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.
Nii Abrahams
“The (Meta) First-Year Experience”
I serve as the Director of the First Year Experience, which activates my passion for seeing college students grow and flourish! I’m Ghanaian-American (my name is pronounced like “knee pa-poe”) and love hearing people’s stories. When I’m not on campus, you’ll find me pastoring a local church, searching for the best donut in the city(feel free to bring me some), playing soccer and working out, and spending quality time with my spouse and babygirl!
Dan Barden
“The Literature of Addiction”
I am a novelist and an essayist and a dramatic writer. Also: an English professor.
In this seminar, we will spend the first semester reading and writing about the literature of addiction. Human beings have been fascinated with intoxication since they first learned how to intoxicate themselves, and the disease of addiction has influenced every part of our culture.
The second semester will explore the literature that has emerged, particularly in the last 75 years, from the experience of recovery from addiction. What have writers made from our attempts, both successful and unsuccessful, to triumph over addiction in all its forms.
Tonya Bergeson
“Music & Language Across Communication Disorders”
FYS is one of my favorite classes to teach at Butler because I get to spend time thinking about music and language with diverse groups of students. Regardless of our musical backgrounds, we all have an implicit understanding about the importance of music and language in our lives. I’m excited to further explore how music and language connect and inform cognition, perception, communication, and quality of life. Tonya Bergeson is Associate Professor in the Communication Sciences & Disorders Department.
Bryce Berkowitz
“TV Writers’ Room”
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.
Hannah Sullivan Brown
“Climate, Culture, Creativity”
In this course we will explore one of the defining issues of our time–climate change–by examining the ways it has entered our cultural imagination. How have writers, artists, musicians, filmmakers, and others responded to this issue? How do we as affected global citizens critically engage with existing work and activate our own imaginations when faced with what can feel like an overwhelming problem? We will learn from both science and art and contemplate the ways in which we can enter this crucial conversation rooted in fact, with an eye toward hope.
Chris Bungard
“Zero to Hero”
The journey of the hero is a story as old as humans have gathered around to tell stories. In this course, we will start with stories from the Trojan War in order to think about what it means to be heroic. How is one called to be a hero? What does the hero gain? Sacrifice? From our initial foray in the Greek world, we branch out to consider hero stories from a variety of cultures and what the similarities and differences to the heroes of Homer tell us about what we as humans find inspirational about heroic stories.
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!
Joseph Colavito
“Wrestling Mania”
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”
Inspired by the ambiguity of “breaking bad,” this course explores intersections of crime and madness. We will examine texts featuring issues of guilt, justice, abnormality, and deviance to uncover particular and universal social commentaries on moral values and community constructs. Focusing primarily on written and visual texts from the 18th century to the present, multidisciplinary fields will inform our interpretations.
Chris Forhan
“Reality and the Imagination”
Bryan Furuness
“Living Lives That Matter”
Here’s the thing that makes FYS special: it’s a year-long course. That’s enough time to not only get to know students, but to watch them form a community, weather academic and social storms together, and figure stuff out. Every year I get to walk this path with a new class, and I love it. Bryan Furuness is a Senior Lecturer in the English Department.
Shelly Furuness
“Living Lives That Matter”
In this course, students will explore the values, choices and goals that inform their decisions and guide their own lives. By reading carefully selected texts — from writers across the vast array of disciplines, students will seek answers to the following questions: how can I do both well and do good in the world? How do I know what I am meant to do, for work and for leisure? How can I find the path in life that is uniquely mine? What are the philosophical and practical goalposts that I should aim for? How do I live a meaningful life?
Brent Hege
“Faith, Doubt, and Reason”
I’ve been teaching the FYS “Faith, Doubt, and Reason” for over fifteen 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
“The Call of the Wild”
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?
