Course Descriptions
Accounting
ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES I—AC110 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. In this introduction to financial accounting and the basic accounting cycle, students analyze transactions, prepare accountants’ worksheets and related financial statements, and account for cash and receivables.
ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING—AC201 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: AC110. This course focuses on cost and income accounting methods for the music industry. It also introduces other industry-related topics such as venture capital, financing, product valuation, revenue sharing agreements, and accounting for royalties and other income.
Audio Engineering
STUDIO AUDIO ENGINEERING I—AE130 (5 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. This introduction to the studio environment and recording process addresses sound and audio signal theory, transduction, signal processing, and digital audio workstation operation; and wiring, setup, and operation of a basic hybrid analog/digital recording environment.
STUDIO AUDIO ENGINEERING II—AE200 (5 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: AE130. The course focuses on two topics, recording and mixing. Students use basic studio equipment as they study the process of applying technical and artistic skills to create a professional audio product.
SOUND REINFORCEMENT I—AE209 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: AE130. Students learn basic setup and use of sound systems in live performance settings.
SOUND REINFORCEMENT II—AE219 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: AE209. This intermediate course focuses on mixing and advanced setup of sound systems in live performance settings.
ROOM ACOUSTICS AND STUDIO DESIGN—AE223 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: NS112 or NS116. This course presents a fundamental understanding of architectural acoustics and the principles of acoustics used to design a successful recording studio. Students learn to calculate acoustic reverberation and solve problems of absorption, reflection, sound isolation, and diffusion. Students learn problem solving techniques they can use to solve real-world acoustic problems commonly encountered in rooms with an emphasis on studios.
LARGE FORMAT CONSOLES—AE232 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: AE200, AP200. The course focuses on the use of a high-level studio with high-end large format consoles, such as Solid State Logic (SSL), Neve, and API, in the recording process. Students learn basic mixing and tracking skills on an analog console and integrate digital technology into the analog environment.
STUDIO MAINTENANCE & ELECTRONICS—AE237 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: AE200, and either NS112 or NS116. The course focuses on basic electronics, its symbols, and language as it applies to studio maintenance. Students learn what goes on inside the box, how to interface it with other equipment, basic troubleshooting concepts, and power distribution.
ANALOG TECHNOLOGIES—AE240 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: AE200. This introduction to analog tape, consoles, and outboard gear covers basic (4-track) to advanced (24-track) analog tracking, editing, effects (flanging, echo, live reverb), and mixing techniques. It emphasizes microphone techniques and live ensemble recording using the discipline of analog recording technology.
ADVANCED EDITING TECHNIQUES—AE245 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: AE200, AP200. Students learn current editing tools to manipulate, change, and fix recorded instrument tracks.
SURROUND SOUND TECHNIQUES—AE247 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: AE200. The course covers basic surround-sound terminology and theory. Topics include surround recording techniques for classical and non-classical music and for sound-for-picture applications and surround mixing techniques for music albums, videos, and film. Students learn how to prepare a surround-sound product for delivery to a mastering house or client.
STUDIO AUDIO ENGINEERING III—AE258 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: AE200, AP200. Advanced recording techniques and microphone selection are presented in the context of the studio as an instrument. Students learn to record large musical ensembles, synchronize recording technologies, use advanced digital editing and audio mixing techniques, and use Pro Tools for mastering.
AUDIO MIXING AND MASTERING—AE281 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: AE200, AP200. Students learn advanced concepts of audio sweetening, mixdown, and mastering as they build mixes using digital and analog techniques. Instruction in advanced inboard and outboard processing emphasizes in-the-box techniques.
STUDIO AUDIO ENGINEERING CAPSTONE—AE282 (5 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: AE258. In this capstone course, taken during a student’s final term of study, the student develops a multi-song professional audio production, selecting the recording mixing, and mastering formats and best plan of action to create an artistically and technically excellent project.
SUMMER SESSION – GUERRILLA RECORDING: VINTAGE SOUND WITH MODERN TECHNOLOGIES—AE292 (5 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: AE130, AP050 or Advanced Placement, AP152, EB152. Students will explore guerrilla-style recording with studio veteran/technician Eddie Ciletti, recording a professional-level project with a vintage aesthetic. Topics include creating an accurate soundscape with minimal equipment and accurate reproduction of the live experience in genres such as jazz and classical music.
Audio Production
ELEMENTS OF MUSIC—AP050 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. This course, designed for the student with little musical experience, provides an overview of written and verbal language, preparing the student for Music Fundamentals I (AP210).
