1 Course Introduction What is history and why do we study it?History is the effort to reconstruct the past. The past must be understood so we can understand the factors that shape us today. Historians reconstruct the past by posing questions about it and then attempting to answer them by studying primary and secondary sources. Herodotus, the "father of history," joined the two concepts of inquiry and research. Historians must assess the validity and perspective of each source they study. Interpretation is often affected by the values and attitudes of the times. Historians seldom have all of the facts. Social history, the study of the basic details of daily life, is a relatively new interpretive process. Civilization means a people's shared way of thinking and believing. Western means the ideas, customs, and institutions that set western civilization apart from others.
2 WESTERN CIVILIZATION US HISTORY AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
3 AMERICAN GOVERNMENT WESTERN CIVILIZATION US HISTORYSYLLABUS HANDOUTS CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE
4 EXAMPLE
5 Example YOUR NAME Last Name 1 Nick Smythe 03 February 2007Western Civilization Crisis with Islam Problem Identification: The religion of Islam is currently being held responsible for all of the terrorist attacks in the world. During the last two decades in particular, the concept of "Islamic terror" has been often discussed. In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks on targets in New York and Washington which caused the death of thousands of innocent civilians, this concept has once again returned to the top of the international agenda. In this paper, I will articulate that Islam is by no means the source of this violence and that violence has no place in Islam.. Causes of the Problem: A. The first and most obvious reason that the religion of Islam is being faulted is the fact that Muslim extremists are the only ones currently targeting the innocent. Human history is mainly filled with violent actions of Gods and the men who serve them and today’s era is no different. The rules of war are clear in regards to civilians but unfortunately the world is in a battle in which there are no rules. According to the US State Department during the period of 2000 through 2003 there were 119 significant terrorist incidents throughout the world inflicting 3989 fatalities. Of the 119 attacks 85% were Islamic Extremist groups. These numbers are extremely hard to overlook or discredit. Example
6 Last Name 2 B. The next reason is the fact that most Muslim countries have failed to initiate any action against these groups without pressure from the West. As the leaders of Iran and various other Middle Eastern nations continue to blame the United States and its foreign policy for the terrorist attacks and Saudi Arabia continues to export a form of Islam filled with hateful propaganda, more bombings on the innocent take place (Kibble, 6). Up until this point in the “Global War on Terror” out of the 54 Muslim-majority countries in the world only two have joined the coalition against terror, Saudi Arabia and Turkey and they are questionable partners at best. Zero have been involved in the dire situation in Iraq. Also people of the Islamic consensus have not spoken out against the actions of the terrorists leading many to form the opinion that all Muslims condone the use of terror. All the world would need to see is other Muslims publicly condemn and take a stand against these few. Alternate Solutions: The religion of Islam is will continue to take the brunt of the blame until certain measures are taken. These could include ceasing all terror activities and attacks, changing the political, cultural and economic landscape of the Muslim community, or the majority of Muslims taking a stand against the radical, extremist few that are soiling their religion. While each of these options are viable there are certain provisions and situations that must be taken into account. First, ceasing all terror attacks would be near impossible. The hatred being taught to the youths of the culture seems to be an incurable illness but ceasing attacks would relieve the religion of Islam from any blame in terror operations. Unfortunately as long as human have looked to the heavens seeking God’s will there have been wars and battles over His name.
7 Second, require incredible patience and resourcesSecond, require incredible patience and resources. The venture would consist of changing the political, economic, and cultural landscape amongst the populations of Muslim countries. According to Ralph Peters “the world is simply not ready to go this deep into the problem, only wanting to do what is “necessary.” The Muslim people have been left behind by history and their response has been to blame everyone else. Those young people living in hunger and poverty are extremely vulnerable to a fiery cleric preaching hatred. If the Western World would invest in the people of the Middle East and other Islamic nations to bring about political and economical change the anger and hatred would decrease. Best Alternative: Ultimately the only way for Islam to shelter its religion from the blame of terrorism is for the Muslim world to take a stand against extremists. Many nations, to include Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, claim to be against these actions in the media but never attempt to stop them. As the Muslim populations stand and watch Chechnyains continue to attack southern Russia, Hamas and other groups shell Israel, and Al Queda in Iraq massacres innocent people. Many people look to the West and say, “the US is at fault” or “we need more money to fight terror.” But the United States and the Western World will never be the deciding factor in the struggle against radical Islam. That role can only be filled by Muslims willing to fight for their religion, even if it means killing their fellow countrymen. Implementation Steps: The first steps to correcting the problem would consist of a Muslim Coalition joining together to announce to the world that what is happening all around is not the role that all Muslims play. The leaders and people of the major Muslim Last Name 3
8 Last Name 4 nations, to include Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, need to prove to the Western world that they are in the fight against these fanatical individuals. This would facilitate a change of opinion amongst the world’s non-Muslim population thus removing the blame off the shoulders of Mohammed.
9 Bibliography Last Name 5Kibble, David G. “The Attacks of 9/11: Evidence of a Clash of Religions?” Parameters, US Army War College Quarterly. Autumn 2002:34-45 Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary Web. 26 January 2006
10 Welcome to the Purdue OWLThe Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material, and we provide these as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue. Students, members of the community, and users worldwide will find information to assist with many writing projects. Teachers and trainers may use this material for in-class and out-of-class instruction. In addition, we invite users to submit brief, writing-related questions to our OWL Mail Tutors. You may also find our new grammar blog useful. For more information about services for the Purdue University community, including one-to-one consultations, ESL conversation groups and workshops, please visit the Writing Lab site. Mission The Purdue University Writing Lab and Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) assist clients in their development as writers—no matter what their skill level—with on-campus consultations, online participation, and community engagement.
11 Suggested Resources -2009 MLA Guide -2009 APA Guide -Purdue OWL Flash Movies -Purdue OWL Podcasts -How to Navigate the New OWL
12 Follow these color codes: Title of Book or WebsiteMLA Citation Style MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th edition Follow these color codes: Author(s) Title of Book or Website Title of Article Title of Periodical Volume Place of Publication Publisher or Database Date Other Information Pages
13 Websites Epsicokhan, Jamahl. "Confessions of a Closet Trekkie." Jammer's Reviews. N.p., 20 Feb Web. 15 Mar United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "Mission Could Seek out Spock's Home Planet." PlanetQuest: Exoplanet Exploration. NASA, 10 May Web. 15 Mar