Abstract
This paper explains that video games represent a site for role-playing in ways that violate both the corporate-constructed gender roles of game worlds, as well as the norms of masculine and feminine in our society. The writer discusses how this analysis applies to a range of levels in video game culture: the design level with its sub-culture of game patch design where users patch existing video games to fundamentally re-design game worlds that reflect distinct constructions of masculinity and femininity and the game play level where both female and male users play games in ways that challenge normative gender roles. The writer's main focus is on female game designers and players, whose interactions with video game culture critically undermines common conceptions of female gender identity.

Outline:
Introduction
Gender Bias as a Methodological Problem
Women Coding Women: The New Gaming Female
Conclusion

From the Paper
"In reviewing the scholarly literature upon gender roles and video game culture, it is important to recognize the operation of gender bias as a methodological problem. Before one can address the subject of video game and gender role transgression among females, one must note the profound degree to which traditional gender biases appear to impact scholarship on the subject of video game culture. Consider, for example, the question of the popularity of video games among males versus females, as well as the view that males prefer "violent" games while female players tend to reject these games for games that better reflect "feminine" qualities. There is a substantial body of research literature that has argued since the late 1980s that video games are a predominantly male cultural preoccupation. Surveys tended to reveal an extraordinary disproportion both in terms of numbers of players and the lengths of time devoted to gameplay. For example, adolescent boys have been shown to be as much as three times more likely to play video games as adolescent girls."

Tags:gaming, culture, sex, roles, violent, designers, players, Tomb, Raider, virtual

Abstract
This paper defines police culture and discusses how it affects the relationship between the police and society at large. It also looks at the moral issues associated with police culture and discusses the police mindset and the group think phenomenon that takes place in police cultures. Finally, the paper discusses the phenomenon of the "code of silence" that the public believes exists within police ranks.

From the Paper
"Select law enforcement personnel have the ability to truly help improve the effects of the "Code of Silence" and shape other issues existing in police culture- one key group is police supervisors. They have daily contact and responsibility with the members of their squad, and so have the opportunity to influence their behavior. The extent of their influence, however, largely depends on three factors: whether the supervisor is respected by officers, whether the supervisor is fair and reasonable in decision-making, and whether action is taken when issues are brought to the supervisor's attention. If these conditions are met, officers who have concerns about a fellow officer's behavior will be more likely to approach their supervisor with these concerns and have confidence that appropriate actions will be taken without negative consequences."

Tags:code of silence, mindset officer criminal

Abstract
The paper examines corporate culture and uses the United States Marines as an example of this. Three works are cited: Marion F. Sturkey's "Warrior Culture of the U.S. Marines", Sgt. James Covington's "Suits to BOOTS: Marines teach Corps' values to business students" and "Corps Values". Sturkey explains that the marine's character is defined by three constant "Corps Values", honor courage, and commitment. The paper defines these values and also explains the the "Code of Conduct" of 1955. Covington discusses how the marines handle leadership challenges in a stressful environment and how this knowledge can be applied in the business world. The paper concludes that the marine's commitment to decentralized management and bottom-up thinking has evolved due to high risk, high speed and, high focus assaults which tend to be unforgiving on bureaucratic or autocratic management styles.

From the Paper
"Honor requires the ultimate standard in ethical and moral conduct, and a Marine must never lie, cheat, or steal, must adhere to a code of personal integrity and be accountable for his actions, and above all, must never sully the reputation of his Corps (Sturkey pp). Courage is honor in action, moral strength, heeding the inner voice of conscience and doing what is right in spite of adverse consequences (Sturkey pp). Commitment is total dedication to Corps and Country, and is a combination of selfless determination and relentless dedication to excellence (Sturkey pp). And once a Marine, always a Marine, for there is no such thing as an ex-Marine or former-Marine, only reserve, retired or veteran Marines (Sturkey pp). These three Corps Values make up the bedrock of each individual Marine's character, and are the foundation of the Corps itself (Sturkey pp). These values have been handed down from generation to generation and are the reason why the U.S. Marines are the most respected and revered fighting force on earth (Sturkey pp)."

Tags:uniform, code, military, justice, armed, forces, business, students, leaders, chaotic, environment, evaluate, decisions

Abstract
This paper will look at the field of cultural semiotics, and will examine how various bodily gestures and behavior varies across cultural boundaries. Attention will be focused on proxemic and tactile codes of behavior, with regard to the American culture.

Abstract
This paper discusses the Muslim garb of the people of the Islamic culture. By analyzing when, where, who, what and why in this spectrum, one can see the lifestyle that is projected from this ancient culture. This paper seeks to understand the Muslim dress and how it is relevant to these very religious peoples.

Abstract
This essay will examine the use of signs, both verbal and non-verbal, in order to understand the relationship between semiosis and culture and to see how the two affect each other. For verbal and nonverbal codes vary culturally, and this understanding is a central tenet of modern semiotics.

