Senior Project Proposal

Katie Hall
A. Abstract
The title of my project is going to be A Day in the Life of a Saudi Woman, while the title
of my paper will be The Saudi Arabian Feminist Movement. The overarching topic of my
project is Feminism. The specific topic of this project is the ramifications of the ongoing feminist
movement in Saudi Arabia.
I chose this topic because I am a feminist, meaning that I have a strong belief that
women and men are equal in value and should be treated as such. Seeing women mistreated
and controlled in such a manner as is happening in Saudi Arabia is aggravating, but seeing
women take control of their lives and rise up through the oppression of a state and culture as
Saudi women are currently doing is empowering. An aspect that makes my topic different from
that of my peers is that it doesnt focus on an issue that is stagnant or out-dated; it is current,
relevant, and relatable.
The project aspect of this assignment is going to be a life-simulation. Participants will be
given a family and tasks to complete from the viewpoint of a Saudi woman. The tasks given will
include traveling to the market for supplies for dinner and participating in voting. The women in
Saudi Arabia are restricted by religious police from driving, so the participants will have to wait
for the male of their family to be available to drive them, or they will walk. Once walking,
volunteers will act as the religious police and stop the participants to ask why they do not have a
male guardian present and why they are not covered. After covering themselves and attaining a
male guardian, the participants will be allowed to go to the market. The market is the only place
where women are allowed to be without a male guardian, thus it is a sanctuary to many Saudi
women. The marketplace will be filled with pleasant people, shops with knick-knacks that the
women will be able to purchase, and a food court filled with traditional Saudi Arabian food. A
few participants will be given an appointed position and some will be running for an appointed
position so that they can see the regulations that restrict women from participating in politics.
After the simulation, I will have guest speakers educate the participants about the restrictions
Saudi women have to adhere to in everyday life and what actions are being taken to break
these restrictions.
My consultant will be Mr. Aaron Pratt. Mr. Pratt is the World History I teacher for the
Legal Studies Academy, Debate Coach, and President of the Tidewater Debate League.
Through my participation in debate, I have developed a bond with Mr. Pratt that will prove
beneficial during the various steps of my senior project.
My project will take place during the second semester of the school year at either a
school gym or a New Life Church campus. I will need hijabs and full body coverings, lots of
volunteers, someone to cater, knick-knacks for participants to purchase, pens/pencils, and a
survey.
The success of my project will be evaluated through a survey given after the simulation
about what the participants know about Saudi womens place in culture, how it affects them or
makes them feel, and how they would feel if they were in the place of a Saudi woman.
The following questions will drive my research:
How are women oppressed in Saudi Arabia?
Why has Saudi Arabian culture oppressed women to such an extreme?
How do Saudi women feel about their places in their society and culture?
 How can being educated about his topic improve our western views, ideals, and
life as a whole?

B. Learning Skills
New Skills:
Contacting Professionals
Coordinating with Venues
Coordinating and Acquiring Volunteers
Creating a Simulation
Enhanced Skills:
Public Speaking
Time Management
Organization
Advertisement

C. Marketing Plan/Facilities/Audience
My target audience is those who are ill-informed about world issues, especially those
surrounding women. The perfect audience would be those who are unaware of the injustices
facing Saudi Arabian women and those who are against feminism as a whole. This particular
group of people need to be educated as to why feminism is important and why women deserve
the same rights as men. When they are put into a life simulation, they should see that no person
should be oppressed in the way that Saudi women are. The audience will benefit through
gaining a better understanding of the world around them.
I plan to market through flyers placed around several high schools and churches. The
high school flyers would attract those who can be educated at a young age, while the church
flyers would attract those who have set beliefs. Plus, a lot of anti-feminists can be found in
conservative churches.
The venue I plan to use will be one of the New Life Church campuses. These campuses
have at least one large room and multiple smaller rooms that I can use as the different places in
the life simulation. Also, if a person is skeptical and quite conservative, a church may be more
appealing to them. New Life church is quite liberal as well, so those who are against strict
conservatism will not feel out-of-place.

D. Project Steps

Preliminary Steps Contact 8 Hours

Professional Speakers
Contact a
caterer
Contact Venue
Meet with
consultant
Find a
Photographer

Midway Steps Meet with 8 Hours

Consultant
 Survey Venue
Set permanent
logistics of simulation
Meet with
Volunteers to explain
roles

Later Steps Get supplies for 4 Hours

decoration and
simulation
Print Surveys
Check with all
personnel to remind
them of the time/date
and their roles

Follow Up Collect and 6 Hours

evaluate surveys
Clean up
Write thank you
letters
Pay caterer (if
needed)
Volunteer Hours
Forms for volunteers
(sign)

Total 25 Hours

E. Project Documentation
I will document my project in the following ways:
Photographs
Weekly Blog
Copies of conversations with professionals
Copies of conversations with venue and caterer

F. Project Justification
This project symbolizes a rite of passage for Legal Studies Academy seniors, and it
should be treated as such. My project will challenge me in ways that I have never before
experienced: hiring a caterer, contacting professional speakers, coordinating with a venue, etc.
Even though this project will provide me with challenges, I have had experiences that have
prepared me for this task. I am the vice-captain of the debate team and I was the vice-chairman
of the first annual First Colonial Speech and Debate Summer Camp. These experiences have
taught me how to organize an event and coordinate volunteers.

G.Project-Paper Connection
My paper will focus on the feminism movement currently taking place in Saudi Arabia
and its implications. The paper will look into how these women came to be oppressed, what
restrictions they face, how they have been fighting against said restrictions, and how the Saudi
Arabian legal system plays a part in the movement. The connection between the paper and the
project is apparent when one looks at their purpose: the paper provides information on the
oppression women are facing in Saudi Arabia, while the project actually puts people in the
shoes of those women. The paper provides all the facts one needs, but motivation only comes
when one can picture the injustice happening.

H. Academic Honesty
Academic Honesty: Completing assignments without plagiarism or unallowed help from others.
It also includes being honest if you have done one of these things or have seen another do so.
Plagiarism: Taking work from another person or a source without giving them credit (citing) for
the work and claiming it as your own.
I understand that any academic dishonesty by me on any part of the project will result in failure
of the Senior Project and forfeiture of the Legal Studies Seal on my High School diploma.