The North Carolina Humanities Council has worked with teachers in individual school systems and statewide since 1983 when it first funded programs sponsored by various colleges and universities. Since 1996, the Council has designed and implemented its own seminars. Held at sites throughout the state, the Teachers Institute has offered a wide array of topics for teachers to study.
 Enriching the Agenda of American Culture Series focused on the history of people who historically have populated Hoke, Robeson, and Scotland counties — American Indians, African Americans, and the Highland Scots.
Voices of Democracy and Dissent explored the earliest years of NC history through the 1930s, seeking out and listening to many voices often overlooked in the traditional narrative.
Listening for a Change looked at significant transitions in NC history since World War II using oral history as a method of helping teachers understand how their lives connect with the past.
Story, Song, and the Expressive Spirit investigated NC culture through literature, music, and material culture.
¡Aquí Estamos!: North Carolina Identities in the Making examined the impact of Latino immigrants and their cultures on the state as manifested in NC communities and schools.
From Wilderness to Eden? The Place of Nature and Culture in North Carolina History looked into how humans’ relationships with nature help shape history and culture in NC.
The Culture of Religion in North Carolina explored how
NC’s many religious traditions have helped define our
understanding of race, class, gender, and politics.
The American Indian Seminar Series, designed in collaboration with several other state humanities councils, enriched NC educators’ understanding of the history and current issues involving the state’s two largest tribes — the Cherokee and the Lumbee.
Classroom study has been enhanced by various
experiences in the field including
- visits to Buddhist and Hindu temples
- explorations of environmental studies in Duke Forest
- creation of pottery in the Seagrove area, from digging and working the clay to firing completed pieces in the kiln
- sunrise and a Cherokee “Morning Song” on the top of Clingman’s Dome
- a southeastern pow wow near Lake Waccamaw
- Salsa lessons and
- quiet reflection time at Timberlake Farm’s Center for Education, Imagination, and the Natural World
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