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
Effects of Re-grown Forest Habitat on Lemur catta Behavior, Sophie Ackoff
“We Didn’t Choose to Live in a Transition Society:” The Youth of Milošević’s Serbia Ten Years Later, Jessica Tsunami Acosta
Critical Mass Representation in Uganda, Daisy-Cynthia Nneamaka Adi
Train Hard, Win Easy: Running on the Periphery in Rural Kenya: The Last Shall Be First, Jordan Apfeld
Yugonostalgia: The Pain of the Present, Claire Bancroft
Who’s to Blame?: An Analysis of Agricultural Subsidies and their Effects on Development, Jared Baragar
Spirits & Sacred Sites: A Study of Beliefs on Unguja Island, Julie Bardenwerper
L’Aide au développement : les perspectives des immigrés sénégalais = Development aid: the perspectives of Senegalese immigrants, Allyson Barnett
Political Capital and the Project Planning Process: An Action Research Exercise of the Shirazi Community Health Clinic Project, Lindsay Beebe
Tradition in Transition: Tharu Traditional Governing System in Post-Conflict Nepal, Briana Bellamy
Lost Wax: An Exploration of Bronze Sculpture in Senegal, Kevin Bell
Forever Home: Funeral, Burial and the Life After This Life in Hue, Vietnam, Molly Bennett
Un Juego de Identidad y Percepción: Un Estudio de Caso de “Visuales,” una tribu urbana en Viña del Mar, Chile, Anya Bergman
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
Prevalence and intensity of trypanosome infections in stable and declining populations of brush-tailed bettongs (Bettongia penicillata), Melissa Chiasson
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
Renewable Energy as a Means to Community Development: A Case Study of Solar Power with Avani in Kumaon, Uttarakhand, Sarah Connette
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
The Impact of Brazil’s Bolsa Familia Program on Food Security in Santo Antônio de Jesus, Bahia, Mario Felipe Dest
Ugandan by Birth, Proud by Circumstance: A look at Pride and Patriotism in Northern Uganda, Hannah Detig
“It’s A Ripple Effect”: Global Mamas in a Developing Ghana, Mara Dold
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
L’adoption de Bracharia par les éleveurs Mahafaly : un étude du projet de AVSF dans la commune de Betioky, Michelle Fisher
Community, Infant Feeding, and AIDS: Empowerment Evaluation in Rural Eastern Cape, Laura Flamm
OPACITY: A Socioeconomic Study of Diamond Mining in South-Eastern Cameroon, Steven Fox
The story of the beverage can: How cans are re-used and recycled in the village of Maun, Emma Frappier
The Traditional Wolof Voice: Lessons from a Griot in Pout, Senegal, Lucy French
L’intérêt de tous : des rapports entre les Bamiléké et les Béti d’un quartier populaire et d’un quartier résidentiel à Yaoundé, Gabrielle E. Friedman
National Parks in China: A New Model for Nature Conservation, Katherine Fritz
Co-development in Mali: A Case Study of a Development Phenomenon Exploited by Immigration Policy, Diane Galatowitsch
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
Churning the Ocean of Milk: The Role of Vocal Composition in Tibetan Buddhist Ritual Music, Gabriel Gordon
Campesinos/as Cultivating Soil: Promoting and Adopting Sustainable Agriculture in Jinotega, Nicaragua, Emily Grady
Music In Its Social Context: Fiji In A Microcosm, Alexander Greene
A Preliminary Linguistic Analysis of Plant Names in Ikpaná (Logba), an Endangered Ghana Togo Mountain Language, Lydia Jewl Green
Extending the School Day: The design, execution and steps towards sustainability of an after-school program for young girls in Kibera, Rebecca Green
Reserved Women: The Implementation and Efficacy of a Reserved Seat Quota for Women in the Tibetan Parliament in Exile, Carolyn Griffiths
Playing Past the Troubles: Theatrical Expression in a Post-Conflict Society, Jayce Hafner
Creating a Culture of Accountability: The Prosecution of Gender Crimes in the ICTY, Alice Hansen
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
Flamenco y género: ¿amigos o enemigos? = Gender in Flamenco: Friends or Enemies?, Maya Hislop
Voz de los Internos: Atención de salud en el recinto penal en Arica, Chile, Lily Hoffman
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
Sex Trafficking: Social Constructions and Stereotypes of Recovery in Viet Nam, Linh Huynh
La ciada de la industria salmonera y las consequences, Kyla Jacobs
Green Dharma: Clearing the Pollution of Our Minds to Save the Environment, Richard Dale Jenkinson IV
Shifting Focus: Redefining the Goals of Sea Turtle Consumption and Protection in Bali, Audrey Jensen
Cultural tourism in Botswana and the Sexaxa cultural village: A case study, Rachel Jones
Weaving and Scheming: Adventures on Planet Mosuo, Melissa Judson
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
El rol de la partera en la Provincia de Parinacota, Liana Langdon-Embry
“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
Grey to Green: The Wolf as Culture and Profit in Mongolia and the Importance of its Survival, Samuel LeGrys
Redrawing the Walls: Street Art in Belgrade, Emily Levitt
A Context for Compassion: Social Dynamics at Ta Ba Lin Nunnery, Sasha Lipton Galbraith
Rising Buddhism in Vietnam, H. Rebecca Lockwood
Pomacea Canaliculata in Tram Chim National Park: An Examination of the Golden Apple Snail within Local Vegetation Populations, Justin Loiseau