DESKTOP PRODUCTION I—AP152 (5 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. Students learn and apply the essentials of multimedia desktop workstation setup and basic audio and video capture and editing skills.
DESKTOP PRODUCTION II—AP200 (5 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: AE130, AP050 or Advanced Placement, AP152. Through an exploration of skills required by successful producers in today’s industry, students learn critical listening skills, rhythm composition, tempo mapping and beat manipulation, composite editing techniques, preproduction management, instrument tuning and NARAS recommendations for session management, delivery, and backup.
MUSIC FUNDAMENTALS I—AP210 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: AP050 or Advanced Placement. An overview of fundamental music vocabulary, the course presents verbal and written musical expression and the elements of rhythms, key signatures, scales, and chords. Students use keyboards, computer programs, online games, simple percussion instruments, and voices throughout the course.
SESSION PSYCHOLOGY—AP220 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: AE130, AP152. The most successful producer-engineers know how to communicate clearly and inspire others in the studio. Students learn related skills, including recognizing and adapting to personality types and being assertive without being abrasive to keep the session running on schedule.
SYNTHESIS AND SOUND DESIGN—AP243 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: AP200. The course is an in-depth study of audio synthesis and its creative application in sound design for popular music and visual media. Students combine samples, oscillators, filters, LFOs, envelope generators, and effects to create unique sound sets for a wide variety of media.
SONGWRITING I—AP251 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: AP210. This class is a study of popular songwriting methods, using creative chord structure, melody, and lyrics to communicate emotion and ideas, with an emphasis on collaborative songwriting. Students learn composition for multiple styles of popular music and study the works of modern master songwriters.
MUSIC PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES—AP258 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: AE200, AP200, AP260. This class focuses on advanced skills required to produce a professional music release. Students learn composite editing and synthesis techniques, chord progressions, melodic composition, advanced instrument and vocal tuning, and Ableton Live as a non-linear composition tool as they create their own sample libraries to use in production.
MUSIC FUNDAMENTALS II—AP260 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: AP210. The course provides an overview of chord structure, harmony, scales, and chord charts and advanced studies in verbal and written musical expression, song structure, and the components of melody and harmony.
COMPOSITION & SONGWRITING II—AP261 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: AP251, AP260. The course provides skills for careers in songwriting and composition for film, television, jingles, theater, video games, and other music for hire. Topics include traditional and contemporary techniques for writing melodies, chord progressions, and lyrics.
VOCAL PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES—AP270 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: AP200, AP210. Vocals may be described as the soul of a recording. This course prepares students to enhance the talent of individuals and large and small vocal ensembles through advanced vocal arrangement, recording, editing, and mixing techniques.
MUSIC PRODUCTION CAPSTONE—AP282 (5 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: AP258. This capstone course, taken during a student’s final term of study, is a project-based class focused on the development and completion of a multi-song professional audio production. Topics include advanced harmonic composition and arrangement techniques. Students will defend their creative work in a written and verbal presentation before their instructor and peers.
ARRANGEMENT AND ORCHESTRATION—AP284 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: AP260. This course is an advanced study of chord structure, harmony, arranging, and orchestration techniques for live orchestra and MIDI-based orchestra. It also introduces technical and dramatic aspects of scoring for visual media.
HARMONY AND EAR TRAINING I—AP287 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: AP260. This course develops a student’s reading and aural skills through ear training exercises, musical examples, and instructor feedback. Students learn to analyze, read, write, and listen more effectively and also learn knowledge essential to the study of harmony.
SUMMER SESSION – MUSIC PRODUCTION/ENGINEERING PROJECT—AP291 (5 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: AE130, AP050 or Advanced Placement, AP152, EB152. In this intensive ten-day course, students participate in and observe a recording session with IPR’s top faculty. Student activities include preproduction and production budgeting as well as recording and overdubs through final mixing and creation of a deliverable master ready for commercial distribution.
HIP-HOP ESSENTIALS WITH RHYMESAYERS ENTERTAINMENT—AP293 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: AP152, EB202, Portfolio Submission. This intensive exploration of rap culture, recording, and production is presented in collaboration with Rhymesayers Entertainment record label. Students build, mix, and remix their own pieces under the tutelage of artists and executives from Rhymesayers. They also study the business of hip-hop: distribution, sales, promotion, and marketing.
