Paper Instructions

          

Paper Topics

The subject of your first paper, due on Wednesday, October 18th, is the foundations of Islam. Using a source other than your text and your lecture notes, choose an individual other than Muhammed who, in your opinion, had a significant impact on some aspect of the development of Islam. Provide a short (2-3 page) biography of the individual and then analyze his or her contributions to Islam. Your individual may be a modern figure, but he or she should be dead (no Saddam Hussein, for example).

The subject of your second paper, due Tuesday, November 21st, is the influence of the west on the Middle East. Using a source other than your text and your lecture notes, analyze the impact of Europe and/or the United States on one area of Middle Eastern life from the sixteenth century to the present. Possible areas include (but are not limited to) political, religious, military, social, or economic development. The influence of the west can be positive, negative, or both.

          

Guidelines

1. You must use at least one outside source. Since this assignment requires a historical source, a book chapter or a journal article would be an appropriate source. Do not use another textbook, an encyclopedia, or other reference materials as your only source(s). Internet sources may be used but should be used in conjunction with other sources and should be from a reliable web site. YOU MUST USE AT LEAST ONE NON-INTERNET SOURCE. Please be aware that if you plagiarize on the paper, and I discover your plagiarism, you will fail the course and will be referred to the Foothill Student Services Office for possible disciplinary action: refer to the Foothill Honor Code:

Foothill Honor Code

Plagiarism is the passing off of another's ideas and words as your own. This includes, but is not limited to, copying web sites without citing them in the body of your paper, borrowing another person's paper and passing it off as your own work, or purchasing a paper and submitting it as your own work. DO NOT PLAGIARIZE: chances are very good that your plagiarism will be discovered and you will receive an F in the class. Trust me, it is not worth the risk. If you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism, let me know. If you are uncertain as to how to paraphrase, I would suggest checking out the following web site, which is produced by the Writing Center at the University of Indiana


Indiana's Writing Resource Center Link


2. All papers should be 6-8 pages long, double spaced, SPELL CHECKED, with normal 1" margins and in a 10 or 12 point font. Papers less than 6 full pages will be penalised one full grade.

3. Papers are due on the day noted; late papers will only be accepted with prior approval.

4. Papers must be submitted to me as email attachments, either in MS Word or as .rtf documents. I will not accept papers that are submitted using another word processing program without prior approval. Your paper should be in a single file, with your paper, bibliography, etc., included in the one file. Please do not send pictures unless they are vitally important to your paper.

5. You must cite your outside source, using either MLA, APA, or Turabian/University of Chicago. You must submit a bibliography; failure to cite your sources will be considered plagiarism and will result in your expulsion from the course. If you are unfamiliar with citation forms, the third lecture (entitled "Citation Forms") should be helpful.