Alexis Holloway
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching
Post-Doctoral Fellow, Mount Holyoke College
BIO
Alexis Holloway is a postdoctoral fellow and Visiting Lecturer at Mount Holyoke College, and will complete her doctoral program in Cultural Anthropology at Duke in May 2025, with an African and African American Studies Certificate and a Certificate in College Teaching. Holloway received an M.A. in Cultural Anthropology at Duke in 2022, an M.A. in Cinema Studies at New York University in 2019, and an interdisciplinary B.A. in Anthropology and Music at Amherst College in 2017.
Holloway is celebrated for her interdisciplinary and intersectional approach to teaching, focusing on the aesthetic hierarchies and experiences of Black bodies in white spaces, particularly in orchestral symphonies in the U.S. Her innovative teaching methods, including the use of multi-modal approaches and media literacy, have significantly enhanced student engagement and understanding.
Holloway has taught various courses, including "Introduction to African American Studies" and "Black Ethnographers," where she has successfully created an inclusive and dynamic learning environment. Her commitment to mentorship is evident through her work with senior thesis writers and her involvement in the Decolonial Committee.
ON TEACHING
What accomplishment are you most proud of, when reflecting on your teaching?
I have had a few students inform me that my classes have not only taught them about a particular subject, but also about themselves. One student in particular stands out to me, as he was a first year taking a challenging class that engaged with some dense theoretical texts. Surprisingly, in a conversation after class one day, he thanked me for assigning a difficult reading. He told me that he really struggled with it at first, but wanted to sit with the text and approach it differently than other class materials because he felt that it was important. During that particular class period, I saw this student light up (the proverbial lightbulb above his head lit up!) and engage with his fellow classmates with a renewed sense of fervor. This was such a rewarding moment for me because this student realized that he is indeed smart and can think generatively and generously, in ways that positively impact other people.
How have you evolved as a teacher over time?
I feel that my confidence has grown significantly. When I taught my first class as the instructor of record, I was extremely nervous about how I would actually teach my students. What should we do with our classroom time? Am I good at communicating difficult ideas to those who are encountering these materials for the first time? Will I bore them?! Halfway through the semester, I asked my students to complete an anonymous check-in survey, and it was then that I realized that my pedagogical approach was not only engaging, but also unique. I had not realized that I had taken everything I learned from the CCT program and adapted it to my own teaching and reading styles. That realization enabled me to trust that I can perform my role as an educator effectively and provide a safe intellectual space for my students.
What resources or strategies have you found to be helpful in your development as a teacher?
The Certificate in College Teaching is an incredibly invaluable resource, Hugh Crumley is amazing for kickstarting this initiative, and the pedagogical training that we receive through this certificate is so needed. Very few institutions provide us with the tools and guidance to know how to actually teach. The CCT provided me with approaches in my own pedagogy that is both inclusive and engaging. Furthermore, the students who participate in the program are also fellow pedagogy nerds like myself. Being with an interdisciplinary group of people who truly care about teaching students provided me with a supportive community like none other. We celebrated each other when we landed post-doctoral fellowships and major grants, and also guided each other in improving our own teaching approaches.
IN THEIR WORDS
Excerpts from Holloway's nomination
“Alexis Holloway has immersed herself in different modalities of teaching and mentoring. She taught in our early college program, mentored students in writing their senior thesis, served as a high-impact teaching assistant, and completed Certificates in College Teaching and African and African American Studies. Her achievements in this regard are truly admirable"
“Alexis has a curious mind, is an experienced and creative documentarian, and has a passion for research and teaching. Her commitment to academic excellence and using anthropology, music, Africana studies, and feminist studies to tell stories to understand a complex world more clearly and precisely bodes well for her success as a professor, teacher, and public intellectual.”