Buckner Co-Authors Book on Gender Psychology

During the 10 years Dr. Camille Buckner has taught the Psychology of Gender at Marymount University, she has struggled to find the right textbook. So when the opportunity arose, Buckner helped write it.
“Psychology of Sex and Gender,” co-authored with Dr. Jennifer Bosson and Dr. Joseph Vandello of the University of South Florida, was released last week by SAGE Publishing. Buckner said it takes a fresh, contemporary look at a field that originally took off in the early 1970s.
Buckner was approached about joining the project in 2015 and said she gladly accepted. Each author brought something distinctive to the team. While her colleagues are at a large, research-focused university, she said the emphasis during her 20-year career has been teaching that fosters critical thinking, deep learning, and knowledge transfer beyond the immediate learning environment.
“Given the complexity of gender, our understandings of it continually evolve, and I felt that students needed materials that kept pace with this,” she said.
Throughout the book, the authors reference gender-relevant media and current events such as the MeToo Movement and gender controversies surrounding noted Olympic athletes Caster Semenya and Dutee Chand in order to engage students in discussions.
According to Dr. Lois Stover, dean of the School of Education & Human Services, the innovative textbook includes an emphasis on how to teach the material, adding that Buckner leads the Psychology of Gender course “in ways that inspire inquiry and critical thinking.”
Buckner said the most satisfying thing about writing the book was producing something she believes will engage students in critical reflection and discussion about gender psychology and gender more broadly.
“It is also gratifying to think about how much I personally learned in this process,” she said. “We spent over two years writing the book, and it is the most significant and challenging accomplishment of my career.  I’m simultaneously relieved to have my life back and delighted to see how nicely all of our work has come together.”
 
 
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Dr. Camille Buckner