Abstract
This paper explains that German culture is a "low context" culture where cultural messages are found primarily in the spoken or written word, with contextual information adding relatively little to the overall message, whereas Middle Eastern and East Indian cultures tend to be marked by meanings that are implicit and mediated by details of the situation, relationships, and non-verbal messages. The author points out that, compared to the French, Germans are famous for their direct and to-the-point speech and their insistence on following the letter of the social and legal code. The paper suggests that the Oktoberfest festival provides a temporary antidote to the strictness and formality of German culture in a specifically designed, celebratory space. .

From the Paper
"However, Americans might be struck by the use of alcohol as a release from constraint, and the emphasis on sheer volume of beer consumed. Furthermore, the polka music and the emphasis on the cuteness of the lederhosen and attire worn by many of the Oktoberfest participants, another form of release from formality, might strike the eye as strange. The German release from social norms, therefore, is not simply alcoholically created. It is an entire experience that allows German individuals to be liberated from adult expectations and to enter an almost childlike, false historical world."

Tags:french, eastern, indian, formality, context

Abstract
The writer compares two texts, one of which was written before the samurai gained power, and the other after their rise. The writer argues that at no point in either text do the samurai display the type of loyalty dictated by the warrior code; instead, they seem to follow their own quests for revenge, or their own conceptions of right, or desire for power without regard for hierarchy and the unquestionable authority of their superior. However, the writer explains that by the time the samurai have gained power, the samurai expectations of loyalty seem to have pervaded the rest of the culture, with those expectations being expected of and demonstrated by servants, children, and even animals.

From the Paper
"The history of the samurai in Japanese culture is a very interesting one. With a development over hundreds of years, the samurai went from being a warrior class to a distinct social class, which held power in various ways across the country and also played an important role in government. The structure of samurai landownership was intricately tied to the structure of the samurai warrior code itself, with loyalty determined by the very same allegiances that also determined and bestowed or granted wealth. Wealth in a fiscal form, was not a part of the samurai ethic, but wealth..."

Tags:samurai, loyalty, japan

Abstract
This paper examines the current crisis in computer programming and internet usage, further considering whether the fundamental structure of Western society will emerge into an imagining network democracy or devolve into a closed source system of technocracy. The paper also notes that in every era of historical paradigm shift, there is a conflict over the control of resources. The paper concludes by questioning how, in the emerging information age of global capitalism and multinational corporations, will the architectural code of cyberspace be regulated.

From the Paper
"The thesis of this paper is that the "current crisis" (Rushkoff, 2003, P.57) in computer programming and internet usage is whether the fundamental structure of Western society will emerge into "an imagining network democracy" or devolve into "a closed source system" (Rushkoff, 2003, p.59) of technocracy. In every era of historical paradigm shift, there is a conflict over the control of resources. In the emerging information age of global capitalism and multinational corporations, the question is how will the architectural code of cyberspace be regulated..."

Tags:politics, technology, cu, ture

Abstract
The regulation of building construction can be traced back 4,000 years to cultures such as the Chinese, Greek, and Roman empires. Building regulations arose from the attempts of our ancestors to establish ways to control or avoid devastation from building fires and construction failures. Today, there are a number of specific parameters that affect the cost of buildings, including government building codes, which are enacted to protect public health and safety; these can take the form of both prescriptive and performance requirements, as well as industry demands that may not be reflected in actual building codes themselves, which consist of such desirable factors as climate control, elevators, and other aesthetics. Based on the efficiencies provided by standardized codes, the trend toward adoption of such codes nationally and internationally would seem to be a prudent choice for builders and municipalities. This study examines what the three code-making bodies within the United States were doing, are doing, and how they are now working together to produce a common building code for the United States to improve the safety, aesthetics, and functionality of the building conditions required for the entire country. The hypothesis of this paper is that, as a result of this leadership and innovation in the United States, improvements in building codes will extend to the developing countries of the world.

From the Paper
"Gene Fessenbecker, author of Building Codes and the Construction Contractor, says that, "The regulation of building construction can be traced back 4,000 years to cultures such as the Chinese, Greek and Roman empires. Building regulations arose from the attempts of our ancestors to establish ways to control or avoid devastation from building fires and construction failures. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson tried to establish some of the earliest design and construction regulations in America for the purpose of protecting public health and safety" (Fessenbecker 1). Today, there are a number of specific parameters that affect the cost of buildings including government building codes, a which are enacted to protect public health and safety; these can take the form of both prescriptive and performance requirements, as well as industry demands which may not be reflected in actual building codes themselves which consist of such desirable factors as climate control, elevators and other aesthetics. This study is intended to examine what the three code-making bodies within the United States were doing, are doing and how they are now working together to produce a common Building Code for the United States to improve the safety, aesthetics, and functionability of the building conditions required for the entire country. The hypothesis of this paper will be that as a result of this leadership and innovation in the United States, improvements in building codes will extend to the developing countries of the world."

Tags:construction, contract, engineering, fighting, fire, ibc, law, permit, property, single, trades, ubc, union