Andy Levy
“The Worlds of Science Fiction”
I’ve been teaching first-year courses at Butler since 1992 and teaching the Science Fiction FYS is one of my favorites: because of what students already know (whether as fans or as casual consumers of superhero movies, anime, et. al.) and because of how we can take off from there and go in new imaginative and socially aware directions. As a professor specializing in creative writing and US literature and culture, I love blending creative approaches, and critical ones, and popular culture and academic approaches: my ideal class feels like a writer’s room, with groups bouncing around ideas and sharing authorship. Off campus, I enjoy sharing a home with my family, one dog, three cats, and chickens, watching/playing a little too much sports, and writing the occasional book…
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.
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.
Daniel Meyers
“Faith, Doubt, and Reason”
I have been the Director of The Compass Center since 2015 and am passionate about promoting religious and secular diversity while also helping students explore their sense of purpose and contribution. I teach Faith, Doubt, and Reason because it opens up the questions that I have been thinking about since I was a college student and I love accompanying students along their own pursuit of uncertain answers to big questions. When not on campus, I love hiking, running, and reading – ideally all at the same time. Daniel Meyers is the Director of The Compass Center.
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.
John Perkins
“Why 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
“Writing For Your Life”
In this FYS we will consider how writing expands our understanding of our lives while contributing to our education, community, and wellness. We will practice active listening and critical thinking in efforts to examine our experiences, ideas, and feelings. We are interested in our reflective lives as a process of discovery, and we will explore how the written word presents the complexity of the human condition. Given the increased use of social media, twitter, texting, and other modes of communication that engender brief, but lasting expressions, the art of writing seems as relevant as ever in our pursuit of meaningful communication.
Corey Reed
“Discussing Difference”
Carol Reeves
“The Art of Friendship”
Carol Reeves is Rebecca Clifton Read Professor of English. Over her career she has studied and taught about communication and rhetoric. She loves teaching topics that have direct relevance to students’ lives, that encourage them to question their assumptions, follow their curiosity, develop their creativity, and engage with and learn from each other as well as from class lessons.
Sunny Romack
“Curiosity and Creativity”
Curiosity and Creativity is all about the human desire to know more about the world (curiosity) and the human capacity to use novel approaches to solving problems and generating ideas (creativity). In it, we explore the connections between curiosity and creativity on subjects ranging from Women of Color in pop music to the use of psychedelics in contemporary psychotherapy while also learning skills of mindfulness, openness, engagement, and reflection that can help us become more creative and curious, hopefully leading us to lives of discovery and fulfillment as a result.
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.
Julie Johnson Searcy
“Global Perspectives on Health”
What does account for differences in health? Why are there such differences in social conditions? How does power and culture play a role in health and illness? What helps us explain and understand these health differences? As we discover the kinds of gaps and varied access to health resources people experience we will be seeking to understand the nature of this inequality through the lens of medical anthropology which focuses on the human experience.
Ageeth Sluis
“Writing Spells: Magic, Myth, Memory”
The topic of magic has fascinated us throughout much of history. From shamans conjuring spiritanimals in Neolithic cave art to sorcerers of Medieval myths and the witches of fairytales all the way tocurrent day blockbuster movies, bestselling book series, and evermore popular New Age beliefsystems, magic speaks to our imagination as few other things do. When we behold somethingextraordinary, we say it’s magical. When we experience a time as especially good, lucky, and almostsupernatural, we say that there is “magic in the air.” But what is magic, exactly? And how is the act ofwriting bound up with it? Is or can writing be magical? In this course, we will be looking for magicthroughout time and space in art, film, popular culture and, of course, books. And, we will be weavingthat magic into our own writing!
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.
William Watts
“How to Live, What To Do”By training, I am a medievalist, and live partly in the fourteenth century. But I also live in the 21st century. In particular, I am keenly interested in the political and environmental challenges we face today. I am also a cyclist, riding 8 to 10,000 miles per year, both locally and internationally. In fact, as the new academic year begins, I will be returning from a long bike ride in France. William Watts is Associate Professor in the English Department.
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.