|
NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE
COURSE SYLLABUS
|
|
|
Course Title: U.S. History to 1865
|
|
Course Prefix & Number: HIST 1301
|
Section Number: 343
|
Semester: 2016SP
|
|
Semester Credit Hours: 3
|
Lecture Hours: 3
|
Lab Hours: 0
|
|
Course Description (NCTC Catalog):
A survey of the social, political, economic, cultural, and intellectual history of the United States from the pre-Columbian era to the Civil War/Reconstruction period. United States History I includes the study of pre-Columbian, colonial, revolutionary, early national, slavery and sectionalism, and the Civil War/Reconstruction eras. Themes that may be addressed in United States History I include: American settlement and diversity, American culture, religion, civil and human rights, technological change, economic change, immigration and migration, and creation of the federal government.
|
|
Course Prerequisite(s): None
|
|
Required or Recommended Course Materials:
Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People. 8th edition. McGraw-Hill. 2014. ISBN #978-1259375002
The web-based material is unique to NCTC. You must purchase it from the NCTC bookstore or directly from McGraw-Hill publishing.
|
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
|
Name of Instructor:
|
Kevin Pyle
|
|
Campus/Office Location:
|
Corinth
|
|
Telephone Number:
|
940 668-3350
|
|
E-mail Address:
|
Contact me through Canvas
|
GRADING CRITERIA
|
# of Graded Course Elements
|
Graded Course Elements
|
Percentage or Point Values
|
|
5
|
Quizzes
|
15 x 5 = 75
|
|
2
|
Exams
|
50 x 2 = 100
|
|
1
|
Research Paper
|
100 x 1 = 100
|
|
5
|
Discussion
|
10 x 5 = 50
|
|
1
|
Team Project
|
50
|
|
1
|
Final
|
50
|
|
|
Total Points
|
425
|
GRADE BREAKDOWN
A = 425 – 383 B = 382 – 340 C = 339 – 298
D = 297 – 255 F = 254– 0
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
|
|
At the successful completion of this course the student will be able to:
|
|
|
Create an argument through the use of historical evidence.
|
|
|
Analyze and interpret primary and secondary sources.
|
|
|
Analyze the effects of historical, social, political, economic, cultural, and global forces on this period of United States history.
|
ATTENDANCE & CLASS POLICIES
This course is conducted entirely online, which means you do not have to be on campus to complete any portion of it. You will participate in the course using NCTC’s learning management system called CANVAS. If you do not have access to a computer off campus, there are many computer labs on campus you can use to participate in the course. Most public libraries also have computers with internet access that you can use for free.
You will need to have an up-to-date browser, operating system and some additional
software on your computer to take this class. Check the eLearning page for
hardware & software requirements http://www.nctc.edu/eLearning_Department/FAQ.aspx. Some of the documents in this course will be available to you in PDF form. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader software on your computer, you can download it by going to http://get.adobe.com/reader/.
Participation is essential to your success in this class. In distance education courses you are required to participate just as if you were in a face-to-face course. This means that in order to get full credit for participation, you will have to complete your discussion assignments, research assignments, team projects quizzes and exams on a timely basis. Consistent failure to participate in class will result in being dropped from the course.
EMAIL
In this course we will use the CONVERSATIONS feature on the help corner (located in the upper right hand navigation links) to send email for private messages. You can either check your messages in the CANVAS system or set your notifications to your preferred method of contact. Please check your messages regularly. When submitting messages, please do the following:
- Put a subject in the subject box that describes the email content with your name, week and message subject. For example: YOURNAMEWK2ASSIGNMENT.
- Send email only to CONVERSATIONS and not my personal email account.
- Do not send messages asking general information about the class, please post those in the QUESTION FORUM.
- Do not submit your assignments by message.
- Make certain to check your messages frequently.
QUESTIONS
In online courses it is normal to have many questions about things that relate to the course, such as clarification about assignments, course materials, or assessments. Please post these in the QUESTION FORUM which you can access by clicking the DISCUSSIONS button in the course navigation links. This is an open forum, and you are encouraged to give answers and help each other. For each clear and comprehensive answer you give, you can receive 1 extra credit point for the course (up to 5 points maximum).
DISCUSSION FORUMS
Discussion Forums are a way for you to engage with each other about the course content. Each lesson module will have a question that links to a forum. You can also access each forum by clicking on the DISCUSSIONS button in the course navigation links. In order to get full credit for each discussion, you will need to post a thoughtful, well-written response to the question and respond to two of your classmates’ answers. (TIP: "a thoughtful, well-written response to the question" comprises more than just two paragraphs. The reading sections cover a large amount of material so be sure to read it thoroughly!)
VIRTUAL OFFICE HOURS
Twice a week I will be available for virtual office hours – one morning, one afternoon and one evening session using CANVAS CHAT. Click CHAT in the course navigation links. Schedule for Virtual Office Hours is Tuesday 2:00-3:30, Thursday 10:00-11:30 A.M., Monday 7:00-8:30 P.M.
TECH SUPPORT
If you need technical assistance at any time during the orientation or to report a problem you can contact NCTC’s 24/7 Technical Support Center at my.nctc.edu/ics/help, and my.nctc.edu/ICS/Help/Students/
It is also helpful if you let me know what kinds of technical difficulties you encounter so I can continue to improve the course.
ACADEMIC HONESTY/STUDENT CONDUCT
As a student at NCTC, you are expected to follow the College’s guidelines for Academic Honesty/Student Conduct found in the http://nctc.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2015-2016/Catalog/North-Central-Texas-College-Student-Handbook. This means that you should not:
- Cheat.
- Plagiarize, that is, use another person’s words or ideas as your own without proper
- documentation.
