The objective of this assignment is to apply the essays and concepts from this semester to the world around us.  To this end, you need to decide on an area of interest, and interview or survey one of the following groups:

Young girls: This may be done as an interview or survey. You may decide to ask about their perceptions of feminism, their ability to critical analyze ads or broadcast media, or the issues that Pipher discusses in Reviving Ophelia.  With younger children, you may want to ask them about “the smurfette principle”: “What does Miss Piggy do on The Muppets?  Do you like her?  Why or why not?  What would she do that Kermit wouldn’t do?”  Or you might ask them about cartoon role models:  “Would you rather be Kim Possible or the Little Mermaid?  Why?”

College aged women or men: This must be a survey, and may include questions focusing on perceptions of feminism or femininity, gender discrimination, or future plans along the lines of “What do you image your average day to be like in ten years?” vis a vis Barbara Kerr’s essay.

Crones:  A crone is an older woman endowed with experience and knowledge who is often portrayed as powerful and dangerous in myths and folktales (think of Circe in Song of Solomon or the old woman in “Hansel and Gretel”). Interview an older woman about the changes that she has seen, her perceptions and understandings of women’s issues or feminism, or her sex life after menopause.

These are meant to be examples, not limits.  This information gleaned from the interview or survey will provide the focus for a three to five page essay in which you analyze the information using the essays from this semester.