Islamic+Expansion+Project

Islamic Expansion Project

ESSAY QUESTION:

Please see the example on Ms. Malcolm's wiki: Sample Project Format

Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, with nearly one quarter of the world's population as followers. How did Islam spread so far, so fast? How was it able to absorb such a diverse number of cultures? How has the diversity of the cultures it embraced created conflict, both within Islam and between other religions and cultures? These are some of the questions we have been discussing throughout our unit on the Islamic Empire. Your task will now be to make a connection between the historical Islamic Empires we have studied, and the modern countries in which the population today remains predominately Muslim.

For the next week you will be conducting research on one of the countries in the Eastern Hemisphere that have been and continue to be influenced by Islam. You will then create a Wikispace "fact sheet" for our class website which you will also present, at least in part, to the class. After your project is complete you will write an in-class essay comparing and contrasting your country with another researched by your classmates.

This project (including the essay) will be worth a 100-point project grade. Please see the attached rubric for a breakdown of grading. You may work alone or with a partner, but if you work with someone else, keep in mind that there will be ONE grade per project, although the essay will be graded separately.

**Step 1: Choose your country**. The following is a list of countries from which to choose. If there is a country you would like to research that is not on this list, you must get my approval first.

Click on the links below to view the different pages:
 * * Indonesia
 * Iran
 * Pakistan
 * Egypt
 * India
 * Turkey
 * Morocco || * Tunisia
 * Afghanistan
 * Saudi Arabia
 * Yemen
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-top: 0in;">Sudan
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-top: 0in;">Somalia
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Libya ||

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Step 2: Begin your research.** As you work, consider the following questions: How has Islam impacted this country? How has the impact changed over time? What cultural practices have been retained? What has disappeared? What kinds of religious, political or cultural conflicts have occurred over its history?

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**RESEARCH TEMPLATE**. The following sources are the only ones that should be used for your project. Other sites MUST be approved by me.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">ABC-CLIO (ask me if you forgot the username/password!)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">CIA World Factbook
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">World Book Encyclopedia
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">CNN
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">New York Times country profiles

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I. ANCIENT / MODERN COUNTRY. Fill in as many details as you can about the country when it was first conquered by Islam and how it is today.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">COUNTRY NAME: _

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">· II. Change over time. · Create a timeline of important events (when Islam arrived, important rulers, etc.) · On your timeline highlight important CONFLICTS (religious, political, cultural)
 * || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">ANCIENT || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">MODERN ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Population ||  ||   ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Per Capita Income ||  ||   ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Land area (sq. miles) (find TWO maps) ||  ||   ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Political System/Gov't ||  ||   ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Imports / Exports ||  ||   ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cultural Traditions (ethnic makeup, clothing, music, art, etc. ) ||  ||   ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Religion(s) (include % for modern day.) ||  ||   ||

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">III. Conclusions. Write up your findings, using the following questions to guide you:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How has your country retained its diverse traditions?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How has your country changed over time? (politically, culturally, geographically, etc.)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In what sense has modernity and tradition clashed?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What were the most important causes of the changes you found? (i.e. rise of Christianity, rise of European power, Mongol invasions, trade, natural disasters, etc.)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">IV. Create a Wikispace page. Once you have found all the information, start creating your Wikispace page. How you organize the information is up to you, but it must included the following:


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-top: 0in;">Maps of both the ancient and modern countries (in some cases these will be very different from one another)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-top: 0in;">A visual timeline with important conflicts/events clearly indicated
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-top: 0in;">A bulleted list of important information that highlights what makes the country unique
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-top: 0in;">A summary of your findings that touches on the concluding questions listed above.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A bibliography with links to your sources (can list sources at the end of the page)