NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE COURSE SYLLABUS

 

Course Title:	United States History I
Course Prefix & Number:		1301	Section Number:	0506	Semester/Year:	F2019
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 Course Materials: Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People. 9th edition. 2019. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-1264031924 The web-based material is unique to NCTC. You must purchase it from the NCTC bookstore or directly through your Canvas course.

 

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Name of Instructor:	Dr. Graham Cox
Campus/Office Location:	Corinth 331A & FM 107
Telephone Number:	940-498-6450
E-mail Address:	gcox@nctc.edu

 

OFFICE HOURS

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
	12:30-1:30p FM	8:30a-12:30p Corinth	12:30-1:30p FM
	3:00-5:00p Corinth		3:00-5:00p Corinth
	5:45p-6:15p FM		5:45p-6:15p FM

 

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (From Academic Course Guide Manual/Workforce Education Course Manual/NCTC Catalog

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.

 

 

GRADING CRITERIA

# of Graded Course Elements	Graded Course Elements	Percentage or Point Values
1	Survey	5%
1	Attendance	5%
Best 10 of 14	SB Textbook	20%
1	Exam I	20%
1	Exam II	20%
1	Exam III	20%
1	Essay	10%

 

COURSE SUBJECT OUTLINE (Major Assignments, Due Dates, and Grading Criteria)

 

Module 1-Course Introduction

• In Canvas, Read the Course Syllabus
• Attend Lecture/Discussion, taking comprehensive notes.
• Submit the “About You” Survey by September 3.

 

Module 2-The First Americans

• In The Unfinished Nation, read Chapter 1 "The Collision of Cultures."
  • Complete the associated questions in MH Connect.
• Attend Lecture/Discussion, taking comprehensive notes.
• After you have read (or, better, as you are reading) the materials, you should take the time to work through the Study Questions for Module 2.
• OPTIONAL:
  • Attempt Chapter 1 Map Activity on MH Connect.
  • Attempt/Complete Chapter 1 Quiz on MH Connect.

 

Module 3-Colonizing North America

• In The Unfinished Nation, read Chapter 2 "Transplantations and Borderlands" and Chapter 3 "Society and Culture in Provincial America."
  • Complete the associated questions in MH Connect.
• Attend Lecture/Discussion, taking comprehensive notes.
• After you have read (or, better, as you are reading) the materials, you should take the time to work through the Study Questions for Module 3.
• OPTIONAL:
  • Attempt/Complete Chapter 2 and 3 Map Activity on MH Connect.
  • Attempt/Complete Chapter 2 and 3 Quizzes on MH Connect.

 

Module 4-The Road to Revolution

• In The Unfinished Nation, read Chapter 4 "The Empire in Transition."
  • Complete the associated questions in MH Connect.
• Attend Lecture/Discussion, taking comprehensive notes.
• After you have read (or, better, as you are reading) the materials, you should take the time to work through the Study Questions for Module 4.
• OPTIONAL:
  • Attempt/Complete Chapter 4 Map Activity on MH Connect.
  • Attempt/Complete Chapter 4 Quiz on MH Connect.

 

Module 5-The New Nation

• In The Unfinished Nation, read Chapter 5 "The American Revolution."
  • Complete the associated questions in the MH Connect.
• Attend Lecture/Discussion, taking comprehensive notes.
• After you have read (or, better, as you are reading) the materials, you should take the time to work through the Study Questions for Module 5.
• OPTIONAL:
  • Attempt/Complete Chapter 5 Map Activity on MH Connect.
  • Attempt/Complete Chapter 5 Quiz on MH Connect.

 

Exam I-October 1, 2019

This exam covers all assigned content in Modules 1 through 5 and is delivered in three parts as follows:

• Part 1: Multiple Choice (online; 50 points possible)
• Part 2: Short Answer (in class; 25 points possible)
• Part 3: Identification Essay (in class; 25 points possible).

 

Module 6-Hamiltonianism

• In The Unfinished Nation, read Chapter 6 "The Constitution and the New Republic."
  • Complete the associated questions in the MH Connect.
• Attend Lecture/Discussion, taking comprehensive notes.
• After you have read (or, better, as you are reading) the materials, you should take the time to work through the Study Questions for Module 6.
• OPTIONAL:
  • Attempt/Complete Chapter 6 Quiz on MH Connect.

