How did the rise of Islam change societies in Africa and the Middle East?

How did the rise of Islam change societies in Africa and the Middle East?

You will do research on the topic and develop a thesis, which you will prove with the use of secondary sources (you may use primary sources as well). A really good paper will not simply be descriptive; you should pose an analytical question and use your sources to answer it.

You will lose points if you fail to write on one of these topics.

Formatting

All of your papers should be double-spaced, with one-inch margins and in ten- or twelve-point type. Your papers should be carefully composed, well-organized, and proofread. You will loose points for excessive grammar and spelling errors.

You must include endnotes or footnotes and a bibliography, both in the Chicago style. I realize that many of you are not familiar with this citation style. However, it is standard in history and I require that you use ityou will lose points from your essay if you do not. You should also refer to the Chicago Manual of Styles online guide, which you can find at:

http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html

And you can type “Chicago Style Footnotes and/or “Chicago Style Bibliography into YouTube and find a variety of videos explaining the mechanics of Chicago footnotes. I like:

It is just one of many look around and find the one that helps you the most.

Sources

You must use at least three reputable, peer-reviewed outside sources that are not assigned as part of the class reading. To learn about peer-reviewed sources, look at:

http://library.sdsu.edu/reference/research/peer-reviewed-articles

You should use books from the library, or articles from scholarly journals, both of which you can access through the librarys article databases. To access those databases, go to:

http://www.deltacollege.edu/dept/library/electronic.html

There are a number of types of sources I do not want to see. You MAY NOT USE lecture material, the textbook, any general encyclopedias (online or otherwise), or non-academic websites.

You will lose points if you do not use enough sources or you use improper sources.

Stylistic Tips

Do not include the phrase, ”According to the dictionary, x is”

Do not use the first person (“me, etc.) or the second person

This is a formal essay. If you need to use a pronoun, it should be the indefinite “one.â€Â

Do not refer to any historical person, male or female, by his or her first name.

Do not use contractions.

Do not use lengthy quotes these are brief papers.

Additional Resources

The rubric I use to grade the papers is available under Resources in the Etudes classroom. I would strongly recommend that you look it over before you begin to write.

For an overview of the research paper process, see:

How did the rise of Islam change societies in Africa and the Middle East?