Abstract
Threshold Concepts in Women’s and Gender Studies: Ways of Seeing, Thinking, and Knowing provides a concepts-based, skill-focused foundation for introductory women’s and gender studies students. Launius and Hassel state in their preface that the goal of their textbook is not to “‘cover’ material” but rather to “‘uncover’ the key threshold concepts and ways of thinking that students need in order to develop a deep understanding and to approach the material like feminist scholars do, across the disciplines” (p. viii). A major strength of the text is that the authors utilize a fresh pedagogical approach that allows students to take an active role in learning key concepts through a variety of methods and to consider proactive ways of integrating scholarly information into their daily lives. They have carefully constructed the chapters “to create multiple ways of ‘trying on’ feminist ways of seeing, thinking, and knowing in academic and non-academic spaces” (p. 4). In comparing Threshold Concepts with other current women’s and gender studies texts (e.g., Orr & Braithwaite’s Rethinking Women’s and Gender Studies, 2011; Chinn & Alcoff’s Women’s Realities, Women’s Choices: An Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies, 2014), we think that Launius and Hassel utilized a more down-to-earth writing style and interactive text to engage the introductory WGS student.
Launius and Hassel present four key concepts in the field: the social construction of gender, privilege and oppression, intersectionality, and feminist praxis. Each chapter begins with an overview and definition of the threshold concept along with an opening illustration of the concept. Another major strength of the text is the inclusion of “Learning Roadblocks,” which are integrated into the core material of the chapters and offer students a chance to explore potential misconceptions and previously unexamined assumptions about the ideas presented. At the end of each chapter, the authors outline application exercises, discussion questions, and writing prompts, which challenge students to think about how the material is related to the world around them.
While Threshold Concepts is not a self-directed text, the authors designed the book to be equally useful to both student and instructor and paid careful attention to presenting active ways of learning. The preface and introduction provide helpful information to instructors on various ways in which the text and its educational elements may be used—either as the sole text for an entire semester by utilizing the many learning features associated with each chapter for in-depth exploration, or as a text to inspire instructor-selected supplemental material. In addition, the up-to-date text will capture students’ interest with examples from popular culture and current events, while providing necessary information about the historical foundations of feminism.
The novel structure of the text, the key concepts presented, and the variety of exercises offered will help students develop a critical lens through which they can observe, analyze, and affect the world around them and will challenge them to move beyond their preconceived notions. However, the structure of the book would have been improved if the authors had added a conclusion to the book; it ends abruptly without a summary.
The main disappointing feature of Threshold Concepts in Women’s and Gender Studies is that the majority of the text focuses on the female experience. Despite the fact that the text is titled Women’s and Gender Studies, there was a paucity of case studies or examples that examine the male experience within the four key threshold concepts. While the book was not “antimale,” it seemed one dimensional and heavily weighted on women’s studies, especially within the “Privilege and Oppression” chapter. In addition, the references and overall tone of the book focused more on the problems that women face rather than providing a balanced approach to women and men. This appears to be a problem with books on women and gender studies in general. The recent texts that do reference men’s issues (e.g., Berger & Radeloff’s Transforming Scholarship, 2014) have a relatively small section about men’s issues compared to the bulk of the text. Although the phrase “women and gender studies” appears in the title of a number of texts, there are no texts titled “men and gender studies”—indicative of how scholars still consider gender primarily in reference to women’s issues and perspectives.
At a time when it is important to include more men in women and gender studies classes, the material in the book may leave male students feeling that their issues were ignored and may inhibit them from engaging fully and openly with the concepts presented. Perhaps a future edition should be titled Men, Women, and Gender Studies and should consider including new ways of seeing, thinking, and knowing about gender—all genders.