The Capstone Paper is written by students in the Master's Program in Intercultural Service, Leadership, and Management. Capstones reassess theoretical knowledge in light of professional experience in the form of a final research paper, incorporating both classroom knowledge and practicum based experience.

The full-text of papers in the Capstone Collection is limited to World Learning/SIT faculty, staff, students, and alumni. If you are not affiliated with World Learning and want access to these papers contact your local library and ask about requesting the hard copy on interlibrary loan.

Due to copyright restrictions some papers are not available full-text electronically. World Learning affiliated students and staff can check these papers out of the library or, if you are off-campus, request them via interlibrary loan

Submissions from 2010

Building Food Secure Communities In The Southeastern United States: A Case Study Of “Local Food For Local Power”, Christopher Adams

The Forest Protection Fund: An Innovative Business Approach to Reconcile Conservation and Community Based Livelihoods: A Case Study and Interim Assessment of the Lebialem –Mone Forest Landscape Integrated Conservation and Development Project (ICDP)., Stella Ajabji

Women as Change Agents and the Influence of Education on Their Approach to Social Change: Illustration of Four Female SIT Graduates, Yetunde Oluyemisi Ajao

Can Polio Promote Peace?: How the Eradication of Polio in the Internally Displaced People of Colombia Can Promote Positive Social Change, Rebecca Altneu

Empowering a Shift in Self-Awareness: An Inquiry into How Buddhism Benefits Westerners at Work, Kerry Leigh Ambrose

Japanese Visual Culture In Context: A Summer Faculty-Led Program At The University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Megan Anderson

In Their Own Words: Perceptions of Unemployed Young Men in Mankassa About Crime in Their Community, Clint Ryan George Audette

Assessing Students’ Learning: Have they learned what we had hoped?, CyBelle R. Barthelmess

CIEE Alumni Programming: Creating A Mutually Beneficial Design, Lauren Beilin

A Description of Strategic Performance Measurement in a Citizen Service Organization, Robert Quentin Benedict

“My Heart Hurts,” She Said: Domestic Violence In Peru, William Blaschko

Perspectives and Issues of Youth Activism, Anna Gail L. Caunca

Bridge Across The Atlantic: A Senegal / U.S. Two-Way Youth Exchange Program For Intercultural Skills, Leadership And Peacebuilding, Joseph Debiec

How Does Knowledge Management Impact Sustainability, Benjamin Dewberry

Assessing Intercultural Competence in Children, Gina Marie Difino

The Rehabilitation of Child Soldiers in Sri Lanka: Listening to Their Voices, Barbara Ditenhafer

Communio Abroad: A Study Abroad Program Proposal for St. Norbert College – Anglo-American University and Cultural Experiences Abroad in Prague, Czech Republic, Jeremy Doughty

Cambodia: From Phnom Penh to Siem Reap: A remarkable adventure in Southeast Asia - A short-term faculty-led service-learning program designed for Northfield Mount Hermon School, Jonathon S. Dunn

Institutional Food Buyers in A Local Food System: The Perceived Barriers and Opportunities of Expanding Windham County’s Local Food System, Katherine Gillespie

Strategic-Management Of Service-Learning In Higher Education: Trends Of Private Four-Year Institutions, Audra Grady

An Analysis of Community-Based Mediation in San Francisco: Obstacles and Potential Solutions, Maria Elizabete Grasis

Short-term and long-term impact of invitation program for Japanese teachers to Korea, Anna Hagiwara

Cultural Learning of Canadian Students Participating in the “Teaching Across Borders – National Volunteer Center Program”, Clayton Harrington

Overcoming the Drug-War Meme: A Comparative Analysis of Existing Illicit-Drug Policies and the Grassroots Advocacy Efforts to Encourage “Harm Reduction” in the Pacific Northwest, Nathan Michael Haslip

Internationalization at Sonoma State University: Creating an International Education Strategy, Joyna Heinz

Strategic Questioning Used As A Community Development And Coalition-Building Tool: An Inquiry Process With Peace Corps Volunteers In Ecuador, Leslie Heyl

Increasing the Participation of Minorities in Vermont’s Gubernatorial Boards and Commissions, Genet Aman Hunegnaw

Yayasan Bumi Sehat Bali: A Case Study in Developmental Midwifery, Beth Bongiolatti Irvine

Preparing For Life after Admission: An Alternative to Traditional Academic English Program Design, Rachel J.M. Ishiguro

An Examination of a Training and Development Program for Empowering Civil Society and Community Based Organizations toward Community Sustainability in the Gambia, Salieu Sireh Jallow

