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 2012
Take Back Rondebosch Common: A Case Study on Discontent With the DA and Urban Land Reform in Rondebosch, Cape Town., Kyle Dallman, Beloit College
Inteñas en Acción: El eco-feminismo y el Desarrollo Alternativo en Íntag, Ellicott Dandy, Colby College
The Interdependence of Gedi Ruins and the Giriama: A Study of Ancestral Spirits, Jinn, and the Impact of Islam, Tucker Deady, Dickinson College
Confronting Agrarian Crisis and Deconstructing Farmer Debt: The Story of Sulthanpur Village, Andhra Pradesh, Erica DeJong, Macalester College
The Effect of Climate Change on Mongolian Herding Communities: Investigating the Current Prevalence of Ecomigration and Community Perceptions of and Responses to Migration in the Countryside, Rachael Diniega, University of Virginia
Education Structures for Ecotourism: A Case Study on Shangri-La, Ruth Donaghey, Providence College
Tibetan Guozhuang in Diqing Autonomous Prefecture: A Comparative Musical Analysis, Christina du Breuil, Northwestern University
The Application of Biomimicry Design Principles in Sustainable Agriculture Systems: A Permaculture Case Study, Jillian Du, University of California, San Diego
Water and Sanitation: A Study of Deserted IDP Camps in Lapul Sub-county, Patrick Dunlap, St. Edward's University
Managing Diversity and Dealing with the Obstacles to Integration of Non-European Union Migrants: A Comparison of Policies in the Netherlands and France, Eryn Eby, University of Puget Sound
Educando Para el Futuro Mapuche: Un estudio de caso de la Enseñanza Intercultural en Nivel Media en la IX Región de Chile, Henry Edelstein, Carleton College
Perspectives of Print Media in Samoa: Considering Varying Viewpoints on its Role in Society, Grace Elkus, Elon University
Unidad Fraccionada: Las Tensiones de la Coalición Indígena Originario Campesino y de la Base Popular del Movimiento al Socialismo, Alexandra Ellerbeck, Wesleyan College
Capitalizing Art: The Marketing of Senegalese Bronze Sculpture, Julia Mears Embry, Williams College
The ‘Narod’ in Narodnjaci: Perceptions of Turbo Folk in Contemporary Sarajevo, Uchechi Esonu, Bowdoin College
Listening to Kabir: Pluralism, Paradox, and the Kabir Panth, Parker Eudy, Rice University
Tsunamis: Desprevenidos por la Realidad de la Geología Un estudio de la Posibilidad y Precauciones por un Tsunami en Puerto López, Manabí, Ecuador, Abigail Eurich, Yale University
Access to Healthcare for the Poor: Will the Affordable Care Act Address Income-Related Health Disparities in the United States?, Sonya Fabricant, Whitman College
El Lago Está Enfermo, Nosotros También, Sarah Fitzgerald, Providence College
Changing the very fabric of society: A case study of the Fundación Entre Mujeres holistic empowerment model, Briana Frenchmore, Pacific Lutheran University
Cambiar el negocio de la Finca: Un Perfil del Agroturismo en la provincia de Herrera, Julianne Gagnon, Washington University in St. Louis
The Valley Trust: a Historical Review of Food Security and Nutrition-Related Programs at a Health Promotion Non-Governmental Organization in the Valley of a Thousand Hills, Kwazulu-Natal, Jeannine Garcia, Brandeis University
Identificación y Análisis de Las Determinantes Sociales que Mayormente Influyen el Uso Inseguro de Los Plaguicidas en el Valle de Azapa en la Región de Arica y Parinacota, Emma Garrison, Ithaca College
“The Customer is Always Right” Customer Service and Managerial Structures in Relation to Company Size on Main Road Rondebosch, Cape Town, Carlos Gausman, Denison University
Les Oubliés de l’Histoire: Perceptions of Harkis and Community Awareness, Lauren Gilbert, Muhlenberg College
Perceptions of Wealth and Poverty in Samoa, William Glass, Rollins College
Water Security and Management in Burkina Faso: How Socio-Political and Cultural Complexities Affect Development, Megan M. Godfrey, University of Oregon
Empresas Recuperadas, Elana Gold, Temple University
Las carreteras ya no cantan: una investigación sobre la riqueza y diversidad de especies de anfibios en sitios sensibles a lado del Eje Vial N°4 en la Reserva Biológica Tapichalaca, Harrison Goldspiel, Brandeis University
Changing Paradigms: Community Policing in Calabar, Isael Gonzalez Goodman, Pitzer College
The Role of Mothers in Muslim Families in Ouakam, Dakar: Navigating Traditional Gender Roles in a Modern Context, Emily Goodhue, St. Olaf College
Africans in a Country “Without Blacks”: Challenges and Accomplishments of the Integration of Recent African Immigrants in Argentina - Africanos en un País donde “No Hay Negros”: Los Logros y Desafíos de la Integración de los Recientes Inmigrantes Africanos en la Argentina, Stephan Grabner, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Un Compromiso al Parto Culturalmente Sensible: Una Evaluación de la Interculturalidad en Salud reproductiva en el Norte de Chile, Kalin J. Gregory-Davis, Barnard College
Who Else Would Plant The Trees? A Status Update on the Pemba Flying Fox, Hannah “Hawa” Grose and Catherine Grace “Rahma” Clemmens
Why are Cities the Only Place for Dreams? Outmigration of Youths From Rural Uttarakhand, Peter Grunawalt, University of Vermont
I Can Show You the World: Surveillance and Introspection in Tunisian Medinas., Rachel Hagler, Williams College
Beauty in the Indigenous Pageant The Cultural and Social Relevance of Miss Samoa, Mariko Hamashima, Vassar College
Assesment of Social and Economic Impacts of Biogas Digesters in Rural Kenya, Alison Hamlin, University of Rochester
Harmony or Mere Toleration? Examining Inter-religious Relations in Amertasari, Keller Hawkins, Whitman College
PEPFAR Problems: How Does the United States’ Presidential Emergency Program for AIDS Relief Empower Women?, Caitlin H.
