Liberal Arts & Education Faculty

Our Liberal Arts & Education faculty want you to learn a variety of academic subjects, such as English, history and philosophy. But they also want you to learn about yourself.

indexCLAE Faculty/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/indexcv-pdfCV PDFs/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/cv-pdfDave-KoukalDavid Koukal/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/Dave-KoukalDavid R. KoukalB.A., General Studies, Shimer CollegeM.A. and Ph.D., Philosophy, Duquesne UniversityIntroduction to PhilosophyEthicsSocial and Political PhilosophyPerson and SocietyMedia Critique/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/cv-pdf/Koukal_CV.pdfKoukal_CV.pdfKoukal_CV.pdfB 336313-993-1138koukaldr@udmercy.eduCollege of Liberal Arts & Educationhttp://liberalarts.udmercy.edu/http:///www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/images/UDM-DaveKoukal-lrg.jpgUDM-DaveKoukal-lrg.jpgUDM-DaveKoukal-lrg.jpgWhy you’re going to love my classIt’s not a cakewalk. This will demand your intellectual energy. Philosophy brings you into contact with the most fundamental questions that human beings ask, and we don’t have easy answers. It will require you to think and write clearly and critically—which will serve you well in your life, no matter what you end up doing.“We want great things for you” meansI will broaden your horizons rather than shrink them. Thinking philosophically will open up your world and get you to question the things you most deeply believe. I believe my job is to help you understand the world. After all, philosophy means the love of wisdom.You might like to knowI am writing about the phenomenology of litter. (What makes litter litter?  What does this Little Caesar’s Pizza box in the gutter say about us?)No other professor can say to youWhen I finished high school, I didn’t think I was college material. I worked in low-level construction for eight years before starting college./www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/images/UDM-DaveKoukal-sm.jpgUDM-DaveKoukal-sm.jpgUDM-DaveKoukal-sm.jpgWhat philosophy does for you is bring you into contact with the most fundamental questions that human beings can ask.Victoria-MantzopoulosVictoria Mantzopoulos/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/Victoria-MantzopoulosVictoria L MantzopoulosB.A., Political Science, Ball State UniversityPh.D., Political Science, Wayne State UniversityStatisticsIntroduction to LawCriminal LawConstitutional Law/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/cv-pdf/mantzopouolos.pdfmantzopouolos.pdfB 243313-993-1166armstrov@udmercy.eduCollege of Liberal Arts & Educationhttp://liberalarts.udmercy.edu/http:///www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/images/UDM-Mantzopoulous-lrg.jpgUDM-Mantzopoulous-lrg.jpgUDM-Mantzopoulous-lrg.jpgWhy you’re going to love my classIf math terrifies you, you’ll find you were overly anxious for no reason in my Statistics class. I break the material down and show you step-by-step how to get what you need.Great things for you at UDMLaw Day at UDM. Our Moot Court is enacted in front of the student body in the Student Center. You’ll do research, apply critical-thinking skills, and understand what it means to be a lawyer. You’ll work hard, but you’ll enjoy it.Great things in store after UDMWe spend a lot of time and effort readying our pre-law students for the profession. We prepare you from day one to take the LSAT and then successfully complete law school. (And our students’ LSAT scores are skyrocketing!)My favorite part about teaching you isWatching you grow in my criminal law class. You’ll do an actual trial for five weeks, and you’ll perform all the roles—jury, prosecutors, defendants, witnesses, etc. You’ll love it.You might like to knowI have published two statistic texts with Prentice Hall that are widely used and translated.No other professor can say to youI was held captive in a war. (It was in Greece in 1974.)/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/images/UDM-Mantzopoulous-sm.jpgUDM-Mantzopoulous-sm.jpgUDM-Mantzopoulous-sm.jpgIf math terrifies you, you’ll find you were overly anxious for no reason in my Statistics class.Ike-McKinnonIsaiah McKinnon/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/Ike-McKinnonIsaiah McKinnonB.A., History and Law Enforcement, University of DetroitM.A., Criminal Justice, Mercy College of DetroitPh.D., Higher Education Administration, Michigan State UniversitySchool and SocietySociety and EducationLegal Foundations of American Education/R 205313-578-0451mckinnoi@udmercy.eduCollege of Liberal Arts & Educationhttp://liberalarts.udmercy.edu/http:///www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/images/UDM-IkeMcKinnon-lrg.jpgUDM-IkeMcKinnon-lrg.jpgUDM-IkeMcKinnon-lrg.jpgWhy you’re going to love my classBecause of the real-life approach we take to education. There’s more to education than a textbook.Great things for you at UDMYou’ll do service learning in my class. You’ll go out into the community and volunteer. And when you’re done, you’ll have a better understanding of your role in the world.