My argument is that gender visibility in live and mediated performance can be enhanced by the use of the dramaturgical toolkit. The thesis as a whole offers a body of work and a method for recontextualising that work, and for reframing it in multimedia format. The visual and written texts on the DVD-Rom give equal weight to the performance and written research comprising this submission. Building upon that set of materials and meanings, but leaving deliberate gaps and spaces for debate and interpretation between them as well, I have attempted to offer a useful but also a flexible toolkit for use by future practitioners and scholars. Method: Taking as my case study Di's Midsummer Night Party, a site-based devised performance (this collaboration in 2000 was created with a scenographer, five professional actors and 20 extras, performed over five nights in an 18th-century house), I design and theorise a dramaturgical toolkit. The theoretical base is developed from established theoretical concerns, feminist performance theory and social semiotics to analyse an original contemporary performance work. Original contribution: The dramaturgical toolkit is designed to be used by artists, students and academics. My analytical tool is being used in teaching and is valuable to others who want to teach/research gender representation in live and mediated performance. Tests during development and subsequently have taken place with performance design and fashion students at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, where the kit encouraged the articulation and analysis of student work. The dramaturgical toolkit helps the facilitator to push students towards articulation and analysis of "bite-sized" bits that are distilled enough to be clear, and therefore useful for making and analysing performance. This process of distillation helps artists and students to focus down and to reach new levels of understanding.

<p> This qualitative study is aimed at understanding the experiences of three pre-operative male-to-female transgender individuals' perceptions of their genitalia. The participants completed a semistructured interview utilizing projective drawings to elicit a narrative about their perceptions regarding their genitalia. Interview transcripts were analyzed via interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) and three master themes were identified: former identity, detachment, and depersonalization. Each one of the themes sheds a light on the challenges preoperative male-to-female transgender individuals face in living with genitalia that are not congruent with their desired gender. This understanding of the male-to-female transgender perceptions of their genitalia further supports the literature review, suggesting the importance of sex reassignment surgery in order to transition fully to the desired sex for those who wish to do so (Lev, 2004). The findings indicate that sex reassignment surgery is an important step in treatment of gender dysphoria for individuals who wish to obtain surgery. </p>

No description available.

<p> Since its establishment as a mining camp, Denver was an integral part of life for many westerners, including homosexuals. Although Denver's early gay culture has received little scholarly attention, its history is unique and revealing, as its experience does not necessarily reflect those of other larger urban communities. This study examines how upper and middle-class white gay men navigated the boundaries of sexual morality to help define homosexual personhood for the public and form the basis of Denver's gay community between 1940 and 1975. Within the context of national discourse regarding "homosexuality," breadwinner liberalism, and the sexual revolution, the emergence and cohesion of Denver's gay community occurred during a transformation from homophile activism to the gay liberation movement. Subsequently, the history of gay Denver demonstrates the importance of politicization and sexuality in the construction and organization of gay scenes and the politics of moral respectability. Well before the materialization of a national "gay rights" movement and the gay liberation movement in the American twentieth century, Denver functioned as an example of how white gay men attempted to unify and create the basis of an early gay political movement.</p>

<p> This study hypothesized that differences in sex behaviors of men and women with sex addiction would mirror sex behaviors differences characteristic of men and women in general. A sample of 45 persons with sex addiction was obtained from social media websites. A validated sexual addiction questionnaire and gender-specific sex behavior questionnaire (GBQ) were administered. Results confirmed that all subjects had sex addiction. Sex addiction scores for men were universally higher than for women across all domains of sex addiction; all differences were statistically significant. Of 22 GBQ questions, 16 trended in the predicted direction; six did not. The proportion of endorsements in line with the hypothesis was significantly different from chance, suggesting that differences in sex behaviors of men and women with sex addiction mirror those of men and women in general. Four findings differed from the hypothesis, however. First, men with sex addiction had fewer relationships at one time than women. Second, men were less likely than women to seek escort or phone services, pay for sexually explicit phone calls, or use personal ads to find partners. Third, men and women equally endorsed being more likely to have sex with someone they know rather than anonymous sex partners. Fourth, women more often reported having one-night stands than men. These gender-specific behaviors deviate from past research, suggesting that men and women with sex addiction may choose some sexual behaviors atypical of their gender. Cultural and technological changes that may be impacting these novel sex behaviors were explored.</p>

<p> The aim of this research is to explore whether and how gay and bisexual men experience street harassment&mdash;those public interactions committed by strangers that are targeted at individuals with specific (perceived) identities <i> because</i> of those identities. Street harassment is unwelcome and intimidating and makes people feed scared, uncomfortable, and humiliated, and research up to this point has mainly focused on the harassment of women by men. This study was conducted using only online methods, using a survey to interact with 331 gay and bisexual men from at least 42 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and 22 countries, in addition to follow-up interviews with 24 of those survey-takers. Ninety percent of the survey respondents reported sometimes, often, or always feeling unwelcome in public because of their sexual orientation, and 71.3 percent said they constantly assess their surroundings when navigating public spaces. This is not the case for everyone, though. Some men don't report these feelings because they may view victimization as inconsistent with their male identity, or they may just not experience it at all. The results also suggest important differences between the harassment of women vs. the harassment of gay/bisexual men. They also show interesting variety in experiences across identity categories&mdash;including age and race&mdash;in addition to differences depending on how men view their own masculinity and legibility of sexual orientation. Much more research is required to fully understand the experiences of particular groups, including transpeople, but that degree of focus was unfortunately beyond the scope of this study. </p>