 

Module 7-Jeffersonianism

• In The Unfinished Nation, read Chapter 7 "The Jeffersonian Era" and Chapter 8 "Expansion and Division in the Early Republic."
  • Complete the associated questions in the MH Connect.
• Attend Lecture/Discussion, taking comprehensive notes.
• After you have read (or, better, as you are reading) the materials, you should take the time to work through the Study Questions for Module 7.
• OPTIONAL:
  • Attempt/Complete Chapter 7 and 8 Map Activity on MH Connect.
  • Attempt/Complete Chapter 7 and 8 Quizzes on MH Connect.

 

Module 8-Idealism and Realism in American Foreign Policy

• In The Unfinished Nation, review the foreign policy material in Chapters 1-8.
• Attend Lecture/Discussion, taking comprehensive notes.
• After you have read (or, better, as you are reading) the materials, you should take the time to work through the Study Questions for Module 8.

 

Module 9-Ideology and Power in Jacksonian America

• In The Unfinished Nation, read Chapter 9 "Jacksonian America" and Chapter 10 "America's Economic Revolution."
  • Complete the associated questions in the MH Connect.
• Attend Lecture/Discussion, taking comprehensive notes.
• After you have read (or, better, as you are reading) the materials, you should take the time to work through the Study Questions for Module 9.
• OPTIONAL:
  • Attempt/Complete Chapter 9 and 10 Map Activity on MH Connect.
  • Attempt/Complete Chapter 9 and 10 Quizzes on MH Connect.

 

Exam II-November 5, 2019

This exam covers all assigned content in Modules 6 through 9 and is delivered in three parts as follows:

• Part 1: Multiple Choice (online; 50 points possible)
• Part 2: Short Answer (in class; 25 points possible)
• Part 3: Identification Essay (in class; 25 points possible).

 

Module 10-Racism and Slavery

• In The Unfinished Nation, review material on racism and slavery in Chapters 1-10 and read Chapter 11 "Cotton, Slavery, and the Old South."
  • Complete the associated questions in the MH Connect for Chapter 11.
• Attend Lecture/Discussion, taking comprehensive notes.
• After you have read (or, better, as you are reading) the materials, you should take the time to work through the Study Questions for Module 10.
• OPTIONAL:
  • Attempt/Complete Chapter 11 Map Activity on MH Connect.
  • Attempt/Complete Chapter 11 Quiz on MH Connect.

 

Essay-November 14, 2019

This Essay evaluates student competency in the areas of Critical Thinking, Communication, Personal Responsibility, and Social Responsibility.  It will also gauge student understanding of key concepts in the discipline, specifically those defines as Learning Outcomes in the syllabus.

• Students will submit a two to five pages in length, type-written, response to the prompt posted in Canvas.
• Students will analyze primary source document(s) in connection with lectures, discussions, and readings; as part of their answer, students will place their response within the context of social responsibility.

 

Module 11-American Imperialism

• In The Unfinished Nation, read Chapter 13 "Expansion and Division in the Early Republic" p. 297-305.
  • Begin the associated questions in the MH Connect for Chapter 13.
• Attend Lecture/Discussion, taking comprehensive notes.
• OPTIONAL:
  • Attempt/Complete Chapter 13 Map Activity on MH Connect.
  • Attempt/Complete Chapter 13 Quiz on MH Connect.

 

Module 12-The Growing Controversy Over Slavery

• In The Unfinished Nation, read Chapter 12 "Antebellum Culture and Reform."
  • Complete the associated questions in the MH Connect.
• Attend Lecture/Discussion, taking comprehensive notes.
• After you have read (or, better, as you are reading) the materials, you should take the time to work through the Study Questions for Module 12.
• OPTIONAL:
  • Attempt/Complete Chapter 12 Quiz on MH Connect.

 

Module 13-The Political Crisis of the 1850s

• In The Unfinished Nation, read Chapter13 "The Impending Crisis."
  • Complete the associated questions in the MH Connect.
• Attend Lecture/Discussion, taking comprehensive notes.
• After you have read (or, better, as you are reading) the materials, you should take the time to work through the Study Questions for Module 13.
• OPTIONAL:
  • Attempt/Complete Chapter 13 Map Activity on MH Connect.
  • Attempt/Complete Chapter 13 Quiz on MH Connect.

 

Module 14-The Civil War

• In The Unfinished Nation, read Chapter 14 "The Civil War."
  • Complete the associated questions in the MH Connect.
• Attend Lecture/Discussion, taking comprehensive notes.
• After you have read (or, better, as you are reading) the materials, you should take the time to work through the Study Questions for Module 14.
• OPTIONAL:
  • Attempt/Complete Chapter 14 Map Activity on MH Connect.
  • Attempt/Complete Chapter 14 Quiz on MH Connect.