“We want great things for you” meansWe’re small, we’re dedicated, we’re concerned about you, and we’re in a great location.My favorite part about teaching you isSeeing the light go on for you.You might like to knowI am a retired police chief. But I wanted to teach education rather than criminal justice because I felt I could do more for students that way.No other professor can say to youI’ve written three books, met five presidents, been on Oprah, and had breakfast with Bishop Desmond Tutu./www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/images/UDM-IkeMcKinnon-sm.jpgUDM-IkeMcKinnon-sm.jpgUDM-IkeMcKinnon-sm.jpgMy favorite part about teaching you is seeing the light go on for you.Nick-RombesNick Rombes/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/Nick-RombesNicholas RombesB.S., Bowling Green State UniversityM.A. and Ph.D., English, Penn StateAmerican Literature to 1865Film GenresEnglish Independent StudyDigital Media Portfolio/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/cv-pdf/rombes.pdfrombes.pdfrombes.pdfB 233313-993-1085rombesnd@udmercy.eduCollege of Liberal Arts & Educationhttp://liberalarts.udmercy.edu/http:///www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/images/UDM-NickRombes-lrg.jpgUDM-NickRombes-lrg.jpgUDM-NickRombes-lrg.jpgWhy you’re going to love my classOne of our philosophies in the English department, and at UDM in general, is that students learn best by doing. So you’ll study theory, you’ll write papers, but then, whenever possible, you’ll make the objects that you’re studying to learn how it’s done.Great things for you at UDMWe pride ourselves on being available for you, on e-mail, and more importantly, physically. We are in our offices, our doors are open, there’s a sense of community on the faculty floors, and you’ll feel you’re part of that. You can always come in and ask questions, scheduled or not—it’s why many of us teach here.“We want great things for you” meansWe want you to go out into the world and be successful in what you’ve been trained to do—to get good careers, to get good jobs, to make a living. But we also want you to think about the world in a critical, analytical way, in a skeptical way, and to think more deeply about your place in it. So when we say we want great things for you, we want great things for you as a spiritual person, as a creative person, as an intellectual person—as a full human being.My favorite part about teaching you isWe have smaller class sizes, which means we can give you personalized attention. We’re never too busy to help you with your projects, answer your questions. And the students in your class will be bright and inquisitive, and you’ll learn from them as well. But I teach at UDM because I love the students, I love the small classes, and I love seeing you grow./www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/images/UDM-NickRombes-sm.jpgUDM-NickRombes-sm.jpgUDM-NickRombes-sm.jpgWe want you to think about the world in a skeptical way, and to think more deeply about your place in it.Sarah-SteverSarah Stever/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/Sarah-SteverSarah SteverB.A., Sarah Lawrence CollegePh.D., History, University of MichiganRenaissance HistoryArt HistoryArt History/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/cv-pdf/stever.pdfstever.pdfB 321313-993-1099steversn@udmercy.eduCollege of Business Administrationhttp://liberalarts.udmercy.edu/http:///www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/images/UDM-SarahStever-lrg.jpgUDM-SarahStever-lrg.jpgUDM-SarahStever-lrg.jpgWhy you’re going to love my classYou’re going to learn about human nature. Your knowledge of human nature comes from your own era and culture, but in my class you’ll be exposed to many different eras and cultures. And you’ll come to understand that there are all sorts of ways of thinking about things. So you’ll get a much broader perspective—which changes your very being, because it changes the way you look at the world.Great things for you at UDMAfter you’ve been introduced to history, I hope I can persuade you to come study in Italy with me. We have a study program in Italy that’s run for 20 years now. I’ll take you on field trips, where instead of seeing images on slides, you’ll actually walk around historical sites, and you’ll get to experience a foreign culture, and live in it.“We want great things for you” meansI won’t leave you alone! You can’t just wait ’til midterms and finals to do well in my class, you’ll have to prepare for every class, for every discussion. But that’s not asking anything you can’t do. And if you do your best, then you’ll do well in my class.You might like to know thatI just finished a book called Art, Style, and Society that came out of the summers of teaching in Italy, and trying to explain to students why cities that are so close to each other as Siena, Florence and Venice are so different.No other professor can say to youOne of my students came and asked me to write a letter of recommendation for law school, but I persuaded him instead to go on to study history in graduate school, and he just won the National Book Award for history./www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/images/UDM-SarahStever-sm.jpgUDM-SarahStever-sm.jpgUDM-SarahStever-sm.jpgI'll take you on field trips, where instead of seeing images on slides, you'll actually walk around historical sites.Greg-SumnerGregory Sumner/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/Greg-SumnerGregory D. SumnerB.A., M.A., and Ph.D., Indiana UniversityJ.D., University of MichiganAmerican HistoryViet Nam WarWorld War IIMichigan HistoryHistory of DetroitTopics in Civil Rights Movement/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/cv-pdf/GSumner_CV.pdfGSumner_CV.pdfGSumner_CV.pdfB 327313-993-1121sumnergd@udmercy.eduCollege of Liberal Arts & Educationhttp://liberalarts.udmercy.edu/http:///www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/images/UDM-GregSumner-lrg.jpgUDM-GregSumner-lrg.jpgUDM-GregSumner-lrg.jpgWhy you’re going to love my classMy goal is to make you love history and help you see it as relevant to your life. History isn’t name and dates, but flesh and blood people just like you, and you’re standing on their shoulders. You’re part of history.Great things for you at UDMI’m going to challenge you. I’m not going to talk down to you. I’m going to talk to you as though you have limitless potential. I’m going to care about you in the intimate environment that we have at UDM.