SUMMER SESSION – LIVE PERFORMANCE IN URBAN AND ELECTRONIC MUSIC—AP294 (5 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: AE130, AP050 or Advanced Placement, AP152, EB152. This intensive two-week course focuses on techniques of the world’s key electronic music innovators. Topics include experimental, musique concrète, and modern dance/club music. Students use the latest technology as they prepare for a public live performance at a premier Minneapolis venue.
DVD AUTHORING AND MEDIA MANAGEMENT—AV151 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. Students use DVD Studio Pro to author professional DVD projects. They also learn aspects of media management and basic skills for creation of DVD assets and audio/video content for the web.
FIELD, DAILOG AND FX RECORDING—AV 200 (5 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: AE130. Students prepare to make professional sound recordings specifically for visual media projects, using in-studio and field recording equipment. The class provides basic audio engineering equipment skills needed for Post Production I (AV254).
POST PRODUCTION I—AV254 (5 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: AP200. This introduction to audio post production for visual media includes studies in the theory and practice of recording dialogue, spotting audio to picture, matching music to visual media and mixing dialogue, effects, and music stems.
AUDIO FOR GAMES I—AV257 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: AV254. This hands-on course focuses on creating music and sound design for video games. Student projects cover the various stages of production of a video game sound design and score. Topics include current tools and techniques, workflow, planning, game sound, and future trends in gaming. A final project incorporates course concepts and skills.
POST PRODUCTION II—AV258 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: AV254. This course focuses on tools and techniques for audio production for visual media. Students learn advanced editing techniques, location recording, Foley technique, sound design, and surround mixing.
POST PRODUCTION CAPSTONE—AV282 (5 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: AV258. In this capstone course, taken during the final term, a student develops a post production thesis project, using professional talent if available. The class also collaborates on projects involving web-dependent audio and video file sharing techniques and studies post production budgets for radio commercials, TV commercials, music videos, film, video, and new media.
SCORING FOR FILM AND TELEVISION—AV286 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: AP260. In this introduction to music scoring for visual media, students learn the theory and practice of spotting music to picture, composing music in different styles, arranging and orchestration for live and electronic music, and the business and practice of film scoring.
Communications
SPEECH COMMUNICATIONS—CM111 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. Students examine the function of language in the communication process as it applies to speech construction and delivery. Activities including discussion and delivery of prepared speeches provide communication skills for personal and professional applications.
COMPOSITION—CM121 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: FW052 or Advanced Placement. Students develop college-level writing skills, composing essays and formal research papers using APA documentation citation style.
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATIONS—CM200 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: CM121. The course explores cultural patterns and issues that influence effective communication across cultures.
CREATIVE WRITING—CM210 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: CM121. Students read, analyze, and discuss representative samples of poetry, fiction, and drama to understand techniques employed by skilled writers. They apply those strategies in drafting a variety of creative works.
ART OF PERSUASION—CM220 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: CM111, CM121. The course examines principles used in the process of influencing opinions, feelings, and actions of others through purposeful oral communication.
MASS COMMUNICATION—CM230 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: CM121. The course introduces a variety of forms of communication mediated by technology. Students explore the history of media, including mass media in today's society. Mass media theory and practice are explored, emphasizing the student as media consumer.
Computer Sciences
FOUNDATIONS OF COMPUTING—CS051 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. This overview of modern computer functions and operation covers common uses, operating systems, data storage, and software applications and the Internet as a research and mass communication tool.
COMPUTER SCIENCES FOR MEDIA PROFESSIONALS—CS110 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: CS051 or Advanced Placement. Basics of computer technology, including hardware, software, and networking, are presented as they apply to media professionals.
MS OFFICE PROFESSIONAL I—CS120 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. Students use Microsoft Office Professional applications, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, to create simple word-processed documents, worksheets, PowerPoint presentations, and databases. This course prepares students for the Microsoft Office user certification exam.
DIGITAL CINEMA PRODUCTION I—DC152 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. This in-depth study of modern video production techniques and platforms focuses on the planning and production process. Students use digital video cameras and workstation-based video production suites to shoot, capture, and produce content for cinema, television, DVD, web publishing, and other multimedia releases.
DIGITAL VIDEO EDITING I—DC161 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. Students learn basic video editing techniques using professional-level nonlinear editing software.
DIGITAL CINEMA PRODUCTION II—DC202 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: DC152. This continuation of Digital Cinema Production I (DC152) focuses on shooting digital video for public release and viewing.
