History

History of Humankind Is Your Story
The fundamental focus of history courses is the story of humankind. Learning history is reading and listening to the unfoldment of your story. It’s learning what it means to be human. Students of history attempt to understand change and continuity. They seek to discover how human beings have changed at one level yet remaining essentially the same at another.  History will introduce you to the movers and shakers of events – the villains and heroes/heroines of the past. Take a history class and you will explore social movements including the effort to extend civil rights to citizens previously ignored. You will also observe the rise of the masses in influencing events as seen in the emergence of an interest in caring for the earth. Classes in history will, to some extent, satisfy your curiosity regarding how the world we live in came about. The drama of history with its various conflicts including destructive global wars of religion, conquests, empire building and exploitation make history fascinating. You will see human struggle with epidemics, natural disasters, and with each other. In addition, the struggle to survive and to find meaning will be brought before your consciousness. Studying history will open a window for you to see the revolutionary changes wrought by technological developments. It will acquaint you with the phenomenon of migrations and the scattering of human beings as a result of miraculous changes in communication and transportation. Perhaps at its best, history will show you the implications and consequences of human actions. In the process, you will learn about the rise and fall of civilizations and the emergence of hierarchical social structures that still dominate our daily life today. History courses will bring to your attention a succession of intellectual movements and revolutions that continue to echo in the minds of many in our time. The discipline of history is known for its chronological framework in understanding situations, a feature that nurtures an evolutionary mindset. Professors of history at Monroe Community College use primary sources and films that make history come alive.

A variety of history courses are available for lovers of history, those who need to fulfill general education requirements and anyone wishing to transfer to a four-year college. We offer broad, introductory surveys of large areas of history, as well as more topically focused courses.

Courses in American History, Western Civilization, and Other World Civilizations can meet three of the SUNY General Education requirements. There are no prerequisites for any history course.