Porter Course Catalog
The following is from the 2010-12 course catalog. Not all courses are offered each year. Please see the Porter Schedule of Classes for current offerings.
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Course #
Course Title
Course Level
Units
PRTR 12
The ArtsBridge Experience
Lower Division
2 units
Weekly meetings on pedagogy in the arts, lesson planning for arts teaching in schools, and submission of teaching portfolio core of this class. Prerequisite(s): permission of instructor; student must be an ArtsBridge scholar. May be repeated for credit.
PRTR 14
Jazz Vocal Ensemble
Lower Division
2 units
Study of vocal techniques in the context of ensemble rehearsals, often culminating in public performance. Familiarity with musical notation recommended. Admission by audition. May be repeated for credit. (General Education Code(s): A.)
PRTR 19
Chicana/Latina Identity
Lower Division
2 units
An exploration of Chicana/Latina identity within the context of developmental theories and heterogenous cultural influences on identity formation, including the acculturation process. Students explore their own identities within the previously stated context. Enrollment limited to 20.
PRTR 20A
Filipino Dance Practicum
Lower Division
2 units
Students are introduced to the different folk dances of the Philippine Islands. Folk dances of the tribal mountain region, of the Spanish Era in the Philippines (Maria Clara Era), and dances of the regional and rural countryside are emphasized. Enrollment limited to 25. May be repeated for credit. (General Education Code(s): A.)
PRTR 20C
Korean Dance Practicum
Lower Division
2 units
Students are introduced to the different dances of Korea related to folk tradition. Movement concepts of music and the relation to culture are explored through demonstration, practice, and performance. Enrollment limited to 15. Offered in alternate academic years. (General Education Code(s): A.)
PRTR 20D
Dance Improvisation
Lower Division
2 units
Dance practicum emphasizing spontaneous movement in response to diverse media including visual art and music. Special emphasis given to the conceptual approaches taken by American artists such as Merce Cunningham, John Cage, and Robert Rauschenberg. Enrollment limited to 25. (General Education Code(s): A.)
PRTR 21A
Korean Music and Culture
Lower Division
2 units
Introduction to the farmers band tradition. Theory and practice of drumming are emphasized, resulting in a group performance. Enrollment limited to 20. Offered in alternate academic years. (General Education Code(s): A.)
PRTR 21C
Gospel Choir
Lower Division
2 units
Instruction in vocal performance in the tradition of gospel choirs. Music is transmitted aurally rather than by notation. The ensemble prepares a range of traditional and contemporary gospel music for performance. Ensemble performs publicly at least once each quarter. Enrollment limited to 60. May be repeated for credit. (General Education Code(s): PR-C, A.)
PRTR 22
Art Practicum
Lower Division
2 units
The practice of art in a particular world area (i.e., Japan, Pacific Islands, U.S.). Explores the art and craft of one world area and studies the associated cultural background. Enrollment restricted to college members. Enrollment limited to 15. (General Education Code(s): A.)
PRTR 22A
Day of the Dead
Lower Division
2 units
Day of the Dead: Creating an Exhibition—an exploration of art created to celebrate death in Mexican, Chicano, and American culture. Culminates in the creation of a Day of the Dead ceremony and community altar including students' individual art pieces. Enrollment restricted to college members. Enrollment limited to 25. (General Education Code(s): A.)
PRTR 22F
Vietnamese Festivals
Lower Division
2 units
Vietnamese festivals and the arts they generate, from carving to water puppetry, will be explored for cultural, aesthetic, and iconographic principles, through viewing, discussion and a creative project. Enrollment limited to 20. (General Education Code(s): A.)
PRTR 22G
Literary Magazine Publishing
Lower Division
3 units
Learn about and practice basics in publishing a national literary magazine with focus on poetry and the arts. Three-part focus: soliciting/editing, design/publishing, and publicizing/distributing. Students decide which poems published and awarded prizes in the "Viz. 25 and Under Awards" section. Audition for admission at first class with demonstrated experience in related field: creative writing, desk top publishing, art, graphic design, business, etc. Enrollment limited to 20. May be repeated for credit. (General Education Code(s): A.)
PRTR 23A
Film Practicum: Talking in Pictures
Lower Division
2 units
Introductory survey of the language of film and television. Considers the roles these media play in the shaping of cultural identity. Creative projects in the conceptual preparation for the making of films and videos. Enrollment limited to 25. (General Education Code(s): A.)
