Why am I here?

The answer to that is very simple. I'm a senior in Anthropology at Kansas State University, focusing in the areas of cultural and linguistic anthropology. I am currently conducting a pilot study for my Language and Gender class on cross-gendered roleplay in online roleplaying games and virtual worlds, using the mediums of Neverwinter Nights and Second Life. I hope to answer some questions I have about our perceptions of genders other than our own, and how these perceptions show in the roleplay or identity-assumption of these other genders online. As most of the people I am studying view gender as a male/female dynamic, I shall occasionally refer to these as opposite genders, though I am aware that gender is a social construct, and in other cultures, there can be more than just the two.

This blog is for those participating in the study, or those who would just like to follow it. Feel free to discuss your thoughts and ideas about the study, but please do so in a constructive manner. Criticism is certainly welcome, as are suggestions of direction, but please consider the feelings of others and be constructive and thoughtful.

I look forward to conducting this study, and I'm glad to be working with those who have volunteered.

Anyone having any questions can contact me via msn messenger at jarittenhouse@hotmail.com, or can e-mail me at jessicar@ksu.edu, which I check several times a day.