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 2014
The Mechanical and Social Feasibility of Using Biogas to Fuel an Essential Oil Distillation Unit in the Rural Commune of Ankarimbelo, Madagascar, Hannah Nesser, Yale University
Curbing Corporate Inversions: A Study of National and International Efforts to Establish Corporate Tax Equity, Scott Novak, Rollins College
La psiquiatría comunitaria en la Corporación Bresky / Community psychiatry in the Bresky Corporation, Connery O’Brien, Davidson College
Los efectos de la violencia familiar y las percepciones de las mujeres afectadas: Un estudio de las mujeres victimas de la violencia familiar a Ahmauta / The effects of family violence and perceptions of women affected :A study of women victims of domestic violence to Ahmauta, Catherine Oidtman, University of Maryland
Exploring Barriers: An Analysis of Access to Effective Tuberculosis Care in Cape Town, Yvonne Okaka, Villanova University
Parte de Nosotros: la Tierra, el Estado, y la Identidad Avá Guaraní dentro del Modelo de Desarrollo paraguayo, Shayna Orens, Columbia University
Grappling with Gatekeepers: Addressing Gender Hindrances to mHealth, Jack O’Rourke, Fordham University
Evaluating the Progress of a Mangrove Reforestation Project on Isla Galeta, Colon, Abigail Hope Outterson, Skidmore College
Resisting For the River: Local Struggle Against the Proposed Saptakoshi River Dam, Janika Oza, Wesleyan College
The End of an Era: The Cancer Stem Cell Hypothesis and Its Therapeutic Implications, Emily Paton, Santa Clara University
Eradicating Slavery in Maranhão: Impunity and Capitalism, Zachary Patton, University of Pittsburgh
Managing Devil Facial Tumour Disease in Tasmanian Devils (Sarcophilus harrisii): An investigation of heat shock proteins as potential vaccine adjuvants, Monika Payerhin, University of Richmond
Adorative Worship, Respectively. Does The Concept Of Peacebuilding Adequately Address Gender In Africa ? An Accord Practicum, Sylvia Percovich, Harvard University
Powering Rural Transformation: Solar PV in Rural Uganda., Matt Piggins, DePauw University
Trouble in Paradise: State of Coastal Erosion of Unguja Tourist Destinations Shoreline Analysis and Community Responses of Nungwi and Paje Beaches, Emily Pitman, Hamilton College
From Holy to Holistic: Working Towards Integrated Management of the Bagmati River Corridor, Lauren Platman, Whitman College
The Security of South Sudanese Refugees in Uganda: Assessing the Physical Security Implications of Ethnic Conflict-Induced Displacement, Alex Pommier, Georgetown University
“KALLAWAYA SIEMPRE SOY” La descolonización de ajayu en la cosmovisión kallawaya, Rizky Rahadianto, Wesleyan University
We Are Not the Future, We Are the Present: CANTERA, Young People, and Community Development, Emily Rapport, Davidson College
Informal Transportation in Uganda: A Case Study of the Boda Boda, Bradley Raynor, Kenyon College
A New Generation of Buddhist: The Views and Practice of Tibetan Youth , Carey Reich, Colorado State University
Ayllu,Migracion Politica Desde Abajo en Bolivia: Perspectivas Desde el Ayllu Bombo, Oruro, Lucas Rénique, Amherst College
Narrative Practices in Malagasy Healing, Gabrielle Robbins, Barnard College
Writing for A Future Audience Contemporary Children's Literature in Wolof, Mariana Robertson, Barnard College
Oreaster reticulatus: A Study of 3 Aggregations in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Rae Robinson
Cosaan to Tostan: The Evolution of Wolof Women’s Verbal Art As a Means for Social Empowerment, Iana Robitaille, Muhlenberg College
Analyzing the Dynamics of the Artisan Fishing Industry and LAPSSET Port in Lamu, Kenya, Valerie Rodden, George Washington University
