First-Year Seminar Faculty
Our First-Years Seminars, taught by faculty members from disciplines across the University, will inspire you to invest in the right opportunities and to explore the right questions. Our faculty aren’t just passionate about what they do—they spark the fire that keeps you exploring and asking the right questions.
Dan Barden
“The Literature of Addiction”
I am a novelist and an essayist and a dramatic writer. Also: an English professor.
Bryce Berkowitz
“Brain Candy”
Have you ever wondered how the screenwriting industry works? In this course, we will evaluate TV pilots and feature scripts, but we will also learn about show bibles, treatments, film reviews, agencies, production companies, as well as how social justice and climate change intersect with screenwriting. Finally, we will attempt to find our own voices within this rich tradition of cinematic writing.
Barbara J. Campbell
“Disability Studies and the Arts”
Since arriving at Butler in 2010, I have taught courses in American Literature, Medical Humanities, and Disability Studies. In a former life I was a musician; in fact, busking, was one of the ways I supported myself through school as a nontraditional student. Books, films, my dog and cat, and writing are the lifeblood of my existence. I created my First-Year Seminar, Disability Studies and the Arts, because I want to share the amazing work from the disability-arts community with my students.
Natalie Carter
“Women Writing the World”
I am a Senior Lecturer in the English Department; Affiliate Faculty in Race, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; and currently serve as the Faculty Director of the University Honors Program. I teach a variety of classes related to feminism and social justice, including my beloved FYS, “Women Writing the World.” I like to travel, go to concerts and festivals, and look up real estate with ocean views. If you see me walking my two little dogs (beagles! brother and sister! adorable!) around campus, please feel free to say hello!
Janis Crawford
“Great Speeches”
I began teaching communication here as an adjunct instructor in 1987 and went full time in 1999. My courses today include COM 101 (Rhetoric and the Democratic Tradition), COM 215 (Speech for Business), COM 306 (Intercollegiate Speech Team), and ORG 351 (Small Group Communication). I’m excited to teach an FYS that focuses on some of the greatest speeches in history through reading, listening, and analyzing them. Speech is one of the ways we first communicated in caves and continues to be vital in our family, work, and play. I spend a large portion of my time at Butler coaching the speech and debate team which placed 8thin nation this year at the Pi Kappa Delta National tournament. I love my 2 dogs and 2 cats and a beta fish named blue-oh and my family, of course. Janis Crawford is Lecturer in the Organization Communication Major.
Brian Day
“Human Factors and Intentional Design of Your Life”
In this class, students will be exposed to the field of Human Factors Psychology, which, broadly defined, examines the relationship between human beings and technology in an attempt to make human-technology interactions safe, effective, and efficient. Students will be presented with background on human factors and various real-world applications before transitioning to thinking about taking what has been learned to design their own life in accordance with human factors principles. For instance, students will be asked to reassess their study routines, sleeping habits, and daily technology usage. Students will also be tasked with making changes in their lives which will impact things like their happiness and state of mind. The goal of this class is for students to learn about the field of human factors psychology, and to take what is being learned and make intentional changes to how they live their lives.
Melissa Etzler
“Breaking Bad”
Hi! I’m Melissa Etzler and I’ve been teaching Breaking Bad and Stranger Things in FYS since 2014. I love teaching FYS with a media studies base since it’s an effective (and very fun) way to get to the heart of analytical and critical thinking. I always pair my contemporary texts with canonical literature that overlaps thematically or symbolically with what we’re viewing. My favorite aspects of the course are watching students get excited to talk about the material and helping them become the best writers they can be. When I’m not teaching in FYS, I serve as the FYS Co-Director and also teach in German, Honors, and co-lead a short-term study abroad program to Berlin. My hobbies are watching spooky films, cuddling a cat, and pretending I can cook.
Bryan Furuness
FYS Co-Director
I’m the co-director of FYS, which allows me to serve this program that I love. I’m a fiction writer in the English department, and I live in a dorm as a faculty-in-residence with my wife, Shelly (who works in the Provost’s office), and my dachshund Pip (who is lazy and sleeps all day). Also: Chicago Bears fan, burrito enthusiast, seminarian.
Jules Grable
“I’ve Got That Main Character Energy: Bouncing Back from IRL Plot Twists”
Brent Hege
“Faith, Doubt, and Reason”
I’ve been teaching the FYS “Faith, Doubt, and Reason” for over 15 years and it’s my favorite course to teach because we spend an entire year together wrestling with some of life’s biggest questions: what do we take with absolute seriousness? How should we engage with the mystery at the heart of reality? What gives our lives meaning? What is the nature of justice? How ought we to live together so that all may flourish? We explore these questions together with the help of theological, philosophical, biblical, and literary texts, films, and invigorating discussions. When I’m not teaching FYS and Religious Studies courses, I enjoy cooking, traveling, choral singing, fishing, brewing beer, and hiking with my wife, Kate, and our standard poodle, Tucker. Dr. Hege is Senior Lecturer in Religion and the Compass Center Scholar in Residence.