VISUAL EFFECTS I—DC205 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: DC161, EB160. The course presents the use of visual effects, motion graphics, and compositing programs, such as Adobe After Effects and Apple Motion, to create compelling visual presentations for film, television, web, and other media.
Digital Photography
DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY I—DP150 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. Students learn the fundamentals of digital photography including selecting and operating a digital SLR camera and using advanced post production software to produce a final image. Other topics include balancing lighting, film speed, lens aperture, and shutter speed to achieve the right exposure, using an on-camera flash, and image composition.
DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY II—DP200 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: DP150, EB160. Students create professional landscape, still life, portrait, glamour/fashion, candid, and product photographs. They will manipulate light to create dynamic and compelling imagery; use advanced post production techniques, including the selective use of filters and editing tools and compositing; and consider photography as a business.
Entertainment Business
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT FOR MEDIA PROFESSIONALS—EB120 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. The course covers a range of issues for entrepreneurs and small business managers, including writing a business plan, analyzing a financial report, business acquisition, site selection, and government regulations.
MEDIA AS THE MESSAGE—EB123 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. Beginning with the phonograph and progressing through high definition color lithography, multi-track recording devices, and web technologies, students consider advances in entertainment media. They study the impact of specific inventions on cultural and economic issues, including consumer behavior, business models, and artistic content creation.
THE MEDIA INDUSTRY LANDSCAPE—EB152 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. Media and creative arts are converging and creating new outlets for entertainers, content creators, and industry business professionals. This course discusses historic media, trends, and people who laid the ground work for contemporary entertainment delivery. Topics include identification of entertainment entities, an overview of significant contributors to the business of entertainment, and basic business structures for music, video, gaming, and the media arts. Emphasis is placed on interrelated opportunities presented to entertainment industry professionals.
PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN—EB160 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. This is an introduction to computer-based graphic design programs used in 2D media creation. Students use Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator for projects including poster creation, logo design, mailers, and album artwork as they study the history, aesthetics, and business of design.
INTRO TO INDIE JOURNALISM— EB163 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: CM101. Students develop online and print newspapers as they study independent media sources, including zines and blogs, as outlets for promotion and distribution of entertainment news. Topics include review and news writing, criticism, the basic rules of entertainment journalism, and how to develop relationships with labels, artists, and other content providers.
THE ART, CULTURE, AND ECONOMICS OF VIDEO GAMES—EB165 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: EB152. Through demonstrations and hands-on activities, students will evaluate video games for aesthetics and technical quality. They will also study legal issues, marketing techniques, and the history of the gaming industry from 1960 through the present day.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND COPYRIGHT LAW—EB202 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: EB152. The course addresses intellectual property, copyrights, and content ownership in the music industry. Students will also learn the economic structure of the publishing, performing rights, and label industries and consider current issues facing media industry.
THE BUSINESS OF COMMERCIAL MUSIC PRODUCTION I—EB205 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: EB205. This course uses hands-on experience to produce commercials, public service announcements, and jingles through application of production deadlines, budgets, content creation, copywriting, and client directives. Students will interact with independent content producers at music houses, video producers, other colleges, and ad agencies. Topics include video and audio engineering, production, post production, and essential advertising business skills.
THE BUSINESS OF COMMERCIAL MUSIC PRODUCTION II—EB206 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: EB152. Students create basic jingles for radio and TV, and interact with guest professionals. Topics include business etiquette, timetables, budgets, and billing methods; the roles and responsibilities of producers, talent, and clients; and the psychology of interpreting a client’s needs.
CREATIVE AND PROMOTIONAL WRITING—EB210 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: CM121. Students develop skills for effective written and communication and promotion. Activities include composing poetry and short prose, preparing pieces for submission, compiling press contact lists, composing promotional documents, and formatting emails for correspondence with the media.
BUSINESS COMMUNICATION AND NETWORKING—EB211 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: EB202. This course focuses on the role of communication and networking skills in the entertainment industry. Topics include developing strong client relations, cold calling, the art of negotiating, and networking. In-class exercises include interviewing, presentations, and networking.
WEB DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES—EB212 (5 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: EB160. Students use design tools such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to create web-ready designs for marketing and promotion. Design principles analyzed include animation, unity, typography, and interaction. Assignments include development of an interactive website that features streaming media.