Things that go 'Munch' in the Night: Behavior, Range, and Feeding Ecology of a Mother and Offspring Daubentonia Madagascariensis, Inga Roen, Macalester College
La diversidad y la densidad de las epífitas vasculares en la Reserva Cerro Candelaria: La diferencia entre las alturas y dos tipos de bosque nublado en Ecuador, Reilly Rosbotham, University of Puget Sound
River Health in Puyo, Ecuador The Use of Macroinvertebrates as Bioindicators of Water Quality and Alternatives to Chlorine for Whitening Clothes in the Puyo River Watershed, Allison Rowe, Williams College
El Embarazo Adolescente y La Educación Municipal Una investigación de las experiencias educativas y las perspectivas personales de las estudiantes embarazadas o que son madres o padres en Valparaíso, Chile, Katharine Rowe, Occidental College
Window to The Unbanked: The Potential of Mobile Money as a Means of Saving in Uganda, Allison Ryder, Loyola University Chicago
La coexistencia de dos agriculturas en Argentina Una mirada a la vida de una granja familiar: ¿Cómo sobrevivir al lado de las grandes empresas?, Camille Sanchez de la Vega, University of Southern California
From Desire to Development? How Advertising Affects Sociocultural Evolution in Kampala, Uganda, Emily Saxe, Kenyon College
Agency of the South Sudanese: Compensating for Health Care in Mungula Refugee Settlement, Lauren Schmidt, Colorado College
Sexual and reproductive health and rights of Aymara women in the intercultural health system in Chile / Salud y derechos sexuales y reproductivos de las mujeres Aymara en el sistema de salud intercultural de Chile, Ariela Schnyer, Mount Holyoke College
Slachtofferhulp: An Analysis of the Amsterdam Police Department’s Response to Lesbian Domestic Violence, Taylor Sczymecki, Skidmore College
A Case Study at Prime Human Performance Institute: Noting Barriers to Access, Ian Seddon, Rollins College
Economic equity in the Annapurna Conservation Area: Effects of government and community-based organizations, Hanna Seltz, Bard College
From Monuments to Ruins: An Analysis of Historical Preservation in Jordan, Mason Seymore, University of Denver
An Assessment of Public Awareness Regarding E-Waste Hazards and Management Strategies, Anuj Shah, Williams College
LA EDUCACIÓN Y EL LUCRO NO SE MEZCLAN: Un examen de las políticas y las consecuencias de los colegios particulares subvencionados en Chile / EDUCATION AND PROFITS DON'T MIX : A review of policies and the consequences of subsidized private schools in Chile, Sophie Sharps, Connecticut College
Promoción de la salud en la Ciudad de Buenos Aires: un estudio sobre el trabajo de los promotores de salud y las percepciones de su rol en la comunidad. / Health promotion in the city of Buenos Aires: a study of the work of community health workers and perceptions of their role in the community, Elizabeth Sherwin, Santa Clara University
Rimanchis Runasimita: La enseñanza en Quechua como una herramienta del mantenimiento de la identidad cultural de los jóvenes Quechua hablantes / Rimanchis Runasimita:Teaching in Quechua as a tool to maintaincultural identity of young Quechua speakers, Willow Shram, College of Wooster
he Creators A Look at the Changing Work of Potters and the Future of Their Craft in Thimi, Nepal, Natalie Silver, Bates College
Injection, Ingestion, & Misconception: Drug Use & Rehabilitation in Indonesia, Elena Silvestrini, University of Colorado At Boulder
Rhetoric Or Results?: Tourism, The Aquarium, and The People of Fortaleza, Molly Silvia, University of Richmond
Neglected or Non-compliant? Assessing the difficulties of tuberculosis patients in Salvador-BA, Brazil, Erin Slatery, Harvard University
Limits to Literacy: The Perceived Relationship Between Functional Literacy and Political Empowerment Amongst the Forest-Dwelling Van Gujjars, Nicola Soekoe, Yale University
