Humanities & Social Sciences
CHUSS Researchers to Publish a Book on Teaching Humanities and Social Sciences at Makerere University
Researchers from Makerere University College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS) through its Centre of Excellence in Research, Teaching and Learning (CERTL) have conducted research in different aspects of teaching and learning of Humanities and Social Sciences at Makerere University.
With funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in New York, the team is working on their data and gathering comments.
The research will be compiled as manuscripts for a new publication named, the “CERTL Book,”
The CERTL Book is provisionally titled, “Teaching and Learning Humanities and Sciences at Makerere University: Challenges, experiences and innovations”.
On Monday 27th November 2023,CERTL held its second pre-publication workshop to solicit comments and review the authors works that will constitute the CERTL Book.
The workshop held at Fairway Hotel in Kampala brought together over ten researchers, CERTL leadership and CHUSS project Coordinators including Dr. Levis Mugumya who shared his experience on the process and challenges of a collected book and Dr. Pamela Khanakwa who shared the structure and citation for the CERTL book.
The function was also graced by representatives from Fountain publishers who guided on what the publishers want in a manuscript.
Speaking on the genesis, the Director CERTL, Prof. Andrew Elias State said, the center looked at the Vision and Mission of Makerere University to be a Centre of Excellence for Learning and Teaching.
Prof. State however noted that, many courses in the Humanities and Social Sciences were affected by the policies implemented earlier on by the Government of Uganda and global forces such as liberalization.
The Director acknowledged that in the event of the structural adjustments, governments and institutions either over- liberalized or did not consider issues that came with liberalization.
“The center was established to explore and develop mechanisms of strengthening and promoting teaching and learning in Humanities and Social Sciences. As a center, we were given grants for which we must have outputs and, in one of the MoUs, we agreed to have a minimum of two publications and the CERTL book is one of them”, He said
He explained that researchers were given fellowship grants to conduct the research. He expressed happiness that researchers had progressed well with research works which will later be published. He stressed the need for researchers to observe deadlines in order to be part of this CERTL Publication.
The CHUSS Projects Coordinator Dr. Edgar Fred Nabutanyi said, researchers are expected to submit their draft papers by 12th January 2024.
Nabutanyi implored researchers to look at the comments received and work with the data they have and send the draft for further improvement.
“Because of the time constraint we intend to make this an intensive hands on peer review. The center got commitment from for senior editors who will come and workshop your papers on 7th February 2024.
When you submit your paper, we shall pair you with an editor, who will read your paper and give you personal comments and after that, we shall have just one more review”, Nabutanyi explained.
Within a week, Dr. Nabutanyi pledged that the center will be working on the citations and the tentative structure on how the chapters will look to have a tangible product.
Authors and research topics for the CERTL Book
Authors presented their research findings that will form book chapters. They include:
- Dr. Sarah Nakijoba K – The Art of Academic writing to undergraduate students: Voices from students and mentors.
- Dr. Peace Musiimenta – Documenting existing transformative pedagogies with potential to disrupt relations of dominance in gender studies at Makerere University.
- Dr. James Mangeni Wasike – You will be around but hardly learning, “Visually impaired students’ experience of e-learning at Makerere University.
- Dr. Julius Niringiyimana – Think Pair Share(TPS) as cooperative learning strategy in large classes: Contextualizing political science class at Makerere University.
- Mr. Eric Jjemba – Musical connotation as a conduit for ethnic dance teaching and learning transformation in a university classroom
- Prof. Julius Kiiza – Does Digitised teaching deliver its promise? A readiness assessment of BASS program at Makerere University.
- Dr. Nkonge Kiyinikibi – Using the blended learning approach to teach and learn Luganda (BLATALL) at Makerere University.
- Dr. Nicholas Mugabi – An integrated blended field experiential learning approach: Opportunities and challenges amidst CoVID 19 disruption at Makerere University.
- Dr. Isaac Tibasiima and Dr. Ceasor Jjingo – Writing centres as avenues for meeting students’ academic writing needs and challenges at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Makerere University.
- Dr. Boaz Mutungi: – Enhancing second language oral expression; Interventions for Kiswahili for Beginners program at Makerere University.
By Okeya John and Primrose Nabankema
The intensive one-month course, running for the first time from June 5 to July 24, 2025, is jointly offered by Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH)’s Department of Community Health and Behavioural Sciences (CHBS) and the Department of Journalism and Communication (DJC) at the School of Languages, Literature, and Communication (SLLC), co-designed in 2024 with support from the Rockefeller Foundation through Amref Health Africa.
