Julie Setele (pronunced suh-TELL) is an award-winning educator with 15 years of experience teaching over 20 different college courses in sociology, criminology, and gender studies. Trained as a qualitative social scientist, they are skilled at establishing rapport with people from all backgrounds, identifying barriers and gaps in service provision, and communicating research findings in an accessible way. Passionate about expanding access to information, Julie is transitioning into academic librarianship, with a particular interest in social science subject librarianship, student engagement, and the digital humanities.
Julie anticipates earning their MLIS from the University of Missouri at Columbia in December 2021. Previously, Julie earned a Ph.D. in Sociology with an emphasis in Feminist Theory and Research from the University of California at Davis in 2013. Their dissertation explored an innovative attempt by local government to recognize formerly incarcerated people as experts on the criminal justice system and include them in local criminal justice reform efforts. Julie earned an M.A. in Sociology from the University of California at Davis in 2004, and a B.A. in Sociology and Women’s Studies from Case Western Reserve University in 2001.
As an intersectional feminist scholar-activist, Julie applies academic rigor to the pursuit of social justice, and seeks to continue doing so as an academic librarian. A former professor, Julie decided to explore librarianship after realizing their affinity for supporting other people’s research efforts outweighed their other academic interests. They have completed original research projects on the anti-abortion and pro-abstinence-until-marriage movements, institutional and community-based responses to hate crimes on college campuses, and the effects of police militarization and university privatization on the policing of student protests. They have published two chapters in edited volumes, a digital humanities web-based report, and the back-of-the-book index for a scholarly monograph. Active in a number of social movements, including reproductive justice, feminist, labor, anti-war, anti-police-violence, and anti-racist organizing, Julie volunteers with St. Louis Jail and Legal Support and participates in Wikipedia Edit-A-Thons whenever possible. Julie enjoys reading romance novels, facilitating virtual arts and crafts nights with their friends, and cuddling their cats.