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 2018
Pearl Lagoon's White Lobster: The Societal, Economic, Political and Autonomous Effects, Rafely Palacios, Emory University
Integration of plastic recycling within a smaller community: Reducing Plastic Pollution in the Environment, Olivia Palenscar, Scripps College
Addressing Extreme Vulnerability: Remaining Barriers to Neonatal Healthcare Delivery in Conflict Areas, Olivia Palmer, Boston College
PARENTS AND EDUCATORS OF A SPECIAL SCHOOL: THEIR PERSPECTIVES ON INCLUSIVE EDUCATION FOR PEOPLE WITH DOWN SYNDROME IN NAVI MUMBAI, INDIA, Jennifer Peterson, George Washington University
Robotic Reflection: An Exploration of Humanity Through the Bodies of Sex Robots, Audrey Pope, Vanderbilt University
AN EXAMINATION OF PERCEPTION GAPS IN EDUCATIONAL ACCESS FOR SYRIAN REFUGEES IN AMMAN, Ramya Prabhakar, Johns Hopkins University
Terrorist Radicalization and International Security: A Crisis of Masculinity and Gender, Moiz Rehan, Williams College
RACI (Red Argentina para la Cooperación Internacional): La cooperación internacional en el contexto de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil en Argentina / RACI (Argentine Network for International Cooperation): International cooperation in the context of civil society organizations in Argentina, Juno Rettenmier, Rice University
Abundance, density, and influencing indicators of solid waste accumulation and mitigation solutions along coastlines on Isla Colón in Bocas del Toro Province, Panamá, Andy Rhodes, Skidmore College
Sacred Springs: Perceptions of Religion and Water in Village Communities of Uttarakhand, Juliet Risko, Dickinson College
El estado “ingobernable” La relación entre usos y costumbres, la migración, el “progreso” / The "ungovernable" state The relationship between uses and customs, migration, "progress", Rosario Rivera, Lafayette College
Water Capacity of Paramo Soils, Rafael Robert, DePauw University
What Does It Mean to Respect One’s Mother? A Narrative Approach Exploring Maternal Respect Through the Perspectives of Zulu Mothers And Their Children, Sarah Robertson, Tulane University
Take a Seat: A Critical Analysis of the Evolving Role of Women in Morocco’s Parliamentary Parties, Grayson Rost, University of Virginia
Paradigmas del desarrollo urbano en Cuenca: abordando los procesos de segregación, marginación y desplazamiento / Paradigms of urban development in Cuenca: addressing the processes of segregation, marginalization and displacement, Sarah Rothschild, Whitman College
Perceptions of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Western Society: A Focus Study on Switzerland, Sandra B. Saldana, Hamilton College
Repatriation of Rwandan Returnees In Kigali: Integration of those Born and Raised on Exile as a Result of the 1959 Violence Wave, Cristina Taulet Sanchez, Davidson College
Looking Beyond Primary: A Study of Barriers to Secondary Education in Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, Uganda, Chloe Schalit, Georgetown University
Kisumu County Hospital Patient Demographic Analysis: Looking Toward Universal Health Coverage, Lauren Scheffey, University of Richmond
Las barreras que enfrentan las personas Indígenas con Discapacidades en una Comunidad Rural de Paucartambo, Perú / The barriers what face the people Indigenous people with Disabilities in a Community Rural from Paucartambo, Peru, Julia Scolapio, George Washington University
Dolpopa, Yvette Segan, Vassar College
Barriers to the Elimination of Plastic in Single Use Beverage Containers in Byron Bay, NSW, Katherine Senechal, Colby College
Are We There Yet, Impact Investing?, Manqi Shi, Southern Methodist University
Nature and Nomads: Service Approach to Mongolia Tours, Jesse E. Shircliff, Gettysburg College
Sitios de Memoria: una comparación analítica entre los espacios de memoria y Derechos Humanos en Buenos Aires y en Santiago / Sites of Memory: an analytical comparison between memory and human rights spaces in Buenos Aires and Santiago, Henry Shuldiner, Hamilton College
Cherchant Toujours la Paix: Le Systeme Endogene de la Resolution des Conflits à Batoufam, Becky Sigman, Saint Anselm College
Frank Thoughts: Investigating the Construction of Anne Frank as a Site of Heritage and Identity Formation in a Globalized PostHolocaust Society, Sarah Silverstein, Franklin and Marshall College
Thangka Painting: An Exploration of Tibetan Buddhism Through Art, Hannah Slocumb, Harvey Mudd College
Mind Control in the Post-Colonial State: The Impact of Foreign Direct Investment in tertiary education in Senegal and Jamaica, Janiel Chantae Slowly, Bucknell University
A Glimpse into Amazighophone Technology Usage An example of the results of short-term ethnography, Garrison Smith, Connecticut College
"Waste Is Not Just Waste Anymore": Deconstructing the Relationship between Sustainable Waste Prevention and Individual Socio-Demographic Characteristics (The Juxtaposition of Ushongo Mtoni Village and Moshi Urban, Tanzania), Mahalia Smith, The George Washington University
A Comparative Tree Survey of Disturbed and Primary Forest Areas: Ngezi-Vumawimbi Nature Forest Reserve, Pemba Island, Skyler Smith, Colorado State University
LGBTI+ Language and Understandings in Nepal: Creating Spaces and Forging Identities, Patrick Sonnenberg, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
The Changing Tide of Corporate Social Responsibility, Conor Soucy, Stonehill College
Trust, Access, and Adaptation to Needs: The Role of Community-Based Promoters in Health Insurance Delivery in Gujarat, India, Lauryn Stafford, University of Washington
Perceptions and physical realities of flood risk in Cerro Punta, Chiriquí, Panamá, Julia Stanganelli, University of Virginia
Over a Cup of Tea and Koko Sāmoa, Elizabeth Stanis