Strategies to Improve Literacy: Adult Non-Formal Education Using Mobile Phones A West African Perspective, Leigh Jaschke

A Case Study on Intra-Organizational Cooperation: Combining Resources to Leverage Impact, Talia Aliza Levin Kaplan

A Study of the “Cultural Exchange Community” Residence Hall, Clemson University: Factors Influencing International and Domestic Student Intercultural Sensitivity and Development, Yuki Kihara

Breaking the Silence: On Developing a Culturally Relevant Native American Youth Sexual Violence Prevention Curriculum, Nina Kunimoto

Intercultural Communication in Action: Creating an Online Course for SIT Graduate Institute, Jessica Lindoerfer

Women’s Rights at Stake: Examination of the U.S. History and Policy of Women’s Reproductive Health and Justice, Shan-Jan Sarah Liu

When Black Is The Same Color: A Collective View of Domestic and International Black Students on Race at the SIT Graduate Institute, André Devon Marks

Advocacy With A Joyful Heart: A Case Study of Navdanya’s Twenty Years of Activism, Katherine Miller

The Affected: The Nicaraguan Ex-Banana Workers Movement’s Struggle for Indemnification & Government Assistance from DBCP Exposure, Scott P. Montegna

Gleaning Reinvented: What Possibilities Might a Traditional Model Offer To A Modern Local Effort?, Sara Jane Novak

Crowdsourcing, Social Media, And Collective Potential, Katrina Noyes

Key Steps For Building Long-Term Relations With Community-Based Volunteers In Community-Development Organizations: A Case Study Of The Catholic Commission For Justice And Peace (CCJP) In The Archdiocese Of Blantyre, Malawi, Aloisious A.C. Nthenda

The Sustainable Livelihoods Approach Through Permaculture Support Program in Pirak Timu Community, Aceh, Indonesia: A Case Study of Aceh Permaculture Foundation, Nuraida

Transformation of the Royal University of Bhutan: Policy, Challenges, and Recommendations, Tshering Pemo

How Do Poverty And Disability Interrelate? The Structural And Cultural Explanations In Peru, Catherine Quinn

Advocating for Women’s Empowerment: Highlighting the linkages among gender inequality, malnutrition and food insecurity, Carolyn Ramsdell

Stakeholders Approach in Managing Urban Conflict: A Case Study on Managing Street Vendors (Pedagang Kaki Lima) In Solo, Central of Java, Indonesia, Irfan Riza

The Re-Victimization of Women: How the Globalization of Mediation Has Impacted the Victims of Domestic Violence in Nicaragua, Jessica S. Rodriguez-Montegna

Seeds Of Knowledge: Case Study Of A Grassroots Planned And Managed Project For School Fee Reduction And Food Security For Primary Schools In Jinja, Uganda, Steven Rozmus

How Does A Social Enterprise Strategically Manage Its Dual Bottom Line During A Significant Economic Downturn?: A Case Study about the Grafton Village Cheese Company (GVCC), Eric Rwabuhihi

Commodification of Children by Custodial Mothers in Ghana: Child Labor as a Substitute for Child Support?, Tchotcho Elise Shockley

A Journey Into Adulthood: What Are The LEAPYEAR Program Outcomes For Participating Students?, Ekaterina Sidor

“We can see that peace is coming” A Case Study of the Kids4Peace Peace-building Initiative in Jerusalem, Rebecca Naomi Sullum

Teaching Nature, Jennifer L. Sundquist

Do I have any volunteers? An assessment of the implementation of a small-scale volunteer program at Volunteer NH, Kara Swedlow

Intersecting Art and Reconciliation, Hun S. Taing

Evaluating United Nations Peacekeeping Operations: The prospects for Peace and Development in the 21st Century, Philip John Taiwo

Knowledge Management in Non-Profit Organizations: A Strategic Planning Initiative for Education and Empowerment for Community Development’s Asia Office, Jennifer Thao

Peace Through Violence: Using the martial art Aikido to teach youth how to manage interpersonal conflict, Zachary Trent

Factors That Prohibit Women’s Access to HIV/AIDS Testing, Counseling, and Other Services in the State of Vermont: A Case Study of Women in Windham County, Advine Tugumisirize

Volunteer Experiences in Russia: Addressing the issues faced by Russian volunteers in Russian NGOs, Larisa Volkavichyute

The Long Road From Uprooted to Rerooted: A Case Study of the Challenges Bhutanese Refugees Face in Becoming Economically Self-Sufficient in The Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area, Terutsugu Wada

Searching for the “Abroad” in Study Abroad: Best Practices in Cultural Programming Initiatives in London-Based Study Abroad Programs, Margaret K. Walter