 

Exam III-Date TBA

This exam covers all assigned content in Modules 10 through 14 and is delivered in three parts as follows:

• Part 1: Multiple Choice (online; 50 points possible)
• Part 2: Short Answer (in class; 25 points possible)
• Part 3: Identification Essay (in class; 25 points possible).

GENERAL CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION OF WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

In general, your written work will be evaluated based on your performance in these three areas:

1. Organization: your ability to organize your ideas coherently and present your arguments in a logical sequence of steps employing, where appropriate, an introduction, summary, and statement of conclusions.
2. Selection of Evidence: your capacity to demonstrate accuracy, range, relevance, historical significance, and discrimination in selecting the specific examples that you use to support your generalizations.
3. Presentation: your skill and effectiveness in using well-structured paragraphs, topic sentences, good grammar, correct spelling, legible handwriting, etc.

The following specific criteria will be used for assigning scores to your written work. The point spread shown here as an example is for a 30-point problem.

• • Excellent (27-30 points): a well-organized, grammatically correct essay that clearly presents the material with accurate and appropriate supporting evidence or examples. In other words, essay is excellent in terms of organization, argument, and presentation.
  • Good (24-26): almost excellent, but with one or two minor mistakes or omissions, fewer examples, or some slight blurring; or leaves out an important point or two.
  • Satisfactory (21-23): has several errors or omissions, etc. Also, essay not well balanced.
  • Poor (18-20): badly unbalanced or made up almost entirely of generalities with little substantial factual supporting evidence. Logic is weak; organization unclear; etc.
  • Unacceptable (0-17): misses the point; fails to deal with the examination problem.

 

Regular and punctual attendance is expected of all students in all classes for which they have registered. All absences are considered to be unauthorized unless the student is absent due to illness or emergencies as determined by the instructor. It is the student responsibility to provide documentation as to the emergency for approval and judgement by the faculty member. Approved college sponsored activities are the only absences for which a student should not be held liable and only when provided by a college official ahead of the absence. Valid reasons for absence, however, do not relieve the student of the responsibility for making up required work. Students will not be allowed to make up an examination missed due to absence unless they have reasons acceptable to the instructor. A student who is compelled to be absent when a test is given should petition the instructor, in advance if possible, for permission to postpone the exam. Student will be dropped from a class by the Registrar upon recommendation of the instructor who feels the student has been justifiably absent or tardy a sufficient number of times to preclude meeting the course’s objectives. Persistent, unjustified absences from classes or laboratories will be considered sufficient cause for College officials to drop a student from the rolls of the College. From Board Policy FC (LOCAL)

Additional Instructor-specific Absence Policy: Over the semesters, the most reliable predictor of someone’s final grade in this course has always been their attendance. Exam questions and essays draw from lectures supported by the textbook; so, I urge you to attend as regularly as possible. As such, 5 percent of your grade is straightforward attendance. I will assess attendance based on the sign-in sheets passed out at the beginning of each class. And because the unexpected still happens, I will give everyone three “free” absences throughout the semester which will not deduct from your grade.

Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is November 1, 2019.

 

The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides support services for students with disabilities, students enrolled in technical areas of study, and students who are classified as special populations (i.e. single parents).

Support services for students with disabilities might include appropriate and reasonable accommodations, or they may be in the form of personal counseling, academic counseling, career counseling, etc. Furthermore, OSD Counselors work with students to encourage self-advocacy and promote empowerment. The Counselors also provides resource information, disability-related information, and adaptive technology for students who qualify.

For support, please contact the counselors at (940) 498-6207 or (940) 668-4321. Alternatively, students may stop by Room 170 in Corinth or Room 110 in Gainesville.

CORE CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONAL COMPONENT AREA (For classes in the Core___________ 

o         Communication

o         Mathematics              

o         Life and Physical Science

o         Language, Philosophy & Culture

o         Creative Arts

 

o         Government/Political Science

o         Social and Behavioral Sciences

o         Component Area Option

X         History

 

X             Critical Thinking

X            Communication

o           Empirical and Quantitative

 

o           Teamwork

X            Personal Responsibility

X            Social Responsibility

COURSE TYPE

STUDENT HANDBOOK

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY