Prior Years' Projects

2016-2017: The Power of Place: Geographies of our World, Memories, and Imagination

Stan D. Blyth, Attorney & Political Science Instructor, Porterville College, "Rethinking Equal Protection in the Era of Colorblindness"
John Greening, Paul Hurley, Louise Jackson, Shirley Kirkpatrick, Greg Schwaller, Laurie Schwaller, "Tulare County Treasures: A Legacy of Land and People"
Patty Enrado, Author, "Coming Home: Finding My Filipino-American Roots"
Matthew Christopher, Photographer, "Abandoned America: Dismantling the Dream"
Dr. Marco Meniketti, Professor of Anthropology, San Jose State University, "The Archaeology of Sugar Cane, Slavery, and Environmental Change in the Caribbean"
Alan Hess, Architect, "California as Muse: Modern Architecture in the Golden State"
Christopher Buckley, Poet, "Marking Me Home: 35 Years of Poems from California"
Carole Firstman, Author, "Origins of the Universe and What it All Means: A Memoir"
Kathryn Davis, Professor of Environmental Studies and Director of Global Studies, San Jose State University, "Thirst for Adventure: Three Women Explorers of Early 20th Century California"
Amy King, Curator, Tulare County Museum, "Preserving Our Culture and Heritage: The Mission and Future of the Tulare County Museum"
Gray Brechin, Ph.D., Historical Geographer and Author, "Imperial San Francisco: Urban Power, Earthly Ruin"

2014-2015: Spaceship Earth: Exploring the Interaction Between People and Our Planet

Handout on Spaceship Earth Topic Resources (.pdf)
Richard Goode, Geology Instructor, "Drought? What Drought?: Understanding the Roots of California's Water Crises"
Sandra Serrano J.D. "Does Treating Students Equally Mean Treating Them the Same?"
Jay Hargis, History Instructor, "Intervention!: The US in the Mexican Revolution"
Robert Simpkins, Ph.D., Anthropology Instructor, "Between Atlantis and the Indus Valley: People, the Environment, and the Archaeology of Lost Civilizations"
Lu Chi Fa (Gordon Lu), "Double Luck: Memoirs of a Chinese Orphan"
Kara Cooney Ph.D., "Hatshepsut: How a Woman Ascended the Throne of Ancient Egypt"
Panel of Local Veterans, "War Stories: A Conversation with Veterans"
William Belcher Ph.D., "Recovery and Identification of U.S. Missing-In-Action Personnel: Archaeology, Forensic Anthropology and the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command Mission"
Josie Triplett and George Finley, and Maryanne Reliford, "Allensworth: History and Personal Recollections"
Jay Hargis, History Instructor, "Century of Disaster: The Dark Legacy of the Great War"
Brian Fagan Ph.D., "Climate and Ancient Civilizations: An Archaeologist Looks at Cooling and Warming"
Rebecca Baird, History Instructor, "From Home Front to Front Lines: Women and the Great War"
Michael Sullivan Ph.D., "Antique Auto Display & Presentation"
'80s and Beyond Concert
David Graber Ph.D., "Ecological Restoration in a Time of Mass Extinction"
Russian Citizens, Panel Discussion, "The End of the Cold War: Personal Recollections"
Adventures in Eating: Multicultural Food Buffet
Karen Bishop, Sociology Instructor, "Listening to the Land: Reconnecting with the Environment and the Promise of Healing"

2013-2014: Education - Boundaries, Borders, and Bridges

Allan Baily, "When the Government Takes Your Stuff: Constitutional Protections of the 5th Amendment's Taking Clause"
Professor Jay Hargis, "'Viva Cristo Rey!': Mexico's Cristero War 1926-1929"
Professory Jay Hargis, "Our Islamic Heritage: Art, Context, and Culture - Part 1"
Professor Jim Entz, "Our Islamic Heritage: Art, Context, and Culture - Part 2"
Panel Discussion: Local Veterans
"First Generation" film screening
Dr. Jeff Yoshimi, "Moving On: What to Expect When You Transfer to a Four Year University"
Dave Humphrey, "Buffalo Soldiers in Sequoia National Park"
Professor Rebecca Baird, "Troublesome Women: Social Activism in America"
Professor Richard Osborne, "Last First Contact: One Man's Adventure in New Guinea"
Variety Show: '70s and Beyond Concert II
Dr. Jan English-Lueck, "Fast Forward Families: An Anthropology for the 21st Century"
Sarah Ramirez, Ph.D., M.P.H., "Feeding People: Is Compassion in Action"
Adventures in Eating: Multicultural Food Buffet