Yoga And Social Action: An Exploration Into The Relationship Between Yoga And Social Action As Experienced By Yoga Instructors, Summer Wember

Communication and Conflict Resolution: An Introductory Workshop Series for the Residents of Morningside Shelter, W. Knowles Wentworth

Eclipsed: Investigating The Impact Of Solar Household Systems On Sustainable Development In Rural India, Garret Takeo Wong

Submissions from 2009

An Assessment Of The Effectiveness Of The National Reconciliation Commission: The Case Of Ghana, Peter Agboso

An Investigation into What Prevents or Discourages Employees at The United Nations Development Programme Yemen from Utilizing Available Flexible Working Arrangements, Nesreen Al-Hebshi

Reentry Workshop for International Students from East Asia, Yoko Anderson

Understanding Indigenous Spirituality: The Kankanaey Sida Ritual, Marjorie M. Balay-As

Building Bridges With Restorative Justice: Theory and Practice on the Brattleboro Reparative Probation Panels, Janice Baldwin

Building A Relevant Community Food Security Movement For All People In The Brattleboro Area, Angela Berkfield

Community Food Security for Vermont: Local Solutions to the Global Food Crisis, Richard Berkfield

Hope For Partnerships? Local Leadership In An International Partnership In Rural Tanzania, Sarah Bickel

The Role of Unions Today in the U.S.: Who Benefits?, Susanna Blankley

A Case Study Of The Campaign To Decriminalize Therapeutic Abortion In Nicaragua, Jonit Bookheim

Is Collaboration Always Best? A Close Look at Collaboration Efforts in Pursat, Cambodia, Laura R. Bradley

Ready, Willing And Able…Competencies And Training For SIT Youth Peacebuilding And Leadership Program Staff, Melanie A. Brubaker

Hatha Yoga and Conflict Transformation: Understanding the Effect of Hatha Yoga Practice on the Internal Healing Process in the Context of Interpersonal Conflict, Sung-un Burnett

Know Thy Enemy, Know Thyself: An Orientation Curriculum to Assist U.S. Military Personnel in Cultural Competencies, Joshua Burns

Who Are We? Where Did We Come From? And Where Are We Going? Decolonization In The Process Of Rehumanization, Aaron Manuel Cardona

Rethinking Corruption and anti-corruption: Lessons from the Change Habits Oppose Corruption (CHOC) Program in Cameroon, Nkwenti Francis Che

Non-Degree Academic Exchange Programs for International Undergraduate Students: The Real Value for Participants and the United States, Irina Cheptanari

Mujeres Con Esperanza: Reflecting On Training In My Second Language, And Designing For Effective Social Justice Advocacy, Phyllis Nicole Chill

Community Engagement and Tools for Social Change, Hope Clark

Programs That Transform U.S. Policy: Policy Termination and the Case of Guantanamo, Charsaree Clay

Reflections Of Morocco: A Pre-Departure Training For Student Soujouners Studying With SIT Study Abroad, Lynee M. Connelly

Uganda: A National Look At Current Conflict, Amanda Beth Coughlin

The Intersection of Peace-Work & Development: A Case Study of Search for Common Ground’s Strategic Focus on Youth Unemployment in West Africa, Farah Council

Media-Based Monitoring and Evaluation for Grassroots Organizations, Wendy Fri Cross

Livestock Policy and Institutional Environment in Ethiopia: implications for fodder policy and adoption, Messaye Taddele Dessie

Social Service or Social Change?: A Comparative Case Study of Two Battered Women’s Organizations, Jordan F. Dez

Behind And Beyond Refugees In The United States: An Ethnographic Research Of Interfaith Refugee And Immigrant Services, Zal Dez

Sustaining Development Project: Participatory Project Design: A Key for Community Empowerment. A Case Study from a project targeting Exploited, Vulnerable children and Youth in Northern Uganda, Demba Diallo

Advocacy Case Study Analysis: Global Campaign for Education, Allahleudé Djékoundadé

Participatory Approach from Theory to Practice Case Study: Practical Action Project, Blue Nile State, Sudan, Amy Elhadi

reating A Program That Is Geared Toward The Under-Represented Populations In Study Abroad: The Cultural Education And Study Abroad Readiness (C.E.S.A.R.) Project, Teneisha R. Ellis

Overcoming the Storm: The Most Effective Healing Strategies for African American Female Survivors of Sexual Violence, Argrow Kitnequa Evans

The Green Divide: Bridging the Gap Between Politics and Practice Regarding Environmental Issues Among Conservative Christians, Melodie A. Foster

Improving School Climate Using Professional Development: The need for transformational leadership in one urban school, Kristine M. Fredrick