Each semester, students in History 505, “History at Work: Professional Skills of the Major,” hear from a range of alumni and professionals about some of the many options open to graduates with a history degree. CEOs, mid-level managers, entrepreneurs, and other professionals emphasized how their history degree prepared them for rewarding careers in fields as diverse as information technology, finance, law, international development, manufacturing, and non-profit community work.
One of the most memorable talks recently was by Lisa Saywell, Director of Public Services at the Wisconsin Historical Society Library, who introduced the class to the vibrant, rapidly changing world of library work, ending with a tour of the WHS library and archives. In the photo above, she showed students some of the fascinating materials she gets to work with every day, including the 16th-century “Theater of the World,” considered to be the world’s first, systematic atlas.
History 505 is generally offered every fall and spring semester. The next opportunity is in Spring 2019, when it will be taught by Assistant Professor Giuliana Chamedes.