Yeah, I Got a F#%*ing Job With a Liberal Arts Degree

Jeff Crane
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Weekly

A podcast that explores the liberal arts as an educational system emphasizing inquiry, personal development and innovation that is foundational to a healthy, inclusive, and progressive society. Cal Poly Humboldt College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences Dean and environmental historian Jeff Crane, hosts a wide range of guests whose experiences as students of the liberal arts have shaped their lives in school, as professionals, and in their lives outside of their careers. Presented by Cal Poly Humboldt's College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

  1. May 13

    Episode 67: Drew Lopenzina on Harm to Humanities and Students at Texas Tech

    Jeff sits down with Dr. Drew Lopenzina, who is Professor of English at Old Dominion University and teaches in the intersections of Early American and Native American literatures. He was first featured on Episode 7 of the podcast, so go back and have a listen to that for more information on his research.  He is on the show today to discuss recent harmful decisions by Brandon Creighton, the Chancellor of the Texas Tech University system, as discussed in The Man Behind Texas Tech's Controversial Curriculum Crackdown and, more recently, Texas Tech Restricted Teaching on Gender Identity Now Students are Holding a Funeral in Protest. Also, read about graduate student funding in the system being cut here.  Drew also discusses the Go Fund Me for a scholarship he set up in the name of Renee Good, a writer and activist who was executed earlier this year during pro immigration protests in Minneapolis. She was a graduate of Old Dominion University, where Drew teaches. Donate to the Go Fund Me for the scholarship by sending a check directly to The Hampton Roads Community Foundation with "Renee Good Award" written in the memo section. Their address is below: Hampton Roads Community Foundation101 W. Main Street, Suite #4500, Norfolk VA 23510 And here is a message from the American Historical Association, opposing the cuts and changes at Texas Tech.  Please share, rate and review, wherever you get your podcasts!  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Silverman Sound Studios⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Yeah, I Got an F#%*ing Job with a Liberal Arts Degree is produced by Abigail Smithson. You can email the us with any questions @ podcasts@humboldt.edu This show is created and supported by the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Cal Poly Humboldt and is recorded on campus in beautiful Arcata, California.

    59 min

  2. May 1

    Episode 66: April Masten Explores History Through Song and Dance

    Welcome back to Yeah, I Got a F#%*ing Job With a Liberal Arts Degree, a show that takes a deep look at the humanities and higher education more generally. Join professor of history and humanities Dean Jeff Crane as he interviews a range of guests about the value of the liberal arts and education as a personal and public good.  Our guest for this episode is Dr. April Masten who is a Professor of American History at Stony Brook University, where she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses on the Early Republic, antebellum, and Civil War eras, early industrialization, art as labor, women, and popular culture. Her first book, Art Work: Women Artists and Democracy in Mid-Nineteenth-Century New York explores the surprisingly egalitarian cultural landscape of 1850 through 1880 in which thousands of young women, aided by the Ruskinian “Unity of Art” ideal and radical artisan reformers and philanthropists, managed to study the visual arts at New York’s Cooper Union and become professional artists, albeit in an emerging industrial society that extolled masculine genius and exploited women’s labor in all realms.  And she has a new book that just came out in late 2025 called Diamond and Juba: The Raucous World of 19th-Century Challenge Dancing. This work recovers the careers of two celebrated jig dancers, Irish American John Diamond and African American William Henry Lane (known as Juba), as they competed for high stakes and championship belts in the taverns, circuses, and theaters of antebellum America. Their extraordinary stage rivalry unfolded amid a rising tide of nativism and negrophobia that drove them closer even as it divided the nation. Out of this cauldron came a “purely American” dance and sport – challenge dancing, which continues to flourish, inspire, and unite young people around the world. Please subscribe to the show, share , rate and review! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Silverman Sound Studios⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Yeah, I Got an F#%*ing Job with a Liberal Arts Degree is produced by Abigail Smithson. You can email the us with any questions @ podcasts@humboldt.edu This show is created and supported by the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Cal Poly Humboldt and is recorded on campus in beautiful Arcata, California. Works Cited: Not So Much to Want by April Masten (LP) Professor Herbert Gutman

