Does each battle or war support or undermine Rodney’s thesis? Why does he think the most important evidence supports his conclusion? Explain whether his thinking logically follows.

Read Rodney Stark’s God’s Battalions: The Case for the Crusades and look for the author’s thesis and his supporting evidence throughout the book.

Introduce the book in half a page. Remember this is a review; therefore, quickly describe the thesis and the question the author raises. Tell me what battles or wars you are going to explore from Rodney’s book. Make sure you set this section off with the subhead, “Introduction.” End your introduction with this phrase, “In this paper, I will analyze and explore the following four wars: …” .

In the body of your paper, analyze four battles or wars from Rodney’s book. Does each battle or war support or undermine Rodney’s thesis? Why does he think the most important evidence supports his conclusion? Explain whether his thinking logically follows. You are working on accurately describing the author’s point of view and analyzing the historical argumentation. Make sure to divide each battle or theme with your own creative “subheads.” Each of the four sections should have multiple paragraphs.

Finally, tell me the significance of the God’s Battalions by answering the following three questions:

1) What impacts does Rodney reveal about the history of Islamic imperialism?

2) What are the keys to understanding Rodney’s thesis and historical argument? Was the author convincing? Why or why not? And

3) What significant lessons does Rodney draw from his study? Make sure you set this section off with the subhead, “Conclusion.”

Citation: End notes with proper page-numbering must be done throughout the body of your paper when using quotes or referencing themes from passages in the book. I need to know where in the text you are drawing your information.

Paper Formatting Checklist

Cover Page: one for each book review critique; include your name, class, date, semester, title.

Length: 5 pages for each not including the title or Work Cited (or Bibliography) page. Number your pages. Do not number the title page. Papers are not allowed to exceed 6 pages. This requirement will help you develop your writing and editing to be more concise and articulate.

Spacing: Double, Font size: 12, and Margins: 1”

Subheads: Use “Introduction,” your own creative subheads in the body of your papers, and “Conclusion” (needed in both assignments).

I can share access to the book if needed.

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