NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE COURSE SYLLABUS

 

Course Title:	United States History I
Course Prefix & Number:		1301	Section Number:	0610	Semester/Year:	Summer I 2020
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
Telephone Number:	940-498-6450
E-mail Address:	gcox@nctc.edu

 

OFFICE HOURS

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
9am-5pm	9am-5pm	9am-5pm	9am-5pm	9am-5pm
Please Note: I will make myself available as needed every day and evening, including weekends by appointment!

 

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%
14	Quizzes	10%
13	Textbook	10%
1	Exam I	20%
1	Exam II	20%
1	Exam III	20%
1	Essay	15%

 

GRADE SCALE

A	89.5-100%
B	79.5-89.4%
C	69.5-79.4%
D	59.5-69.4%
F	0.0-59.4%

 

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

 

Module 1-Course Introduction

• Read through all important information listed in the Syllabus.
• View Course Introduction Video.
• View Video Lecture.
• Work through the study questions for Module 1.
• Submit the "About You" Survey by the due date.
• Submit Module 1 Quiz in Canvas.

Module 2-The First Americans

• In The Unfinished Nation, read Chapter 1 "The Collision of Cultures."
  • Complete the associated questions in MH Connect.
• View Video Lecture.

• As you are reading/viewing the materials, you should take the time to work through the Study Questions for Module 2.

• Submit Module 2 Quiz in Canvas.

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.
• View Video Lecture.
• As you are reading/viewing the materials, you should take the time to work through the Study Questions for Module 3.
• Submit Module 3 Quiz in Canvas.

Module 4-The Road to Revolution

• In The Unfinished Nation, read Chapter 4 "The Empire in Transition."
  • Complete the associated questions in MH Connect.
• View Video Lecture.
• As you are reading/viewing the materials, you should take the time to work through the Study Questions for Module 4.
• Submit Module 4 Quiz in Canvas.

Module 5-The New Nation

• In The Unfinished Nation, read Chapter 5 "The American Revolution."
  • Complete the associated questions in the MH Connect.
• View Video Lecture.
• As you are reading/viewing the materials, you should take the time to work through the Study Questions for Module 5.
• Submit Module 5 Quiz in Canvas.

Exam I

This exam is available from 8:00 am Thursday, June 18 through 11:59 pm Friday, June 19 and covers all assigned content in Modules 1 through 5. The exam is delivered as follows:

• Fifty (50) multiple-choice problems (2 points each; 100 points total).
• Once started, this portion of your exam MUST be completed in one sitting.
• You have sixty (60) minutes to complete each attempt.
• You will be given one question at a time.
• You may attempt this portion of your exam up to three (3) times. Your score will be the HIGHEST of your attempts.
• This part of your exam MUST be submitted by the due date and time.

Module 6-Hamiltonianism

• In The Unfinished Nation, read Chapter 6 "The Constitution and the New Republic."
  • Complete the associated questions in the MH Connect.
• View Video Lecture.
• As you are reading/viewing the materials, you should take the time to work through the Study Questions for Module 6.
• Submit Module 6 Quiz in Canvas.

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.
• View Video Lecture.
• As you are reading/viewing the materials, you should take the time to work through the Study Questions for Module 7.
• Submit Module 7 Quiz in Canvas.

Module 8-Idealism and Realism in American Foreign Policy

• In The Unfinished Nation, review the foreign policy material in Chapters 1-8.
• View Video Lecture.
• As you are reading/viewing the materials, you should take the time to work through the Study Questions for Module 8.
• Submit Module 8 Quiz in Canvas.

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.
• View Video Lecture.
• As you are reading/viewing the materials, you should take the time to work through the Study Questions for Module 9.
• Submit Module 9 Quiz in Canvas.

Essay

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 three 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 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.
• View Video Lecture.
• As you are reading/viewing the materials, you should take the time to work through the Study Questions for Module 10.
• Submit Module 10 Quiz in Canvas.