<p> Video games represent the future of storytelling, changing the impact of cultural narratives in important ways through a process of learning and internalization of game content that alters players&rsquo; perceptions of self and reality. Continued rigorous research of interactive media is necessary because of the speed at which technology changes its capabilities and the dominant nature of its format&mdash;it is how many people will tell, hear, and experience stories, culture, and values in the coming years. This dissertation argues that a deeper understanding of how people play video games and what these play experiences mean must rely on interdisciplinary lenses of analysis that value player reports, programming choices, and cultural narratives equally. I establish a theoretical and methodological approach that defines elements of what it means to play video games, and study the qualitative influence of game-play on thought and behavior through pragmatic analysis of interview data. Samples of masculine discourses of game play in the United States provide a starting point for this exploration of video game impact through discussions of play theory, narratology, game programming and interaction with interactive media hardware.</p><p> Common social concerns regarding increased violence, aggression, or de-socialization as a result of this medium were not represented in the population presented in this dissertation. Players recognized the allure of the so-called negative aspects of video games, but ultimately expressed a decided disconnect between the real world and virtual experiences of play, describing cathartic and therapeutic reasons for their enjoyment of those elements. An interdisciplinary approach to video game research must be embraced, despite a constant call for quick, universal answers to their most common critiques. Foundational themes for understanding the influence of interactive digital play experiences on personal identity and ideology construction are demonstrated through thematic and sociolinguistic analyses of in-depth interview data. These include play theory, narratology, human-computer interaction theory, and player report data. I draw on the established theoretical backgrounds of these disciplines to suggest a new term, ergodic ontogeny, to describe this complex process of personal development resulting from influences of interactive digital media gaming that reach beyond play experiences.</p>

<p> This dissertation examines how differing goals men and women bring to the workplace affect the impact of corporate rewards intended to motivate and recognize performance and promote retention. It focuses on gender because of the changing composition of the American workforce. In 2010 women constituted 47% of the total U.S. employed workforce and 52% of the U.S. professional workforce. An emerging body of research indicates that women in professional positions increase the effectiveness of problem solving and the profitability of organizations. Unfortunately, little attention has been paid to the impact of reward systems on retention, especially for women. This dissertation explores the links among individual goals, organizational rewards, and retention. Using social cognitive theory, it examines gender differences in goals; identifies the types of rewards that are most effective for each group; and proposes a model for determining effective reward structures. The dissertation conclusions are these: (1) there are barriers to success for professional women and there is a need for organizational support; (2) flexible work arrangements are a key antecedent to reduce turnover of professional women; (3) mentoring of professional women is needed, but sponsorship is required; and (4) to be a visionary organization that creates and sustains a competitive advantage by retaining valuable human capital action has to be taken now.</p>

<p> The rapid development of consumer culture during the two decades after World War II, coupled with the rise of the teenager, resulted in a powerful cultural and socioeconomic shift that marketers exploited to sell goods and ideas. In this dissertation, I analyze particular spaces and objects marketed to teenagers, particularly teenage girls, for use in the postwar home, both real and imagined. I highlight the ways in which age, gender, privacy, personal identity, parental concerns, and familial relationships intersected with the design and use of specific spaces, interior decoration, and selected objects. I examine the recreation room and family room, the teenage bedroom, the dressing table, the telephone, and what I call the "teenage trousseau" as examples of interiors and objects marketed to reflect heteronormative and gendered expectations. I also consider the ways in which teenage girls derived pleasure from and expressed agency through consuming, creating, and envisioning domestic space. The increased prominence of teenage girls embodied this tension, which was at once bound to the social pleasures found in feminine culture and to the influence of marketers responding to postwar affluence.</p><p> At this time, magazines such as <i>Seventeen</i>, a publication marketed expressly to teenage girls, forged a symbiotic relationship with commercial interests. Consequently, household furnishings and objects figured prominently in editorial and advertising discourse, providing a rich source of information concerning the cultural attitudes and expectations relating to middle-class teenage girls at that time. A paradoxical space, the postwar home was at once a place of containment as well as one of autonomy and power, where teenage girls could socialize, experiment, and assume different identities and roles. The consistent emphasis on consumption and its relation to domesticity makes the study of representations of teenage girls particularly integral to the analysis of the interpretation, decoration, and design of the postwar home.</p>

One of the most important French grammar rules is the rule of superiority: Masculine subjects always trump feminine subjects when there are multiple subjects. Superiority is closely followed by the acceptance that all nouns have a grammatical gender, either masculine or feminine. Since 1984, and over the span of forty years, these rules have been challenged on multiple levels of French society. The research conducted over the course of this thesis focuses on the mentality and reactions of the French people towards inclusive language made up of inclusive writing campaigns, the feminization of traditionally masculine names, career positions, and titles, and the introduction of gender-neutral forms of conjugating and neo-pronouns. The studied responses are be categorized into those of the French government, the Académie Française, as well as those from the Canadian government and the Office québécois de la langue française. Research demonstrates the existence of a clear division between "traditionalist" and progressive values at work within the afore-mentioned levels of French societal attitudes. While official government publications and committees seem to reflect a positive attitude towards the adoption of feminized terms, the lack of support for inclusive writing systems by the government contradicts this. This thesis outlines these responses and reactions, seeking to establish a timeline for the implementation and acceptance of feminized terms and neutralization efforts in both the French and Canadian governments.