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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.

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