Exam II

This exam is available from 8:00 am Tuesday, June 30 through 11:59 pm Wednesday, July 1 and covers all assigned content in Modules 6 through 10. The exam is delivered as follows:

• Fifty (50) multiple-choice problems (2 points each; 100 points total).
• Once started, this portion of your exam MUST be completed in one sitting.
• You have sixty (60) minutes to complete each attempt.
• You will be given one question at a time.
• You may attempt this portion of your exam up to three (3) times. Your score will be the HIGHEST of your attempts.
• This part of your exam MUST be submitted by the due date and time.

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.
• View Video Lecture.
• As you are reading/viewing the materials, you should take the time to work through the Study Questions for Module 11.
• Submit Module 11 Quiz in Canvas.

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.
• View Video Lecture.
• As you are reading/viewing the materials, you should take the time to work through the Study Questions for Module 12.
• Submit Module 12 Quiz in Canvas.

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.
• View Video Lecture.
• As you are reading/viewing the materials, you should take the time to work through the Study Questions for Module 13.
• Submit Module 13 Quiz in Canvas.

Module 14-The Civil War

• In The Unfinished Nation, read Chapter 14 "The Civil War."
  • Complete the associated questions in the MH Connect.
• View Video Lecture.
• As you are reading/viewing the materials, you should take the time to work through the Study Questions for Module 14.
• Submit Module 14 Quiz in Canvas.

Exam III

This exam is available from 8:00 am Monday, July 13 through 11:59 pm Tuesday, July 14 and covers all assigned content in Modules 11 through 4. The exam is delivered as follows:

• Fifty (50) multiple-choice problems (2 points each; 100 points total).
• Once started, this portion of your exam MUST be completed in one sitting.
• You have sixty (60) minutes to complete each attempt.
• You will be given one question at a time.
• You may attempt this portion of your exam up to three (3) times. Your score will be the HIGHEST of your attempts.
• This part of your exam MUST be submitted by the due date and time.

 

DUE DATES

11:59pm Fri Jun 12, 2020       

• About You Survey

11:59pm Fri Jun 19, 2020       

• Chapter 1. The Collision of Cultures           
• Chapter 2. Transplantations and Borderlands         
• Chapter 3. Society and Culture in Provincial America 
• Chapter 4. The Empire in Transition
• Chapter 5. The American Revolution
• Module 1 Quiz- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser
• Module 2 Quiz- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser
• Module 3 Quiz- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser
• Module 4 Quiz- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser
• Module 5 Quiz- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser
• Exam I - Multiple Choice- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser

11:59pm Wed Jul 1, 2020       

• Chapter 10. America's Economic Revolution
• Chapter 11. Cotton, Slavery, and the Old South
• Chapter 6. The Constitution and the New Republic
• Chapter 7. The Jeffersonian Era
• Chapter 8: Expansion and Division in the Early Republic
• Chapter 9. Jacksonian America
• Module 10 Quiz- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser
• Module 6 Quiz- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser
• Module 7 Quiz- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser
• Module 8 Quiz- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser
• Module 9 Quiz- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser
• Exam II - Multiple Choice- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser

11:59pm Sun Jul 5, 2020        

• Essay

Tue Jul 14, 2020          

• Chapter 12. Antebellum Culture and Reform
• Chapter 13. The Impending Crisis
• Chapter 14. The Civil War
• Exam III - Multiple Choice- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser
• Module 11 Quiz- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser
• Module 12 Quiz- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser
• Module 13 Quiz- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser
• Module 14 Quiz- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser

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 25-point problem.

1. • Excellent (23-25 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 (20-22): 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 (17-19): has several errors or omissions, etc. Also, essay not well balanced.
   • Poor (14-16): badly unbalanced or made up almost entirely of generalities with little substantial factual supporting evidence. Logic is weak; organization unclear; etc.
   • Unacceptable (0-13): 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: This summer course is fully online. Students are expected to login to the course regularly and complete all assignments in a timely manner and by the due date.

Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is June 30, 2020.

 

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