NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE
COURSE SYLLABUS
COURSE AND INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Course title: United States History I
Course prefix, number, and section number: HIST.1301.0304,0305,0306
Semester/Year of course: Spring 2026
Semester start and end dates: 1-12/5-9, 2026
Modality (Face to face/Synchronous or Asynchronous online/Hybrid): Asynchronous online
Class meeting location, days, and times:
Lab meeting location, days, and times:
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, eBook
The eBook is required and the cost of the required eBook is included in tuition. eBook access is through the McGraw-Hill tab in Canvas; Primary Source Assignments are on line in McGraw-Hill Connect.
The Barnes and Noble Lion Book Bundle gives immediate access to the textbooks from the first day of class by adding a charge to your initial tuition to cover this expense.
While the Lion Book Bundle is designed to help NCTC students easily obtain their course materials at a discounted price it may not fit every student. If you do not wish to participate in the program, you must opt out each semester. You can change your program status 30 days before the semester begins.
SPRING 2026 opt-out window:
Opens December 15th, 2025
Closes January 16th, 2026 (10:59 pm CST)
Name of instructor: Jane England
Office location: COR322
Telephone number: 940-498-6244
E-mail address: jengland@nctc.edu
Office hours for students: MW 8:30-9:30am/12:30-1:30pm/ on line conferences by appointment
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 Major Exams 100 points each
- 5 Primary Source Assignments & Quizzes 10 points each
- 1 Movie Review Research Paper 50 points
- 1 Movie Review Selection and Sources 5 points
- 4 Optional Extra Credit Assignments 5 points each
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Final grade scale: Grades are point based, not percentage based. At the end of the semester, letter grades are assigned according to the following point totals: A =500+- 450; B = 449-400; C = 399-350; D = 349-300; F=below 300
No grades are dropped. No grades are curved. No “extra work” is substituted for test scores.
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Late work policy: All work must be submitted on time. Late work is not accepted.
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 include, but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, academic falsification, intellectual property dishonesty, academic dishonesty facilitation and collusion. Faculty members may document and bring charges against a student who is engaged in or is suspected to be engaged in academic dishonesty. See Student Handbook, “Student Rights & Responsibilities: Student Conduct ([FLB(LOCAL)]”.
Instructor Artificial Intelligence Policy: The use of any and all AI tools in this class is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. This not only includes AI generating software such as Chat GPT, but also generative/corrective AI assistants like Grammarly or CoPilot. Only simple spell-checking tools such as those provided by Microsoft Word are acceptable. AI usage will be verified by the Turnitin service commissioned by the college and no other AI checking tool will be considered by the instructor. If caught using any AI for any writing assignments, the student will 1) receive a grade of 0 for the assignment, 2) a "Scholastic Dishonesty Report Form" may be submitted regarding the incident. 3) the student may be dropped from the course with a failing grade (letter grade of “F”).
Research papers must be submitted to the Turnitin Drop Box which checks for both Plagiarism and AI.
- PLAGIARISM is copying directly from your sources. If you use more than five words in succession that follow another writer’s words, use quotation marks and identify your source. Direct quotes must be documented in the body of the paper following the examples in the MLA Citation Forms: A Short Guide handout located in the Movie Review Research Paper module.
- AI: Do NOT use ChatGPT, Grammarly, CoPilot or any other Artificial Intelligence (AI) program.
Both Plagiarism and AI usage are considered cheating and may result in: 1) a grade of 0 for 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: Since this is an online class, attendance is based on participation. Be sure to do assignments on time. Students are responsible for abiding by course rules and keeping up with assignments and due dates. All course materials (syllabus, assignment sheet, outlines, review sheets, handouts, extra credit information, and power points) are available in the Canvas 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: March 30, 2026
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.
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 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 Campus, room 107
Telephone number: 972-899-8424
E-mail address: cadams@nctc.edu
Name of Instructional Dean: Mary Martinson
Office location: Gainesville, room 1403 Library
Telephone number: 940-668-7731 ext. 4377
E-mail address: mmartinson@nctc.edu