    41 min

  3. Mar 31

    Episode 65: Robert Townsend on the Professional Value of the Humanities

    Welcome back to Yeah, I Got a F#%*ing Job With a Liberal Arts Degree, a show that takes a deep look at the humanities and higher education more generally. Join professor of history and humanities Dean Jeff Crane as he interviews a range of guests about the value of the liberal arts and education as a personal and public good.  Robert Townsend is the Program Director for Humanities, Arts, and Culture at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Prior to the Academy, he spent 24 years at the American Historical Association, in positions ranging from editorial assistant to deputy director. He is the author of History’s Babel: Scholarship, Professionalization, and the Historical Enterprise in the United States, 1880-1940 (University of Chicago Press, 2013) and author or co-author of over 200 articles on various aspects of history, higher education, and public humanities. He received his PhD in history from George Mason University. The Academy conducts research and develops policy recommendations to advance the humanities in academic scholarship and in the public sector, to display the importance of the arts in society, and to enrich the nation’s cultural life. Academy programs in the Arts & Humanities put practitioners and scholars in conversation with individuals from other disciplines, ensuring that the arts and humanities are valued in all areas of civic life to enrich the health of communities and the daily lives of their citizens. Please subscribe to the show, share , rate and review! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Silverman Sound Studios⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Yeah, I Got an F#%*ing Job with a Liberal Arts Degree is produced by Abigail Smithson. You can email the us with any questions @ podcasts@humboldt.edu This show is created and supported by the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Cal Poly Humboldt and is recorded on campus in beautiful Arcata, California. Works Cited: History's Babel: Scholarship, Professionalization, and the Historical Enterprise in the United States, 1880-1940 by Robert Townsend Not for Profit by Martha Nussbaum Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era by James M. McPherson

    1h 1m

  4. Mar 1

    Episode 64: One Giant Show About Applied Humanities

    Welcome back to Yeah, I Got a F#%*ing Job With a Liberal Arts Degree, a show that takes a deep look at the humanities and higher education more generally. Join professor of history and humanities Dean Jeff Crane as he interviews a range of guests about the value of the liberal arts and education as a personal and public good.  This month’s episode is different. Cal Poly Humboldt is launching it’s very own Applied Humanities program, welcoming new students in the Fall of 2026. Because of this, we decided to put together a compilation episode, focused on a range of Humanities programs and Centers that exist all across the country. In this episode we feature conversations with the following guests:  Dr. Rachel Arteaga, Associate Director of the Simpson Center for the Humanities at the University of Washington Dr. Judd Ruggil, current Associate Dean of Academic Services and former Director of the Public and Applied Humanities and the Center for Digital Humanities at the University of Arizona  Dr. Susan Derwin, Director of UCSB’s Interdisciplinary Humanities Center Dr. Paula Burleigh, Co-Director of the Public Humanities at Alleghany College Courtney Hobson, Program Manager at the Drescher Center for the Humanities, University of Maryland at Baltimore Dr. Sarah Fouts, Co-Director of the Public Humanities Program, University of Maryland at Baltimore Dr. Ron Broglio, Director of the Humanities Institute at Arizona State University  Dr. Jason Bruner, former Director of the Desert Humanities Initiative at Arizona State University  Works Cited: Public Scholarship in Literary Studies by Rachel Arteaga and Rosemary Johnsen Rethinking the Field in Crisis: The Baltimore Field School and Building Ethical Community and University Partnerships by Nicole King, Tahira Mahdi and Sarah Fouts Please subscribe to the show, share , rate and review! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Silverman Sound Studios⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Yeah, I Got an F#%*ing Job with a Liberal Arts Degree is produced by Abigail Smithson. You can email the us with any questions @ podcasts@humboldt.edu This show is created and supported by the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Cal Poly Humboldt and is recorded on campus in beautiful Arcata, California.

    1h 57m

  5. Jan 31

    Episode 63: Dr. Louise Geddes on AI and the Humanities

    Welcome back to Yeah, I Got a F#%*ing Job With a Liberal Arts Degree, a show that takes a deep look at the humanities and higher education more generally. Join professor of history and humanities Dean Jeff Crane as he interviews a range of guests about the value of the liberal arts and education as a personal and public good.  Our guest today is Dr. Louise Geddes, Associate Dean for Student Success Strategic Initiatives College of Arts and Sciences at Adelphi University. Louise's areas of research include digital media, performance theory, Shakespeare in performance and theatre and popular culture, among many other things. She has taught classes on a wide range of topics including appropriation theory, twentieth century British drama, digital cultures, fan theory and New Media. We are having her on the show to discuss her work on the topic of  AI with Adelphi students and faculty and her recent opinion article titled Why Study the Humanities Anyway? She is also spearheading Adelphi University's first annual Adelphi New York Undergraduate Humanities Conference: The Humanities in an Age of Intelligent Machines. Please subscribe to the show, share , rate and review! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Silverman Sound Studios⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Yeah, I Got an F#%*ing Job with a Liberal Arts Degree is produced by Abigail Smithson This show is created and supported by the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Cal Poly Humboldt and is recorded on campus in beautiful Arcata, California.

