NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE
COURSE SYLLABUS

COURSE AND INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Course title: United States History I

Course prefix, number, and section number: HIST 1301-0849

Semester/Year of course: Fall 2024

Semester start and end dates: Aug. 26, 2023 – Dec. 08, 2024

Modality: Asynchronous online

Class meeting location, days, and times: Online

Semester credit hours: 3

Course description: 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 prerequisites: None
Required course materials: Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People.  10^th edition.  2022. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-1264853830. The web-based material is unique to NCTC.  You must purchase it from the NCTC bookstore or directly through your Canvas course.

Name of instructor: David Clemons, Ph.D.
Office location: Bowie Campus, Room 130
Telephone number:
E-mail address: dclemons@nctc.edu
Office hours for students:

SYLLABUS CHANGE DISCLAIMER

The faculty member reserves the right to make changes to this published syllabus if it is in the best interest of the educational development of this class. Any such changes will be announced as soon as possible in person and/or writing.

SUMMARY OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

GRADING CRITERIA

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

Grading Criteria: The student can earn a total of 1,000 points in the course. The grade breakdown is based on how many of the 1,000 points are earned by the student. 

A = 990 to 891Points 

B = 890 to 792 Points

C = 791 to 693 Points 

D = 692 to 594 Points

F = 593 to 0 Points 

Course Assessments: The following are assessments we will complete this semester.  Your final grade for this course will be determined by these assessments.

SmartBook: (250 Points) Each week you will read one chapter of your SmartBook textbook and then answer questions that accompany that chapter. In total, your SmartBook assignments collectively equal 25% of your final grade. 

Discussion Boards (250 Points) Each week you will complete a Discussion Board assignment. The Discussion Boards allow for you to interact with your peers and instructor. You need to post at least three times on the discussion board every week. The initial post needs to be made before Thursday at 11:59 pm. The final posts need to be made before Sunday at 11:59 pm. The discussion deadlines can be seen below. The initial post should address all the questions posed in the post and should meet the min. word count shown. Your responses to your peers and instructor should be accurate and respectful. A response of “I don’t know,” “good job,” or “you make a good point” will not be counted for your total posts. All of the discussion board assignments require that you post at least three times. The Discussions can be found a the Canvas link: "Discussions"  Note:  On Mondays (for MW classes) and Tuesdays (for T/TH classes) we will dedicate a few minutes to have class discussions over the past week's Discussion Board post. Be prepared to discuss the Discussion Board posts on these days.  In total, the Discussion Board posts collectively equal 25% of your final grade.

Research Paper: (400 Points) In accordance with the mission and purpose of the History, Humanities, and Philosophy Department and North Central Texas College, we aim to help students succeed in their college experience and their subsequent careers. This assignment will be used to evaluate 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 defined as Learning Outcomes in the syllabus.  The Research Paper will be divided into 4 assignments, equaling a total of 30% of your final grade. The 4 assignments are as follows: 1) Research Paper Topic Approval (40 points), 2) Research Paper Sources Assignment (70 points), 3) Research Paper Rough Draft (120 points), and 4) Research Paper Final (170 points). 

Group Project (100 points)  One group project will be assigned. Group members will be assigned by the professor and will consist of approximately 3 members. For more info on the assignment, click "Assignments" on the left side of your screen and scroll down until you see "Group Project: History of a Colony." In total, the Group Project equals 10% of your final grade.

Late work policy: 
SEE CANVAS FOR THE COMPLETE COURSE CALENDAR, OUTLINE, DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF GRADED WORK, AND OTHER RELATED MATERIAL.

COURSE POLICIES

Academic Integrity Policy:
Scholastic dishonesty shall constitute a violation of college rules and regulations and is punishable as prescribed by Board policies. Scholastic dishonesty shall include, but not be limited to cheating, plagiarism, and collusion. Plagiarism means using words, ideas, or arguments from another person or source without citation. Cite all sources consulted to any extent (including material from the internet), whether or not assigned and whether or not quoted directly. For quotations, four or more words used in sequence must be set off in quotation marks, with the source identified. You are guilty of plagiarism any time you attempt to obtain academic credit by presenting someone else’s ideas as your own without appropriately documenting the original source. Collusion shall be defined as the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing written work for fulfillment of course requirements. Any form of cheating will immediately earn you a failing grade for the assignment and may lead to failing the entire course.

Attendance Policy: 
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:

Withdrawal Policy
A student may withdraw from a course on or after the official date of record. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate and complete a Withdrawal Request Form.
Last day to withdraw from the course with a “W” is November 2024. You'll need to contact the Registrar's Office for the exact date.
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.

Core Objectives:
Critical Thinking
Communication
Personal Responsibility
Social Responsibility

COLLEGE POLICIES

STUDENT HANDBOOK
Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the Student Handbook.

ADA STATEMENT
NCTC will adhere to all applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Office for Students with Disabilities to arrange appropriate accommodations.  See the OSD Syllabus Addendum. addendum OSD.docxDownload addendum OSD.docx

STUDENT SERVICES
NCTC provides a multitude of services and resources to support students.  See the Student Services Syllabus Addendum for a listing of those departments and links to their sites. Student Services Syllabus Addendum 2023-2024 (1).pdfDownload Student Services Syllabus Addendum 2023-2024 (1).pdf

LIBRARY
NCTC has brick-and-mortar libraries on the Gainesville, Corinth, Flower Mound, or Bowie campuses that are staffed by credentialed librarians wanting to help you succeed in your college career. All students are welcome at any library.
On campus? Visit our website www.nctc.edu/librariesLinks to an external site..
Off-campus? Our research databases are now available in OneLogin.
For Virtual Assistance from a librarian, please use https://www.nctc.edu/ask-a-librarianLinks to an external site. or schedule a virtual appointment in Upswing, accessed through OneLogin.
Please visit www.nctc.edu/librariesLinks to an external site. for the operating hours, phone number, and email of the library nearest you.

QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS

The student should contact the instructor to deal with any questions, concerns, or complaints specific to the class.  If the student and faculty are not able to resolve the issue, the student may contact the chair or coordinator of the division.  If the student remains unsatisfied, the student may proceed to contact the instructional dean.

Name of Chair/Coordinator: Charles Adams            
Office location: Flower Mound Campus, room 107
Telephone number: 972-899-8424
E-mail address: cadams@nctc.edu
Name of Instructional Dean: Crystal Wright
Office location: Denton Exchange, room 204
Telephone number: 940-380-2504
E-mail address: cwright@nctc.edu