Featured Courses
School of Architecture
Design/Build 2
ARCH 412
Instructor: Travis Bell
Start Date: 07/15/2024 End Date: 08/09/2024
Location: OFF CAMPUS
Students will be building an architectural structure designed by architecture students for the Pickathon Music Festival. Upper-division standing is required. The class is also offered for graduate-level credit as ARCH 513 and may be taken only once for credit.
Schnitzer School of Art + Art History + Design
Art
Art in the Elementary School
ART 312
Instructor: Conrad Schumacher
Start Date: 06/24/2024 End Date: 08/18/2024
Location: Online
Learn how to incorporate art education as a regular, ongoing and sequential part of the core curriculum. Based on contemporary theory and practice focused exclusively on the teaching of art at K-5 levels. This course is required for all students seeking a general multi-subject teaching license at the elementary level.
Art History
Introduction to Visual Literacy
ARH 106
Instructor: Graham Bell
Start Date: 06/24/2024 End Date: 07/21/2024
Location: Online
Learn how to critically view and interpret global visual culture, from ancient to contemporary, through critical analysis, reading, discussion, and writing. This course provides students with a strong foundation for future courses in art history, art, and design.
Contemporary Art
ARH 398
Instructor: Georgina Ruff
Start Date: 06/24/2024 End Date: 07/21/2024
Location: Hybrid
Learn about developments in the world of art during the 21st century and the historical roots of contemporary art such as the rise of identity politics, postcolonialism, and globalization. The class will consider themes such as feminism, postmodernism, activism, and relational aesthetics in artworks across all mediums. Open to non-majors.
Design
Workshop: Illustration Skill Building
DES 408
Instructor: Shannon Kidd
Start Date: 06/24/2024 End Date: 09/01/2024
Location: In-person
This class is restricted to students majoring in Graphic Design (BFA) (AGDB), Graphic Design (AGDS), Art & Design (AND), or students studying in the Graphic Design Minor (MAGD).
Workshop: Narration & Zine Making
DES 408
Instructor: Shannon Kidd
Start Date: 06/24/2024 End Date: 09/01/2024
Location: In-person
This class is restricted to students majoring in Graphic Design (BFA) (AGDB), Graphic Design (AGDS), Art & Design (AND), or students studying in the Graphic Design Minor (MAGD).
University Studies courses offered by the College of the Arts
Summer is a perfect time to fulfill one or more of your University Studies credits, and the College of the Arts offers multiple classes that inject plenty of creativity, inspiration, and fun into this requirement. From the music of The Beatles to the influence of comic books on film, these classes offer a rich and engaging educational experience.
Schnitzer School of Art + Art History + Design
Ancient Roman Art & Architecture
ARH 335U
Instructor: Shannon Lieberman
Start Date: 06/24/2024 End Date: 07/21/2024
Location: Online
This course explores art of Italy and the Roman World from 900 BCE - 400 CE. Topics include Etruscan funerary traditions, portraiture of the Roman Republic, and how the Roman Empire constructed identity through building and other public arts. Recommended preparation: ARH 204 (expected of art and art history majors).
School of Film
Comic Book Films
FILM 370U
Instructor: J.J. Vazquez
Start Date: 06/24/2024 End Date: 07/21/2024
Location: Online
Learn about the intersection of comic books and film. This class will take a look at the historical, textual, and cultural context of the larger comic universe and how it has overtaken Hollywood as the leading movie genre.
Counterculture Strikes Back
FILM 384U
Instructor: Nancy Breaux
Start Date: 06/24/2024 End Date: 07/21/2024
Location: In-person
This class will explore how counterculture movements of the 1960s transformed the landscape of American film. Learn about how influences like drug culture, student rebellion, the women’s movement, Vietnam and anti-Vietnam sentiments, the Stonewall riots, the environmental movement, the farmers’ rights movement, and the civil rights movement changed the course of film history.
School of Music & Theater
Jazz History
MUS 355U
Instructor: George Colligan
Start Date: 06/24/2024 End Date: 08/18/2024
Location: Online
Learn about the development of jazz from its African and European roots to its origins in New Orleans to its fluorescence in Chicago and New York. Covers the period from about 1900 to 1960 with a focus on important musicians and major musical styles.
New Orleans: Jazz and Culture
MUS 366U
Instructor: Edward Higgins
Start Date: 06/24/2024 End Date: 08/18/2024
Location: Online
Learn about the music of New Orleans during the Storyville era of the early 20th century. Students will explore the historical narrative surrounding popular music, culture, and identity as it emerged in New Orleans.
The Music of The Beatles
MUS 363U
Instructor: Jelena Simonovic Schiff
Start Date: 06/24/2024 End Date: 08/18/2024
Location: Online
Students will learn about the development of The Beatles’ music from the late 1950s through the early 1970s using elementary musical analysis of form, harmony, and recording studio techniques. The cultural context from which their music emerged and their significant influence on popular culture will also be examined.
The Guitar: History & Music
MUS 360U
Instructor: Mario Diaz
Start Date: 06/24/2024 End Date: 08/18/2024
Location: Online
This explores the origins of the guitar by examining its history, repertoire and performers. The course will look at all aspects of the guitar’s history from the related ancient Sumerian stringed instruments to the modern-day electric guitar.
Modern Music Technology
MUS 364U
Instructor: Anwyn Willette
Start Date: 06/24/2024 End Date: 08/18/2024
Location: Online
This course provides an in-depth examination of digital technologies used for creating and distributing music, and the social impact of these technologies.
Summer courses aren’t just for college students
The School of Music & Theater offers two immersive summer experiences for high school students interested in learning more about percussion or brass instruments.
Portland Summer Percussion Academy
Date: June 23 - June 29, 2024
Location: Portland State University Lincoln Hall
The 2024 Portland Summer Percussion Academy (PSPA) features clinics and sessions with a huge range of percussion playing, featuring styles and techniques from all over the world. Hands-on clinics include lessons on the snare drum, marimba, timpani, Taiko, Javanese Gamelan, Samba, North Indian Tabla, and more. Students of all ability levels are encouraged to join.
Information about the academy, including tuition and scholarship opportunities, can be found on the PSPA website. Register by June 7.
PSU Summer Brass Academy
Date: June 23 - June 29, 2024
Location: Portland State University Lincoln Hall
The PSU Summer Brass Academy (SBA) provides an immersive learning environment where students can improve their solo and ensemble performance skills, focusing on intonation, technique, tone quality, and musicianship. Students will participate in a large brass ensemble, mixed brass ensemble, and other ensembles, culminating in a final showcase concert.
Information about the academy, including tuition, scholarships, and housing options, can be found on the SBA website. Register by June 7.