NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE
COURSE SYLLABUS
COURSE AND INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Course Title: United States History I
Course Prefix, Number, and Section Number: HIST1301.0401
Semester/Year of Course: Fall, 2025
Semester Start and End Dates: 08/25/2025 to 12/12/2025
Modality (Face to Face/Synchronous or Asynchronous Online/Hybrid): Face-to-Face/16 Weeks
Class Meeting Location, Days, and Times: Mondays and Wednesdays, 11:00am-12:20pm, Corinth Campus, Room 314, Exams, Quizzes, Historical Case Study Assignments are on Canvas.
Lab Meeting Location, Days, and Times: None
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. 10th edition. 2022. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 9781264641055. The web-based material is unique to NCTC. You must purchase it from the NCTC bookstore or
directly through your Canvas course. Instructions on how to purchase and set up access to your textbook can be found here:https://www.mheducation.com/highered/support/support-at-every-step/connect/first-day-of-class/canvas-ltia (PDF Lecture Notes/PPT Slides provided within Canvas, under Modules only for each Unit)
Name of instructor: J.P. Godwin
Office location: Corinth Campus, Third Floor, Room 331 (336)
Telephone number: 940-498-6250 preferred contact by E-Mail or through Canvas
E-mail address: jpgodwin@nctc.edu
Office hours for students: In my office Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 11am. Mondays and Wednesdays, also from 2pm to 3pm and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 12:30pm to 2pm. Online on Canvas or in office during the week. I will respond within 24 hours during week and 48 hours on weekends. Available to meet with students in office, phone call or if necessary, WebEx. Posted on Canvas and outside office door.
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
List of Graded Assignments:
4 Exams - no grades dropped (1 per Unit) 50 percent
8 US History 1301 Quizzes (2 per Unit) 20 percent
1 Historical Case Study (1 during Course) 20 percent
Daily Attendance, participation, attitude, etc. 10 percent
Total Percentage 100 percent
Final grade scale (strict adherence):
A = 90-100 Average
B = 80-89 Average
C = 70-79 Average
D = 60-69 Average
F = 0-59 Average
Extra Credit and Late Work Policy:
There is no extra credit available at this time but may arise during the semester. Announcements will be made through Canvas. Grades are based on above listed graded assignments. Late work will result in a zero but may be allowed only if communicated within 24 hours of due date, then with a penalty reduction of at least a letter grade (10-11) of points. See further details regarding Late Work Policy in the Syllabus Addendum document on Canvas.
SEE CANVAS MODULES FOR THE COMPLETE TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE, CALENDAR, ADDENDUM, MCGRAW-HILL E-BOOK, AND OTHER IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS.
COURSE POLICIES
Academic Integrity Policy:
Scholastic dishonesty shall include, but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, academic falsification, overuse and abuse of artificial intelligence (AI) usage, intellectual property dishonesty, academic dishonesty facilitation and collusion. Consequences for academic dishonesty include:
1) The student will receive a failing grade of "Zero" on the assignment.
2) A "Scholastic Dishonesty Report Form" may be submitted regarding the incident.
3) Student may be dropped from the course with a failing grade (letter grade of “F”).
Attendance Policy:
Physical attendance is required for face-to-face, classroom instruction and is also measured through participation and completion of all Canvas assignments. See further details regarding Attendance Policy in Syllabus Addendum document on Canvas.
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 through MyNCTC.
Last day to withdraw from the course with a “W” is: Monday, November 3rd, 2025
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
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.
AI STATEMENT
Absent a clear statement from a course instructor, use of or consultation with generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or other similar technologies shall be treated analogously to assistance from another person, agency, or entity. In particular, using generative AI tools to substantially complete an assignment or exam is not permitted. Students should acknowledge the use of generative AI (other than incidental use) and default to disclosing such assistance when in doubt.
When students use generative AI to replace the rigorous demands of personal engagement with their coursework, it runs counter to the educational mission of the college and undermines the heart of education itself. Artificial Intelligence, large language models, and other such technologies hold promise for deploying knowledge in service to others and accelerating the discovery of new knowledge. However, such technology poses new challenges to pedagogy and to integrity. Within the context of the teaching mission of the college and consistent with the Student Code of Conduct, the authority to define the appropriate use, study, and deployment of these technologies rests with the faculty.
Individual course instructors, in coordination with their divisions, set policies regulating the use of generative AI tools in their courses, including allowing or disallowing some or all uses of such tools. Course instructors will set such policies in their course syllabi and clearly communicate such policies to students. Students who are unsure of policies regarding generative AI tools are encouraged to ask their instructors for clarification.
STUDENT HANDBOOK
Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the Student Handbook.
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.
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, Suite 107B
Telephone number: 972-899-8361
E-mail address: cadams@nctc.edu
Name of Instructional Dean: Mary Martinson
Office location: Gainesville Campus
Telephone number: 940-668-7731, ext. 4377
E-mail address: mmartinson@nctc.edu