History is one of the traditional foundations of a liberal education. Its subject is the human experience – at all times, in all places, in all of its dimension: social, political, economic, cultural, and intellectual. The study of history helps us to understand our own culture and the time in which we live by acquainting us with the experience of other people in other times and places. By demanding that we seek causes, determine motivations, make comparisons, and draw conclusions, the study of history sharpens our understanding of the underpinnings of our heritage and how human beings changed their condition through time.

The History Department's mission at William Paterson is to bring knowledge of these unique qualities of history to the university through diverse means: generally, through its contributions to the General Education Program and service to other departments, programs, and schools; more in-depth through its undergraduate and graduate degree programs; and finally, at the highest level, through the faculty's on-going pursuit of historical truth.