Editors’ Picks for Faculty…Including Black History Content
Black history, music and disability studies, Dracula, the Salk vaccine and more!
By Kelly A. Latham, Editor
Need digital content for online or hybrid courses? Engage students with a variety of content from across the ProQuest portfolio. (For some items, you may need to log into your ProQuest or library account.)
Check out a few highlights from ProQuest’s streaming video and primary-source collections.
Video: James Baldwin: Speech on Civil Rights
Source: The Sixties: Primary Documents and Personal Narratives, 1960 to 1974
Discipline: U.S. Black History/Studies
In this provocative 18-minute video, writer James Baldwin discusses the challenges of identity experienced by American descendants of enslaved Africans. Born and raised in New York, Baldwin describes his struggle to answer the question, “where are you from?” and contemplates the legacy of alienation forced upon his ancestors. He argues that reluctance to acknowledge the humanity of victims of racial violence and exploitation stems from a desire to preserve the myth of American exceptionalism.
Watch preview | See more Sixties Videos | Learn more about The Sixties: Primary Documents & Personal Narratives
Historical News Article: Salk Vaccine Reported 78 Percent Okay
Source: ProQuest Historical Newspapers, Atlanta Daily World (1932-2003)
Disciplines: Medicine, History
On May 4, 1956, U.S. Surgeon General Leonard A. Scheele predicted that 53 million American children and expectant mothers would have Salk Vaccine protection against polio by fall. He and his aides also reported that the vaccine proved 78 percent effective the previous year, despite delays and confusion in the inoculation program.
Log in to read | Learn more about ProQuest Historical Newspapers
Chat Show/Video: No Limits: Episode 13, Funky Music
Source: Disability in the Modern World: History of a Social Movement
Disciplines: Disabilities Studies, DEI, Music
“No Limits” is a frank and candid chat show that covers “everything you ever wanted to know about disability but were afraid to ask.” The show tackles a range of topics, from current events to sexuality, science, accessibility and more. A contemporary production, No Limits documents advocacy in action, tracing the evolution, role and influence that the media can and do have. This episode is about people with disabilities and music. Disability in the Modern World was named a Choice Magazine 2020 “Outstanding Academic Title of the Year.”
Watch the preview | Learn more about Disability in the Modern World
Audio Recording: Dracula
Source: Audio Drama: The L.A. Theatre Works Collection
Disciplines: Theatre, Literature
Before Twilight and True Blood, only one vampire commanded “the children of the night.” In this blood-thirsty tale of unholy terror, Count Dracula slips into Victorian London with a cargo of his native Transylvanian soil – so he can rest between victims. The city seems helpless against his frightful power, and only one man, Dr. Van Helsing, can stop the carnage. But to do this, he must uncover the vampire’s lair and pierce his heart with a wooden stake.
Log in to listen | Learn more about Audio Drama: The L.A. Theatre Works Collection
Openly Available Website: Black Freedom Struggle in the U.S.
Source: Various ProQuest Databases
Discipline: U.S. Black History
ProQuest’s openly available Black Freedom Struggle website features 3,000 expertly selected primary source documents – historical newspaper articles, pamphlets, diaries, correspondence and more – from six pivotal eras in African American history. These reliable, easily discoverable materials are ideal for Black History Month projects, assignments and inspiration.
Explore website
You may also be interested in…
Webinar: Ithaka Research Findings: Teaching Undergraduates Using Primary Sources
Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 11:00 A.M. EDT
Ithaka S+R teamed up with 26 institutions across the U.S. and U.K. to learn how faculty use primary sources in teaching undergraduate students and what challenges they face. In this webinar, Peter Barr, Head of Content & Collections at The Sheffield University, joins ProQuest to talk about the project and how to address future challenges.
Register now