MARKETING AND BRANDING STRATEGIES—EB252 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: EB202. The course presents development of marketing campaigns for media-related companies and artists. Students learn to integrate Internet technology and Web 2.0 resources into modern promotional and advertising; develop traditional and electronic press kits and direct marketing; and employ project management and self-management techniques.
FACILITY MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES—EB261 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: EB202. This introduction to small business management uses a case study of recording studio management to examine business structures, licensing, and legal requirements and basic strategies to employ when launching an enterprise. Students work through a simulation of the process of opening a commercial recording studio.
CONTRACT LAW AND LICENSING ADMINISTRATION—EB262 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: EB202. This is a detailed analysis of contract law and the ways common agreements affect artists, writers, producers, and companies. Topics include licensing opportunities, recording contracts, management contracts, and strategic decision making.
EVENT PRODUCTION—EB263 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: EB202. This course focuses on managing personnel, schedules, equipment, and other details associated with entertainment events. Students will actively participate in planning, organizing, and managing events at IPR and other locations around Minneapolis.
TOUR MANAGEMENT AND THEATRICAL PRODUCTION—EB264 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: EB202. This course introduces booking, managing, and profiting from band tours and performances. Topics include legal agreements between artists and venues, lodging and transportation issues, merchandising, and fiscal management.
THE BUSINESS OF VIDEO GAMES—EB265 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: EB165. Students study production processes, asset management, quality assurance initiatives, and related legal issues for the video game industry. Topics include tools used by developers, the workflow of design from conception to release, and marketing and promotions.
ARTIST MANAGEMENT—EB271 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: EB252. The course uses lecture and discussion to analyze the artistic endeavor as a business. Topics include unions, contracts, licensing, and promotions techniques for managers as well as current issues affecting musicians and artists.
RECORD LABEL ADMINISTRATION I—EB272 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: EB252. This is a hands-on introduction to the history and business of independent record labels. Each quarter, students select a release from a catalog of prerecorded material. They then see the project through all stages of production: image and graphic design, re-mastering, distribution, regional and web promotion, sales, and licensing and contract issues.
RECORD LABEL ADMINISTRATION II—EB282 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: EB212, EB252, EB272. This course offers a hands-on experience with brick-and-mortar and virtual independent record labels. Topics include the A&R process, record label contracts, production and recording, creative control, CD and vinyl manufacturing, physical and digital distribution, value-added record releases, marketing and promotion, and music licensing. Students will apply skills in leadership, teamwork, goal setting, and business planning as they work with actual local and national recording artists.
MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS SENIOR SEMINAR—EB290 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: Minimum of 80 Credits Completed. This course, taken by all Music and Entertainment Business students as they approach graduation, involves two components. A student will present a research project related to the student’s area of study in a school-wide forum. The student will also submit a portfolio for faculty and peer review at a gallery open house.
Foundations
FOUNDATIONS OF MATH I—FM051 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. This refresher course covers the arithmetic of whole numbers, fractions, and decimals, including the use of the real numbers in ratios, percentages, and averages.
FOUNDATIONS OF MATH II—FM052 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: FM051 or Advanced Placement. This course links algebraic skills to arithmetic. An introduction to elementary algebra, it includes solving linear equations, graphing, and evaluating expressions.
FOUNDATIONS OF WRITING I—FW051 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. Using personal experiences and readings for textual comprehension, students develop practical writing skills that are necessary in academic, business, and technical discourse, including strategies for writing correct and effective sentences and paragraphs.
FOUNDATIONS OF WRITING II—FW052 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: FW051 or Advanced Placement. Students develop strategies for writing correct and effective paragraphs and short essays.
Humanities
INTRODUCTION TO HUMANITIES—HU110 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite or Concurrent: CM121. This course is an exploratory approach to the humanities focusing on literature, philosophy, comparative religion, music, sculpture, architecture, and painting in a social/historical framework.
FILM IN SOCIETY—HU121 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. Students develop an appreciation of film as a visual art, examining ways in which films impact our culture, our economy, and our society.
WORLD MUSIC— HU125 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. This course is designed to help students understand music in a multicultural, global marketplace. Using current popular music as a way to define culture, students will learn about global societies and their cultural history. Students will use the constituent and expressive elements of music as a basis for discussion to compare and contrast popular music and culture on a global level. This course will include ear training that will enhance students’ recognition of global instruments.
SPANISH I—HU130 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. This is the first of a two-quarter course for students with little or no background in the Spanish language. It provides basic proficiency in speaking, reading, writing, and listening at the conversational level and general knowledge of Spanish-speaking cultures.
INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE—HU150 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite or Concurrent: CM121. This course is a survey of short stories, poetry, and drama as literary forms with an emphasis on using literary analysis to interpret a wide range of literary works.
ART IN THE MODERN WORLD—HU200 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: CM121. This course covers the history of modern art from the last half of the 19th century to the present. Students become familiar with representative works by artists in a variety of genres and styles of modernist and postmodern art, gaining an understanding of the historical context of changes in art and social and cultural forces that gave rise to the eclecticism of modern art.
Instrumentation
VOCAL TECHNIQUES I— IN261 (1 CREDIT)
Prerequisite: AP210. This course, designed for the producer or vocalist with little or no vocal experience, is presented in a lab setting. Instruction covers the basics of correct singing, vocal health, breathing, technique, and style, enhancing students’ ability to work with other artists on vocal techniques in live and studio settings.
KEYBOARD TECHNIQUES I—IN262 (1 CREDIT)
Prerequisite: AP210. This course, designed for the producer or keyboard player with little or no keyboard experience, is presented in a lab setting. Instruction covers the fundamentals of classic keyboard technique and style, enhancing students’ ability to work with other musicians on piano and keyboard technique in live performance and studio settings.
ELECTRONIC PERFORMANCE I—IN263 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: AE130, AP152. This class focuses on urban and electronic music performance techniques. Students learn the history and culture of these musical styles as they apply current tools and techniques used by top performers, remixers, and DJs. The course provides hands-on experience with hardware and software sequencers, synthesizers, and drum machines.
GUITAR TECHNIQUES I—IN264 (1 CREDIT)
Prerequisite: ap210. This course provides basic skills necessary to play the guitar, including note reading, chord strumming, finger picking, and music theory. All levels of players join in ensembles, playing popular, folk, blues, rock, and classical styles. Every student will have the opportunity to play lead lines, rhythm accompaniment, and bass lines.
VOCAL TECHNIQUES II—IN271 (1 CREDIT)
Prerequisites: AP210, IN261 or Audition. This course is for the producer or vocalist who has either completed Vocal Techniques I (IN261) or has prior experience and wishes to submit a vocal demo/audition for entrance. Classes will take place in a lab setting and cover advanced techniques required of the contemporary singer.
KEYBOARD TECHNIQUES II—IN272 (1 CREDIT)
Prerequisites: AP210, IN262 or Audition. This course is for the producer or keyboard player who has either completed Keyboard Techniques I (IN262) or has prior keyboard experience and wishes to submit a keyboard or piano demo/audition for entrance. Classes take place in the lab and cover advanced performance techniques.
BAND CAMP 101—IN281 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: AP200, AP260, Audition, Portfolio. This course introduces the process of transforming a small group of interested performers and songwriters into a band. Students will create a band concept based on the skills and interests of the group, write original songs and arrange cover songs, rehearse, and present a final performance.
Logic Pro
LOGIC PRO I—LP151 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. This course prepares students for the Level One Apple Certification Exam in Logic Pro as they perform a series of practical exercises in music production, rhythm programming, recording, mixing, and post production.
LOGIC PRO II—LP201 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: Apple Logic 101 Exam. This course prepares students for the Level Two Apple Certification Exam in Logic Pro. Topics include manipulating pitch and tempo, creating notation scores, customizing the environment to speed workflow, editing real-time MIDI parameters, humanizing a performance, advanced audio editing, and managing a mix session.
Ableton Live
ABLETON LIVE I—LV151 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. Students are introduced to Ableton Live recording and sequencing software through a series of practical exercises covering software configuration, session navigation, audio warping, MIDI programming with virtual instruments, recording, editing, mixing, and combining audio with visual media.
ABLETON LIVE II—LV200 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: LV151. This course expands on the fundamentals of working in Ableton Live as explored in Ableton Live I (LV151). Media production concepts covered includes composition, production, improvisation, and performance.
Media Business
CAREER EXPLORATION—MB101 (1 CREDIT)
Prerequisite: None. Students discuss skills for success in college and how those skills can translate to career success. A variety of self-assessment tools help students identify their own unique abilities and evaluate professional environments in light of that knowledge.
WEB FLUENCY—MB200 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: CS110. This is an overview of research and communication tools available through the Internet and underlying technologies including server systems, web hosting, and domain registration protocols. Students learn to secure their own digital properties and leverage them in their careers.
