Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:
What has America meant to Muslim Americans from 1800 to present?  What have Muslim Americans said about America? How have they imagined it? How have Muslim Americans defined its ideals, realities, its people, its cultures, its politics, its economy, and its society? How have they embraced "America"? Criticized it? Interpreted it? Understood it? Challenged it? Rebelled against it? Defended it? Examine all the responses, divide up those different responses by theme, and discuss them in your essay, illustrating your points with evidence from our textbook.

****You should use at least ten of our readings to illuminate your points*****

Papers should be double-spaced, written in a standard twelve point font, have margins no larger than 1.25 inches, contain page numbers, and include a separate title page. The title should read like the headline of a movie review found in the newspaper.  All quotations should be cited using the MLA system.  An example of this system is: Smith argues that the “most important course one can take at IUPUI is a religious studies course” (Smith 25).  Please note where the quotation marks, the parentheses, and the period are placed.  No bibliography is required.

The Introduction: The opening paragraph must have a thesis and explain how the paper is organized to prove this argument. The most pedestrian way to write a thesis statement is to say something like: “In this paper I argue that . . .” Several detailed sentences following the thesis should explain how the paper will prove it. Give your reader a map that he or she can use to anticipate the rest of the journey.
Lay out your entire argument in the introduction. A good piece of expository prose is not a mystery novel; there is no need to keep the reader in suspense. 

The Body:  Each paragraph in the body should use a topic sentence that explains to the reader how the argument is being advanced and proven.  Topic sentences should also flow easily from the previous paragraph, offering the reader a clear transition.  Often times, the final sentence of a paragraph can provide a summarizing transition that explains what has been shown or proven in the paragraph, readying the reader to move on to the next point in the argument.  Regarding the handling of evidence, quotations should be used carefully: never simply state the quoted material; always introduce it by naming its author and by stating any relevant information about when and where the idea was first used; and always tell the reader what one should learn from the quote and how it pertains to the main idea of the paragraph. 

In addition, properly document the source of information and ideas, taking special care to avoid plagiarism.  A general rule of thumb: if there is any question about whether a source should be cited, then cite it.  To fully document your paper, you must identify the source of any indirect or direct quotation, any fact that is not common knowledge, or any fact about which there is a dispute.

The Conclusion:  In this final part of the paper, the author should highlight the most compelling evidence and logic from the body of the paper and review the steps taken to show how the argument is correct.  In addition, the writer should raise any unanswered questions, thereby lending credibility to the scope of the argument and the prudence of its author.