College of Letters & Science
by Scott A. Carter UW–Madison lecturer Alexander Shashko on disco, heavy metal and the responsibility of deciding who gets into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Every spring, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announces its nominees, and fans immediately begin debating who deserves induction. But behind the headlines is a large and …
The Department of African American Studies develops a monthly series designed to build our campus community and apply scholarship to daily practice. This spring, we launched In Dialogue, a new monthly series created to bring scholarship out of the classroom and into conversation with our broader campus community. Organized by the department’s Programming Committee, In …
by Hope Kelham A conversation with Sophia Abrams When Sophia Abrams, UW–Madison Class of 2022, joined the production team for Seen & Heard, she was doing the work that makes the content coming to your television possible. This HBO documentary, produced by Issa Rae and directed by Giselle Bailey and Phil Bertelsen, explores the history …
by Hope Kelham Thulani Davis is an acoustic poet, journalist, librettist, historian, and professor in the Department of African American Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she has taught literature and history for over a decade. She is the author of the libretto for the opera Malcolm X, with music by Anthony Davis, and …
by Hope Kelham A conversation with Ziyen Curtis on their research and re-writing the American textbook Ziyen Curtis (she/they) came to the Department of African American Studies in 2024. They started their Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction and began taking African American studies courses. By the time they’d taken three courses, a faculty member suggested …
On March 5, 2026, the Department of African American Studies continued our tradition of Night at the Theatre, a gathering that brings students, faculty, staff, and affiliates together for a University Theatre spring production. The tradition, started by Emeritus Professor Sandra Adell, is based on the premise that witnessing art together is its own form …
by Heaven Williams An interview with Jnae Thompson Jnae Thompson is an organizer and grant writer at Freedom Inc., a Black and Southeast Asian, queer, abolitionist, feminist organization based in Madison that provides radical direct services and movement-building support for survivors of gender-based violence. This spring, she stepped back onto the UW–Madison stage as Ainee …
A recap of the 2026 End of Year Celebration On May 7, 2026, we held our annual End of Year Celebration, bringing together graduating students, their families, faculty, and staff for an afternoon of recognition. Department chair Dr. Christy Clark-Pujara opened the event with remarks before guests shared lunch and conversation. The gathering closed with a …
Dr. Tom Wing Shick (1947-1987) received his M.A. (1970) and Ph.D. (1976) from the Department of History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He joined the Department of African American Studies in 1977. Dr. Shick was an academic consultant for the U.S. Department of State, Carnegie Corporation (Kinte Library Project), The Institute of the Black World, …
Undergraduate Micah Sagers has been awarded the Wisconsin Idea Undergraduate Fellowship for her project, “Freedom is Wellness: Health in A Freedom School Model”. Sagers, a Biology major, is pursuing a certificate in African American Studies and is a current research fellow in The SoulFolk Collective. Wisconsin Idea Fellowships are awarded annually to undergraduate student projects working towards addressing …