College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Faculty & Staff
Dean of the College
Jay Howard is Professor of Sociology and Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Butler University in Indianapolis. For two years (August 2017-May 2019), he simultaneously served as Acting Dean of the College of Communication. Prior to coming to Butler, he served as Interim Vice Chancellor and Dean (2007-09), Assistant Dean for Budget and Planning(1999-2002), Head of the Division of Liberal Arts, and Professor of Sociology at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus (IUPUC). He earned a BA in Sociology from Indiana University South Bend (1988), and an MA (1990) and PhD (1992) in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame.
Research
Dr. Howard’s research interests range from the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning to religion and popular culture. His most recent book, Discussion in the College Classroom: Getting Your Students Engaged and Participating in Person and Online, was published by Jossey-Bass (2015). His Advice Guide, "How to Hold a Better Class Discussion," in The Chronicle of Higher Education is available online. https://www.chronicle.com/article/how-to-hold-a-better-class-discussion
First Contact: Teaching and Learning in Introductory Sociology, co-authored with Nancy Greenwood, was published by Rowman and Littlefield in 2011. Other publications in the scholarship of teaching and learning include: "The Sociology Literacy Framework and Students’ Views of Learning in Introductory Sociology," Teaching Sociology (with Jess Butler, 2018), "Student Reading Compliance and Learning in the Social Sciences" in Learning from Each Other (2018), “The John F. Schnabel Lecture ‘Sociology’s Special Pedagogical Challenge,” Sociological Focus (2015), “Where Are We and How Did We Get Here? A Brief Examination of the Past, Present, and Future of the Teaching and Learning Movement in Sociology,” Teaching Sociology (2010), “Teaching and Learning and the Culture of the Regional Association in American Sociology,” Sociological Focus(2007), “The Role of the Introductory Sociology Course on Students’ Perceptions of Achievement of General Education Goals” Teaching Sociology (2007), and “Just-in-Time Teaching in Sociology or How I Convinced My Students to Actually Read the Textbook,” Teaching Sociology (2004). He is editor of Discussion in the College Classroom: Applications for Sociology Instruction (2004) published by the American Sociological Association Teaching Resources Center.
His book, co-authored with John M. Streck, Apostles of Rock: The Splintered World of Contemporary Christian Music (University Press of Kentucky,1999) was named a 2000 Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic Title.
Professional Roles
Dr. Howard served as Deputy Editor of the American Sociological Association journal, Teaching Sociology (2003-09). He is a Fellow of the P.A. Mack Center at Indiana University for Inquiry on Teaching and Learning. He served as the 2006-07 President of the North Central Sociological Association and as an elected member of the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation Board of Trustees (2004-2010).
Associate Deans
My research interests include the history and culture of Japan, the anthropology of sport, the anthropology of science, gender studies, feminist theory, historical anthropology, mass/popular culture, theories of embodiment, urban anthropology, and visual culture. Most of my fieldwork has focused on cultures of sport in Japan and while I study and teach about all kinds of sport, football (soccer) is my ultimate passion. I continue to work on my primary project about soccer, corporate sport, the recession of the 1990s, and national identity in Japan, but have also written recently about the new professional women’s soccer league in Japan and the history of women’s professional soccer/football globally; I’m also interested in issues related to trans* athletes in Japan and the U.S.
BS Chemistry, Furman University
PhD Chemistry, University of Virginia
Post-doctoral work, Furman University
Faculty at Butler University since 2003.
Associate Dean for Faculty and Program Development in College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Associate Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences for Student Academic Affairs
Ph.D., The College of William and Mary, 1991
Administrative Support
Marabeth joined Butler in August 2022 and is currently working as Assistant to the Dean for the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. She has a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Michael’s College and a Master of Arts from Sacred Heart University. She previously worked for Newtown Public Schools and Hamilton Southeastern Schools Corporation.