CAREER RESEARCH STRATEGIES—MB212 (1 CREDIT)
Prerequisite: MB101. This course explores modern trends in media industry job fields and their implications for related careers. Students will examine advertised and entrepreneurial work opportunities through research and networking. Discussions cover the roles of personal communication, social interaction, professionalism, self-promotion, and networking in career development.
CAREER CAPSTONE—MB222 (1 CREDIT)
Prerequisite: MB212. This course presents the development of career and self-promotional tools including industry specific tools, résumés, cover letters, and other digital materials. Students practice interview techniques and learn professional strategies and client-based approaches which lead to meaningful and lasting professional contacts. Students identify various job cultures that support their professional aptitudes and goals and present their career objectives to IPR career services, prospective employees, and colleagues.
INTERNSHIP FOR CREDIT—MB261 (1 CREDIT)
Prerequisites: 45 Credits Earned, 2.0 Minimum CGPA, 67% Cumulative Completion Rate, Approval by Program Chair. This course serves to integrate the skills, knowledge, and abilities acquired for hands-on application in a media business environment. Students will complete an on-the-job training program in a setting that employs a variety of skills common to the field.
INTERNSHIP FOR CREDIT—MB262 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: 45 Credits Earned, 2.0 Minimum CGPA, 67% Cumulative Completion Rate, Approval by Program Chair. This course serves to integrate the skills, knowledge, and abilities acquired for hands-on application in a media business environment. Students will complete an on-the-job training program in a setting that employs a variety of skills common to the field.
INTERNSHIP FOR CREDIT—MB263 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: 45 Credits Earned, 2.0 Minimum CGPA, 67% Cumulative Completion Rate, Approval by Program Chair. This course serves to integrate the skills, knowledge, and abilities acquired for hands-on application in a media business environment. Students will complete an on-the-job training program in a setting that employs a variety of skills common to the field.
INTERNSHIP FOR CREDIT—MB264 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: 45 Credits Earned, 2.0 Minimum CGPA, 67% Cumulative Completion Rate, Approval by Program Chair. This course serves to integrate the skills, knowledge, and abilities acquired for hands-on application in a media business environment. Students will complete an on-the-job training program in a setting that employs a variety of skills common to the field.
INTERNSHIP FOR CREDIT—MB265 (5 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: 45 Credits Earned, 2.0 Minimum CGPA, 67% Cumulative Completion Rate, Approval by Program Chair. This course serves to integrate the skills, knowledge, and abilities acquired for hands-on application in a media business environment. Students will complete an on-the-job training program in a setting that employs a variety of skills common to the field.
INTERNSHIP FOR CREDIT—MB266 (6 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: 45 Credits Earned, 2.0 Minimum CGPA, 67% Cumulative Completion Rate, Approval by Program Chair. This course serves to integrate the skills, knowledge, and abilities acquired for hands-on application in a media business environment. Students will complete an on-the-job training program in a setting that employs a variety of skills common to the field.
Natural Science
BIOLOGY—NS105 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. This course is an introduction to biological science covering topics in modern biology, including molecular aspects, cell biology, physiology, genetics, evolution and ecology. It increases students’ understanding of scientific inquiry and includes laboratory sessions either live, virtual, or in combination.
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES—NS111 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite or Concurrent: CM121. This is a survey of contemporary environmental problems. The course stresses holistic and ecological approaches, giving special attention to roles, responsibilities and opportunities for individuals in global environmental problem solving.
TOPICS IN MATHEMATICAL REASONING—NS112 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: FM052 or Advanced Placement. Students develop quantitative reasoning skills and learn to apply mathematical ideas in life and work. Topics in this class include: sets, numeration systems, units of measurements and conversions, logic, probability, simple and compound interest, and mathematical literacy.
COLLEGE ALGEBRA I—NS116 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: FM052 or Advanced Placement. Topics of this course include solving linear and quadratic equations and inequalities, linear systems, graphs of equations and inequalities, operations involving polynomials and rational expressions, exponents, radicals and an introduction to exponential and logarithmic functions. Students use graphing throughout the course to explore applications that use functions.
EARTH SCIENCE—NS121 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite or Concurrent: CM121. This course introduces the Earth as a dynamic multidimensional physical system consisting of separate but interacting parts, in which change in one part can produce changes in any or all other parts. Topics include the nature of the earth in terms of changes in its solid mass, the oceans, the atmosphere and the universe.