Give and Take: The Struggle of Being a Part of the System you Want to Change- Childline: Solving and Perpetuating Child Vulnerability in Bikaner, Rajasthan, India, Angela Soley, Occidental College
High-Impact Women Entrepreneurs in Argentina: A study analysed through the Endeavor model, Stephanie Soussloff, Middlebury College
Education in Ladakh: An Overview of the Interactions Between an Indigenous Community and Their Government., Emma Stahl, University of Oregon
Singing With A Sanxian: A Study of The Principal Instrument in Bai Musical Tradition , Christian Stanbrook, Lewis and Clark College
Energía en nuestras manos: La Energía Renovable en escala local y la plurinacionalidad, Noah Stanton, Pomona College
Trail Degradation in Parque Internacional la Amistad: An intersection of Design, Management and Use, Jordan Stark, Skidmore College
Logrando Educación Democrática para un Chile Democrático: Una Mirada a la Formación de Ciudadanos a través de la Educación de Historia, Samantha J. Stevens, Swarthmore College
Let’s Talk About Sex, and What Happens When We Don’t: How Limited Sex Education in Nepal’s Government Schools Affects Women in Arranged Marriages, Isabelle Stillman, Middlebury College
Black, White and Rainbow all Over: The Segregation present among Cape Town’s Pride Festival, Lucy Stockdale, Trinity University
THE STREETS ARE COLD, THE GANGS ARE WARM: AN INTERROGATION OF WHY PEOPLE JOIN GANGS, Sanna Strand, Hawaii Pacific University
Externalities of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership: Effects on Emerging Economies and the Developing World, Eric Stroiman, Vanderbilt University
A Dynamic Blend: The Study of Traditional Ghanaian Dance in Connection with American Hip-Hop and Tap, Hanna Stubblefield-Tave, Columbia University
Plant Community Structure over an Elevation Gradient in Manongarivo Special Reserve, Madagascar, Scott Sugden, Washington and Lee University
Refugee Self-Reliance in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, Uganda, Erik Svedberg, George Washington University
Los Conocimientos, la Conciencia y Consumo, y las elecciones de alimentos organicos y no organicos, Falon Sweeney, George Washington University
The Effect of the Syrian Crisis on Jordanian Internal Security, Andrew E. Szparaga, Indiana University Bloomington
Layers of Home: Dharamsala and the Changing Home of Tibetans, Lydia Talen, University of North Carolina
She Shoots, and She Scores: Women and Sports in Samoa, Taylor Thorp, College of Wooster
Differences in the Diversity of FrogSpecies between Sierra Lloronaand El Valle, Panama, Kei Okabe Thurber, Tufts University
Study of Nagara Drum in Pushkar, Rajasthan, Kathleen Toomey, Mount Holyoke College
Challenging Tunisia’s Homogenous Arabness:Post-Revolutionary Civil Society Activismfor the ‘Invisible’ Tunisian Amazigh, Xavier A. Torres de Janon, Hampshire College
Peacemaking Embodied: Dance as a Connecting Thread Weaving Senegalese Ethnicities, Rachel Ulrich, Manchester University
Energizing Europe: The Geopolitics of Energy Security and Energy Diversification in the European Union, Gabriel Alfredo Uribe, George Washington University
Factors Contributing to Intimate Partner Violence and the Effectiveness of Services Available to Help Victims in Kisumu, Kenya., Dianne Uwayo, Wake Forest University
Beach or Bush? A study on sanitation and clean water in Ushongo Village, Charlotte Vetter, University of Denver
The Power of China: An Analysis of China’s Energy Sources and the Case for Clean Energy, Lauren Vunderink, Connecticut College
“Nous Souffrons” Examining the Problems Facing Urban Refugees in Yaoundé, Cameroon, Morgan Walbert, University of Pittsburgh
Rehabilitation Assessment of a Juvenile Woolly Monkey (Lagothrix lagotricha poeppigii) Troop on Sumak Allpa Island, Ecuador, Christine Walder, Bowdoin College
