In this course, learners will join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian to explore the impact of problematic narratives of Native Americans on U.S. society and education and learn ways to recognize and share more complete narratives both inside and outside the classroom.
This educational course, created in collaboration with Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, provides an in-depth overview of the problematic narratives around Native Americans in U.S. society and educational frameworks. It aims to equip educators with the knowledge to recognize and correct these misconceptions in their teaching practices. The course introduces learners to Native Knowledge 360° (NK360°), a transformative educational initiative by the National Museum of the American Indian.
Designed particularly for educators working with students in grades 4–12, as well as homeschoolers and parents, this course focuses on social studies, English language arts, or library sciences. It is structured to help those at the introductory level, especially those who are new to the topic of incorporating Native American perspectives into their curricula.
No specific prerequisites are required for this course, making it accessible to anyone with an interest in improving their understanding and teaching of Native American narratives.
By completing this course, learners will be able to critically assess educational content, enhance curricula with comprehensive and truthful narratives, and foster a more inclusive and informed classroom environment. These skills are essential for creating a more equitable and accurate understanding of American history and contemporary society.
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In this course, learners will join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian to explore the impact of problematic narratives of Native Americans on U.S. society and education and learn ways to recognize and share more complete narratives both inside and outside the classroom.
Humanities in Focus is about raising questions rather than providing you with answers.
You will engage in ongoing conversations about social issues in film, challenges and opportunities in art, experience and consciousness in history, and the power of language. This type of humanistic inquiry will allow you to uncover the many insights that draw from the topics in this course, and more importantly to reflect on the fundamental question: Why does humanities matter?
The questioning, humanising, connecting approach introduced in this course will allow you to see how problems we face in today’s increasingly complex world, can be solved from a humanistic perspective, with Humanities in Focus.
New integration with GenAI allows learners to dive deeper into the issues raised in the course and end up getting more from the insightful lecture videos!
This course encourages educators to engage students with the Smithsonian Institution’s experts and collections (both tangible and digital), as they follow Montgomery College-Smithsonian Faculty (MCSF) Fellows on their virtual 2021 series, “Addressing 21st-Century Challenges.”
This course provides a broad introduction to various aspects of operating a museum. This course is not intended to serve as a primer for managing a museum, but rather as a resource for thinking about different approaches to museum operations and activities as shared by a number of diverse Smithsonian professionals. Parts of this course were developed for the My Armenia Program, a collaborative program of the people of Armenia, USAID, and the Smithsonian Institution.
