Compare the development of one specific Islamic and one specific   Christian location between 632–1000 C.E. When discussing each location,  provide  a more specific timeline, and consider adding examples of  significant leaders,  political and social structures, beliefs, and  cultural products (stories,  philosophies, theologies, artifacts, art,  and architecture). Your comparison  should identify similarities and  differences in the two religious-based  cultures, and also indicate  influences they share. Be careful not to compare  the religions as a  whole but instead focus on a range of cultural elements in  your two  specific locations because cultures may vary even within one religion   depending on time and place. What insight about the historical  development of  these two cultures did you gain from the comparison?

Step 1: Review  the section of the Unit V Study Guide entitled, “Be Careful When Making  Historical Assumptions.”

Step 2: Choose  two appropriate sources, not including the  textbook. At least one source must  come from the CSU Online Library.  The Academic Search Complete and eBook  Academic Collection databases in  the CSU Online Library would be good places to  start your search.  Resources from outside of the library should be credible and   peer-reviewed by historians and cannot include Wikipedia, Biography.com,   History.com, or any other .com site; resources should also not be  taken from  any type of message board or other encyclopedia-type sites,  including those  listed in the CSU Online Library research guides, which  are provided for quick  reference only and not for paper research.

If you need additional help with using or locating information  in  the CSU Online Library, there are library video tutorials available on  the  main page of the online library under the heading “Research  Guides.”

Step 3: Complete  your research. Choose one interesting  comparison that illustrates the main  point that you want to make about  these cultures during this period. Gather  details about your choice.

Compare similar features (known as “comparing like terms”). For   example, compare cities to cities, education systems to education  systems,  technologies to technologies, stories to stories, ideas about  the nature of God  to ideas about the nature of God, and other features.  Make sure you complete the  comparison for all features or note why you  think there is not a like term for  some features.

Comparison includes consideration of both similarities and  differences.

Here are some examples to consider:

• the promotion and use of learning by leading  figures;
• the relationship between religious and  political authority;
• the shaping of artifacts (leader, idea,  practice, or structure) by time period and environment;
• the shaping of societies by artifacts and  whether different people were affected differently; and
• the way that different elements of culture  reflect power arrangements, goals, hierarchies, and/or challenges.

Step 4: Prepare  your introduction, including your thesis  statement. A thesis is prepared after  you have completed your research  and includes the comparison of what you found.  It should be a one- or  two-sentence statement of the conclusions you drew from  the comparison.

Step 5: Write  your essay. Your essay must be at least 500 words in length.

Step 6: Reflect  on how this comparison paper shaped your  understanding of how to practice  cultural history ethically, as  discussed in the “Be Careful When Making  Historical Assumptions”  section of the Unit V Lesson. Write one paragraph to be  placed after  the concluding paragraph of your essay, reflecting on how the   guidelines in the unit lesson shaped your understanding of how to use   historical evidence, including artifacts, to practice cultural history   ethically.