2012-2013: Workers on the Move

Robert Christenson, "The 4th Amendment and the Exclusionary Rule: Continue to Adopt, Alter, or Abolish?"
Professor Jay Hargis, "'¡Ningun Trabajamos!' Mexican Workers in the San Joaquin Valley Cotton Strike of 1933"
Professor Terry Crewse, "The Sinking of the Titanic: 100 Years Later"
Dr. Herb Bonds and Jeff Edwards, "Dust Bowl Recollections: My Journey to California in the 1930s"
Matt Black, "The People of Clouds"
Maurice Ecung, "Black History: Pushing America to Honor Its Creed"
Rick Wartzman, "Obscene in the Extreme"
"Camp to Campus" film screening
Lu Chi Fa (Gordon Lu), "Double Luck"
Professor Jay Hargis, "The Bracero Program: Catalyst for Change"
Dr. Russell K. Skowronek, "X-Marks the Spot -- Or Does It: The Archaeology of Piracy"
Anthony Barcellos, "Land of Milk and Money"

2011-2012: The Decade of the 1970s

Professor Jay Hargis, "The Watergate Scandal"
Honorable Glade Roper, Tulare Co. Superior Court Judge, "Interpreting the Constitution: Is it Alive?"
Dr. James Moore, "Native American Granite Cisterns of the Sierra Nevada"
Professor Ann Marie Wagstaff, "Gay Rights Movement Comes of Age in the '70s"
Panel Discussion: Vietnam Veterans
Nancy Chadwell, "Vietnam: My Experiences as an Army Nurse"
Steven Ptomey, "Lives and People of Allensworth"
Susan Lala, "We Shall Overcome: The Disability Movement in the Seventies"
Panel Discussion: Hmong Veterans
Panel Discussion: Women in the '70s
Professor David Bezayiff, "Elvis: The King's Greatest Tragedy"
Variety Show: '70s and Beyond Concert
Charley Trujillo, "Soldados: Chicanos in Vietnam"
Professor Jay Hargis, "The Fall of Saigon: The Final Act in America's Lost War"
Lu Chi Fa (Gordon Lu), "Double Luck: Memoirs of a Chinese Orphan"
Multicultural Food Festival: Adventures in Eating
Dr. William Kimbel, "Lucy Redux: What's New in Early Human Origins"

2010-2011: The 1960s Part 2

So much happened in the sixties that the College examined the decade for a second year. Here are the events that were offered in 2010-'11:

Brook Roper Gotberg, J.D., "Last Call for Justice: The Constitutional Right of Habeas Corpus
Professor Jay Hargis, "Mexico 2010: The Birth of Mexican Independence in Myth, Memory and History 200 Years Later"
Panel Discussion: Vietnam War Veterans
Professor Richard Goode, "We choose to go to the moon: The Space Race of the 1960s"
Tom Burge, "Patrolling the Parks: Buffalo Soldiers in the Sierra Nevada"
Professor Karen Bishop, "Amalurra: Cooperation & Empathy in an Intentional Community"
Panel Discussion: Women in the 1960s
Kathy Strain, "Bigfoot and Native Culture"
Variety Show: "60s and Beyond Concert II"
Professor Jay Hargis, "Mexico 2010: Understanding the Mexican Revolution 1910-2010"
Professor Jim Entz, "Pop Art/Pop Culture"
Professor Dr. David Bezayiff, "Robert Kennedy: The Last Campaign"
Dr. Matthew Des Lauriers, Island of Fogs: Archaeological & Ethnohistoric Investigations of Isla Cedros, Baja California, Mexico
Adventures in Eating: Multicultural Food Festival

2009-2010: The 1960s Part 1

From September 2009 through the spring of 2010, Porterville College explored the decade of the 1960s. Since we only scratched the surface, we will continue with "Part 2" next year. Here are the events we offered:

Richard Christenson, "The Constitution: An Historical Perspective"
Professor Jay Hargis, "Remembering '68: Mexico's Olympic Massacre"
Professor Ann Marie Wagstaff, "Opening the Closet Door: Gay Rights in the Sixties"
Panel Discussion: Vietnam War Veterans
Professor Jay Hargis, "Remembering '68: The Revolution in U.S. Politics"
Professor David Bezayiff, "Dylan, The Beach Boys, and The Beatles: Music's Holy Trinity of the '60s"
Steven Ptomey, "Allensworth: Stories and Legends"
Ji-li Jiang, "A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution: China in the 1960s"
Variety Show: "60s and Beyond Concert"
Professor Richard Osborne, "Leakey's Angels: The Story of Three Remarkable Women"
Professor Jay Hargis, "Remembering '68: The Chicano Student Walkouts"
Panel Discussion: Vietnam Era
Professor Susan Regier, "The World Split Open: The Struggle for Women's Equality in the '60s"
Dr. Steven Shackley, "Ishi, Stone Tools and Cultural Identity in Native California"
Professor David Bezayiff, "Things I've Carried from the 60s"
Professor Jay Hargis, "Remembering '68: Prague Spring-the Beginning of the End of Communism"
Adventures in Eating: Multicultural Food Festival

2008-2009: The 1950s

In 2008-'09, events and curriculum highlighted the unique events and attitudes of the 1950s. The historical perspectives offered were quite varied, ranging from a panel discussion of Korean War veterans to the role of women in the 1950s, and even a variety show. The following is a list of events that were offered:

Professor Jay Hargis, "Mexican Lives; American Dreams: Mexican Americans in the '50s"
Gregory Gillett, "Torture, Terrorism and the U.S. Constitution: How Far Can We Go?"
Professor George Brannan, "Year in Isolation"
Panel Discussion: Korean War Recollections
Variety Show: "50s and Beyond Concert"
Tom Burge, "Buffalo Soldiers in the San Joaquin Valley"
Professor Camille Tomlin, "Brown vs. Board of Education"
Steven Ptomey, "Allensworth: A Community Founded on a Dream"
Professor Susan Regier, "Changing Roles of Women in the 1950s"
Dr. Donald Johanson, "Lucy's Legacy: The Quest for Human Origins"
Professor Jay Hargis, "It Came from the Cold War: Movie Monsters/'50s Fears"
Professor George Brannan, "Wildlife and Human Life: Experiences of Isolated Duty in the Antarctic Region"
Professor David Bezayiff, "Frozen Foods, Fast Foods and Street Rods"

2007-2008: The 1940s

Continuing the focus on an entire decade, the 1940s were explored and exposed during the 2007-'08 year. The calendar was packed with more than a dozen events and activities.

Professor Jay Hargis, "GIs, Pachucos, & Braceros: Mexican Americans During World War II"
Steven Ptomey, "100 Years of the California Dream: Allensworth"
Professor David Bezayiff, "April 15,1947: What Jackie Robinson did for America"
Larry Harris, "Human Scent: The Forgotten Evidence of Every Crime Scene"
Shirley Hickman, "Don't Be Give Up: Growing Up During WWII"
Dr. Robert Yohe II, "Bone Detectives Solve Ancient Murders: Filming Egyptian Mummy Investigations for the Discovery Channel"
Jim Nanamura, "Memories of Internment"
Panel Discussion: World War II Veterans
Professor Rob Hodges, "In All the Old Familiar Places: Pop Music and Nostalgia in the '40s"
Professor Jay Hargis, "Spent Victory: America and the Beginnings of the Cold War"
The Grateful Crane Ensemble, "Camp Dance"
Adventures in Eating: Multicultural Food Fest

2006-2007: The 1930s

This year marked a departure for CHAP, where the focus turned to featuring an entire decade. Decade themes would follow in the next five years. Notable in the decade themed years is that it allowed a broader reach for many disciplines to weave the CHAP project into their curriculum.

2005-2006: Manzanar

As it did three years ago, CHAP turned its attention to Manzanar. One of the highlights of this year's activities was the visit paid to the college by the Grateful Crane Ensemble who performed their Camp Dance Program, and brought the crowd to its feet. Find out more by visiting our Manzanar Awareness Project page.

2004-2005: Vietnam

During this academic year, CHAP events and participating classes learned about the Vietnam War and the country of Vietnam.

2003-2004: Allensworth

In 2003 & 2004, Colonel Allensworth and the town he founded were the focus of events and class projects at Porterville College. Visit the Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park website for more information.

2002-2003: Manzanar

This year marked the first year for the Porterville College Cultural and Historical Awareness Program (CHAP). The focus of events for the year was the internment of Japanese Americans at the Manzanar War Relocation Center during World War II. This year's CHAP Manzanar Project provided an opportunity for Porterville College students to learn about the controversial and complex issues surrounding this aspect of the war, that occured not very far from the college. Visit our Manzanar Awareness Project page for more information.