I need a good research topic for a women's studies Class. Any Ideas?

Question

Okay .. please don't say feminism, or abuse or abortion or anything typical like that. It would be really easy to just pick one of those obvious topics and right a research paper about. I'm trying to figure out something that is not as common and that you don't hear about all the time, but is still interesting and I will be able to find enough information on it to write a 10 page paper. I'm really stumped and have been rackin my brain and trying to look something up for weeks. Does anyone have any good ideas about what I could pick to do my paper on that my professor will be impressed with and the other students will not be bored to death when I present it?

Answer 1

One topic I had good results with in women's studies was looking at women's occupations throughout history and figuring out how women had used those occupations to achieve a measure of power and control over their own lives.

Among the occupations which I studied were nursing and sewing (seamstress). You could also look at occupations such as cook and embalmer. Others, such as circus performer would allow you to develop a theme of entwined racism and sexism, along with the battle of the poor for a fair life.

As well as being a bit different to the usual run-of-the-mill, the subject matter is actually really fascinating!

Once you meet some of the independent women of the past, and recognise what they went through to achieve a level of control that today a three year old would laugh at, your passion and intelligence will keep your tutor and fellow students enthralled.

Have fun and good luck :-)

Answer 2

How about a paper about Women's studies as a discipline. It is often disparaged -- as we see on this forum -- and in many Universities the enrollment is in decline or the programme has been discontinued or they don't have one.

In my own University we have Women's Studies (undergrad) and Gender studies at a post-grad level -- yet we do not have a dean like the other programmes -- we have a coordinator -- and when cuts were being discussed one of the first programmes to be on the chopping board was Wms studies.

You could look at the political aspect of why that is -- or discuss the attitudes etc........

You could look into the areas where scholars have created Men's studies as another discipline -- some in contrast to and some as a compliment to Wms Studies. Australia has some excellent scholars of masculinity -- RW Connell is one -- and he is not anti-female -- just pro people -- he says you can't study one without the other.

You could come up with some really great arguments either for or against -- or even come up with ways to "save" Wms Studies.........

I think it would be different and give your fellow students something to think about.

Answer 3

What do You know about the history of Nursing? Supposing I was to tell You that the first hospitals in Greece were 'manned' by Male Nurses? Or perhaps, that the majority of the legend behind the fame of Florence Nightingale is based on the actions of a middle-aged, short, overweight BLACK Woman from Jamaica, named Mary Jane Seacole. Would that give You a topic for Your paper? Unlike Clara Barton She is not normally to be found mentioned in most of the contemporary works.
Try looking up the history of the Crimean War, and see if the biographers of Nightingale got the story right. You may well strike a blow for Women, Equality and an oft forgotten idea called Truth. Just a thought. Run it by Your professor and see what They say. If nothing else familiarize Yourself with this exceptional Woman.

Answer 4

I took a whole course on women in the media in the 1970's and I did a project where I focused on one type of media, I picked magazines, and I found it was really strange to see what types of magazines were geared towards women or about women. Even more interesting, I researched who wrote for these magazines, who edited the articles (decided what was printed), and who owned the magazines. It would be interesting to know if it's changed much since then!

You could pick any format of media and find out what kinds of topics are chosen, who's writing/creating the content, who decides what is distributed, and find out who owns the medium.

Good luck!

Answer 5

Lisa Mietner (spelling unsure) was a German physicist in the mid-20th century. She was the first to split the atom and turned down The Manhattan Project refusing to make a bomb out of it. Fascinating lady!

Answer 6

OK, here's a good one. Hang around on this forum for a while. Record your observations about our main topics of discussion and our methods of interaction. We're available for personal interviews through e-mail at any time. Trust me, you'll have enough to fill up an entire textbook.

Answer 7

Sporting Females: Critical Issues in the History and Sociology of Women's Sports

Women and Health Research explores issues related to maintaining justice (in its ethical sense) in clinical studies. Leading experts present general principles for the ethical conduct of research on women--while highlighting the limitations of science, legal liabilities, and governmental policies.

Women writers of the 20th century

Women and the workplace

An annotated listing of books for girls written in the last 200 years. The books reflect the changing roles that were/are considered proper for girls.

Women in politics - a study of famous women in politics

Black successful women from slaves and beyond - a study of black women and how they over came povery and suppression.