COLLEGE ALGEBRA II—NS216 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: NS116. Topics include quadratic, transcendental and trigonometric functions and their inverses and properties. Students use graphing to explore analytic geometry of conic sections, build and use simple mathematical models, and use trigonometry to solve problems related to triangles.
Pro Tools
ESSENTIALS OF PRO TOOLS—PT111(2 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: Avid PT101 Exam. This course provides fundamental skills needed to learn and function in the Pro Tools environment. It provides training for Pro Tools Certification and prepares students to start working on their own Pro Tools projects.
PRO TOOLS PRODUCTION ESSENTIALS—PT202 (2 CREDITS))
Prerequisite: Avid PT110 Exam. This training course for Pro Tools Certification focuses on skills needed to competently operate a Pro Tools TDM system in a professional environment.
MUSIC PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES—PT211 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: Avid PT201 Exam. This training course for Pro Tools Certification concentrates on 200-level training with a focus on music production. Reinforcement of 201 concepts and skills with music specific examples.
POST PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES—PT212 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: Avid PT201 Exam. This training course for Pro Tools Certification concentrates on completing 200-level training with a post production focus. It reinforces 201 concepts and skills with post-specific examples.
ADVANCED MUSIC PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES —PT251 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: Avid PT210M Exam. Pro Tools 310M focuses on advanced operation of Pro Tools TDM systems for music production. Topics include advanced music editing, mixing, and control-surface techniques and functions; plug-ins, including pitch correction and sound replacement; and collaboration.
ADVANCED POST PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES—PT252 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: Digidesign PT210P Exam. Pro Tools 310P focuses on advanced operation of Pro Tools TDM systems for post production. Topics include advanced OMF applications and workflows with AVID video editing systems, post editing, mixing, synchronization, control-surface techniques, and collaboration.
South by Southwest
SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST MEDIA CONFERENCE—SB279 (3 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: EB152. This is a two-week travel course to South by Southwest (SXSW) Music and Media Conference in Austin, Texas, one of the largest music festivals in the U.S., and one of the world’s premier film festivals. Activities include panel discussions on current media topics, movie and video showcases, and networking with media professionals.
Social Science
GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP—SS103 (2 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. This interdisciplinary social science course explores the influence of community on global citizenship. Topics include contemporary theories that help define local, national, and international community membership in the 21st century. Students will examine how cultural constructs, including, but not limited to, personal perspectives and social, educational, and professional experiences, contribute toward shaping their recognition of and accountability as socially responsible community members.
INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY—SS116 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite or Concurrent: CM121. Introduction to Psychology is a basic overview of facts, terms, ideas, and research findings which form the basis for modern psychology. This course looks at the science of psychology, considering behavior, perception, learning, memory, human physical and personality development, motivation, and stress.
HISTORY OF AMERICAN MUSIC—SS123 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. In this course students will study the historical roots and evolution of American popular music. Genres studied include jazz, blues, country and western, music for stage and film, rock and roll, electronic music, punk, and hip-hop. Students will learn how to recognize each genre, be able to identify its roots and stylistic characteristics, and learn the contributions of key artists who have developed the current musical landscape.
LAW IN SOCIETY—SS130 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite or Concurrent: CM121. This course is the study of law as a social institution incorporating history, sociology, philosophy, psychology, and political science. The course emphasizes theoretical perspectives, organization, roles, and functions of law in society.
INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS—SS140 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. This course is a study of the development of interpersonal relations, exploring cognitive, behavioral, attitudinal, and contextual interpersonal skills.
INTRODUCTION TO MACROECONOMICS—SS145 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: None. This course is an introduction to the basic economizing problem, specific economic issues and related policy alternatives.
SOCIOLOGY—SS205 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisite: CM121. Sociology is the study of how social forces such as race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, and capitalism shape personality, institutions, and cultures in the process of socialization. Topics include research and question construction methods.
DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY—SS210 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: CM121, SS116. The course presents major theories in developmental psychology, including issues and topics across the lifespan such as infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and aging. It emphasizes the biological, psychological, and social variables that influence human behavior.
PSYCHOLOGY OF PERSONALITY—SS230 (4 CREDITS)
Prerequisites: CM121, SS116. This course introduces students to a variety of personality theories and research relevant to each theory. Topics include major personality theories such as trait theories, psychoanalysis, humanistic, and biological theories. Application and assessment is explored for each theory. Students learn about the theories first-hand by completing assessments within each theory.