The ISP, or Independent Study Project, is written by students from the undergraduate programs of SIT Study Abroad and relates to a program theme. Using primary sources students choose topics with a manageable focus that can be carried out in a variety of settings, such as schools, nongovernmental organizations or field research stations. During the independent study period students work closely with a project advisor and other key contacts in the field. The ISP is typically a 20- to 40-page paper presented to student colleagues, the academic director and, often, the advisor and other interested host-country individuals.
Copyright permissions have been obtained by all contributors to this collection.
Submissions from 2009
Critical Mass Representation in Uganda, Daisy-Cynthia Nneamaka Adi
L’Aide au développement : les perspectives des immigrés sénégalais = Development aid: the perspectives of Senegalese immigrants, Allyson Barnett
Un Juego de Identidad y Percepción: Un Estudio de Caso de “Visuales,” una tribu urbana en Viña del Mar, Chile, Anya Bergman
Missionaries and Textualization: An Evaluation of Biblical Themes in Early Fijian History, Arielle Berrick
The Role of the Local Community in Integrated Conservation with Development Projects: A Case Study of the Phu My Lepironia Conservation Project, Marion Boulicault
Rompiendo el Espejo Invertido: La búsqueda para autosuficiencia y una vida campesina y digna, Tara Brian
O Último Peixe Ideas About the Future in Coastal Trairí, MaryCate R. Brower
Shake It: A study of traditional dance and drumming in Tanzania with the African Traditional Dance Group, Megan Browning
El Espíritu Revolucionario: El Movimiento Obrero en los Sindicatos de Siglo XX y Catavi, Will Brunnquell
The Ethical Limitations Of South Africa’s Education Market, Ethan Chang
The Efficacy of Climate Change Projects in Samoa: Evaluating Community-Based Adaptation Initiatives, Marisa Chock
Disparities in the System: The Effects of Free Primary Education (FPE) on the Quality of Education in Nairobi’s Public Schools, Adrienne Chuck
“Fusion” Musics and Tunisian Identity in the Age of the Global Stereo, Rachel Colwell
Bodhisattvas in the Pagoda and in the World: Socially Engaged Buddhism in Hue, Rachel Cotterman
Una manera de vida diferente: Embarazos en adolescentes y planificación familiar en la zona de Intag, Ecuador, Jennifer Dabrow
Die Taal is Gans die Volk? Building a Common Afrikaans-Language Identity and Community in Post-Apartheid South Africa, Susan DeMartino
Ugandan by Birth, Proud by Circumstance: A look at Pride and Patriotism in Northern Uganda, Hannah Detig
Ceeb ak Jën: Deconstructing Senegal’s National Plate in Search of Cultural Values, Megan Duffy
Constructions of Disease in Mayo Village, Rachel Eades
An Oriental Christ: A Perfect Condition After the State was God, Thomas Nathaniel Eaves
Herbs, Qur’an, and Mashetani: Practice, Use, Perception, and Integration of Traditional Medicine in Bodo, Elan Ebeling
Power to the People: Rural Electrification in Uganda, Zachary Ezor
Teaching Peace: An Exploration in Youth Peace Building through Peace Education Programs in Gulu Municipality, Northern Uganda, Julia Firestone
Community, Infant Feeding, and AIDS: Empowerment Evaluation in Rural Eastern Cape, Laura Flamm
The Traditional Wolof Voice: Lessons from a Griot in Pout, Senegal, Lucy French
National Parks in China: A New Model for Nature Conservation, Katherine Fritz
Changing Dress and Changing Perceptions: A look at Traditional Muslim Dress in a Small Coastal Town, Maggie Gilligan
Remembering the Roots: Political Consciousness in the Quilombo Pitanga de Palmares in a Modernizing Society, Matthew Glenn
The Transition Movement in Australia: An analysis of the progress, challenges, and future of Transition Initiatives, Mia Goldwasser
The Politics of Genetically Modified Organisms: Global Rules, Local Needs, Ximena Gonzalez
Campesinos/as Cultivating Soil: Promoting and Adopting Sustainable Agriculture in Jinotega, Nicaragua, Emily Grady
Reserved Women: The Implementation and Efficacy of a Reserved Seat Quota for Women in the Tibetan Parliament in Exile, Carolyn Griffiths
Pisco por la razon o la fuerza El debate entre Perú y Chile sobre la denominacion de origen del Pisco, y sus implicaciones., Courtney Harrell
The Secrets and History of the Madaniyya Sufi of Ksibet al-Mediouni, Tunisia, Ryan Heisler
Globalization’s Impact on Identity through Billboard Advertisements, Sarah Hogan
Mitigating the Impact of AIDS on a Rural Community: Observations of the inner workings of a rural non-governmental organization, Kara Huselton
Green Dharma: Clearing the Pollution of Our Minds to Save the Environment, Richard Dale Jenkinson IV
The Body as Text: The Construction of Contemporary Gender Within a Queer Context in Salvador, Bahia, Tigist Kassahun
Zoran Djindjic Remembered: The Formation of Collective Memories, Rebecca Gabrielle Porath Katz
A Multidisciplinary Approach on Swiss Organic Food and Agriculture, Jae In Kim
Early-Life Rituals And Mother Identities: Ways In Which Hindu Women Are Viewed In The Context Of Traditional Ritual Practices, Kidecia King
Alienation in Acholiland: War, Privatization, and Land Displacement in Northern Uganda, Nicole Kligerman
