1. Defining a Personal Feminism:

For this first project, you may choose one of two options: defining a personal feminism or writing a manifesta. For either assignment, you will need to write a paper of 5-7 pages that combines personal and academic writing—not unlike the text you've read in Manifesta, which combines the authors' own stories with careful research and a strong argument. This paper is due February 7.

If you choose to define a personal feminism, you will need to begin with research. What are the women's (or feminist) issues important to you? What would be the goals of your feminism and how would you want these goals to be achieved? What kinds of feminism that already exist also work toward these goals? For example, if your goals are political and economic equality for women, how would these goals be achieved? How does economic equality impact a variety of other issues, like reproductive freedom, access to childcare, and paid maternity leave? How does one discuss women's economic equality in a culture where childcare is devalued? (Can women receive social security benefits for raising our own children? Who pays?)

The paper's content: (This could also help you organize your paper into sections)

Try to think through the complex logic of your feminism to show:

• What you know about feminisms—from your research and from the book we've read. Combine the feminisms whose goals most interest you. Be sure to define these feminism and discuss their goals, issues, ideas.
• Your own story. Why do these feminisms appeal to you?
• How you shape these feminisms into something that fits you—what aspects do you embrace? Which do you reject?
• Now that you have a feminism that fits you, how will you enact it in your life? (How can you change lives? Do you bring a problem to public attention? Do you work to enact a political change? Remember, feminism is about action.)

Goals of this paper: Demonstrate

• what you've discovered about the wide varieties of feminisms.
• that you can claim a term and define it for yourself, but not in a way that negates that term's meaning. (You can't say you are a feminist who supports the political, economic, or social oppression of women, because those would be the opinions of someone who is not a feminist.)
• your understanding of the complexity and inter-relatedness of political issues.
• your understanding of the problems women face in our culture and the possibility for real solutions.

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