Skip to main content

The National Humanities Center: a Great Resource for K-12 Public School Teachers



History, literature, philosophy, the arts and religion are fields within the humanities. According to the National Humanities Center, “the humanities help us understand and interpret the human experience, as individuals and societies”[1]. The National Humanities Center, founded in the mid-1970’s is a collaborative sponsored by some 38 major universities including Princeton, Harvard and Yale that studies and prepares humanities resources for teachers. A section of their website is called Divining America: Religion in American History[2].  This section contains essays written by humanities scholars about religion in America, organized by century. The essays all follow the same format. Beginning with a topic like “the First Great Awakening” or “Native American Religion in Early North America” or “The American Jewish Experience”, for examples, each essay begins by explaining what major scholars have written about the topic. Usually several viewpoints are presented to illustrate the diversity of opinion that exists within the academy. Next, the essay provides a literature review with comments about each resource named. The essay continues by suggesting how a teacher might introduce the topic to their class with predictions about how the students may respond.  

The Kentucky Faith and Public History Education Project, likewise, is producing educational resources about the Christian history of Kentucky. We are committed to providing objective, academically sound, non-devotional resources about the Christian religion, knowing that it is one among many faiths practiced in the state. While we personally adhere to that faith, our aim is not to proselytize but to inform.

A quote from Christine Hyerman, Professor of History at the University of Delaware who is an advisor to the National Humanities Center Divining America Religion in American History project is instructive. Writing the essay, “The First Great Awakening”, Dr. Hyerman reminds her teacher readers: “Historians (no matter what their personal religious convictions might be) strive to explain the IMMEDIATE causes of why things happened [including religious movements, revivals and events] without reference to acts of God. (Otherwise they’d all be out of business, since the ULTIMATE cause of every historical event, from the standpoint of faith, is the will of God.) [3] 

Religion is important to understanding our history and culture. Even in a postmodern world, we dare not ignore it. How to introduce and engage our students appropriately around religious ideas and debates is the more significant challenge. The National Humanities Center provides a helpful format as well as specific examples of some major religious themes that have impacted our nation’s history and development.

 

By Lesley Barker PhD ©2020


[1] “About Page”. The National Humanities Center. ONLINE at nationalhumanitiescenter.org. ACCESSED 11/24/2020.

[2] Divining America. The National Humanities Center. ONLINE at http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/divam.htm ACCESSED 11/24/2020.

[3] Heyrman, Christine Leigh. “The First Great Awakening”. Divining America, TeacherServe©. National Humanities Center. ONLINE at http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/eighteen/ekeyinfo/grawaken.htm. ACCESSED 11/24/2020.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Juneteenth on the Walking Trail

Are you looking for a way to celebrate Juneteenth in Kentucky? A visit to the Walking Trail at 616 Clintonville Road, Paris, KY 40361, can introduce you and your children to the contribution of African Americans in Kentucky.  June 19, 1865 was the day that General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 which proclaimed the freedom of every enslaved person in the whole United States. It became known as Juneteenth and is now celebrated as a federal holiday. Granger is buried in Fernwood Cemetery in Henderson, Kentucky. General Gordon married Maria Letcher from Garrard County, Kentucky, so we can claim a Kentucky history connection to Juneteenth.  We celebrate the lives of 14 African Americans in the Eye-Spy Game on the Walking Trail. They are: Elisha Green, Effie Waller Smith, Peter Durrett, Emma C. Clement, James B. Johnson, Helen LaFrance, Albery A. Wilson, Nancy Green, Carl Brashear, Mary Britton, Rolla Blue, Martha Cross, Samuel Oldham, and Julia Chinn. Select a number. F...
Post a Comment
Read more

George Frideric Handel- a Famous World Christian

On April 13, 1742 Handel's Messiah was performed for the first time. It happened in Dublin. This oratorio was criticized as blasphemous because it treated the life and teaching of Jesus Christ as theater. When it was performed at Westminster Abbey, however, the same work was called sacrilege because it was a theatrical work performed in a church. Sometimes you can't win. Handel eventually arranged to perform the Messiah as a fund-raiser for the London Foundling Hospital. This was well received and it became an annual event. The lyrics of the Messiah are lifted straight from the King James Bible .  Handel was born in Germany in 1685. In 1727, he became a naturalized British citizen. That same year he accepted a commission to compose a coronation anthem for King George II. Again Handel took inspiration from the Bible - this time from the coronation of Solomon. Nathan the prophet and Zadok the high priest officiated at Solomon's coronation. Hence Handel called his anthem Za...
Post a Comment
Read more

Arbor Day STEAM (tree) Field Trip for 1st through 3rd Grades Friday, April 28, 2023

  Arbor Day is Friday, April 28, 2023. We're opening the Walking Trail and Arboretum for first, second and third grade classes to come for a 40-minute outdoor STEAM adventure featuring trees. Your students will hear and read poems about trees. They will learn to identify the parts of a tree and count tree rings to figure out how old a tree was when it was cut down. The experience involves a half-mile walk on a gravel trail through a beautiful arboretum at 616 Clintonville Road in Paris, Kentucky. We are charging $2/person. Use this link to select when your group will come and to help us have enough tree cookies on hand. A spacious picnic area is available for your class to use if you want to bring brown-bag lunches. Some souvenirs: books, candy, and trading cards are for sale if your class brings spending money. Please use this link to register your class and to select the time you will come. 
Post a Comment
Read more