The African Studies Program would like to extend our gratitude for Lindsay Ehrisman and the abundance of work she does for our Program. Lindsay is a history PhD candidate whose research asks about the interconnected histories of intimacy and health in precolonial Uganda. Her broader interests include early African history, affect, gender, sexuality, and health and healing in sub-Saharan Africa. She has published her work on Uganda and Ghana in History in Africa, Journal of West African History, and an edited volume, Strings Attached.
Our thank-you list starts with Lindsay’s extensive work to support the development of the online version of Africa 277: An Introductory Survey course. This virtual course was first taught by Professor Neil Kodesh this last summer. Lindsay was not only one of the TAs for the first online iteration of the course, but she also spent a year and a half working with Neil Kodesh and Aleia McCord to record and curate multidisciplinary modules, with the support of UW faculty, that introduce students to African history and cultures. Lindsay’s contributions include (but are not limited to) editing recorded lesson, developing multidisciplinary learning material and assessments, and thinking through feedback from faculty and graduate students who tested draft modules.
Beyond her contributions to undergraduate curriculum, Lindsay has supported the African Studies Program’s outreach work, as an Outreach Scholar since 2019. Most recently, she has offered her flexible support to present to students remotely. She has talked to several classes at Madison East High School and Madison West High School to teach about early African history. Our Outreach Project Assistant, Lauren Parnell Marino, says “I love sharing Lindsay’s enthusiasm about her subject matter with students and teachers! She’s deeply knowledgeable and that’s infectious.”
These are just two of many examples of Lindsay’s generosity to African Studies over the years. Lindsay, we cannot thank you enough for your sustained commitment to our Program.
By Carly Lucas