La historia y la educación: el fomento de una identidad nacional, Mira Kohl
The Amphibian and Reptile Diversity of Tràm Chim National Park, Đống Tháp Province, Việt Nam, Alex Krohn
The Realities and Effectiveness of Ecotourism Operations on Moreton Island, Yoshihiko Kubota
“For They Shall Inherit the Earth”: Seeking Solutions for Durban’s Street Children, Allison La Fave
“Graffiti en Managua: Una expresión democrática de la juventud nicaragüense”, Katie LaRoque
“There are Beasts!” The Relationship between Humans and Elephants in Xishuangbanna, Hannah Larson
Monkeying Around: Spatial Differences in Riverine Habitat Utilization by Vervets, Sykes, and Baboons, Sondra Lavigne
Redrawing the Walls: Street Art in Belgrade, Emily Levitt
Pomacea Canaliculata in Tram Chim National Park: An Examination of the Golden Apple Snail within Local Vegetation Populations, Justin Loiseau
La Calidad del Agua Potable en Arica, con respecto a la Salud, Emily Lubell
The Beauty of Arabic Script: Tracing the Artistic Significance of the Arabic Letter in Morocco, Sarah C. Malin
Sponges on Chumbe Island, Emily Marshall
Public Health Ethics: Establishing “Durable Solutions” Within the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in Nigeria, Tiffany T. Mason
Lessons from CIdeCI Las Casas : The Potential for Non-Directive Learning Spaces in the United States, Gideon Mausner
“A Competitive Environment Will Be Created” The Conflicting Effects of Economic Restructuring and Technological Change on the Workers of Pier 1 in Durban, Benjamin Foster Mays
The Role and Potential of Businesswomen in Morocco’s Civil Society, Teresa Mbagaya
“Voter Sans Voter?”: A Study of Voter Participation in Bamako, Samantha McLean
Learning the Kora in Two Senegalese Contexts: As a Tradition vs. As a Religion, Emily Merkert
International Development Assistance Partners and Electoral Processes in Uganda, Samuel E. Meyer
Vital Correspondence: Analyzing Local and International Media Coverage of Armed Conflict, Marissa Moran
Mental Health in Mali: An Analysis of the Expression of Major Depressive Disorder across Different Cultures, Ashley Morris
The Economic and Social Development of the Moroccan Sahara: An analysis of the development of the Southern Provinces in the context of Morocco’s political future, Rohini Muralidharan
Diagnostique sur la Santé des Récifs Coralliens à Nosy Tanikely et la Baie d’Ambanoro, Chelsea Nahill
The Cost of Progress: Failed Development and Community Response on Pulau Serangan, Julia Nakad
Outside the Black Box: “Found-Transformed” Czech Theatres, Michele O'Brien
‘They have to know that they are Moroccan’: A Sending Country’s Perspective on the Second Generation of Emigrants Abroad, Olivia Paquette
Colorful Nothing: Mind & Matter in the Madhyamaka, Jimmy Pianka
Grita. Erga-se : Colonial Cycles of Violence in Domestic Labour in Salvador, Bahia, Jessica Nina Pine
Gendered Perspectives on Holland’s Prison Programs: Statistics and Practices, Amanda Pisetzner
Ending Violence…Creating Peace? Rediscovering the connections between The Women´s Movement and a Culture of Peace in Nicaragua, Sami Poindexter
Tibetan Carpets…Or Are They? An Analysis of the Carpet Industry in Kathmandu, Nepal, Swetha Ramaswamy
Black & Red The Impacts of Development on Culture: A Case study of Dogon People of Sangha, Mali, Kathleen Remington
Spiny Forest Heterogeneity: Implications for Regeneration and its Detection, Catherine Reuter
Mandatory Measles Vaccination Program: Is there a place for one in Switzerland?, Anne Rushman
Global Discourse, Local Context: Counter-terrorism and Human Rights in Morocco, Christine Sargent
Seeing is Believing: How the U.S. government and American news networks spun the Iraq War, Sarah Schenter
The Modernization of Fiji ’s Food System and the Resulting Implications on Fijian Society: A Synthesis, Brian Schultz
“Leur Rêve Et Leur Vie Sont Ailleurs:” University Student Attitudes Towards Migration And Domestic Opportunity In Morocco, Annie Seibert
Naši Narodi? Moji Identiteti: Four Youth Perspectives on National Identity in Post-Dayton Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jacob Seigel-Boettner
VIH y Alcohol en Arica, Chile: Percepciones de Portadores y Profesionales, Lena Sessions
La Crisis Financiera de 1982-1983 en Chile: Orígenes, Intervención, Efectos Y Implicancias para el Modelo Neoliberal, Luke Shoemaker
Bromeliads as a breeding site for the Dengue vector Aedes aegypti, Eva B. Shultis
“Samoanizing” Human Rights: A Generational Comparative of Views on Human Rights in Contemporary Samoa, Margaret R. Smith
Guardians of the Grassland: A Qualitative Assessment of the Success of Community-Based Wildlife Conservation in Mongolia’s Eastern Steppe, Alexandra Sprague
Supplying Clean Water To Jaipur: A Study Of Two Current Government Projects, Jenna Stearns
“But who can I talk to?” Psychological Services for the Parents and Children of APDK, Jessica Steinke
Behind Your Beach Vacation: A Review and Evaluation of EIAs as a Legal Framework to Regulate the Environmental Impacts of Tourism in Zanzibar, Mahima Sukhdev and Ayelet Singer
Breaking the Silence: Professionals of Hera Speak Out About Lesbian Battering, Janelle Thompson