Stars, Long Fingers, and Signals: A Study on Grass Species Diversity, Density, Frequency, and Veld Analysis at Ndarakwai Wildlife Ranch, Reena Walker and Theresa Schaffner, Brown University / Bucknell University
Cleft Lip and Palate in India: Determining the Socioeconomic Factors That Influence Quality of Life and Treatment Received, With a Focus in Rural Nainital District, Uttarakhand State, Ellery Ward, Occidental College
On Air With the Community An Exploration of Five Community Radio Stations in the Western Cape, Kelsey Warren, University of Redlands
Accessing Canal Pride: The Intersection of Identities for LGBT People with Physical Disabilities at a Global Event, Margaret Webb, Mount Holyoke College
New Observations of the Andean Ibis (Theristicus branickii, Threskiornithidae): Distribution, Movements, and Behavior Near Volcán Antisana, Benjamin West, Bowdoin College
Fútbol Femenino: Empoderamiento en una Cultura Machista, Chloe Wheeler, Vassar College
Improving the Childbirth Experience: Complementarity, Communication and Education, Nyasia M. White, Villanova University
Coming into Consciousness Women’s Empowerment Projects in Chinandega, Nicaragua, Brittany Wightman, Occidental College
Empowered for a Better Future: An Analysis of Women’s Empowerment Through Gulu Women’s Economic Development and Globalization (GWED-‐G) Organization in Gulu, Uganda, Jessica Wightman, Saint Norbert College
When in The Maghreb: The Western Tourist’s Quest for Meaningful Experiences in Post-Colonial Morocco, Erin Willahan, University of Oregon
Métissage Culturelle: Identity, Aesthetics, and the Social Roles of Portraiture in Saint Louis du Sénégal, Shailee Wilson, University of San Francisco
El mundo del tejido: concepciones de identidad femenina y roles de genero en Chinchero, Cusco, Perú, Jamie Wollum, Tufts University
El crecimiento de narcotráfico en Rosario: violencia disciplinada y la resistencia social frente a este sistema / The Growth of Narcotrafficking in Rosario: Disciplined Violence and the Social Resistance to Resist this System, Caitlyn Yates, Trinity University
Renforcement des Femmes: WOPA and Sustainable Empowerment Through Vocational Training, Anna Youngmann, Siena College
For Want of Water, A Will: Community Participation in the Development of a Potable Water Project in Melio, Cameroon, Morgan Yucel, Pomona College
Schoolgirls’ Experience of Menstruation ss Expressed Through Body Mapping in a Quasi-Rural South African Village, Angela Zablotny, Boston College
El Modelo Médico, el Capitalismo y la Acción Pública: Un estudio sobre discapacidad y empleo en la Argentina / The Medical Model, Capitalism and Public Action:A Study of Disability and Employment in Argentina, Zoe Zakin, University of North Carolina
The Effects of Altitude and Micro-Spatial Habitats on the Physiognomic Characteristics of Syzygium Guineense in Mazumbai Forest Reserve, Erin Brynn Zalmanek, University of Colorado At Boulder
Dreaming Larger Than Life: Perceptions of South African Black Wealth and Aspirations of Success Among Young Adults at Wiggins Secondary School, Mikaela Zetley, Northwestern University
Influencias Antropogénicas en el Mantenimiento de los Senderos en el género de Hormigas corta hojas Atta, Glen Zinck, Tufts University
Submissions from 2013
Mapping the Knowledge Economy of Medicinal Plants in Northern Madagascar: Information and Resource Flow in Traditional Health Practices, Chanelle Adams, Brown University
Skype’s the Limit Testing the Value of Cross-cultural Relationship-building in International Development, Charley Allegar, Hamilton College
Fros, Weaves, and Kinks: The Social and Political Significance of Hair for Black and Coloured Women in Cape Town, Carol Antunez, Hamilton College