“So what are you going to do with that degree?”
The Division of Arts & Humanities has launched an innovative class to equip students to answer that question.
Every Tuesday afternoon, 50 undergrads gather in Stephens Hall for “Humanities in Action: Alumni Career Conversations” (HUM20). Led by Arts & Humanities Dean Sara Guyer, this one-unit class brings back alums who have made their mark in a broad array of fields to talk about how their degrees in the arts and humanities prepared them for their professional trajectories.
Some of these highly accomplished professionals graduated with degrees in the humanistic social sciences but are currently working in arts-related fields. To name just a few:
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Doug Freeman (English ‘84): former COO of Patagonia, where he provided strategic leadership across key areas such as social and environmental responsibility.
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Ari Greenburg (Economics ‘94): President of WME, a leading talent agency. Over the course of his career he has represented the writers and producers of dozens of hits — including This is Us, Only Murders in the Building, and Stranger Things — and led negotiations for stars like Guillermo Del Toro and Robert Downey, Jr.
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Steve Starkey (Humanities '75), the Academy Award winning producer behind hits like Forrest Gump, Death Becomes Her, and Cast Away.
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Andrea Wishom-Young (English ‘91): current president at Skywalker Holdings. Previously, she held various production, programming, development and executive roles for “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network during her 20+ years with Harpo Productions.
Students submit questions ahead of time and have ample opportunity to ask questions to each week’s guest.
In addition to demystifying humanities careers, HUM20 supports the division’s goal of access and inclusive excellence. Students — especially first-gen students — feel pressure to choose a major that will put them on a path to professional success. By introducing students to Berkeley alums whose humanities skill set has been a professional asset, this class helps students envision the fulfilling career paths that await them