Pick a period in Western history OR a non-Western traditional society and write about the role of women in that period or society. You could, for example, examine the role of women in ancient Greek society, Roman society, medieval society, and/or in American society in antebellum South or in the industrial North before the Civil War. Or you could examine the role of women in traditional Arabic tribal society, African society, Latin American tribal society, Inuit culture, and so forth. (You can research any one of these topics through the library or by utilizing good online resources; this is a mini research project.) You can focus on one or more than one society, depending on your own interest in the research.

Resources - Read the following article that offers a brief historical overview by T. Head: Feminism in the United States: A Short Illustrated History.

Also read Chapter One of History Matters: Patriarchy and the Challenge of Feminism, in which Judith M. Bennett argues for the legitimacy of continuing the critique of "patriarchy."