<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.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-02, Section: A, page: 0582. Adviser: Carol Thomas Neely. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 176-198) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Telecommunication, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-09, Section: A, page: 3651. Adviser: Julie R. Fox. Title from dissertation home page (viewed May 5, 2008).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-05, Section: A, page: 1855. Adviser: Karen Kelsky. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 221-241) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-07, Section: A, page: 3166. Adviser: Ramona Faith Oswald. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-91) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Lehigh University, 2010. / Adviser: Seth Moglen.

Thesis (M.A.)--Rutgers University, 2009. / "Graduate Program in Women and Gender Studies." Includes bibliographical references (p. 90-96).