- Collaborate with others unless specifically requested in an assignment or discussion.
- Let another student login to your CANVAS account.
- Failure to follow this policy will result in disciplinary action which can affect your academic standing in the College.
COURSE COMMUNICATION
EXAMS AND QUIZZES
There will be 5 quizzes, 2 Exams and a Final. There are 15 questions for each quiz, and 50 questions for each exam. Both exams and quizzes will be a combination of True/False, Fill-in-the-Blank, Identification and Multiple Choice. They are both timed, with quizzes getting 10 minutes to complete, and exams getting 50 minutes. In order to score well you must devote time to reading the assignments, and practicing the reviews (I highly recommend completing the LearnSmart section for every chapter). I will give you several days to pick from to take both the quizzes and exams, but once you start you are on the clock. You cannot start, stop, and come back later. Once you begin you must complete the quiz/exam! One final note, this is an online course, if you are planning on taking a vacation or trip you are still liable for the course content (i.e. assignments, due dates, etc.). I have given you several days to complete the discussions, quizzes, and tests. As of this date there will be no make-ups for discussions, quizzes, team projects, research projects/presentations or tests!
ASSIGNMENTS, DISCUSSION, TEAM PROJECT
There will be discussions/assignments for each cluster of readings (i.e. Chapters 1-3, chapters 4-6, etc.). These are graded discussions and are mandatory.
The team project will be assigned in more detail soon, but it will cover chapters 4-7 and will deal with the construction of the U.S. Constitution. Teams will be assigned to construct their own version of the constitution using the text as a source but will also be utilizing current events and issues to help shape a constitution more to what the teams think is applicable. These constitutions will then be scrutinized in discussions as to whether or not they are practical, workable documents
|
RESEARCH PROJECT:
The research paper consists of two parts. The first part is concerned with logistics or parameters. The second part is the actual body of your paper, i.e., how well you constructed your thesis statement, how well you argued your thesis and how well you cited your sources in support of your argument(s). It is important to adhere strictly to the parameters outlined.
The research paper will strictly adhere to the following parameters;
1. 1 inch margins top & bottom, left & right and double-spaced
2. 12 pt font; Times New Roman or Arial only
3. A separate Title page that contains your course number, title of your topic, name, and date you turn it in. All this will be centered, top to bottom, left to right on the page
4. No Headers or Footers
5. A separate page containing your references (MLA citation required).
6. Length of text to be 1000 words exactly!
7. The entire paper, Title page/Text/Reference page is one document!
8. All papers to be in MSWord format only!!!
DUE DATE: The paper is due on and no later than 11:59, April 16th 2017. There will be a Turn-It-In drop box on Canvas for your paper. No late papers will be accepted!
|
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Please refer to the calendar in Canvas under this course. It contains a detailed listing of assignments and due dates.
“History is not the exact recitation of truth, it is a story shaped and sculpted by those
in control.” Ted Koppel
“History isn't really about the past - settling old scores. It's about defining the present
and who we are.” Ken Burn
“We can be almost certain of being wrong about the future, if we are wrong about the
past.” C. K. Chesterton
At the end of each section there will be an exam and in each of the sections there will be three to four pop quizzes. The Final will cover selected areas from Chapter 1 – 14. A review will be issued for each exam and Final. Each section is also divided into subsections and the sections and subsections are organized to help answer the three fundamental questions of this course.
Why did this happen?
How did this happen?
What does this mean for today?
The first two questions give us a fuller understanding of the events in each section while also providing a substantial foundation for answering the third question. History is not about the past, it is about the present and potential future. It is always relevant.
It is also about dead people. Dead people that made decisions, reacted to events, and created events that led us to where we are now. You will learn to see dead people in your daily lives when you begin to understand how these past things affect you, that your decisions have been in large part “engineered” for you. You can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’re at. And, you can’t know where you’re at till you know where you’ve been.
To withdraw from this class please see the following; http://www.nctc.edu/StudentServices/AdmissionsRegistrar/DropCourse.aspx
Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is July 27th 2016.
DISABILITY SERVICES (OSD)
The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides accommodations for students who have a documented disability. On the Corinth Campus, go to room 170 or call 940-498-6207. On the Gainesville Campus, go to room 110 or call 940-668-4209. Students on the Bowie, Graham, Flower Mound, and online campuses should call 940-668-4209.
North Central Texas College is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, ADA Amendments Act of 2009, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-112). http://www.nctc.edu/StudentServices/SupportServices/Disabilityservices.aspx
CORE CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONAL COMPONENT AREA______________________________
o Communication
o Mathematics
o Life and Physical Science
o Language, Philosophy & Culture
o Creative Arts
X American History
o Government/Political Science
o Social and Behavioral Sciences
o Component Area Option
REQUIRED CORE OBJECTIVES
X Critical Thinking
X Communication
o Empirical and Quantitative
o Teamwork
X Personal Responsibility
X Social Responsibility
COURSE TYPE
o Academic General Education Course (from ACGM but not in NCTC Core)
X Academic NCTC Core Curriculum Course
o WECM Course
STUDENT HANDBOOK
Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the student handbook. http://nctc.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2014-2015/Catalog/North-Central-Texas-College-Student-Handbook
|
Name of Chair/Coordinator:
|
Crystal R.M. Wright
|
|
Office Location:
|
Gainesville Campus, Room 824
|
|
Telephone Number:
|
940-668-7731, ext. 4320
|
|
E-mail Address:
|
cwright@nctc.edu
|
|
Name of Instructional Dean:
|
Dr. Larry Gilbert
|
|
Office Location:
|
Corinth Campus, Room 305
|
|
Telephone Number:
|
940-498-6216
|
|
E-mail Address:
|
lgilbert@nctc.edu
|