Author Archives: ehusleto

Meet Dr. Avenel Rolfsen!

Posted by ehusleto

Biography
We are excited to introduce Dr. Avenel Rolfsen, a professor of History. She earned her PhD in African History from Indiana University-Bloomington in 2024. When asked how she got into her area of research, she said, “I became interested in African history as an undergraduate! I was minoring in French and majoring in history. My advisor at the time, an Africanist historian, encouraged me to study French colonialism in Africa for my senior thesis. I also got the chance to spend a summer in Senegal learning Wolof (the most widely spoken language in Senegal). After that, I knew it was something I was interested in studying more in graduate school!”

Dr. Avenel Rolfsen hiking in Ireland.

Areas of Research and Scholarship
Dr. Rolfsen’s primary area of research includes 19th and 20th-century Senegal (West Africa). Her work focuses on the histories of giving, charity, and humanitarianism during the French Colonial Period in Senegal, as well as the history of Islam and Islamic social welfare practices in West Africa. Her research has been supported by a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship, a Charlotte Newcombe Doctoral Fellowship, and a Debra Mesch Doctoral Fellowship for Research on Women’s Philanthropy.

Outside of the classroom
Dr. Rolfsen enjoys cooking, baking, spending time outside, hiking (as pictured), biking, or walking her dog. She has recently been trying to teach herself how to sew by making pillowcases. Her goal is to sew her own clothes eventually.


Spring 2026 Courses

  • HST 305: The Struggle for Freedom: Nations and Nationalism in Africa
  • GHS 206: Africa and the World: Past Legacies and Contemporary Transformations

Other Courses Taught

  • TI 204-HST/HST 205: Questions in History: African History through Music
  • GHS 206: Resistance and Reaction: Colonialism and Postcolonialism in Africa
  • GHS 207: Resistance and Rights: Global Women
  • TI 204-HST/HST 205: Questions in History African Environmental History
  • HST 305: Humanitarianism and Development in African History

Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and Classics Lab Update

Posted by ehusleto
Student sitting with ancient world artifacts.
Lead Lab Intern Cole Himmelheber with some of the artifacts in the AMCA Lab.

By: Elijah Smith, Class of 2026

Since opening its doors, the Butler University Ancient Mediterranean Cultures and Archaeology (AMCA) Lab staff has handled, refurbished, interpreted, and cataloged various historical artifacts from the Ancient World. Located on the third floor of Jordan Hall, the Lab has employed many student interns to help AMCA Director, Archaeologist, and Classics Professor, Lynne Kvapil with the collection. Dr. Lynne Kvapil. Students earn credit or receive an hourly wage for their work. Recently, I spoke with two of the interns: junior History Major and Classics Minor, Cole Himmelheber, and junior Anthropology, and Criminology and Psychology majors and Sociology minor, Emma Podvorec.

The day-to-day activities of the lab vary based on what is needed. The Lead Intern, Cole, delegates and makes sure that everything is running smoothly and efficiently. The list of projects can be extensive but rewarding ranging from simply updating information in the in-house database to working directly with an artifact. Currently, Emma is working with an Egyptian funerary cone which she describes, as “my baby. So I’ve been like translating the hieroglyphic setter on that and then on any other artifact from different museums across the world to see how that works.” Cole is working with Boaty, an ancient Egyptian model boat, to refurbish it. The antiques are stored at a specific temperature range. The interns carefully avoid chipping the wood or paint and constantly check for mold. They are also working on display cases for the front of the Archeology Lab to present artifacts to the Butler Community. As Cole describes it, “Once that is completed, it might be just outside the door, but it is a mobile display case. So, there are many opportunities to integrate the wider Butler community to what we’re doing. We can see a lot of our little treasures in here.”

The Lab doesn’t just deal with artifacts, they also develop and cultivate a variety of research texts for students to utilize. While every college has a library students can pull from the HAC department has a unique one in the AMCA Lab. Previous students have used lab resources for final papers/projects, Butler Summer Institute research, and thesis work. Curious? Just stop by the Lab or email Dr. Kvapil.

 

Internship Spotlight: Pierce Greer

Posted by ehusleto

This is a blog post about my experience as an intern for the History, Anthropology, and Classics Department. – Pierce Greer

Writing for the History, Anthropology, and Classics (HAC) Department has been a wonderful experience. With this internship, I have grown as a person and developed many of my skills. It pushed me outside my comfort zone. I have also become much more sociable. At first, I was unused to the work. As the year progressed, I grew accustomed to it, and the work became second nature. I worked with wonderful people each week and talked to almost every professor about their experiences.

My responsibility for this internship was writing blog posts for the department’s website. During our weekly meetings, someone would suggest a blog idea, and I would pursue it. Each blog was different, but I always had to interact with someone new. I sent emails asking for a quick interview, and then I would take notes on their experiences. After I collected all the information I needed, I wrote a rough draft and edited it. The last step was asking someone to proofread it, and then I published it using WordPress. Every blog post was a rewarding experience, especially the earlier ones. I had to put in the work for them to be high quality. At the same time, I was inexperienced with WordPress at the beginning. As the year progressed, I became better at using it. Besides WordPress, I developed my Canva skills while putting together random event flyers and the Monday Minute every other week. Canva was confusing sometimes, but I pushed through and made it work.

Being an intern for the HAC Department has been an excellent experience. It pushed me to grow, and I developed and learned skills along the way. I also got to work with many wonderful people and build connections with many people in the HAC Department. Although I do not know what I want to do in the future, this internship has allowed me to grow. I got to see what work I like and how I can try and find it after I graduate from Butler University. I had a lot of fun. This internship has helped me in multiple ways, and I am forever grateful. 

Alumni Spotlight: Tatum (Turner) Finch

Posted by ehusleto

This interview was conducted by Student Intern, Pierce Greer, in September 2023.

 

Tatum (Turner) FinchQ: When did you attend Butler, and what was your major/minor?

I attended Butler from Fall 2017 until Spring 2021. I graduated with a combined major in History and Anthropology. I also majored in English.

Q: What did you learn through your major/minor that you find useful today?

Anthropology taught me to observe and listen and make connections that go beyond just the similarities between me and another person. History gave me direction in my academic career both in subject matter and location. I was interested in the history of the Scottish highlanders and completed my junior year history project on highlanders who had migrated to the U.S. This inspired me to complete my graduate degree in Scotland after I finished at Butler. 

Q: How did your time at Butler impact your future and where you are right now? 

Well, I work about five minutes from Butler at Newfields. I would never have grown to have such an interest in this institution if my professors had not assigned us tasks and papers on the works at the museum. Butler made dreams of working in the cultural heritage sector tangible and gave me the resources and skills to get there. 

Q: What does working in a museum like Newfields look like to you? What is exciting? What is challenging?

The overall mission and purpose of working in a place like Newfields is consistent and really oriented toward the community. Challenges arise almost daily, but there are few art emergencies. I think the most challenging part is completing projects of high quality work on very tight timelines. However, the most rewarding part is when an exhibition is open to the public, and you see community members visit and interact with different aspects of art and culture that speak to them. 

Q: What advice would you give to current students?

Don’t limit yourself. Many goals or dreams in life are achievable with the right people in your corner and confidence in yourself. If you’re looking at grad school, maybe look outside of the U.S,. as it can be a cheaper and more efficient way to gain a degree. 

 

Meet Dr. Nebiolo

Posted by ehusleto
Professor Nebiolo on our scavenger hunt.
Dr. Nebiolo competing in our annual By department scavenger hunt.

Written by Student Intern, Pierce Greer

We’re excited for Dr. Molly Nebiolo (she/her) to join us as an Assistant Professor of History and an Affiliate Faculty in the Interdisciplinary Program in Public Health at Butler University! She received her Ph.D. in World History from Northeastern University in Boston and her BA in History and Biology from Butler University. As a former student, Dr. Nebiolo is ready to be back on campus, as she states, “You cannot beat the community.” She looks forward to meeting the students and cultivating their interests within and outside the department. She also wants to connect her students with internships, create research projects using digital history, and build broader connections with the science programs at Butler University. 

