme position in relation to the Church, and to parliament.”

Dr Field has lectured and tutored at the universities of Auckland and Sydney and her research interests centre on early modern court culture, principally the politics of patronage and display in Tudor and Stuart England.

'A central aim of this new course will be to understand the role that art, architecture and material goods played in the communication of magnificence and the legitimisation of political power,” says Jemma.

The course is being offered by the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences as part of the University of Waikato's Summer School T Semester which runs from Monday November 9, to Friday December 18.

The course: ‘HIST280: Art, History and Culture: The World of Tudor and Stuart England, 1500-1649' is offering the opportunity to delve a little deeper into the patronage and politics that defined 16th and 17th century England.

Dr Field gained her PhD in Art History at the University of Auckland with a thesis on Anna of Denmark's (1574-1619) importance as a cultural agent and political figure in the Jacobean court (1603-1619).