Brave women in history you could talk about women who have stood out in history as warriors, writers, names to research Boudica of Iceni, quean Elizabeth the first, Anne Askew, Joan of Ark, Louisa May Alcott:
1832–1888
Author who produced the first literature for the mass market of juvenile girls in the 19th century. Her most popular, Little Women, was just one of 270 works that she published.Susan B. Anthony:
1820–1906
The 19th century women’s movement’s most powerful organizer. Together with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony fought for women’s right to vote. She was also very involved in the fight against slavery and the temperance campaign to limit the use of alcohol. Clara Barton:
1821–1912
Clara Barton got involved with tending the needy when she treated injured Union soldiers on the battlefield during the Civil War. She later was the founder and first president of the American Red Cross. Elizabeth Blackwell:
1821–1910
First American woman awarded a medical degree by a college. Attended Geneva College in New York after she was rejected by all the major medical schools in the nation because of her sex. Elizabeth Blackwell later founded a women’s medical college to train other women physicians. Cleopatra:
69–30 B.C.
Queen of Egypt and the last pharaoh. She was 17 or 18 when she became queen. Cleopatra was a shrewd politician who spoke nine languages. During her reign, Egypt became closely aligned with the Roman Empire. Pearl S. Buck:
1892–1973
With her novels about American and Asian culture, she became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Marie Curie:
1867–1934 This physicist was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize — she actually won it twice — and the first woman to earn a doctorate in Europe. Her investigations led to the discovery of radioactivity as well as the element radium. Amelia Earhart:
1897–1937 The first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, she opened the skies to other women. In 1937 while attempting to become the first person to fly around the world, Earhart’s plane disappeared over the Pacific Ocean. Mary Baker Eddy:
1821–1910 Only American woman to found a lasting American-based religion, the Church of Christ, Scientist. She worked successfully to solidify and increase the popularity of The Christian Scientist movement. Indira Gandhi:
1917–1984 As the leader of India, the world’s most populous democracy, Indira Gandhi became an influential figure for Indian women as well as for others around the world. Grace Hopper:
1906–1992 A computing trailblazer, Grace Hopper invented one of the first easy-to-use computer languages, which was a big advance in the field of computer programming. Dolores Huerta:
1930– A spokesperson for the rights of workers, Dolores Huerta helped create the National Farm Workers Association. Among other issues, she has fought for the right to a minimum wage, unemployment insurance, paid holidays, and retirement benefits for farm workers. Shirley Jackson (born 1946)
Jackson is the former head of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, where she reaffirmed the agency's commitment to public health and safety. She is the first female African American to receive a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Jackson's outstanding leadership in education, science, and public policy demonstrates the capability of women to be leaders in the field of science and technology.
Joan of Arc:
1412–1431 A national hero in France, Joan of Arc led the resistance to the English invasion of France in the Hundred Years War. She believed that it was her divine mission to free her country from the English. She cut her hair, dressed in a man's uniform, and led French troops to victory in the battle of Orleans in 1429.
Frida Kahlo:1907–1954
This Mexican artist survived childhood polio and later a bus accident that led to seven operations. She began painting to escape her lifelong pain and is considered one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. Mother Theresa:
1910–1997 Founder of a religious group of nuns in Calcutta, India, Mother Theresa devoted her life to aiding sick and poor people throughout the world. Ellen Ochoa (born 1958)
As an astronaut and researcher of advanced optical information systems, Ochoa flew her first shuttle mission in 1993 as a Mission Specialist with the Discovery crew, conducting atmospheric and solar studies in order to better understand the effect of solar activity on the Earth's climate and environment. The first Hispanic woman to be named an astronaut, she has logged over 500 hours in space.Eleanor Roosevelt:
1884–1962 As a champion of human rights, she strove to further women’s causes as well as the causes of black people, poor people, and the unemployed.

The tales of these female buccaneers (Pirates) are as much clouded by legend as their male counterparts, or perhaps even more so. However, regardless all the swashbuckling myths and silliness, these women were real criminals, who committed perhaps the most daring theft of all—seizing a violent, active life from the grip of their oppressors.
There are lots more famous and infamous women who overcame the odds and did great work for women and human kind, or just made a point of surviving . Look up the web sites hope this helped.