Sophomore Research essay: The World of Islam
Essay due: Sept. Sept.14
Powerpoint due: Sept. 17
You are going to research some aspect of the Islamic religion or its influence on a country and write a 1-3 page essay and a 10-12 slide Powerpoint about it. Write the essay first! This will give you plenty of information for your powerpoint and will insure a more interesting presentation. You may choose any aspect of Islam—its history, its teachings, its effects on culture and society, its rules, jihad, fatwa, the Koran, its major figures, its effect on laws and government—or any country that has a large population of Muslims. Pick one of these countries for your research—Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Sudan, Dubai,  Afganistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Oman, Turkey, Libya, Algeria, or Morocco.

Your essay does not need to be exhaustive—you don't need to deal with everything. You should narrow your focus to something you can deal with in a few pages. Consider things like:
What is life like for the average teenager?
What are the rituals involved in life, prayer, courtship, marriage, and work?
What are the religious reasons for the rules guiding behavior?
How does religion affect politics, laws, relations with neighboring countries, education?
What conflicts have arisen due to religion?
What makes the religion so popular?
What is the story of the founding of Islam?
What is the history of Islam in the country?
What causes calls to jihad or fatwa?

If you know someone who lives or has lived in the country, an interview would be a great source of information, and could lead you to study something you might not have already thought of.  Otherwise you should plan to use books, almanacs, online databases, maps, or magazine articles for your research. It is better to have several sources rather than just one. You must provide a bibliography and indicate in your essay where the information comes from, by using in text citations.  Your grade will also depend on your presentation of this information to the class.  Make sure you do not just read your essay or your Powerpoint.  Remember Powerpoint should just be a quide for your presentation.  You will be marked down if you are just reading your slides.

Powerpoint hints:
Do not put too much text on the slide, remember it is just a guide for your presentation.
Make text readable, check for clear font, size and color.
No noises or sliding text- except for Title if you want.
Make sure that photos are not pixilated and that you give photo credit for each one used.