Visibilización de la Población Rural en Villa la Angostura Después de la Erupción del Volcán Puyehue, Claire Henkel, Macalester College
La Educacion Chilena: ¿Derecho Humano o Bien De Consumo?, Simone Nicole Henry, Macalester College
“Todo Pasado es Presente”: Racismo Abierto y Confrontación Violenta en Cochabamba el 11 de enero de 2007, Andrew Hernández, Swarthmore College
Beads, Sculptures, and Baskets: South African Traditional Craft as a Means of Economic Empowerment, Sasha Kaori Hippard, Smith College
The Long and Winding Road: An Experiential Study of Mongolian Transit, Tommy Holmberg, Bates College
Awareness of Type II Diabetes in the Developing World: Case Study in Binh Du’o’ng, Vietnam, Anna Hong Le, Wofford
Teaching A Man To Fish: NGDOs, Development Interventionism, and the Theory and Practice of the Capacity Building Approach., Sa’eed Husaini, Hope College
La Reconstrucción de Identidad a Través del Proceso Migratorio: Una Exploración la Experiencia Migrante en el Norte de Chile para los Jóvenes Adolescentes del países andinos Fronterizos en Aportación de Espacios Trans-Fronterizos de Expresión Identitaria, Allison Ipsen, Claremont Mckenna College
Nutrition and Diabetic Management in Urban Kenya, Madeline Jackson, Middlebury College
Land Rights, Cultural Hybridization, and Self-determination of First Peoples A Case Study Among the Ngöbe of Western Panama, Clancy Jandreau, Colorado State University
Serbian/Albanian Bilingualism in Kosova: Reversal or Entrenchment of the Curse of Babel?, Sarah Littisha Jansen, York Universite
A Survey of the Orchid Diversity (Orchidaceae) in Sainte Luce, Petriky, and Mandena (Southeast Madagascar), Anne Kathleen Johnson, Duke University
Women in Post Revolutionary Tunisia: Political Inclusion and Prospects for the Future, Courtney Joline, George Washington University
Measles Vaccinaiton in Developing Nations: A Statistical Analysis Looking at Factors That Affect Measles Vaccination Percentages, Jeffrey Judkins, University of Puget Sound
A Comparison Study of a Bird Population in Lake Alaotra: The Effects of a Protected Area, Sonya R. Kaufman, Oberlin College
Investigating the Fight Against the Crime of Human Trafficking in Argentina: the RATT and its Capacities as an NGO Network - Indagando en la lucha contra el delito de la trata de personas en la Argentina: la RATT y sus capacidades como una red de ONGs, Avery Corinne Kelly, University of the South
Responsible Tourism in Samoa: An Exploration of Attitudes in Samoa Towards Responsibility in Tourism, Teresa Kline, Franklin & Marshall College
Sectarianism In Northern Ireland: Youth Work and the Art of Having the Difficult Conversation, Dan Knishkowy, Hamilton College
Evaluating a Primate Sanctuary: Population assessment of the Common Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri sciureus) on Sumak Allpa, Ecuador, Claire Leichter, Carleton College
Vietnam to Việt Kiều and Back: An In‐depth Look at the Relationship Between Overseas Vietnamese and Vietnamese in Ho Chi Minh City, Minh Le, Emory University
Chile, Menos la Solidaridad: El Presente y Futuro de Desigualdad Económica en Chile, Carolyn Lenderts, Claremont Mckenna College
Storytelling and Healing: the Influence of Narrative on Identity Construction Among HIV Positive Individuals in Kisumu, Kenya, Kimberly Leon, Stanford University
Effects of Globalization and Tourism on the Commercialization of Hue Royal Cuisine, Helenka Lepkowski Ostrum, Barnard College
The Constructs of Coexistence: Visualizing Contemporary Saint-Louisien Identity Among the Architectures of a Colonial Past, Isaac Lindy, Vassar College
Curative Care as the Access Point to Rural Social Transformation a Case Study of the Comprehensive Rural Health Project, Nancy Liu, Swarthmore College
Simple, Sustainable Living: An Illustrated Journal, Jenn Livermore, Scripps College
The 2002 Bali Bomb: Models of Sustainable Philanthropy, Lauren Livingston, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Effect of Light Level on Feeding Behavior in a Lemur Species (Eulemur Rubriventer) With a Color Vision Polymorphism., Ainsley Lockhart, Kenyon College
Reacciones al Turismo en los Tejidos de Huilloc y Chinchero: Una Comparación entre dos Pueblos, Sarah Lyon, Williams College