    36 min

  6. 12/31/2025

    Episode 62: Loren Collins on Pitching the Humanities Beyond a Job

    Welcome back to Yeah, I Got a F#%*ing Job With a Liberal Arts Degree, a show that takes a deep look at the humanities and higher education more generally. Join professor of history and humanities Dean Jeff Crane as he interviews a range of guests about the value of the liberal arts and education as a personal and public good.  Loren Collins, Director of Advising here at Cal Poly Humboldt, joins the show to discuss, among many things, the numerous and various values of a degree in history (and other humanities majors). He is an alum of Cal Poly Humboldt, where he majored in history as an undergrad and got a Master’s in Sociology. Jeff and Loren are presenting on a panel entitled "Careers for History Majors" at the upcoming American Historical Association where we will be talking about how history faculty recruit students concerned about employability and how a history major can help them be successful. The conversation in this episode focuses on Loren’s own background and why we decided to present on this topic. Works Cited: They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, with Readings by Cathy Birkenstein, Gerald Graff, and Russel Durst American Academy of Arts and Sciences Martha Nussbaum Martin Heidegger Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy Please subscribe to the show, rate and review! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Silverman Sound Studios⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Yeah, I Got an F#%*ing Job with a Liberal Arts Degree is produced by Abigail Smithson This show is created and supported by the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Cal Poly Humboldt and is recorded on campus in beautiful Arcata, California.

    56 min

  7. 11/29/2025

    Episode 61: Professor Patrick Duggan on Performance in Times of Crisis

    Welcome back to Yeah, I Got a F#%*ing Job With a Liberal Arts Degree, a show that takes a deep look at the humanities and higher education more generally. Join professor of history and humanities Dean Jeff Crane as he interviews a range of guests about the value of the liberal arts and education as a personal and public good.  Today's guest is  Patrick Duggan⁠, Professor of Performance Culture and Resilience, interdisciplinary scholar, and the Head of the Winchester School of Art at the University of Southampton. His work explores the cultural, political, and social functions of performance in times of crisis. He is fascinated by why we (still) make performance—what it does, what it means, and how it shapes the world around us. His  research engages with contemporary aesthetic practices and everyday performance events, from protests and carnival parades to political speeches and media representations, asking how performance helps us witness, respond to, and make sense of complex social realities. His ongoing project Performing City Resilience can be read more about here and Performing New Orleans, his recently published book with Stuart Andrew, can be read about and purchased here, directly from Louisiana State University Press. To learn more about the book, you can also watch this interview with Patrick from Great Day Louisiana. Please subscribe to the show, rate and review! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Silverman Sound Studios⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Yeah, I Got an F#%*ing Job with a Liberal Arts Degree is produced by Abigail Smithson This show is created and supported by the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Cal Poly Humboldt and is recorded on campus in beautiful Arcata, California.

    51 min

  8. 10/31/2025

    Episode 60: Dr. Lynn Pasquerella on Where Higher Education Can Go Next

    Welcome back to Yeah, I Got a F#%*ing Job With a Liberal Arts Degree, a show that takes a deep look at the humanities and higher education more generally. Join professor of history and humanities Dean Jeff Crane as he interviews a range of guests about the value of the liberal arts and education as a personal and public good.  Today's guest is Dr. Lynn Pasquerella. Dr. Pasquerella was appointed president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities in 2016 after serving as the eighteenth president of Mount Holyoke College. She has held positions as Provost at the University of Hartford and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Rhode Island, where she taught for more than two decades. A philosopher whose work has combined teaching and scholarship with local and global engagement, Pasquerella has written extensively on medical ethics, metaphysics, public policy, and the philosophy of law. We brought Lynn on the show to discuss her Inside Higher Ed article Our Debate Over Higher Ed Has Lost the Plot . and other ideas she has and writing she has completed on the topic of a liberal arts education. This conversation is ever relevant and Lynn's vision of the possibilities of higher education is inspiring to listen to and share. Please subscribe to the show, rate and review! ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Silverman Sound Studios⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Yeah, I Got an F#%*ing Job with a Liberal Arts Degree is produced by Abigail Smithson This show is created and supported by the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Cal Poly Humboldt and is recorded on campus in beautiful Arcata, California.

    1h 1m
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About

A podcast that explores the liberal arts as an educational system emphasizing inquiry, personal development and innovation that is foundational to a healthy, inclusive, and progressive society. Cal Poly Humboldt College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences Dean and environmental historian Jeff Crane, hosts a wide range of guests whose experiences as students of the liberal arts have shaped their lives in school, as professionals, and in their lives outside of their careers. Presented by Cal Poly Humboldt's College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

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