Answer 2 of the following three essays for 80 per cent of your exam grade. Each essay is worth 40 percentage points. For each essay, write four pages. Double-spaced, 1-inch margins, and 12-point font for all essays.
Long Essays:
1. The Shi`ite Story. Discuss the political highlights of Shi`ism’s Golden Age, circa late 900s-1171.
2. The Period of the Crusades (1095-1291). Discuss the political landscape of the Middle East on the eve of the first Crusade. Next, go on to analyze 4 pivotal events/battles/leaders that influenced the period and that give you insights into the period itself. Discuss both consequences of events, etc. and the insights that you have gained.
3. Islamic Spain. Describe the nature of Islamic culture in Spain by giving several (3 would suffice)
examples, and discussing these examples at the same time. Next, discuss 4 pivotal events/reigns in Spain’s Islamic history and their consequences.
Short Essay: Answer for 20 per cent of your exam grade.
The Personal. What in al-Ghazzali’s The Alchemy of Happiness, Omar Khayyam’s The Rubaiyat, Yunus Emre’s The Humanist Poetry of Yunus Emre, or Jalal al-Din Rumi’s The Ruins of the Heart resonates with you? Choose 4 selections/verses from 3 of the above four and discuss your understanding of them.