“We want great things for you” meansProfessors who won’t mail in their classroom interaction. Professors who are passionate about their subjects and eager to inspire that passion in you.You might like to knowI left a high-paying corporate law job and went back to grad school because I wanted to teach history.No other professor can say to youI made my television debut in the History Channel documentary series about Motown. They filmed me in a Detroit bar./www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/images/UDM-GregSumner-sm.jpgUDM-GregSumner-sm.jpgUDM-GregSumner-sm.jpgHistory isn’t names and dates, but flesh and blood people just like you, and you’re standing on their shoulders.Rosemary-WeatherstonRosemary Weatherston/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/Rosemary-WeatherstonRosemary WeatherstonB.A., English, University of MichiganM.A., English, University of Southern CaliforniaPh.D., English, University of Southern CaliforniaHonors 131 CompositionDiverse Voices in FictionSurvey of Post-1945 U.S. and British Literature/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/cv-pdf/weatherston.pdfweatherston.pdfB 227313-993-1083weatherr@udmercy.eduCollege of Liberal Arts & Educationhttp://liberalarts.udmercy.edu/http:///www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/images/UDM-RosemaryWeatherston-lrg.jpgUDM-RosemaryWeatherston-lrg.jpgUDM-RosemaryWeatherston-lrg.jpgWhy you’re going to love my classYou’ll get an appreciation for things richer and more complicated than they seem at first. You’ll make connections between class and your own life. You’ll read, watch and think differently when you leave my classroom.Great things in store after UDMEnglish looks at issues of communication and representation through reading, writing and talking. That talent to think and create is increasingly necessary for every field—law, medicine, business, any professional arena, really.“We want great things for you” meansWe are interested in working with you on whatever you’re committed to. We also expect great things of you. We will provide you with the tools you need to find that greatness.My favorite part about teaching you isHigh energy and great ideas. The students at UDM ask better questions than the faculty of some other schools.You might also like to knowI think you can find great literature and great art anywhere. I recently taught a 400-level course on detective fiction and film, and now I am writing an article about my students’ and my experience of it.No other professor can say to you“I never thought of that, that’s really interesting, let’s talk about it” as often as I do./www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/images/UDM-RosemaryWeatherston-sm.jpgUDM-RosemaryWeatherston-sm.jpgUDM-RosemaryWeatherston-sm.jpgYou’ll get an appreciation for things richer and more complicated than they seem at first. You’ll have an eye for the obscure.Carol-WeisfeldCarol Weisfeld/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/Carol-WeisfeldCarol C. WeisfeldB.S., English, St. Xavier CollegeM.A. and Ph.D., Human Development, University of ChicagoHuman DevelopmentSex Differences and Sex RolesCross-cultural PsychologyHuman SexualityPhysiological Psychology/R 212313-578-0481weisfecc@udmercy.eduCollege of Liberal Arts & Educationhttp://liberalarts.udmercy.edu/http:///www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/images/UDM-CarolWeisfield-lrg.jpgUDM-CarolWeisfield-lrg.jpgUDM-CarolWeisfield-lrg.jpgWhy you’re going to love my classDifferent viewpoints are expected to be expressed. We listen to all viewpoints respectfully and discuss them openly. But you must be able to back up your comments—not just be silly with the subject. After my class, you will appreciate the differences between males and females at any age.Great things for you at UDMYou’ll work hard but you’ll also have support to be successful in completing that work. You’ll get a lot of personal attention and mentoring. I evaluate what level of thinking you’re at and decide how to take you to the next one.“We want great things for you” meansYou have your own goals and our job is to help you achieve them. We might even help you rethink them. When students focus on how much money they want to make, we help students realize it’s important to love what you do and be happy, too.My favorite part about teaching you isThat look of discovery. Even after 30 years of teaching, it’s gratifying when I see the “OOOHH, I get it now!” facial expression.You might also like to knowI’m working on a cross-cultural study of what makes marriage work. We’re compiling data on wife and husband relationships across seven countries now. Everyone around the world should be interested in what we find.No other professor can say to youI live in a Mies van der Rohe building in downtown Detroit, and I am the pastry chef for the UDM Women’s Softball Team./www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/images/UDM-CarolWeisfield-sm.jpgUDM-CarolWeisfield-sm.jpgUDM-CarolWeisfield-sm.jpgAfter my class, you will appreciate the differences between males and females at any age./www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/clae/meet_clae_faculty_indexmeet_clae_faculty_index