Becoming Nicole (Common Text 2016-2017)

Frank Browning takes us into human gender geographies around the world, from gender-neutral kindergartens in Chicago and Oslo to femminielli weather casters in Naples, from conservative Catholics in Paris fearful of God and Nature to transsexual Mormon parents in Utah. As he shares specific and engaging human stories, he also elucidates the neuroscience that distinguishes male and female biology, shows us how all parents' brains change during the first weeks of parenthood, and finally how men's and women's responses to age differ worldwide based not on biology but on their earlier life habits. Starting with Simone de Beauvoir's world-famous observation that one is not born a woman but instead becomes a woman, Browning goes on to show equally that no one is born a man but learns how to perform as a man, and that there is no fixed way of being masculine or feminine. Increasingly, the categories of "male" and "female" and even "gay" and "straight" seem old-fashioned and reductive. Just visible on the horizon is a world of gender and sexual fluidity that will remake our world in fundamental ways. Linking science to culture and behavior, and delving into the lives of individuals challenging historic notions, Browning questions the traditional division of Nature vs. Nurture in everything from plant science to sexual expression, arguing in the end that life consists of an endless waltz between these two ancient notions.

A groundbreaking guide to caring for children who live outside binary gender boxes We are only beginning to understand gender. Is it inborn or learned? Can it be chosen-or even changed? Does it have to be one or the other? These questions may seem abstract-but for parents whose children live outside of gender "norms," they are very real. No two children who bend the "rules" of gender do so in quite the same way. Felicia threw away her frilly dresses at age three. Sam hid his interest in dolls and "girl things" until high school-when he finally confided his desire to become Sammi. And seven-year-old Maggie, who sports a boys' basketball uniform and a long blond braid, identifies as "a boy in the front, and a girl in the back." But all gender-nonconforming children have one thing in common-they need support to thrive in a society that still subscribes to a binary system of gender. Dr. Diane Ehrensaft has worked with children like Felicia, Sam, and Maggie for over 30 years. In Gender Born, Gender Made, she offers parents, clinicians, and educators guidance on both the philosophical dilemmas and the practical, daily concerns of working with children who don't fit a "typical" gender mold. She debunks outmoded approaches to gender nonconformity that may actually do children harm. And she offers a new framework for helping each child become his or her own unique, most gender-authentic person.

In Gendered Worlds, Second Edition, authors Judy Root Aulette and Judith Wittner use the sociological imagination to explore gender relations throughout the world. They look at how concrete forms of gender, race, class, and sexual inequality operate transnationally; examine the impact of globalization on local and everyday life experiences; and identify how local actors re-imagine social possibilities, resist injustice, and work toward change. Integrating theory with empirical studies that are of particular interest to college students--including research on violence, sports, and sexuality--the authors make gender concepts genuinely interesting and accessible. They also demonstrate how students can think critically about gender, both within and beyond the classroom. Incorporating a broad range of pedagogical features, including boxed sections and end-of-chapter sections that focus on social movements, Gendered Worlds, Second Edition, is ideal for courses in sociology of gender, sociology of sex roles, and gender studies.

The 4th edition ofGender Rolesprovides the best balance between “gender” and “women” as a focus—especially with the expanded content on men and masculinity. It addresses religion and integrates history at various points. An objective of the book is to dispel myths about gender. Both sociological and interdisciplinary content organized around clear and appropriate research serves this objective well—providing readers with a sociological perspective of gender that can be meaningfully applied to their daily lives.The more controversial topics related to gender have a greater array of supporting references directing readers to explore the topics further.Gender Rolesintegrates insights and research from other disciplines—especially biology, psychology, anthropology, and history. Interdisciplinary material is organized, presented, and guided by the sociological perspective, however, so readers can understand the commonalities and differences in the ways the various disciplines research and explain gender.An exciting and interesting read for anyone interested in gender roles and sexual identity.

Does kinship still matter in today’s globalized, increasingly mobile world? Do family structures continue to influence the varied roles that men and women play in different cultures? Answering with a resounding "yes!”, Linda Stone offers a lively introduction to and working knowledge of kinship. She firmly links these concepts to cross-cultural gender studies, illuminating the malleable nature of gender roles around the world and over time. Written to engage students, each chapter provides key terms and useful generalizations gleaned through cross-cultural research on the interplay of kinship and gender in both traditional societies and contemporary communities. Detailed case studies help students understand how such generalizations are experienced "in real life.” Stone also considers the ramifications of current social problems and recent developments in reproductive technology as she demonstrates the relevance of kinship and gender to students’ lives. The fully-revised fifth edition features discussion of cross-cultural examples complimented by expanded coverage of kinship and gender dynamics within the United States. Stone considers current evolutionary research on kinship and gender, and offers new case studies addressing international adoptions and polygynous marriage. An entirely new chapter explores the globalization of kinship in the 21st century. The result is a broad and captivating exploration of anthropological approaches to family and gender.

Teaching Gender through Latin American, Latino, and Iberian Texts and Cultures provides a dynamic exploration of the subject of teaching gender and feminism through the fundamental corpus encompassing Latin American, Iberian and Latino authors and cultures from the Middle Ages to the 21st century. The four editors have created a collaborative forum for both experienced and new voices to share multiple theoretical and practical approaches to the topic. The volume is the first to bring so many areas of study and perspectives together and will serve as a tool for reassessing what it means to teach gender in our fields while providing theoretical and concrete examples of pedagogical strategies, case studies relating to in-class experiences, and suggestions for approaching gender issues that readers can experiment with in their own classrooms. The book will engage students and educators around the topic of gender within the fields of Latin American, Latino and Iberian studies, Gender and Women's studies, Cultural Studies, English, Education, Comparative Literature, Ethnic studies and Language and Culture for Specific Purposes within Higher Education programs. "Teaching Gender through Latin American, Latino, and Iberian Texts and Cultures makes a compelling case for the central role of feminist inquiry in higher education today ... Startlingly honest and deeply informed, the essays lead us through classroom experiences in a wide variety of institutional and disciplinary settings. Read together, these essays articulate a vision for twenty-first century feminist pedagogies that embrace a rich diversity of theory, methodology, and modality." - Lisa Vollendorf, Professor of Spanish and Dean of Humanities and the Arts, San José State University. Author of The Lives of Women: A New History of Inquisitional Spain"What is it like to teach feminism and gender through Latin American, Iberian, and Latino texts? This rich collection of texts ... provides a series of insightful and exhaustive answers to this question ... An essential book for teachers of Latin American, Iberian and Latino/a texts, this volume will also spark new debates among scholars in Gender Studies." - Mónica Szurmuk, Researcher at the National Scientific and Technical Research Council of Argentina. Author of Mujeres en viaje and co-editor of the Cambridge History of Latin American Women's Literature