Historians are always reinterpreting the past, largely because our present day concerns continue to change. History is neither stagnant nor dull. It is not based on memorization but on interpretation and analysis. Understanding history involves integrating ideas and economics as well as a consideration of the influence of individuals and social forces.

The student of history has to make judgments about a broad range of values and motivations. While our subject matter is the past, the principal goal of the Rockford College History department is to encourage students to write well and to read and think critically to more fully interact with their present and future worlds.