This month’s blog post was contributed by Pam Rees, Director of the Library at Grand View University.
One of the Pressbook Community Favorites for 2022 is Introduction to LGBTQ+ Studies, an open textbook that “employs intersectional analysis, highlighting how sexuality and gender are simultaneously experienced and constructed through other structures of inequity and privilege.” It is one of the most comprehensive works on the topic. This text is designed for an introductory level course in LGBTQ studies, but specific chapters would be useful as supplementary materials in courses such as family studies or health.
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I. Theoretical Foundations
- Part II: Global Histories
- Part III: U.S. Histories
- Part IV: Prejudice and Health
- Part V: Relationships, Families, and Youth
- Part VI: Culture
- Part VII: Research
Strengths of this book:
- Its greatest strength is its global approach to cross-disciplinary topics. It includes chapters on a variety of topics such as world history, parents, literature, and health.
- The content is authoritative. The authors have extensive background in gender/LGBTQ studies, and each chapter comes with a healthy list of cited references.
- The work is comprehensive but concise. Each chapter includes multimedia such as videos or links to break up and supplement the written text. This approach also supports students with diverse learning needs.
- Each chapter also has additional links to resources for further reading. These are identified as “Quick dip” and “Deep dive” materials. Both are at the very end of the chapter after the instructor resources and class activities.
- Glossary terms provide context. The online version of the work provides pop-up definitions for less common words and technical terms.
Considerations:
- The level of language used may be too advanced for lower level students, but the pop-up glossary terms can help.
- The breadth, depth, and density may be too much for a single introductory course.
Conclusion
Introduction to LGBTQ+ Studies by Deborah P. Amory, Sean G. Massey, and Jennifer Miller is one of the first texts to cover this topic so completely. It looks at LGBTQ+ studies from an cross-cultural perspective and includes historical analysis as well. It is easy to access and offers many additional resources for instructors and learners alike. It has been well-received and can be used in several different courses as a primary or supplementary text.