History

The History Department at Touro College is an entity dedicated to the discovery, preservation, understanding and diffusion of historical knowledge. We firmly believe that the objectives of our 2500-year-old discipline can only be accomplished with the dual immersion of the historian in the classroom and the archives. That belief translates into a set of course offerings that provide the students with a wide selection of relevant topics and the faculty with the opportunity to bring their fields of expertise into the classroom.

The major tries to fulfill the dictum in Ethics of our Fathers (Pirke Avot) that we must always inquire: “from where we came? And to where we are going?” As Will Durant said in his Study of History “The past is the present unrolled for understanding, and the present is the past rolled up for action.”

In using primary sources as a base and secondary sources as adjunct we are educating our students that one needs to study history to understand anything of the why and how of what we are today and that everything in life has an historical basis. As one majors in history one is looking introspectively into their own past and the past of their families, nation, and civilization to better understand it and make it a better place.

The members of our department are devoted educators and accomplished scholars with a significant body of published work and meaningful involvement in the scholarly community. They are devoted to enlightening their students on the past, present, and future.

The department offers both a major and a minor in history. Career opportunities are diverse for student majoring in history. There are positions of interest in government, education, and business that take advantage of the skills history majors learn. Graduate schools often favor history majors because of their skills in analyzing the past in relation to the present.  Professor Theodore Lauer serves as the division chair for the History Department.

Required Core (12 Credits):

  • HMHN 101 - Greek and Roman History (Manhattan) - 3 credits
  • HMHN 102 - Medieval History (Manhattan) - 3 credits
  • HMHN 201 - Renaissance History (Manhattan) - 3 credits
  • HMHN 202 - Modern World History (Manhattan) - 3 credits
  • HISN 220 - Survey of Modern History (Ave J) I  - 3 credits
  • HISN 221 - Survey of Modern History II (Ave J)  - 3 credits
  • *______ - ____________ (Ave J) - 3 credits
  • *______ - ____________ (Ave J) - 3 credits

*Avenue J students must take two additional courses in Social Sciences (Related to History) with the approval of the department chair.

Required: 30 Credits beyond the core
Required Course (3 Credits)

  • HISN 493 - Advanced Topics in Social Sciences - 3 credits

At least two of the following are required (US History)

  • HISN 141 - The Emergence of the U.S. I - 3 credits
  • HISN 142 - The Emergence of the U.S. II - 3 credits
  • HISN 206 - The Immigrant Experience - 3 credits
  • HISN 210 - African American Experience - 3 credits
  • HISN 325 - Civil Rights Movement in the United States - 3 credits
  • HISN 335 - America in the Twentieth Century - 3 credits
  • HISN 342 - Topics in U. S. Social-Intellectual History - 3 credits
  • HISN 450 - American Cultural History - 4 credits

At least two of the following are required (Jewish History):

  • HISN 251 - Jews and Arabs - 3 credits
  • HISN 255 - Survey of Jewish History I - 3 credits
  • HISN 256 - Survey of Jewish History II - 3 credits
  • HISN 261 - Rise of Modern Israel - 3 credits 
  • HISN 262 - The Holocaust - 3 credits
  • HISN 271 - American Jewish History - 3 credits

At least two of the following are required (World History):

  • HISN 305 - Topics in the History of the Ancient World - 3 credits
  • HISN 312 - Topics in Medieval History - 3 credits
  • HISN 331 - Topics in Early Modern History - 3 credits
  • HISN 334 - Topics in Modern European History - 3 credits
  • HISN 363 - Topics in Third World Modern History - 3 credits
  • HISN 382 - History of Russia - 3 credits

Electives:

  • HISN 494 - Senior Honors Project in History - 3 credits
    Any 2 Courses Approved by the Department Chair:
  • ______ - _____________ - 3 credits
  • ______ - ______________ - 3 credits

Total Credits in Program: 30 above the core

Please Note:

  • At least four courses must be at the 300 level or higher.
  • A student make take the same 300 Level Topics Course twice if the topic is different.
  • HMHN 201/HMHN 202 are the equivalent courses to HISN 220/HISN 221.