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 2023
Variation in the growth parameters and biomass of Rhizophora mangle seedlings with distances from Playa Estrella, Bocas del Toro, Panama, Thiny Tep, Barnard College of Columbia University
Judicial Off-Bench Resistance in Post-Revolution Tunisia, Farah Tolu-Honary, Beloit College
Exploring the Influence of Globalization and Self-Expression in Shaping the Vietnamese LGBTQ+ Community in Urban Vietnam, Minh-Thy Tyler, Emory University
Gallardo, Guisinde y hacer Puntas Agudas de huesos de Guanacos: Un Análisis de Fuentes Etnográficas sobre tecnologías Elaboradas sobre materias primas duras de origen animal, Benjamin Van Rooy, The University of Virginia
An analysis of factors in the policymaking process that enabled prison sentence decreases through the 2022 Organic Law of Comprehensive Guarantee of Sexual Freedom/La Ley Del Solo Sí es Sí in Spain, Cambron Wade, Bowdoin College
La Formación de la Identidad Afrodescendiente y su Manifestación en Movimientos Políticos, Simone Watson, Spelman College
Costumbre y Carnavales; el rol de alcohol en la comunidad Aymara de Putre, Billy White, Smith College
El Trabajo de las mujeres: los impactos del feminismo socialista en la organización sindical de Buenos Aires después de la crisis orgánica de 2001 / Women’s Work: The Impacts of Socialist Feminism on Buenos Aires Union Organizing Following The 2001 Organic Crisis, Elise Williamson, Yale University
The Role of Worker-Driven Regulation in the Global Fashion Industry, Jessie Wills, Washington University in St. Louis
Variation of carbon stock of Boca del Drago mangrove forests based on salinity and seaward proximity, Fiona Wyrtzen, The University of Texas at Austin
Medicina Tradicional en la Urbe: El Funcionamiento del Sistema de Salud Mapuche en Santiago, Mariko Yatsuhashi, Macalester College
Paved with Good Intentions? A Geopolitical Analysis of the Belt and Road Initiative in Central and Eastern Europe, Vincent Zhang, Georgetown University
Submissions from 2022
The relationship between substrate composition, community structure and feeding preferences of parrot fishes (Scaridae) in Anmardub, Guna Yala coastal reefs, Caitlin Amman, Gettysburg College
Aid for Ed: An Analysis of Rwanda’s 12-Year Basic Education System and its Relationship with Government-channeled aid, Gabriel K. Anzeze, Lake Forest College
The Rinpoche Sent me a Friend Request: The Roles and Perceptions of Social Media in Buddhist Religious Life, Solveigh Barney, Macalester College
Comparing amphibian species diversity and abundance in natural forest and cacao agroforest at Finca La Magnita, Changuinola, Bocas del Toro, Panamá Lake Barrett, Lake Barrett, The College of Wooster
The Role of Frugivorous Birds as Seed Dispersers: Feeding Selection and Preference of Madagascar’s Avian Frugivores in Analamazaotra Forest, Thaddeus Bashaw, Wesleyan University
The Future of Multinational Accountability within the Environmental Policy Nexus, Lauren Beasley, Whittier College
The Battle for the Sea: Tourism Development and Public Ocean Access in Jambiani, Zanzibar, Sophie Beauchesne, Salve Regina University
The Politics of Water: The Jordanian Water Crisis and the Future of Refugee Migration in the Middle East, Ruhama Bekele, Colby College
Healing from Genocidal Rape: An Exploration of the Trauma Healing Process among SEVOTA Members, Delaney Bluhm, Gustavus Adolphus College
“Somos un Pueblo Fumigado”: un análisis de la lucha contra la fumigación y sistema de agronegocios en la provincia de Buenos Aires, Samuel Brooks, Williams College
Hacia un Contra-Archivo Radical y Queer: El Archivo de la Memoria Trans y la [Re]Construcción de la Memoria Colectiva Sobre la Violencia Institucional en Argentina, Valeria Bula, Yale University
Restoring Dignity in the Gardens of eKhenana, Jordan Buser, University of Puget Sound