It seeks to equip healthcare providers at the community level, public health and environmental health practitioners, communication specialists, health educators, community development officers, social scientists, and policy makers, among others, with strategic communication skills to improve public health messaging, strengthen community engagement, and support evidence-based interventions, ultimately empowering participants to effectively engage communities and improve population health outcomes across Uganda and the region.
Launching the course, the heads of the Department of Journalism and Communication and the Department of Community Health and Behavioural Sciences noted that participants who complete the short course will gain practical tools to influence behaviour change, build trust, and deliver timely, accurate, and relevant health information to the communities they serve. The first cohort attracted more than 60 applicants, with 36 reporting for the opening in-person session on June 5, 2025, at MakSPH in Mulago. Between now and July, participants will undergo a hands-on, multidisciplinary learning experience within the Certificate in Health Communication and Community Engagement program, which combines theory and practice.
Among the participants in the first cohort of the certificate course, designed as a pilot for the anticipated Master of Health Promotion and Communication to be jointly offered by the two departments at Makerere University, is Ms. Maureen Kisaakye, a medical laboratory technologist specialising in microbiology and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and currently pursuing a Master’s in Immunology and Clinical Microbiology at Makerere. She is driven by a passion to help reverse the rising tide of AMR, a growing global health threat where drugs that once worked are no longer effective. Kisaakye is particularly concerned about common infections, like urinary tract infections, becoming increasingly resistant and harder to treat.
“I enrolled in this course because I’m an advocate against antimicrobial resistance, and it came at a time when I needed to deepen my knowledge on how to implement our projects more effectively and engage with communities. The experience has broadened my understanding of AMR and its impact on society, and strengthened my passion for community-driven health initiatives and advocacy,” Kisaakye said, explaining why she enrolled for the short course.
Kisaakye’s work in antimicrobial resistance extends beyond the lab. Having earned her degree in medical laboratory science from Mbarara University of Science and Technology, she founded Impala Tech Research in 2024 to drive impact and save lives. She has led grassroots AMR campaigns that integrate antimicrobial stewardship with water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) education in underserved urban communities, including the informal settlements in Kampala. She also has since designed peer-led initiatives that empower university students as AMR Champions, building a network of informed youth advocates. Kisaakye believes the health communication course will sharpen her ability to design and deliver impactful, community-centred interventions in response to the growing threat of drug resistance.
“The department collaborates with many partners within and beyond the University, including the School of Public Health, where we are working to develop the subfield of health communication and promotion. Our goal is to train specialists in this area and build a community of practice, something we have each been doing in our own spaces. There’s a lot of work ahead, and COVID-19 showed us just how urgently we need a generation trained to do this kind of work, and to do it very well,” said Dr. Aisha Nakiwala, Head of the Department of Journalism and Communication, during the opening of the short course on June 5.
She assured participants they were in good hands and underscored the importance of the partnership between the Department of Journalism and Communication and the School of Public Health, describing it as a vital collaboration that brings together strategic communication and public health expertise. This dynamic, multidisciplinary approach, she noted, is essential to developing practical solutions that empower communities, strengthen health systems, and ultimately improve livelihoods.
The course offers a hands-on, multidisciplinary learning experience, with participants intended to explore key modules including Health Communication and Promotion, Risk Communication, Smart Advocacy, Community Mapping, Community Mobilisation and Empowerment, and Strategies for Community Engagement. The course combines theory with real-world application, and its assessment includes a field-based project and a final exam.
“You are our first cohort. We are seeing the fruits of our efforts in bringing this short course to life. It was born out of a joint initiative to develop a Master’s programme in Health Promotion and Communication,” said Dr. Christine Nalwadda, Head of the Department of Community Health and Behavioural Sciences. “We carried out extensive consultations with our different key stakeholders during the process and discovered a real need for such a course. It was the stakeholders who even named it; this course name didn’t come from us.”
For Kisaakye, by the end of the course in July, she hopes to have sharpened her skills in health promotion and strategic communication, particularly in crafting targeted messages that help individuals and communities effectively respond to threats such as antimicrobial resistance. She also aims to gain practical experience in designing, implementing, and evaluating community health initiatives that can strengthen her advocacy and drive lasting impact.
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