NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE

COURSE SYLLABUS

 

COURSE AND INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

 

Course title: United States History I

Course prefix, number, and section number: HIST 1301 0870

Semester/Year of course: Fall 2025

Semester start and end dates: 25 August 2025–13 December 2025

Modality: Face-to-face

Class meeting location, days, and times: NHS Room 8, M/W/(F), 8:44–10:01

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.  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

Name of instructor: Michael B. Connell, MA

Office location: NHS Room 8

Telephone number: 940.825.3264

E-mail address: mconnell@nctc.edu

Office hours for students: M–Th 3:00–4:00

 

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 in writing.

 

SUMMARY OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

 

 

Chapter 1:

• Reading Quiz (Sunday, 8/31)

• Primary Source Activity (Tuesday, 9/16)

• Map Activity (Tuesday, 9/16)

 

Chapter 2:

• Reading Quiz (Sunday, 8/31)

• Primary Source Activity (Tuesday, 9/16)

 

Chapter 3:

• Reading Quiz (Sunday, 9/7)

• Primary Source Activity (Tuesday, 9/16)

 

Chapter 4:

• Reading Quiz (Sunday, 9/14) 

• Primary Source Activity (Tuesday, 9/16)

• (Primary) Source Analysis 1 (Sunday, 9/14) 

 

Chapters 1–4 Exam: (Wednesday, 9/17)

 

Chapter 5:

• Reading Quiz (Sunday, 9/21) 

• Primary Source Activity (Tuesday, 10/15) 

• Map Activity (Tuesday, 10/14)

 

Chapter 6:

• Reading Quiz (Sunday, 9/28) 

• Primary Source Activity (Tuesday, 10/14) 

• (Primary) Source Analysis 2 (Sunday, 9/28) 

 

Chapter 7:

• Reading Quiz (Sunday, 10/5) 

• Primary Source Activity (Tuesday, 10/14)

 

Chapter 8:

• Reading Quiz (Sunday, 10/12) 

• Primary Source Activity (Tuesday, 10/14)

• (Secondary) Source Analysis 3 (Sunday, 10/12) 

 

Chapters 5–8 Exam (Midterm): (Wednesday, 10/15)

 

Chapter 9:

• Reading Quiz (Sunday, 10/19) 

• Map Activity (Tuesday, 11/4) 

 

Chapter 10:

• Reading Quiz (Sunday, 10/26) 

• Primary Source Activity (Tuesday, 11/4) 

• Map Activity (Tuesday, 11/4) 

• (Secondary) Source Analysis 4 (Sunday, 10/26)

 

Chapter 11: 

• Reading Quiz (Sunday, 11/2) 

• Primary Source Activity (Tuesday, 11/4) 

• Map Activity (Tuesday, 11/4)  

 

Chapters 9–11 Exam: (Wednesday, 11/5)

 

Chapter 12:

• Reading Quiz (Sunday, 11/9) 

• Primary Source Activity (Tuesday, 12/9) 

 

Term Paper (Sunday, 11/9)

 

Chapter 13:

• Reading Quiz (Sunday, 11/16) 

• Primary Source Activity (Tuesday, 12/9) 

• Map Activity (Tuesday, 12/9)

 

Chapter 14:

• Reading Quiz (Sunday, 11/30) 

• Primary Source Activity (Tuesday, 12/9) 

• Map Activity (Tuesday, 12/9) 

 

Peer Review (Sunday, 12/7)

 

Chapters 12–14 Exam (Final): (Wednesday, 12/10)

 

No additional/extra credit will be offered.

 

Final grade scale: A–F (100–0) 

Late work policy: Late work will not be accepted.

 

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

 

COURSE POLICIES

 

Academic Integrity Policy: See Student Handbook.

Attendance Policy: See Student Handbook. Students exceeding four absences are subject to removal from the course.

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: Wednesday, 6 November

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

 

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. 

STUDENT SERVICES

 

NCTC provides a multitude of services and resources to support students. See the Student Services Syllabus Addendum posted in the Files section of this course on Canvas for a listing of those departments and links to their sites.

 

THE OFFICE FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

 

The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides accommodations for students with disabilities. OSD counselors and advisors also provide strategies for academic success; individual, career, and academic counseling services; referrals to campus and community services; and assistance with admission and registration.

 

Students with disabilities do not need to disclose their disabilities to college officials if they are not requesting any accommodations.

 

OSD is federally funded through the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Federal Grant.

 

NCTC is committed to making its degree and certificate programs accessible to all qualified persons in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA Amendments Act, and The Rehabilitation Act (1973), Section 504.

 

REQUEST SERVICES

 

New Students

 

Accommodations require preparation in advance. Please make your request before the semester begins to ensure complete coverage for the entire semester. You can certainly request accommodations after the semester starts, but please be aware that accommodations are not retroactive. 

Accommodations begin when OSD approves them. In other words, the sooner, the better.

 

*Documentation is required before any accommodations can be provided. Depending on your diagnosis, this documentation should come from a medical doctor, psychologist, or other licensed or properly credentialed professional.

 

Current Students

 

Contact the OSD at the beginning of each semester well in advance of registration.

 

Contact Us

 

Please reach out to us to schedule an intake or if you have questions or concerns.

 

Wayne Smith, OSD Manager, kwsmith@nctc.edu, (940) 498-6207

Yvonne Sandmann, OSD Advisor, ysandmann@nctc.edu, (940) 668-3300

 

https://www.nctc.edu/osd

 

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/libraries.

 

Off-campus? Our research databases are now available in OneLogin.

 

For Virtual Assistance from a librarian, please use https://www.nctc.edu/ask-a-librarian or schedule a virtual appointment in Upswing, accessed through OneLogin.

 

Please visit www.nctc.edu/libraries for the operating hours, phone number, and email of the library nearest you.

 

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 andto 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.

 

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