PRTR 23B
Personal Narratives in Theater and Film
Lower Division
2 units
Considers filmmakers and monologue performers as they come to terms with their identity in autobiographical works. Students write responses to texts and create their own brief personal narratives. Priority given to college members. Others by permission of instructor. Enrollment limited to 25. (General Education Code(s): PR-C, A.)
PRTR 23C
Documentary/Mockumentary Films
Lower Division
2 units
The mockumentary grows out of the documentary tradition, but instead of pretending to truthfully capture reality, it blatantly distorts, revealing the subjectivity inherent in cinematic representation. Includes ethnographic, music, political and Hollywood mockumentaries, and critical readings on documentary film. Priority given to Porter College members. Others by permission of instructor. Enrollment limited to 25. (General Education Code(s): A.)
PRTR 28
Sound Art
Lower Division
2 units
Several composers and performers of contemporary "art music" discuss the processes by which works are conceived in imagination, transcribed in notation, and realized in sound. After a brief introduction to contemporary music aesthetics, students attend a series of related presentations, seminars, and concerts. Enrollment restricted to college members. Enrollment limited to 18. (General Education Code(s): A.)
PRTR 32A
Queering the Arts
Lower Division
2 units
Exploration of the arts as a way to understand and experience how queerness has been expressed, repressed, denigrated, and celebrated in visual arts, music, film, poetry, and dance. Enrollment restricted to college members. Enrollment limited to 30. (General Education Code(s): A.)
PRTR 33
Seminar in Arts
Lower Division
2 units
Theoretical and historical aspects of the arts from one culture or world area are explored through seminar discussion, library research, and film/video presentations. Priority given to college members. Others by permission of instructor. Enrollment limited to 20. (General Education Code(s): A.)
PRTR 33A
African Global Art and Music
Lower Division
2 units
The theme of "Changing the Global Community Through the Arts" explored in African global art and music through readings, listening sessions, and interactions with academics and performers. Culmination will be the African Global Festival and Symposium in April. Enrollment limited to 25. (General Education Code(s): A.)
PRTR 34B
Fractals, Chaos Theory, and the Arts
Lower Division
2 units
A consideration of chaos theory and fractal geometry as applied by 20th-century artists in all media. All necessary math and computer skills are covered. Students complete essays or art projects. Enrollment restricted to college members. Enrollment limited to 25. (General Education Code(s): PR-C, A.)
PRTR 35
Experiencing Live Performance
Lower Division
2 units
Students' attendance at live regional theater performances informed by artists' talks, class lectures, and readings. Students participate in informal performance workshops and write short critical essays. Enrollment limited to 30. May be repeated for credit. (General Education Code(s): A.)
PRTR 38B
Working in TV and Film
Lower Division
2 units
Writers, directors, and technical workers in areas of TV and film discuss current work, paths that led to their creative endeavors, and constraints of working in the industry. Students research aspects of film and TV professional work. Cannot be repeated for credit. Priority given to college members. Others by permission of instructor. (General Education Code(s): A.)
PRTR 39
Jewish Personal Narratives on Film
Lower Division
2 units
Considers Jewish-American filmmakers as they come to terms with their identity in autobiographical works. Students write responses to texts and create their own brief personal narratives. Enrollment restricted to college members. Enrollment limited to 25. (General Education Code(s): PR-C, A.)
PRTR 80A
Introduction to University Discourse: Writing Across the Arts
Lower Division
5 units
Explores rhetorical principles and conventions of university discourse, providing intensive practice in analytical writing, critical reading, and speaking. Study, discuss, and write about social, political, and aesthetic issues raised by selected works of literature and art in a variety of media. Students cannot receive credit for this course and course 80B. Enrollment restricted to first-year college members who have not satisfied the C1 requirement. (General Education Code(s): T4-Humanities and Arts, C1.)
PRTR 80B
Rhetoric and Inquiry: Writing Across the Arts
Lower Division
5 units
Explores the intersections between rhetoric (persuasion) and inquiry (investigation) and hones strategies for effective reading, writing, speaking, and research. Read, discuss, research, and write about social, political, and aesthetic issues raised by selected works of literature and art in a variety of media. Students cannot receive credit for this course and course 80A. Prerequisite(s): satisfaction of the Entry Level Writing and C1 requirements. Enrollment restricted to first-year college members. (General Education Code(s): T4-Humanities and Arts, C2.)