“Nos Trabalhamos em Rede:” How the Instituto Povo do Mar Utilizes Local Networks and Knowledge to Foster Empowerment., Cléa Major, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Discourses around Social Welfare Grants as Antipoverty Policy: Effectiveness and the Potential for Reform, Sarah Maniates, Kenyon College
Manifestations of Tibetan Buddhism in Pudacuo National Park and its Effectiveness as an Environmental Education Tool, Ellen Martin, College of William and Mary
Opening Space: The Relationship of Contestation Between Women and the State in Nicaragua, Hana Masri, Macalester College
Jugando con Bola Ensalivada: Una Historia Política del Béisbol Nicaragüense desde Somoza hasta Ortega, Braeden (Diego) Mayer, University of Texas at Dallas
Filling the Gap: An Examination of HIV/AIDS Treatment and Prevention at Uganda Cares Masaka, Andrew Robert McAsey, University of Notre Dame
The Impact of Income Generating Programs at Tarangire National Park, Tanzania, Dylan McDowell, Oregon State University
Conflict Situation for Health Care Workers: A Case Study of the Occupational Challenges in Kasangati Health Centre IV and Their Implications for Patient Care., Shannon McDowell, University of Notre Dame
Assessment of Genetic Connectivity and Potential Management Plans for the Coral Reef Ecosystems of Guna Yala, Panama, Molly McEntee, Williams College
Lost in Translation Teaching, Translation, and Transliteration Of Amchi Medicine in Nepal, Hannah McGehee, Dartmouth University
Treating the Spirit: An Ethnographic Portrait of Senegalese Animist Mental Health Practices and Practitioners in Dakar and the Surrounding Area, Caitlin McKinley, DePauw University
Estamos Aquí: Una Historia de Afro Descendientes Bolivianos, Katie Meola, Washington University in St. Louis
La Falta de Desarrollo Debido a la Carencia de Igualdad: La Ineficacia del Programa de Educación Intercultural Bilingüe Como Factor de Continuación de la Dominación del Estado de Chile Contra el Pueblo Mapuche, Amanda Miller, Tufts University
The Perceptions, Problems, and Possibilities of Cameroonians with Mental Disabilities: A Case study of Le Centre National de Réhabilitation des Personnes Handicapées de Yaoundé, Lauren Miller, Hope College
El dengue en Puerto López La Incidencia y el Nivel de Conocimiento de la Gente Sobre las Enfermedades Transmitidas por los Mosquitos, McKenzie Momany, Whitman College
Accessing Justice, Evaluating Agency: How 12 Women in Cape Town Perceive Their Local Police Services With Respect to Their Race, Class, Gender, and Geographic Location, Ellen Moore, Syracuse University
Yande kuñas, yande gwarayas: Una historia de las mujeres de San Pablo, Julia Moskowitz, Smith College
Living with Autism in Vietnam, Libie Motchan, Macalester College
La Cosmovisión Andina en la Comunidad de Amaru: Una Investigación Sobre la Condición de la Filosofía Andina a Partir de la Presencia de Sectas Religiosas y el Turismo., Renzo F. Moyano Condía, Colby College
Control Biologico de la Broca del Cafe (Hypothenemus Hampei) en la Valle de Vilcabamba, Loja, Ecuador. Una Comparacion de Huertas Usando el Hongo Beauveria Bassiana, María Mugnani, Mount Holyoke College
Assessment of Migrant Health and Health Disparities between Immigrants and Swiss Nationals Living in Switzerland, Gabriela Mujica-Martorell, Johns Hopkins University
Student Voice in Integrated Schools: Advising Leaders in a Transitional Society, Nora Murphy, DePauw University
Symbols of Religious Identity in Jordanian Society, Piotr Narel, Loyola University Chicago
Dao De Qin: A Case Study of the Guqin, Dashiell H. Nathanson, University of Colorado at Boulder
Death Squads and Diplomacy: An Investigation of British Attitudes Towards Sectarian Assassinations in the 1970’s, Hannah Nelson, Carleton College
Too Much Weed: Invasive Species in Chitwan National Park, Laura Nelson, University of Minnesota
Is It Really Just All About Sex and Money? A Case Study of Teenage Motherhood in the Village of KwaXimba in the Valley of a 1,000 Hills, Margaret Nelson, Occidental College
Preparing for the Worst: Disaster Preparedness Education in Samoa, Zoe Nemerever, Lafayette College
Sharing Earth’s Most Valuable Resource: Cooperation in Transboundary Water Management, Olivia Nesbit, George Washington University
Trafačka: Young Artists in an Alternative Space (Life of D.I.Y.), Dora Novey-Buttfield, Smith College