Angela Hofstetter
“Contemporary Writers”
I share my rural home in Story, Indiana, with giant dogs, plump horses, and assorted flora and fauna friends from the Hoosier National Forest. My courses reflect my commitment to interrogating the moral complexity of all animals—human and other. My First-Year Seminar, The Call of the Wild, is my absolute favorite course to teach because I get to spend an entire year with students exploring complex questions about nature, nurture, and justice. My fantasy is to become the world’s best homicide detective (though I faint at the sight of blood). Angela Hofstetter is a Senior Lecturer in the English Department.
Jeana Jorgensen
“Fairy Tale, Self, and Society”
I’ve been teaching a variety of classes at Butler since 2013 and FYS remains one of my faves because we get to read and talk about one of my most beloved topics: fairy tales. Whether or not you’re a fairy-tale fanatic like me, I think everyone gets a lot out of my classes because we also talk about bigger human issues like why people tell stories, why certain stories are retold over time, and why certain stories are more popular than others. When not nerding out over all things reading- and writing-related, I spend my time directing a semi-professional dance troupe, baking with my sourdough starter, and going to science-fiction conventions. Jeana Jorgenson has a Ph.D. in folklore from Indiana University. She is part-time faculty for the Core Curriculum.
Karly Keiper
“The Fight for ADA – Past, Present, and Beyond”
I am the Disability Specialist in Student Disability Services by day, FYS professor by night. I am a proud graduate of Butler University (’13) and love all things Dawgs! In my spare time I love checking out new restaurants, hosting game nights with friends, binge-watching Vanderpump Rules, and hiking with my dog, Daisy. I am also a spirited advocate for the disability community, which is why I chose to teach about the Disability Rights Movement, ultimately leading to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), through the life of Judy Heumann, the “mother” of the movement. We’ve come so far in this brief history, yet there are still major inequities to be addressed. I hope to educate and inspire others to think deeply about disability rights and advocacy. Maybe you’ll even join the movement?
Joseph Long
“What it Means To Be a Human”
Alessandra Lynch
“Imaginative Sojourns: Writings about the Self”
In my FYS Imaginative Sojourns class, I am privileged to witness my students’ self-awareness, compassion, attentiveness deepens through writing about transformative moments in their lives. My FYS-ers are dear to me. They teach me much. I’ve written poetry forever—for survival and song. I love reading, painting, roaming, gardening, sprinting after rabbits and quail, singing to mourning doves and owls. I live in a whirlwind of three wise cats, two spunky guinea pigs, and two spectacular children. Alessandra Lynch is a Senior Lecturer in the English Department and serves as Poet-in-Residence.
Undraa Maamuujav
“The Interplay of Self and Society”
I joined Butler Community in the Fall of 2024 as a faculty member in the College of Education. Teaching First-Year Seminar (FYS) has been an incredibly rewarding experience, one I have eagerly anticipated. In my FYS course, we explore the rhetoric of autobiography in the fall and auto ethnography in the spring, examining the intricate web of identities, actions, thoughts, feelings, memories, imaginations, and encounters that shape our sense of self and place in society. I love teaching FYS because it allows me to connect with my students on a deeper level, reading their stories and sharing my own. Outside the classroom, I enjoy traveling, walking along the beach at sunset, and visiting museums and secondhand bookstores.
Ashley Mack-Jackson
“From the HeARTland”
I have been an educator for over 18 years. I love teaching reading, composition, and creative writing, and I have had the pleasure of working with students of all ages and backgrounds in private and public community organizations, K12 schools, colleges, and universities. I also help run a small community organization called Word As Bond (Word), where we provide collaborative spaces for young literary artists to explore and expand their voices. Ashley Mack-Jackson is a Lecturer in the College of Education.
Robert Norris
“Communication and Power”
My degrees are in history, but I spent 35 years in the field of corporate communication. I began teaching communication here as an adjunct instructor in 2006 and went full time in 2014. My courses today include promotional writing, media relations, ethics and cases, advanced PR techniques, and crisis communication. But it is with this FYS that I finally get to combine my passion for communication and history. In this class, you’ll see how power relationships, the institutions that organize society, are constructed in people’s minds through communication processes. Aside from holding class, one of the ways I feed my soul is by spending time in Starbucks, drinking dark roast coffee and enjoying my latest history book. Robert Norris is Lecturer in the Strategic Communication Department.
