On the next Fiat Lux Redux, Tuesday, July 21 at 9 AM, host Sarah Harrington, Program Manager at the UC Berkeley Social Science Matrix, speaks with researcher and sociologist Sarah Payne to dissect what higher education actually does for—and to—our society beyond the classroom.
Universities act as powerful hubs for sorting social classes, building networking cartels, and reinforcing existing inequalities under the guise of meritocracy. For decades, the “college-for-all” narrative has dominated American life. Yet, millions of Americans hold the economically precarious status of having “some college, no degree.” In this episode, Payne challenges us to look past the curriculum and examine the structural, social, and cultural functions of the modern university. It’s a candid discussion on what a truly equitable system of adult and continuing education would look like.
Sponsored and produced by the Social Science Matrix at UC Berkeley, this talk was originally released on February 3, 2026 and was edited for KALX by Paula Burch.
Fiat Lux Redux presents previously aired lectures, conversations, and podcasts originating on the campus of UC Berkeley every other Tuesday from 9am to 9:30am. These often-lengthy original programs have been edited to a 30-minute format by experienced KALX producers. The show’s name, Latin for “Let there be light”, is a reference to the University of California’s motto, which is also Fiat Lux. The show’s goal is to provide listeners with a window into the intellectual and cultural life of UC Berkeley and to showcase the wide range of subjects and diversity of thought and ideas that are present at UC Berkeley.
