By Jasmine Gokingco
I often find myself losing motivation to study this summer break. Not only do the days start to mesh together into my own personal eternal Tartarus, but I find myself making excuses to avoid exploring other subjects because of my lack of resources. Going to the library or the local bookstore in my city is starting to grow into a life-or-death situation, and most scholarly resources on the internet aren’t free, unless you only want to read the first four pages on GoogleBooks.
Luckily, the National Humanities Center (NHC) is an organization that provides online resources for teachers and students through the Humanities In Class Digital Library (“HICDL”). The NHC’s ultimate goal is to improve and change the greater world by combating social injustices through the humanities, which include studies of history, philosophy and religion, modern & ancient languages and literatures, fine and performing arts, media, and cultural studies.
Lupercal is thrilled to be a content provider for the National Humanities Center, along with other organizations with overlapping subjects, such as the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies, and the Medieval Academy of America. Lupercal and other organizations provide free resources, which can be accessed by teachers and students online through the HICDL.
By creating a National Humanities Center account, Lupercal members and supporterscan take advantage of the NHC’s free and organization-approved content on the HICDL. To create an account, go to Registration and fill out your full name, email, and organization (Lupercal). After that, it’s smooth sailing! On their homepage, you can search by typing in any topic that has interested you during quarantine, click on the dropbox to filter your search by subject matter, and/or even select an educational level for optimal enjoyment and research. The digital library allows readers to view resources, and save them into “My items” and create folders for organization. There is even an option for readers to share via copy-paste link and to an assortment of social media platforms, including Google Classroom.
The NHC also offers a variety of live webinars throughout the school year. MacArthur Genius Grant winner and the first female English translator of the Odyssey, Emily Wilson, discussed the relevance of the epic in contemporary themes in her recent webinar in January of this year, and Cornell University’s Classics Professor, Mike Fontaine, discussed the two types of coping mechanisms taught by ancient philosophers in May of this year. While these webinars take place during the school year, they fill up fast and are capped at 200 viewers, so we advise that you bookmark the webinar page and stay tuned for upcoming ones, or watch past ones.
If you can recall a certain moment in your life where the humanities have impacted your life, the NHC has created “The Humanities Moments” project, where people can share how humanities-related media (can include books, poems, songs, or movies) have changed their lives. You can submit your moment here, either through a written essay, a video, or podcast. You can also browse and search the hundreds of “Humanities Moments” people have experienced.
Thanks to technology, teachers and students are able to do so much in the classroom, even without COVID-19. Educators have access to more interactive resources, and students are able to learn remotely or bring online versions of heavy textbooks. By providing accessible resources, the NHC creates a better learning environment for classrooms.
To stay updated, follow the National Humanities Center on Twitter: @NatlHumanities & @NHCEducation.
Jasmine Gokingco (she/her) is a rising highschool senior in Austin, Texas taking her 6th year of Latin. This is her first year being involved with Lupercal and she’s super excited to work with the other wonderful interns this summer! She loves Mythology, Roman Literature, TSJCL, and Certamen. Outside of Latin, she enjoys embroidering, playing guitar, singing and songwriting, and showcasing her awesome Mickey Mouse impression.