Tom Paradis
“Unpacking the Hunger Games”
Having grown up in northern Connecticut (District 13 territory), Prof. Tom Paradis teaches a wide range of human,cultural, and urban geography courses at Butler, along with courses in urban planning and design, andarchitectural history. A one-time meteorology major, he also teaches a popular NW (Natural Worlds) course,Weather, Climate & Society, along with his favorite class on the Hunger Games. He serves as advisor for theGeography & Global Societies minor and has taught numerous study-abroad programs in Italy. Before coming toButler in 2015, he was professor and department chair at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. As a seriousHunger Games enthusiast, he led a conference about the series in 2013 and has since published two books, partsof which students sample in FYS—namely, A Place Called District 12: Appalachian Geography and Music in theHunger Games (2022), and more recently, Behind the Ballads: A Tribute to the People, Places and Music ofSongbirds and Snakes (2024). Like many fans, he is still on a quest to find out just what happened to Lucy Gray.
Darryl Pebbles
“Modern American Memoir”
John Perkins
“Social Justice and Music”
What are the means and ends of music- making? Whose voices are heard the loudest? This course explores the potentials, intentions and outcomes of making-music. We will reflect upon critical theories which help us develop a music philosophy–one that intersects with many identities in society. Through discussion, readings and reflection, written papers and constructive projects, we will reimagine and redesign musical structures for justice-seeking outcomes.
Nicholas Reading
“Reflection in Action”
I have taught a variety of FYS courses. Whether focusing on the Visiting Writers Series, Sports & Culture, or Poetry, courses are centered on providing students a variety of texts that present a variety of perspectives. Currently, the FYS, “Living Lives that Matter: Reflection in Action” asks students to consider the significance of their experiences and thoughts and recognize the value in sharing their writing with a larger audience.
Alexander Roehrkasse
“Navigating Attention Capitalism”
I’ve been a professor in the Department of Sociology & Criminology at Butler since 2022, mostly teaching classes on social inequality. As a long-time meditator who still struggles to put down his dang phone, I wanted to teach a class that explored the economic and technological forces that shape our attention as well as the practical and creative ways we can guide our attention toward meaning and purpose.
Sunny Romack
“Not Your Mother’s Feminism”
Susanna Foxworthy Scott
“Medical Humanities”
As someone who studies and teaches health communication, I love the intersection between the voice of medicine and the voice of the lifeworld. My passions include photography, writing poetry, traveling, and my family. I chose this topic because I love helping students uncover the difference between being diagnosed with a disease and living with an illness. We explore the human side of medicine through essays, books, art, and film. Susanna Foxworthy Scott is Assistant Professor in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
Robert Stapleton
“If Songs Were Gods”
I am in my 22nd season of teaching in the First-Year program at Butler. I also teach English Department courses on creative writing and graphic novels. Getting paid to talk with students about books and creative ideas is my version of living the dream. I love cold cereal, jumping rope, most kinds of music, and the game of baseball. I created this FYS course because I want to think with students about how art and music and culture serve as outposts of our human inclinations. (Robert Stapleton is a Senior Lecturer in the English Department.)
Michelle Stigter-Hayden
“So, where are you from?”
Outside of learning and teaching, I love to walk my golden retriever, Koda, volunteer, and make memories with my family. My FYS theme revolves around the newcomer experience. I am passionate about partnering together with organizations and students to help all members of our community feel welcome, included, and appreciated. I welcome students on campus, too—my desk drawer is always filled with Gummibären. Michelle Stigter-Hayden Senior Lecturer in the Modern Languages, Literature, and Cultures Department, with a specialty in German language.
Hannah Sullivan-Brown
“Living Lives That Matter”
In my three years teaching at Butler, I have loved my FYS courses: Climate, Culture, and Creativity and Living Lives That Matter. Though my background is in English and creative writing, I am passionate about environmental issues and am always excited to dive into life’s big questions. It is a privilege to accompany students over the course of a whole academic year through an exploration of what a meaningful life means to them, especially in the context of contemporary struggles. I love getting to know my students and fostering their sense of curiosity about themselves and the world. As a wanderlust-suffering Midwesterner, I adore my old house near campus, but jump at any chance to travel. When not teaching, reading, or writing, I’m probably planning a trip, spending time with my family (including three kids and one mischievous kitten), exercising, gardening, cooking, or daydreaming. Possibly all at once. Hannah Sullivan Brown is an Adjunct Professor in the Core Curriculum.
Felicia Williams
“Voice: Mine and Others”
I am new to Butler but not to teaching! I taught middle and high school before moving to higher education. I am a wife and a mom who is trying to navigate this thing called life. I have a love/hate relationship with running but so appreciate my internal talks and thoughts when I am out there. I always find metaphors and meaning, and I love that! I chose this topic because it is important to be cognizant of our individual process and habits. It is imperative that one knows how to articulate their voice and be comfortable doing so. I also think it is important that we seek to hear the voices of others. Listening to and thinking about others can be both educational and transformative on multiple levels. Felicia Williams is an Instructor in the College of Education.
Note: This course will also meet the Indianapolis Community Requirement needed for graduation.