INTRODUCTION
In this task, you will explain the role of religion in the origins and development of the Crusades. You will also be required to differentiate the methods used by the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties to expand Islamic civilization. Finally, you will discuss the importance of the Silk Roads in central Asia.

REQUIREMENTS
Your submission must be your original work. No more than a combined total of 30% of the submission and no more than a 10% match to any one individual source can be directly quoted or closely paraphrased from sources, even if cited correctly. An originality report is provided when you submit your task that can be used as a guide.

You must use the rubric to direct the creation of your submission because it provides detailed criteria that will be used to evaluate your work. Each requirement below may be evaluated by more than one rubric aspect. The rubric aspect titles may contain hyperlinks to relevant portions of the course.

A.  Explain the role of religion in the Crusades by doing the following (suggested length of 23 paragraphs):

1.  Discuss the origins of the Crusades.

2.  Describe the methods used by the Roman Catholic Church to promote the Crusades.

B.  Differentiate the methods used by the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties to expand Islamic civilization by doing the following (suggested length of 23 paragraphs):

1.  Describe the different methods of expansion used by the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties.

2.  Contrast the religious policies and political administration of the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties.

C.  Discuss the significance of the Silk Roads in facilitating one of the following (suggested length of 23 paragraphs):

  the sharing of new technology

  the growth of intercontinental trade

  the spread of epidemic diseases

D.  Provide acknowledgement of source information, using in-text citations and references, for quoted, paraphrased, or summarized content.