Resources

• Book Review - The Gendered Society

  The Gendered Society by Michael S. Kimmel
  - Reviewed by Ken Nicholson

  The Gendered Society is an exploration of current thinking about gender, both inside academia and in our everyday lives. Michael S. Kimmel challenges the claim that gender is limited to women's experiences—his compelling and balanced study of gender includes both masculine and feminine perspectives. Part 1 examines the latest work in biology, anthropology, psychology, and sociology; Part 2 provides an original analysis of the gendered worlds of family, education, and work; and Part 3 explores gender interactions, including friendship and love, sexuality, and violence.
  
  Kimmel makes three bold and persuasive statements about gender. First, he demonstrates that gender differences are often extremely exaggerated; in fact, he argues that men and women have much more in common than we think they do. Kimmel also challenges the pop psychologists who suggest that gender difference is the cause of inequality between the sexes; instead, he reveals that the reverse is true--gender inequality itself is the cause of the differences between men and women. Finally, he illustrates that gender is not merely an element of individual identity, but a socially constructed institutional phenomenon that favors males and is highly unequal.
  
  By the end of The Gendered Society, Kimmel leaves the distinct impression that, as a society, we can do better and he gives us the tools to bring it about.

• Crime Victims' and Witnesses' Bill of Rights

  The Right to be notified in advance when a court proceeding has been rescheduled or cancelled;
  
  The Right to an interpreter or translator, if needed, to be informed of their rights;
  
  The Right to be informed of any offer of a plea bargain with the defendant;
  
  The Right to be informed by the appropriate custodial authority whenever the defendant receives temporary, provisional or final release or when he escapes from custody;
  
  The Right to be informed of the time and place of any parole or probation hearing concerning the defendant;
  
  The Right to be informed of the right to request restitution. If full restitution is not ordered, the court shall state reasons;
  
  The Right to have any property held for evidentiary purpose promptly returned unless there is a compelling reason for retaining it.