From Green to Gold: Community along lines of trade between Dolpo and Mustang, Jack Cantor, Bates College
A case study investigating perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine in Cato Manor and Chesterville, Caitlin Chan, Bates College
Retracing Revolutionary Footsteps: The Legacy of the People’s War in the Maoist Heartlands, Katherine Coetzer, Davidson College
Creating Sustainable Biofuels Using Essential Oil Distillery Leaf Waste Near Vohimana Reserve, Ashley Cohen, Carleton College
Evolving Swiss Neutrality: Foreign Policy, Identity, and a Changing World, Dan A. Cohen, Columbia University
The Future of Architecture: Measuring the Sustainability of Paradigm Shifting Architectural Interventions, Jake M. Cohen, Sewanee: The University of the South
Rural Microfinance and Business Ownership Outcomes A Case of Tanzania Educational and Micro Business Opportunity (Tembo) Loan and Non-Loan Recipients in Longido District, Tanzania, Owen Conlin, University of Denver
The Ethics and Philosophy of Outdoor Education: Hidden Lessons Within the LeikSkoli Curriculum in Isafjordur, Iceland, Cici Conroy, Bates College
Changes in Identity: How Mongolian Musicians and Performers have Responded to Geopolitical Transition, Heather Cook, Macalester College
The Relationship Between Humans and Nature in The Himalayas: A Collection of Poems, Floyd Cornett, University of Virginia
Tsaachin Reindeer Herders: Perceptions vs Reality, Sharla Dart, Cornell University
Monuments as a Lens to Understand Climate Change: A Survey of Altered Indian Architecture, McKenzie Davis, University of Oregon
Sustainability and Connection to Place: Land Stewardship through Local Icelandic Women-Run Businesses, Hazel DeHarpporte, Carleton College
Examining the Power Dynamics in the Patient-Doctor Relationship in Bio-medicalized Countries: a Historical and Sociocultural Framework, Molly Dickerson, University of South Carolina
Water: The Gift and the Curse: A Climate Change Preparedness Study on an Increased rainfall Scenarios In the Yunguilla Cloud Forest, Ecuador, Emilia Dick Fiora del Fabro, Tufts University
A Destabilized World: The Effects of Climate Change on Armed Conflict and International Humanitarian Law, Chase Doctor, Washington University in St. Louis
The Ethics of Medical Voluntourism: the Conceptualization and Management of ‘Doing Harm’ Within the Business, Katelyn Dohler, Vanderbilt University
Shifting Relations: How Spain and Morocco’s Bilateral Relationship Affects Violence at the Border, Elizabeth Driscoll, Colgate University
Las Interacciones Entre la Migración y el Sistema Alimentario Globalizado en Oaxaca, México, Abby Dryden, Gettysburg College
“Sobrevivientes” o “Trabajadoras”: la representación de mujeres migrantes y racializadas en el debate actual acerca del trabajo sexual y la prostitución en Argentina, Jaya Duckworth, Occidental College
El canto del Río Ayampe que corre en la mitad: “La narración socioecológica y el conflicto territorial entre La Comuna Ancestral Las Tunas y el recinto de Ayampe”, María Juanita Durán González, Pomona College
Héroes anónimos: La relación entre la gente y las plantas nativas en Río Grande, Argentina, Rachel Elliott, University of Vermont
Good Cop/Bad Cop: A comparative analysis of affiliative and aggressive behaviors by adult female and male olive baboons with infants at Randilen Wildlife Management Area, Tanzania, Jesse Elop, University of Oregon
Orb-weaver Diversity and Niche Partitioning in Ecuador’s Amazonian Foothills: What spiders can reveal about tree fall gaps, streams, and cultivated areas, Riley Endries, Washington University in St. Louis
What Makes Mad Honey “Mad”? An Investigation into the Obsession of the Himalayan Wild Cliff Honey, Codi Farmer, University of Oregon
