WORTH: 14% of semester grade

Length: 700 - 1150 words (250 words = 1 page, double-spaced, 12 pt. font of text)

ESTIMATED TIME: 2- 4 hours.

BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE FILE-NAMING CONVENTIONS FOR THIS COURSE (5% penalty if you do not).

All files should be saved on your computer as: your last name, followed by an underscore ("_"), followed by the first two letters of your first name, followed by an underscore ("_"), followed by the assignment number. So if a student named Saddam Hussein were to submit assignment number 4, the file name would be:

hussein_sa_4.doc

THIS IS ASSIGNMENT 4

 

NOTE ABOUT READING YOUR ARTICE: Unlike our textbook, most of the articles you are likely to find are written by professors for other professors, rather than for a general audience. That fact means the language of the article may be complex at times. It will be important that you (A) give yourself plenty of time to read the article (B) that you read it well before the assignment is due, because you may will very likely need to ask me questions on the text(C) that you actually ask me questions about what's confusing(D) that you look up words and terms with which you are unfamiliar. Remember, if you haven't understood your article, it's unlikely that you will do well on this assignment

WRITING INSTRUCTIONS:

Your article review will consist of two parts:

(A) review of the basic details of the books argument (rather SHORT)

(B) a discussion of how the article expands upon, contradicts, complicates, or clarifies what you have learned so far. (B) is BY FAR the most important part of your essay

A) THE BASIC ARGUMENT OF THE ARTICLE

At the top of your essay before the text of YOUR essay actually begins, place the author's thesis as a separate paragraph or line so that it's obvious to me that you've properly identified (and understood) the core thrust of the argument. Remember, the thesis in a 30 page article might not appear until the second or third page and that it's likely to be 1 - 3 sentences. Remember that a thesis is more than a topic ("squirrels"), or an observation ("squirrels like to eat garbage"), rather is an argument based of evidence that responds to an interesting question within the broader topic ("squirrels in NYC are bigger than suburban squirrels because they eat garbage that's available to them.") Papers that don't identify the author(s)'s thesis in this manner will receive a 8% penalty.

Next, in the body of your review, identify the author, why he or she is an authority on the topic (look for the author's bio at either the beginning or end of the article),and where he or she published the article. Then, summarize the author's argument in your own words. Explain why the author believes that answering this question is of value (author's will nearly always explain how their work is relevant to the field at hand somewhere in the first five pages).

Remember to keep your direct quotations from the author down to ten or fewer words; quote the author directly only when there is something useful or distinctive about the language they have chosen--otherwise, use your own words. Next, describe the evidence the author uses to make his or her points. What sort of evidence is it? From where? Explain in detail how the evidence, according to the author, pushes forward their argument.

B) Explain the relationship between the author's argument and what you have learned so far (this is the BULK of your paper).

Nearly all the articles will provide more detail than the survey book we are using as a text, so you will have to explain more than that about the relationship between what you've read for this assignment and what you've learned so far in the course. How does the author's argument refine, complicate, expand, contradict, or disprove what you've learned so far? How should we think differently about Islam, Islamic law, or Muslim societies as a consequence of what you read?

 

WRITING REQUIREMENTS:

A) Length: 700 - 1150 words (250 words = 1 page, double-spaced, 12 pt. font of text)

B) remember to include transitions between paragraphs and thought units within paragraphs

C) Remember to keep your paragraphs focused on a single idea and organized around a leading idea.

D) Remember to use evidence to support any point you make; without such supporting evidence, you have not, in fact, made a point. I require that you have at least eight quotations, but your paper will likely require more. So, for example, if you want to demonstrate that the author of your article contradicts something we learned in class, you will need to provide a quotation from both our textbook and your article

E ) Remember to provide a conclusion.

 

Additional Notes:

A) Papers submitted without a completely scored rubric will receive a 12% reduction off the top and will be ineligible for revision.

B) If your paper needs to be revised (see above), you will receive NO credit for the paper unless you thoroughly revise it along the lines we discuss and do the revision by the new deadline.