Reference books are a great place to get an overview of a topic, or to look up a specific piece of information. The best academic reference books often provide bibliographies of additional sources of information.
Please Note: EBSCO Academic ebooks are not included in CYRIL, but they are included in our Discover search. They are only available to the Siena community.
Encyclopedia of Gender and Society by 
Encyclopedia of Gender in Media by 
Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender
Gender and Women's Leadership by
This work is part of the SAGE Reference Series on Leadership and provides undergraduate students with an authoritative reference resource on leadership issues specific to women and gender. It covers historical and contemporary barriers to women's leadership and issues of gender bias and discrimination, but also places a strong focus on positive aspects and opportunities for leadership in various domains. The two-volume set is centered on the 100 most important topics, issues, questions and debates specific to women and gender. By focusing on 100 key topics, more detailed information and depth of discussion is provided than typically found in an encyclopedia entry but not as much jargon, detail or density as a journal article or a research handbook chapter. Key Themes women and public leadership in the American context women's global leadership women as leaders in the business sector the nonprofit and social service sector religion academia public policy advocacy the media sports the arts.
Handbook of Studies on Men and Masculinities by
In the past, research in the field of gender has mainly addressed issues about women, and has for the most part been developed by women. Recently, the study of gender has rapidly expanded and there has been a growing interest in men's and boys' identities, conduct, and problems. The Handbook of Studies on Men and Masculinities is an interdisciplinary and international culmination of the growth of men's studies that also offers insight about future directions for the field. The Handbook provides a broad view of masculinities primarily across the social sciences, with the inclusion of important debates in some areas of the humanities and natural sciences. The various approaches presented in this Handbook range across different disciplines, theoretical perspectives, methodologies, and conceptualizations in relation to the topic of men. Editors Michael S Kimmel, Jeff Hearn, and Robert W Connell have assembled an esteemed group of contributors who are among the best-known experts in their particular fields. The Handbook of Studies on Men and Masculinities examines the construction of masculinities in four different frames: the social organization of masculinities in their global and regional iterations; the institutional reproduction and articulation of masculinities; the ways in which masculinities are organized and practiced within a context of gender relations; and the ways in which individual men express and understand their gendered identities. The Handbook is organized in a way that moves from the larger, global, and institutional articulations of masculinities, to the more intimate and personal expressions. The Handbook of Studies on Men and Masculinities provides scholars, researchers, and students with the most current, incisive scholarship available for the men's studies area of gender studies. It is a vital resource for those interested in the practical or cultural issues about men, boys, and gender, as well as an excellent addition to any academic library.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History by Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies are interdisciplinary fields including the humanities, science, and the social sciences. The resources included in this guide come from many academic disciplines, activist and nonprofit organizations, government sources, and popular culture sources. This guide is not meant to be exhaustive.
"Much of history is one-sided, mainly focused on the male perspective; women's voices are not often heard. Women's Studies Archives: Issues and Identities provides the opportunity to witness history from the female perspective. Offering coverage of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Women's Issues and Identities allows for the serendipitous discovery of commonalities among a variety of archival collections.
Global in scope, the archive presents materials covering the social, political, and professional aspects of women's lives and offers a look at the roles, experiences, and achievements of women in society. A wide range of primary sources provide a close look at some of the pioneers of women's history, a deep dive into the issues that have affected women, and the many contributions they have made to society.
Women's Issues and Identities spans multiple geographic regions, providing a variety of perspectives on women's experiences and cultural impact. Within the archive can be found fascinating historical records from Europe, North and South America, Africa, India, East Asia, and the Pacific Rim with content in English, French, German, and Dutch."
The Oxford Handbook of American Women's and Gender History by 