Outside of the classroom and research, Dr. Nebiolo is an ice cream aficionado! Her pick for the best flavor in the Butler area is blackberry at BRICS, but the most interesting flavor she has tasted is corn-flavored ice cream. Besides ice cream, she also loves to go camping, run in races, and watch Bake Off. 

Areas of Research & Scholarship:

Dr. Nebiolo is a historian of science and medicine in the early Atlantic world. She also specializes in the digital humanities, which she describes as “computer stuff for historians.” Dr. Nebiolo has mapped colonial Boston and Philadelphia to understand how diseases spread in the early colonial period in the United States. Besides being an expert in these fields, she enjoys teaching about urban history and diseases, but dreams of teaching a class on food history. In the Fall of 2023, Dr. Nebiolo will publish in The Age of Revolutions in the Digital Age with Cornell University Press, which demonstrates the usefulness of 3-D modeling and understanding early colonial cities. 

Upcoming and Current Butler Courses:

  • FYS 101/102 – First Year Seminar: Space, Place and Memory
  • HST 205/TI  204-HST-  Questions in History: Whose Revolution Was It? 
  • HST 101/AN 101/CLA 101 – Close Encounters  (team teaching with Anthropology professor, Dr. Julie Searcy)
  • HST 302-01 – Junior Seminar
  • HST 306-01- Topics in the History of Science: History of Medicine in the United States 

You can learn more about Dr. Nebiolo at her professional site.

Meet Dr. Fletcher

Posted by ehusleto

Written by Student Intern, Pierce Greer

We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Charlene Fletcher (she/her) as an Assistant Professor of History and an Affiliate Faculty in Race, Gender, and Sexuality Studies! Dr. Fletcher earned her Ph.D. in History from Indiana University Bloomington and her Masters in Criminal Justice from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She also is a Community ScDr. Fletcher sitting in armchair.holar at the Center for Africana Studies and Culture at IUPUI. Dr. Fletcher previously taught at Butler University as an adjunct professor in the Core program and is excited to be back on campus! Dr. Fletcher looks forward to meeting students and engaging them with the course material. She also hopes to expand student’s understanding of public history, offer new perspectives and subjects in history, and have students interact with the Indianapolis community.

Before becoming a professor, Dr. Fletcher worked at various prison systems in New York, New Jersey, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. She interviewed corrections staff and inmates, including the Son of Sam, David Berkowitz. While not busy with her academic work, Dr. Fletcher enjoys spending time with her daughter and her cat, Kevin.

Areas of Research & Scholarship:

Dr. Fletcher is a historian of the 19th-century United States. She examines how race, crime, gender, and confinement interact during this time. Her scholarship also focuses on the African Diaspora. Her research is interdisciplinary, blending sociology, specifically criminological and social theories, ethnography, politics, and public policy. As a public historian, Dr. Fletcher has worked in museums and with community groups. Her first major project focused on confinement in the southern United States, specifically women in the Kentucky prison system. Her next project will examine race and immigration in the United States through interactions of  African Americans and Sicilian Americans. Her upcoming book, Confined Femininity: Race, Gender, and Incarceration in Kentucky, 1865 – 1920, with Chapel Hill Press, will unpack her discoveries within the Kentucky prison system. 

Upcoming and current Butler courses:

  • HST 335 – The Civil War 
  • TI 204 – Questions in History: Topics in Africana Studies
  • GHS 210 – Freedom & Movement
  • HST 303 – Introduction to Public History
  • She is currently developing courses about sex work and mass incarceration in the United States for the 2024-25 school year.

You can learn more about Dr. Fletcher at her professional site or view her recent lecture, “Conversations in Indiana African American History and Culture.”