Take in consideration the comments you received for your first research paper. We will especially reward students who corrected these problems, and penalize any second paper that repeats issues pointed out in the first.
Be sure to indicate which articles you selected, either in the text of your essay or in a bibliography. The bibliographical information is on the first page of each one of them.
Just like in the first paper, use footnotes to indicate where you found the information you present.
Put aside plenty of time to read, re-read and re-re-read each one of your two articles.
Pay attention to the time periods and geographical areas covered in each article –two articles can cover similar times and places, or completely different settings.
Make a balanced use of both articles you selected, and do not draw your information from only one of the two.
ANSWER THE QUESTION! You do not need to summarize the articles, and you should only present the information that supports your thesis. Ignore the material that is not relevant for you, even if it was important to the author of the article. Again, only use the articles in ways that help you fulfill your responsibility, which is to answer the question.
If the two articles you selected suggest different answers to the question you are trying to answer, explain which one offers the most convincing argument (and why)
If you are using a Mac, do NOT use the “.pages” format–it is not recognized by Blackboard. You have the option to save your text in another format (PDF will do just fine).
Likewise, if you’re using Google Docs, download your essay in PDF format and upload that file; do NOT submit a link to your Google Doc (otherwise we won’t be able to see if you kept working on it after the deadline, and we’ll consider your assignment as ‘not yet submitted’).
Make sure you understand all the words! Here are some technical terms you might encounter (with alternative spellings):
Shari’a: Islamic Law, the legal system in most Muslim states before modern times (including the Ottoman Empire).
Hijaz : Area of the Arabian peninsula where Mecca and Medina are located.
Azhar : Islamic university located in Cairo; widely considered the most prestigious center of Sunni scholarship.
Bid’a : “Innovation”, a change in practice that goes against Islamic Law.
Dhimmi : “People of the book”, i.e. Christians and Jews.
Esedi Guruş : Monetary unit in the Ottoman Empire
Waqf : A “non-profit foundation”, created according to Islamic law and intended to provide social or religious services
SOURCES IN UPLOADED FILES