Indiana State University HIST 113: Islamic Civilization Spring 2017

Due Dates

Essay #3 – Term Paper Historiographical Review Essay (200 pts)

•  One Paragraph Prospectus and list of sources due 11:59pm EDT Monday March 27.
•  Final Draft due online via Blackboard 11:59pm EST Friday April 28 ?Assignment Description ?For your final paper in HIST 113, you will be writing a historiographical review essay – an analysis of historical writing – on a topic of your choice related to Islamic Civilization. Identify and read at least three academic books or journal articles (no unpublished online sources) on your selected topic and write a six to eight page comparative analysis of those texts. This is not a topical paper. Your focus should be on analyzing the field of historical writing about this topic, and not just the topic itself. ?Directions

1. Prepare a one paragraph prospectus and list of sources for your project, due Monday March 27. A prospectus is a research plan, briefly stating the topic you will write about in your essay. Use the Cunningham Library electronic databases (including WorldCat, JSTOR, and Academic Search Complete), to identify at least three books or journal articles on the topic you have selected.
2. Identify how these historians have written about the same topic in different ways. Your essay will be about the current state of research on your topic. Rather than summarizing your materials, you will need to analyze the work of the historians. Read carefully and think about how each writer has written about the same topic in different ways: what are their arguments, what sources do they use, what subtopics do they explore, what larger point are they trying to make with their research? Take careful notes as you read to help prepare the final paper.
3. Write a 6-8 page comparative analysis of your sources. Like in other analytical essays we have written, you should be sure to present a clear argument in the form of a thesis statement in the introduction. Your thesis statement is a brief summary of the conclusions you have drawn from your source materials (in this case, historical writing). Do this in one clear, concise sentence.

Example: While the prophet Muhammad remains at the center of scholarship on the rise of Islam, recent studies stress that cultural traditions in the Near East were also important in shaping Islam as world religion.

Your paper should be organized around demonstrating your thesis is sound. Putting together a thorough outline before you begin writing is a good way to keep everything focused. As you write, provide evidence to back up what you are saying through frequent citation of the texts. Express your ideas clearly and directly, and avoid vague and subjective language.

Formatting and Guidelines

•  The main text of your paper should be 6-8 pages double-spaced, plus a bibliography.
•  Use the Chicago Manual of Style to format footnotes and bibliography.
•  Use 12 point font, double spaced with reasonably standard margins (approximately 1”).
•  Give your essay a descriptive title. Ex.: “Historical Writing on the Rise of Islam”
•  Be sure your essay contains an introduction with a thesis statement, well defined paragraphs ?covering subtopics in support of your thesis, and a conclusion that summarizes your essay.
•  Refer frequently to your sources and cite them appropriately throughout.

Examples* of Appropriate Topics

The Islamic Conquest of the Near East Conversion in Early Islam?Religion and State?Science and the House of Wisdom Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali Veiling in Islamic Societies

Women and Gender in Islam?Christians and Jews in the Ottoman Empire The Mamluk Slave Soldier Dynasty?The Silk Road?Migration?The Hajj Pilgrimage?Orientalism and Western Views of Islam The Islamic City?The Carpet Trade in Iran?History of Books and Printing?Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa?Islam in America?Sufism?Islamic Law?Middle East Environmental History

Trade in the Mongol Empire?The Crusades in Islamic History?The Conversion of Iran to Shi’ism Managing Diversity in Mughal India Empires and Local Notables?Travelers and Travel Writing?The Tanzimat Reforms in the 19th Century Modernization in Turkey?The Suez Canal Project in Egypt?The Formation of the Nation-State System Arab Nationalism?Soviet Rule in Central Asia?Terrorism and Political Islam?Islam and Democracy?The 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran?The Arab Revolt during World War I Palestinian Identity?The Formation of the Israeli State?Food and Culture in the Modern Middle East Globalization and Capitalism?Oil Industries?The Arab Spring (2011-)

*This is only a list of suggestions to give students a few potential ideas or starting points. Any topic related to Islamic Civilization is appropriate for this assignment.