Hello, I am Professor Christine Young, chair of the Performing Arts Department. I am here to help select the courses you should register for as a Performing Arts and Social Justice major, depending on your concentration in Dance, Music, or Theater.

Please take note that in the schedule of classes you will find some courses under ÒP.A.S.J.Ó or ÒPASJÓ for Performing Arts and Social Justice, and other courses under ÒDANCÓ for Dance, ÒMUSÓ for Music or ÒTHTRÓ for Theater.

A student typically registers for 16-18 units or credits per semester.  These include courses in the Major, the Core, and 1 or 2 units of supplemental courses.

As an incoming freshman, it is important that you register for the following foundational courses in Performing Arts and Social Justice and in your concentration:
Students of all concentrations should register for PASJ 171-01 Production and Design I.

If your concentration is in Dance you should also register for
PASJ 181 Dance and Social History. Dance students are required to take a DANC 200/300 Dance Technique class; we suggest either ballet or contemporary/modern. You should place yourself at the technique level you believe is most appropriate. During the first week of classes your instructor will confirm that you are in the correct technique class.

In the Performing Arts Department, we encourage you to audition right away and apply what you are learning in your technique classes to the stage. Consider auditioning for USFÕs intergenerational dance company, the Dance Generators or the USF Dance Ensemble- where you will work with some of San FranciscoÕs most recognized choreographers. If you get into a piece you will receive units through DANC 480 Workshop in Dance Production.


Music concentration students should register for PASJ 180 Music and Social History as well as MUS 100 Musicianship. You are also required to complete 4 semesters of ensemble participation, so we want to encourage you to start right away if your schedule allows. You can join an instrumental ensemble like Jazz Band, Rock Band, the Electric Sound Collective or, the Don's Marching Band. You can also sing in a choir like ASUSF Voice acapella group, University Classical Choir, Gospel Choir, or St Ignatius Liturgical Choir.

TheaterÊconcentration students should sign up for PASJ 182 Theater and Social History; You should also register for THTR 110-04 Acting: Foundations. 

As a Theater Concentration student, you are required to participate in 2 theater productions. ÊIf your schedule allows, we encourage you to audition for the fall main stage theater production. ÊThere are auditions every semester, and if you are cast or are assigned a backstage role, you'll be able to sign up for THTR 372 Workshop in Play Production.

We also want you to enroll in a Core course. We strongly recommend that you choose a First-Year Seminar. As classes with only a small number of students, First-Year seminars serve as a great introduction to the academic environment at USF.  Every First-Year Seminar also doubles as a Core course. Transfer students should consider taking a Transfer Seminar.
For your 4th course, we recommend that you either take a second Core class or sign up for RHET 110 Written Communication.  RHET 110 is required for some students as a pre-requisite for RHET 202 Writing in the Arts, a class that PASJ majors take in the spring semester.  To determine if you need to take RHET 110, please review the tutorial by clicking on the Tab ÒRhetoric and CompositionÓ or speaking to a faculty advisor. 

When selecting Core courses, you should avoid the following Core Areas as they will be covered in future semesters by courses in the Performing Arts and Social Justice Major, regardless of your concentration.  Your Core A1 Public Speaking requirement will be covered by taking Voice for Performance; the Core C1 in Literature requirement will be fulfilled by taking Classical Dramatic Literature; your Core E in Social Sciences requirement will be met with Anthropology of Music; and Core F in Visual and Performing Arts will be automatically covered in the course of your studies in the major.

There are also many 1-2 unit courses that you may like to consider. 
Here are some ideas, very popular with our PASJ majors:
Dance, PASJ, or Theater elective courses 
Join one of the instrumental or vocal ensembles, regardless of your Major concentration
College success courses 
Our program encourages our incoming freshmen to audition and enroll in dance or theater productions. 

Once you have selected your classes, your schedule should resemble something like thisÉ.
For Dance 

For Music

and for Theater


If you are a transfer student, you may have completed some of these courses. It is important for you to review your degree evaluation to determine which courses you need to complete.  

Spend some time navigating the Schedule of Classes to familiarize yourself with the layout of the website and to select your courses.  If you have any questions, please contact us.

At the end of this tutorial you will be asked to complete a quiz.  Once you have completed the quiz, you will be eligible to sign up for classes when registration opens.  Please refer to the Webtrack homepage for your registration time.  After you register we will review the classes youÕve selected.  If necessary we will recommend course adjustments.

We look forward to meeting you soon.  During Orientation, we will review the major and you will have the opportunity to meet faculty and fellow students.

Welcome to USF!