Tejer una red de apoyo: Tejemujeres: Una Cooperativa de artesanas en Gualaceo, Ecuador, Emma Floyd, Oberlin College
Energy Literacy in Portugal: A System Map and Framework to Increase Energy Literacy Through the Renewable Energy Transition, Molly S. Fox, University of Colorado Boulder
El Significado Cultural de la Platería Mapuche Contemporánea, Anna Frankel, Carleton College
Duelos incompletos: La situación actual del acceso a servicios de salud mental para los sobrevivientes del conflicto armado en Ayacucho, Olivia Frison De Angelis, The College of Wooster
Worrying in Cato Manor: A Case Study Analysis on the Influence of Context, Samantha Garbus, University of Vermont
What’s At “Steak”: The Drivers of Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon and Potential Multilateral Solutions, Soleil Gaylord, Dartmouth College
Hummingbird diversity, abundance, and feeding interactions across three floral communities on Mount Totumas, Chiriquí, Panamá, Zachary Ginn, Colorado College
Drivers and Barriers of the Transition To Regenerative Agriculture Within the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy Reform: Comparative Analysis with the US Farm Bill, Samantha Gish, Colorado University Boulder
Laguncularia racemosa top-layer sediment microorganism makeup in relation to differing levels of perceived anthropogenic impact in Bocas del Drago, Bocas del Toro, Panama, Gabrielle Glendening, The University of Maryland
The Correlation Between Vaccine Hesitancy and Privilege: Exploring the degree to which education and income foster resistance to vaccination efforts, Sophie Goldenberg, Vanderbilt University
Evaluating the validity of restrictions on blood donation eligibility for men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States, France, and Switzerland, Swathi Gorantla, Vanderbilt University
A Photo Documentary: Exploring Queer Identities in KwaZulu-Natal, Nicholas Graves, Occidental College
Analyzing Alternative Spaces: Queer Social Networks and Notions of Belonging in Morocco, Adam Griffin, University of Notre Dame
“¿Te invité yo a vivir aquí?” … Vivir contra la pendiente: resistencia entre el mapa y el territorio, el caso del cerro Las Cañas, Darlene Guadalupe Valencia, Smith College
Murals & Mother Nature: Urban environmental art in Lisbon reveals great concern and appreciation for the environment, Ana Gunther, Bowdoin College
Vox and Spanish Nationalism: The Constitutional Processes for the Elimination of Regional Autonomy, Noah Halterman-Mitchell, Muhlenberg College
How Spirituality Intensifies Sustainability: A case study of Ananda Valley in Northern Portugal, Mia Handler, Wake Forest University
From River to Ridge: The Influence of Elevation and Habitat on Herpetofauna Species Abundance and Diversity in the Llanganates-Sangay Ecological Corridor, Ecuador, Elle Hankin, Colby College
Gen-Z, Gender, & Governmental Grievances: A post-transition political philosophy for the newest generation of women in a ‘failed’ state., Olivia Harvey, Denison University
Microplastics, The Environment, and Reproductive Health: How is The Accumulation of Microplastics in our Environment and Bodies Impacting Reproductive Health?, Katherine Hayward, University of Connecticut
Carpets, Education, and Documentation: A Case Study of the Jawalakhel Tibetan Handicrafts Settlement, Diana Hewitt, Williams College
Beacons of Peace and Tolerance: The Politics of Memory in Judeo-Moroccan Cultural and Historical Institutions, Audrey Ming An Hirsch, Wellesley College
Earth stories: a narrative understanding of farmlife in Pokhara, Nepal, Grace Holmes, Skidmore College
Regenerative Agriculture Framework for Island Ecosystems Using São Miguel as a Case Study, Mya Hunter, Colorado State University
How Survivors of Domestic Violence Seek Legal and Social Support Against their Abusers in Ahmednagar District of Maharashtra State in India: An Exploratory Study, Jonathan Israel, Tulane University