PRTR 80E
Arts Education in the Community
Lower Division
5 units
Organized in small teams, participants engage with students from public elementary classrooms to develop fully-staged group performance projects by end of term. Students are guided by instructor's models of teaching techniques, designed to stimulate the imagination, and by diverse readings. Priority given to college members. Others by permission of instructor. Enrollment limited to 30. (General Education Code(s): T4-Humanities and Arts, A.)
PRTR 80G
Making Poetry: Readings/Writing
Lower Division
2 units
Guest poets read work and discuss their approaches to writing. Students develop their own poems and the class culminates in a poetry reading of student work. Priority given to Porter College members. Others by permission of instructor. Enrollment limited to 25. (General Education Code(s): A.)
PRTR 80K
Ways of Knowing
Lower Division
5 units
Creativity in different disciplines is developed via different ways of knowing. Musical, visual, scientific, and spatial literacy demand understanding which is not primarily logocentric. Explores how practitioners of arts and science develop their work and conceptualize its execution. Enrollment restricted to college members. (General Education Code(s): T6-Natural Sciences or Humanities and Arts.)
PRTR 80L
Documenting Oral History
Lower Division
5 units
Students learn basic techniques of interview and camera work to document on film oral histories collected from community elders. Students develop their skills in writing, theater, visual art, music, or film to reinterpret oral histories as artwork. Priority given to college members. Others by permission of instructor. Enrollment limited to 30. (General Education Code(s): T5-Humanities and Arts or Social Sciences, A.)
PRTR 80W
Writing Across the Arts
Lower Division
5 units
Explores the intersections between rhetoric (persuasion) and inquiry (investigation) and hones strategies for effective reading, writing, speaking, and research. Students read, discuss, research, and write about social, political, and aesthetic issues raised by selected works of literature and art in a variety of media. Prerequisite(s): satisfaction of the Entry Level Writing Requirement, and C1 and C2 requirements. Enrollment restricted to college members. Enrollment limited to 22. (General Education Code(s): T4-Humanities and Arts, W.)
PRTR 83
Pacific Rim Film Festival: Viewing Across Cultures
Lower Division
2 units
Involves viewing Asian and Pacific films at the annual Pacific Rim Film Festival, participating in post-screening discussions with area experts, and writing on the issues of cross-cultural viewing/reading of film. Enrollment restricted to college members. Enrollment limited to 20. May be repeated for credit. (General Education Code(s): A.)
PRTR 120
Advanced Dance/Theater Practicum
Upper Division
2 units
The practice of dance/theater in a particular world area or culture. Students learn the art of one world area or era and the associated cultural background. Prerequisite(s): audition; prior training in the discipline is required. Enrollment limited to 15. May be repeated for credit. (General Education Code(s): A.)
PRTR 121
Advanced Music Practicum
Upper Division
2 units
The practice of music in a particular area of the world at an advanced level. Students learn the music of one world area or culture over the quarter and study the associated cultural background. Enrollment limited. May be repeated for credit. (General Education Code(s): A.)
PRTR 121C
Opera Workshop/Music Practicum
Upper Division
2 units
Rehearsal of the principal vocal parts of an opera in preparation for a full production. Consideration of the dramatic aspects of each role and the interrelationships of the characters. Enrollment limited to 25. May be repeated for credit. (General Education Code(s): A.)
PRTR 126
South Asia Seminar
Upper Division
2 units
South Asian issues in arts, technology, culture, and history will be presented in weekly seminar. Students will attend lectures, read supplementary articles, and write a short paper on a South Asian topic. Enrollment limited to 15.
PRTR 141
New Works Research Laboratory
Upper Division
5 units
Artists from different disciplines (i.e., art and music, design and creative writing, performance art and dance, etc.) collaborate with students to research and create new pieces. Students are involved in phases of the development from the conception to presentation of the work. Enrollment limited to 20. May be repeated for credit.
PRTR 180
Writing Across the Arts: Pedagogical Practicum
Upper Division
5 units
Advanced undergraduates selected for this course lead small group sections that explore social, political, and aesthetic issues raised by selected works of art in a variety of media. Participants also tutor first-year students in writing about these arts texts. Apply and interview for this course in the spring. Enrollment limited to 25. (General Education Code(s): IM.)
PRTR 194
Group Tutorial
Upper Division
5 units
A program of independent study arranged between a group of students and a faculty instructor.
PRTR 199F
Tutorial
Upper Division
2 units
Individual projects carried out under the supervision of a Porter faculty member. Students submit petition to sponsoring agency. May be repeated for credit.