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 2011
Men of God Homosexual and Catholic Identity Negotiation, Through Holland‟s Catholic Priests, Kyle Alexander , Fordham University
Creciendo de nuestras raíces, alcanzando el cielo: Diálogo de saberes sobre educación en la comunidad de Kajchiri, Amy Grace Austin , University of Colorado At Boulder
The Influence of Local Government and BID Initiatives on CUCA Che Guevara as a Center for Social Inclusion, Tessa Baizer , Washington University in St. Louis
Why Now and Whats Next: The February 20th Movement’s Challenge to the State, Marina Balleria , University of Puget Sound
“Los Esfuerzos Escolares en España y el Papel de La Escuelita” - The Scholar Challenges in Spain y the Role of “La Escuelita”, Adriana Barriga , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
No Girls Allowed…: A Study on the Perceptions of Freemasonry and Community in Arusha, TZ., Alex Barton , Bates College
Voluntariado en La Ciudad de Los Niños de Granada - Volunteering at the “Ciudad de Los Niños” of Granada, Lauren Begasse , Providence University
A Habitat and Abundance Study of Octopus cyanea in Southwest Madagascar, Michael Belazis , University of Colorado At Boulder
¡El Machismo Mata! Promoviendo una masculinidad libre de violencia, Olivia Bergman , Wellesley College
South African Jews And How The History Of The Aparthied Has Effected The Community’s Relationship To The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Julia Berner-Tobin , Earlham College
South African Jews and How The History Of The Aparthied Has Effected The Community’s Relationship To The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Julia Berner-Tobin , Earlham College
The Language of Action: A Creative Study of Resistance to Slavery from West Africa to the Days across the Sea, Kali Block-Steele , Skidmore College
By The Pricking Of My Thumbs, Something Wicked This Way Comes: Omani Perceptions Of The Supernatural, Jennifer L. Borger , Gettysburg College
Predators of Enashiva: a Survey of Occurrence & Distribution, Adrienne Fisk Bowles , Colby College
A LONG ROAD HOME: Housing Rights in South Africa’s Informal Settlement, Joe Slovo, Kaitlyn Bowles , Tufts University
A Long Road Home: Housing Rights in South Africa’s Informal Settlement, Joe Slovo, Kaitlyn Bowles , Tufts University
Yongzhi Village An example for sustainable tourism and development in Deqin County, Kiersten Brown , University of Colorado At Boulder
The Substance and Style of Len Dong: Healing, Transformation, and Aesthetic in Spirit Possession Rituals of Hue, Lauren Cardenas , Swarthmore College
Una desconstrucción y análisis de centros del SENAME: Las perspectivas y experiencias de los jóvenes, Gema Cardona , Mills College
The Challenges of Balancing Careers and Family Life Facing College Women in Jordan, Anna Chang , Tulane University
The Epidemic of Aids In Indonesia: Issues & Solutions, Xenia Chiu , Washington University in St. Louis
The Impact of QMM on Social Relations in Fort-Dauphin, Christopher B. Collier , University of Georgia
#reformjo: Jordanian Tweets for Social Reform, Megan Daily , Washington and Lee University
Youth Dating Culture in Urban Vietnam: Attitudes, Behaviors, and Influences, Alexa DiFiore , Washington University in St. Louis
“Mind the Gap” Addressing the Gap Between Health Care Policy & Health Care Reality in Madagascar & The Way Forward Integrating Traditional Medicine & Ethical Reform Within Health Care, Laura Dillon , University of Vermont
Soul Medicine: The Role of Traditional Senegalese Music in a Therapeutic Context, Alexa K. Dorris , Denison University
Validating the Culture of Agriculture: Farmers Groups and Organic Agriculture Mitigating Rural to Urban Migration in Bhutan, Emma Dosch , Allegheny College
Monitoring Nesting Trends and Hatchling Success of the Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) Population on Mnemba Island, Zanzibar, Taylor Dunbar , Franklin & Marshall College
Rural Futures: How can agricultural development lead to a high quality of life?, Jessie Ebersole , Middlebury College
Rising Food Prices in Kenya: How the Government and its Citizens are Coping, or Not, Teresa Eilers , Occidental College
尼西黑陶: A Study Of Tibetan Black Pottery, Catherine Elliiot , Bates College
Counting Cailloux, Multiplying Mambos: An Analysis of Mathematics Education in Cameroonian Primary Schools, Rachel Elzinga , Hope College
Desarrollo y Hambre: Cómo la creciente demanda de quinua en el mundo está cambiando el consumo interno de Bolivia, Amanda Eng , Swarthmore College