How Survivors of Domestic Violence Seek Legal and Social Support Against Their Abusers in Ahmednagar District of Maharashtra State in India: An Exploratory Study, Jonathan Israel, Tulane University
Riding On Giants: Elephant Tourism in Chitwan National Park, Joshua Jacoves, Trinity College
Small but Strong: Growth and Development of the Sikh Community in Kathmandu, Sarbjot Z. Jessop, Macalester College
Arthropod Assemblages at the Intersection of Epiphyte and Soil Habitats: An assessment of understory level nonvascular epiphyte communities and their connectivity within a tropical montane rainforest, David “Max” Jones, Northwestern University
Seeking Independence a Second Time: FDI in Uganda’s Development, Halle Jones, Vassar College
Can Joy be Racialized? Analyzing how Ghanaians Conceptualize Joy, Zakiyyah (Zaza) Jones, Swarthmore College
‘Too shy to talk about this topic’: The impacts of gender conceptions on the embodied sexual experiences and perceptions of urban Vietnamese students in Ho Chi Minh City, Lily Kafka, Skidmore College
(Witch) Crafting Identity: An Autoethnographic Analysis of the Dutch National Identity Through Women in Haunted History, Hallie Kamosky, Brandeis University
Loving You in the Desert: Short Stories, Sam Kass, Vassar College
Los impactos del cambio climático en las comunidades Aymaras en Putre, el valle de Azapa y Arica, Lindsey Kaufman, Washington University in St. Louis
“La Ultra Periferia de un País Periférico”: La Política Estratégica Litífera en Jujuy: Los Objetivos, Los Instrumentos, y los Desafíos / The Ultra Periphery of a Periphery Country: The Strategic Policy Towards Lithium in Jujuy: The Objectives, the Instruments, and the Challenges, Max Kaye, Georgetown University
The Power of the Middle Class in the United States and China, Sarah Kent, University of Michigan
“Hadithi ya Matunda”: The Informal Fruit Economy on Unguja Island: A study of the livelihoods of smallholder producers, intermediaries, and sellers, Daisy Kettle, Bates College
Irregular Migration in Morocco: A Case for Constructionism, Mourad Khalil, Davidson College
Desert Power: Exploring How Jordan Can Democratize Through Tribalism, Shahab A. Khan, The University of Iowa
Aman Iman: Resilient Customs, Community Water Management, and Dry Futures in Anounizme, Morocco, Haley Kirtland, Pomona College
“Antes éramos de tierra firme”: community perspectives on the past, present, and future of Isla Narganá and Isla Corazón de Jesús, Comarca Guna Yala in the face of a changing climate, Izabella R. Klosterman, Skidmore College
From City State to Medina: The Timeless Wisdom of Aristotle’s Polis, Spencer Koehl, University of Notre Dame
The Contradictions of Sought Safe Havens: The Difficulty of Immigration and Integration for Muslim Maghrébins in France, Serena Korkmaz, Georgetown University
Strength of Climate Goals and Results in Regions: A Comparative Study of the Basque Country and Scotland and their Respective Nations, Oviya Kumaran, Swarthmore College
Ley N° 26.160: su implementación y efectos en la lucha por la recuperación territorial mapuche en las Provincias de Neuquén y Río Negro (2006 - presente), Noura Lamb, Vassar College
Domesticated: Migrant Domestic Workers in Jordan and Their Place in Jordan’s Law and Homes, Jeromel Dela Rosa Lara, Harvard University
Surveying the Stigma: How the PLHIV Stigma Index acts as a validated framework to measure healthcare discrimination and how it can be adapted to quantify mental health stigma, Keeley LaRiviere, Claremont McKenna College
La crisis carcelaria en el Ecuador: las causas, manifestaciones y algunas recomendaciones, Ava Lausch, Oberlin College
Caviar of the Pacific: Palolo Fishing Today and its Association with Coral Reef Health, Emma Letti Lee