By By Meghan Giannotta, Special to The Chronicle

            Hofstra students have the availability to learn more about the historical tragedy of September 11 throughout the year by visiting on campus exhibits or studying in the History 14 seminar, "New York City Before and After 9/11."

To mark the 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001, the Department of Special Collections provided an exhibit of 18 photographs called "Hope and Healing," available to the public in the Axinn Library through October. The exhibit included images not only of the devastating destruction, but also of many memorial sites that have been set up in different areas of Long Island.

Among those to view the exhibit were students of Professor Mario Ruiz, associate professor in Hofstra's history department and professor of History 14.

This seminar, which is open to freshman and sophomores, challenges the way in which students view the attacks by studying the way New York dealt with prior issues such as the Wall Street Bombing of 1920 and the garage bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993.

            "It is important to understand the history of these things so that you can understand what might be happening in the future," said Professor Ruiz. The past "doesn't give you perfect clarity but it does give you a sense of being able to recognize when things repeat themselves."

History 14 students have been required to visit Ground Zero and the "Hope and Healing" exhibit. The intention of the class and the exhibit is not only to serve as a reminder for the devastation, but also to show New York's positive progress. Students also question the initial cause of such a controversial moment in history.

"Controversial subjects should be studied," said Professor Ruiz. "In fact, it's necessary to study this. We can't just hope we never touch on them again, like they're too holy or too sacred to approach. Yes, it's a seminal event, but that's why we study it, because it explains the importance of the world we live in."

            Professor Ruiz has found that when studying such debatable topics in history, people tend to forget about the most important part of the event: why and how it happened.

            "That's part of the reason why I wanted to teach this course," said Professor Ruiz: "to find out why it is that the ‘why' drops out, and how is it that these stories are put together that we either forget or remember the ‘why.' The value of this course is to remember what happened on that day, to understand how other people remember it, and how history and these stories that we tell about it change over time."

            Visiting memorial sites, exhibits, and studying seminars like Professor Ruiz's helps students to receive a clearer knowledge of why and how the events of September 11 came to be.

            "Students need a constant reminderof the events that happened that day," said Joanne Garcia, a junior education and math major. Students need "to be grateful to those who sacrificed their lives to protect our freedom. It shows our strength as a country, and that no matter how tough times get, we always bounce back."