Fight or Flight; The Situation of the Young and Jobless in Morocco, Anduriña Espinoza , George Washington University
Correcting 60 years of Development Failure: The Potential of Scaling up in Addressing Development Ineffectiveness, Jossif Ezekilov , George Washington University
“It’s just not that simple:” Territory and politics at Girdwood Park, Kyra Fallon , Gettysburg College
Buscando el Agua El papel del agua en la histora, las vidas cotidianas, y la educación de la gente de Lomas de San Jacinto, Sabrina Faubert , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Sostenibilidad y Autogestión en Programas de Seguridad Alimentaria en Nicaragua, Katherine Finnegan , University of Southern California
The Aders’s Duikers (Cephalophus adersi) of Mnemba Island, Zanzibar: A Study of the Behavior and Diet of a Critically Endangered Species, Aviva Fiske , Bowdoin College
Tree Plantation Expansion: Impacts on Rural Communities in the Central North of Tasmania, Kyla Flaten , Whitman College
How Does Religion and Belief Systems influence Traditional Medicine and Health Care in Madagascar?, Whitney Franklin , University of Texas at Austin
Las mujeres transgéneras: Creando espacios y una identidad colectiva para combatir la discriminación y la violencia., Melissa García , Southwestern University
Nomadic Knowledge of the Yak: A case study in the Khangai Mountains, Mongolia, Jesse Geary , Macalester College
Claming MANASLU: The Agency of a Rural Community in Nepal’s Developing Mountain Tourism Industry, Sierra Gladfelter , Temple University
Building Houses, Making Homes: The Experiencing of Returning to Post-War Sanski Most, Claire Griffith , Grinnell College
The Escola do Campo João sem Terra: A Look Inside the Process of Making Education Relevant in the Landless Worker’s Movement Settlement 25 De Maio., Owen Grooms , Warren Wilson College
Growing Farmers’ Markets: Measuring the competitiveness of the Byron Farmers’ Market with other local food sources, Audrey Gross , Denison University
The Use and Miss Use of Wetlands In Kampala, Emily Gumm , Illinois Wesleyan University
Adult Female Activity Time Budgets In Red-Bellied Lemurs (Eulemur Rubriventer) And Infant Survival: Ranomafana National Park, Frances Hardy , Columbia University
Zenga Zenga, Tente Tente: Can Tunisian Humanitarian Efforts Save and Preserve the Ideals of the Revolution?, Ava Hess , Columbia University
Conciencia Social en Granada: los Éxitos y las Dificultades - Raising Social Consciousness in Granada: Successes and Difficulties, Heidi Hong , Scripps College
La Educación Intercultural Bilingüe en Cusco: un Análisis Crítico del Discurso de algunos sectores involucrados con su implementación, Maggie Hutchison , Macalester College
Duality in Bouazizi: Appraising the Contradiction, Alec Jacobson , Amherst College
Departing from “Education”: Finding Autonomous Learning The Ability for Knowledge that Gives Itself, Matthew Jernigan , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Entre fronteras Historias personales de migración en el Austro de Ecuador, Hannah Johnson
Examining Trends in Taste Preferences, Market Demand, and Annual Catch in an Indigenous Marine Turtle Fishery in Southwest Madagascar, Kristin Jones , Washington State University
Western Influence, Latent Racism, and their Impact on Access to Health Care in Madagascar, Jessica Joy , Muhlenberg College
Yak, a Green Icon and a Good Investment, Caroline Kang , Smith College
¿Cómo Ganó Piñera la Presidencia de Chile? El Caido de la Concertación y la Subida de la Coalición por el Cambio, Emma Kaplan , Macalester College
Not Only To Rock The Boat, But Indeed To Sink It: Exploring Grassroots Resistance In The West Of Ireland., Megan Kelley , University of Vermont
La Pobreza Móvil de los Migrantes Shipibo-Conibo: Una investigación de la influencia de la migración en la cosmovisión Shipibo-Conibo de Canta Gallo-Rímac, Lima, Lauren Kennedy , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Rise of the Veil: Islamic Modernity and the Hui Woman, Zainab Khalid , Mount Holyoke College
Las Negociaciones entre las Comunidades Nativas Machiguengas y la Industria Extractiva dentro del Proyecto Camisea: Asesorando los Roles de y las Interacciones entre los Actores, Julia Kim , Brown University
Living For Two: Experiencing Alzheimer’s Disease Through the Caregiver, Jacob Kramer , Johns Hopkins University
A Case Study of Health Interventions and The Caste System: Addressing The Social Determinants of Health Through Development At Crhp Jamkhed, Laura Kroart , Tufts University
