Analyze the history of women's roles in martial arts and how it has changed from then to now. If you wanted to, you could broaden it and discuss any type of fighting. You could even mention Disney's 'Mulan' and 'Brave' as examples of progress towards women and fighting.
If I were to expound on this topic, I would look more in the direction of MMA or Mixed Martial Arts. Women are making serious strides of success in this sport and new and interesting headlines. I taught traditional martial arts for over 5 years. I am a second degree black belt and I can say that when MMA started to take form--by mixing both standup and ground fighting styles--the thought of women fighting in such a bloody sport was unheard of. This is a good topic. Ask for more info about women in the MMA. Scott – SWBiddulph9 years ago
Would definitely be important to mention Hou Hsiao-Hsien's film 'The Assassin' and the recognition it has had for being 'feminist' – Jacqueline Wallace9 years ago
This is a big but fascinating topic. There is a huge number of films to choose from, depending if the author is writing from a Hollywood or international perspective. – sophiacatherine9 years ago