Reflexiones sobre la tristeza y la preocupación en las personas Aymara de Putre, Chile, Jordana Laks , Tufts University
Homelessness: A New Culture of Poverty in the Streets of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Lindsay Lanteri , University of Pittsburgh
Like Crazy: A Writer’s Search for Information and Inspiration, Sarah Lawrence , Muhlenberg College
Seawalls in Samoa: A Look at Their Environmental, Social and Economic Implications, Sawyer Lawson , Bates College
Food is Life: The Impact of a Changing Food Industry on the Role of Women in the Home, Diana Lay , Whitman College
Experiencing Samoa through Stories: Myths and Legends of a People and Place, Samantha Lichtenberg , Skidmore College
Hacia la educación intercultural: una investigación sobre discursos de diferencia cultural en Escuelas de Santiago y las implicancias para una comunidad y sociedad diversa, Clara Lippert , Earlham College
No me conoces: Integración social de refugiados colombianos en Quito, Anna Luberoff , Smith College
W[h]ater you afraid of? Fears, Myths and Barriers to Swahili Aquatic Culture, Charlotte Jacqueline Mailly , Smith College
Derechos Humanos y la manera de defenderlos - Human Rights and the manner of defending them, Savannah Martínez , Trinity University
Medical Pluralism in Morocco: The cultural, religious, historical and political-economic determinants of health and choice., Tyler Martinson , Macalester College
Public Perceptions of Corruption in Tanzania: How does the corruption perceived by a sample of people in Arusha, Tanzania compare to Tanzania’s Transparency International CPI rating of 3.2 and what does it mean for Tanzania?, Kelly L. McDonnell , Skidmore College
Biogas Technology on Uzi Island, Zanzibar: A Feasibility Study, Peter J. McInerney , Skidmore College
Biogas Technology on Uzi Island, Zanzibar: A Feasibility Study, Peter J. McInerney , Skidmore College
Made in Oman: Promoting Manufacturing and Export in the Sultanate of Oman, Tyler Philip Eldridge McWilliam , Loyola University Chicago
“Jamás Será Vencido:” Un estudio de caso de la producción de deporte y capital social del club deportivo Unión Jiménez en Valparaíso, Kevin Mechenbier , Harvard University
The Benefits of Having an Integrated Health Care System in Madagascar, Elizabeth Miller , University of Iowa
Veterinary Issues and Livestock Development in Zanzibar: Farmer Practices and Attitudes, Shauna Milne-Price , Washington University in St. Louis
Veterinary Issues and Livestock Development in Zanzibar: Farmer Practices and Attitudes, Shuana Milne-Price , Washington University in St. Louis
Lets Talk About It: Political Relationships in Nepal, Benjamin Wolf Lehr Mueser , Goucher College
Employing Empowerment: Developing the Discourse for Women’s Empowerment in Uttarakhand, India, Harriet Napier , Middlebury College
White Water Rafting and Its Role In Entrepreneurship at Bujagali Falls, Alex Nelson , University of Denver
Community Empowerment through Youth Employment: A comparative study of social programs for youth job creation, Stacey Nelson , University of Florida
Jordan’s Mental Healthcare System, Katherine Nolan , Wellesley College
The Solid Waste Management System of Jaipur: An Overview and Analysis, Laura Olivier , Washington University in St. Louis
The Tourists And The Toured: Identity In Greenmarket Square, Sophia Perlman , Middlebury College
The Tourists and The Toured: Identity In Greenmarket Square, Sophia Perlman , Middlebury College
The Successes and Shortcomings of Participatory Slum-Upgrading In Villa 31, Jacob Perten , Washington University in St. Louis
"Après Dieu, c’est l’Artisan": A Study of Bamikéké Woodcarving in Dschang, Cameroon, Rebecca Potts , Pomona College
Media in Sāmoa: Journalists‟ Realities, Regional Initiatives, and Visions for the Future, Leslie Pyne , Wesleyan College
Wood Usage in Rural Tanzania: An Investigation into the Sources and Accessibility of Fuelwood and Polewood for the Residents of Kizanda Village, West Usambara Mountains, James Ray , University of Puget Sound
The Crisis of Unity in the 21st Century: The Unrealized Dream of pan-Africanism in Cameroon, Araba Sapara-Grant , Syracuse University
Love for Sale: How Working Conditions Influence the Dramaturgical Presentation of Self for Sex Workers in Amsterdam, Elizabeth Scheib , Fordham University
El Caso de Mapuches Urbanas y su Relación al Estado Chileno, Rachel Schmidtke , University of Virginia
Selling Better Health: A Social Marketing Approach to Health Delivery in Uganda, Kira Skolas , Boston University