Examining the factors shaping the population structure of Thalassoma bifasciatum in the Lemon keys, Guna Yala, Panama, Nicole Stevens, Johns Hopkins University
The Challenges of India’s Rising Breast Cancer Epidemic, Brigette Stickney, Dickinson College
“Because This Land is Free” A Historical Perspective on Poverty, Settlement, and Conservation in the Lubigi Swamp, Adele Stock, Mount Holyoke College
Land Rights of African Indigenous Groups: International Instruments and Main Issues, Anastasia Strouboulis, University of Maryland
Church and State: The Impact of Christianity on South African Politics during and Post-Apartheid, Calista Struby, Trinity University
Tribal Law at the Crossroads of Modernity: A Study on Jordanian Attitudes towards Jalwa, Danielle Sutton
The Impact of Foreign Involvement on Political Reform Organizations in Jordan, Sravya Tadepalli, University of Oregon
Land-use and Land-ownership changes in Usoma Village, Kenya, Ernest Tan, Yale-NUS College
The Women of Dho Tarap: Gender Roles, Challenges, and Change in Dolpo, Nepal, Luke Testa, Saint Anselm College
Imagining Intimacy Beyond Boundaries: 'Born-Frees' Conceptions of Race and Relationships in South Africa, Reilly Torres, Occidental College
Spirituality and Conservation in Tujiin Nars, Lisa Torstenson, Carleton College
Stagnant Corruption in Bosnia-Herzegovina: Then, Now, and What is to Come, Megan Uren, Trinity University
El empoderamiento de la mujer migrante: una historia de vida que ilustra este aprendizaje en la Asociación de Mujeres Unidas, Migrantes y Refugiadas en Argentina (AMUMRA) / The empowerment of migrant women: a life story that illustrates this learning in the Association of United Women, Migrants and Refugees in Argentina (AMUMRA), Jonathan Urrea-Espinoza, Kenyon College
Tourism in Iceland: Individual Carbon Footprint and the Potential to be Carbon Neutral, Ange-Elise Venet, California State University San Marcos
The Cape Town Free Walking Tours: Whose History Is It Anyway? The shaping of place and space in a tourist city, Allegra Von Hirschberg, Vassar College
Differences in temporal and territorial feeding patterns of various tropical Trochilidae species as observed at two different ecosystems in Soberanía National Park, Delaney Vorwick, Boston College
Informally Shaping a Child's Mind Around Genocide Within Rwandan Families, Cameron Voss, Albion College
PERCEPTIONS AS A BARRIER TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES UTILIZATION AMONG SYRIAN REFUGEES IN JORDAN, Elizabeth Shan Wang, George Washington University
Perception and Prejudice: Sino-Ghanaian Relations within the Service Sector and the Wavering Perception of China on the Global Stage, Jodi-Ann (Juexuan) Wang, Kenyon College
Imagining Intersectional Anti-Rape Messaging at an Organization in Cape Town, South Africa: Visible and Invisible Subjects, Maslen Bode Ward, Yale University
Selection Perception: Views on the Theory of Evolution Among Residents of Moshi, Tanzania, Robin Waterman, Wesleyan University
Mortality rate trends of Australian fur seal pups, Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus, and possible factors affecting pup mortality in the Bass Strait of Australia, Theresa Waters, Vassar College
An Inordinate Fondness for Beetles: A Study of Insect Species Diversity and Abundance in Mazumbai Forest Reserve Versus Nearby Agricultural Areas, Emma Weisner, Tulane University
Think Outside: Exploring the Influence of Nature on the Individual and of the Individual on Society, Brielle Wells, University of Oregon
Métodos y tratamientos para el control de la epidemia de VIH en Arica en jóvenes / Methods and treatments for the control of the HIV epidemic in Arica in young people, Elizabeth Whidden, Vassar College
La asociación entre la contaminación del agua y la salud en los niños menores de cinco años en Villa Garrote, partido de Tigre / The association between water pollution and health in children under five in Villa Garrote, Tigre party, Morgan Whyte, Carleton University
Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome in India: A Socio-cultural Perspective, Hannah Wickham, The University of Alabama
Hijos de la Dictadura: Posmemoria, Trauma y Resistencia en Chile Actual / Children of the Dictatorship: Postmemory, Trauma and Resistance in Chile Current, Dana Williams, Bowdoin College
Challenges to Democratic Inclusion and Contestation of Space: Contemporary Student Activists in Transforming South Africa, Momo Wilms-Crowe, University of Oregon
Tunisia’s Inaugural Municipal Elections: A Comparative Analysis of Independent Lists in La Marsa, Danielle Ziegelheim, Washington University in St. Louis
“Arica tiene VIH, ¿y tú?” El rol del test rápido de VIH en el diagnóstico oportuno para jóvenes de la comuna de Arica, Chile / "Arica has HIV, and you?" The role of the rapid HIV test in the timely diagnosis for young people in the district of Arica, Chile, Julia Zigman, Washington University in St. Louis
Submissions from 2017
Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Genocide Ex-Prisoners: Understanding the Correctional Role of Prisons in Rwanda, Lulu Abdun, Miami University
'You become a rock': Conceptions of motherhood and lessons of race as told and photographed by four mothers from Cape Town, South Africa, Kaitlin Abrams, Colgate University
Tourism and the Vrankrijk as a Safe(r) Space, Megan Adams, American University
Music as the Guide on the Pathway to Empowerment and Wellbeing. A Narrative on an arts-based Holistic Health Solution., Sabine Adler, Ithaca College
What, where, why: a survey of Felidae populations at Enashiva Nature Refuge, Tanzania, Lucrecia Aguilar, Rice University
Homefulness: The Cultural Safety Net in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Joshua Ahearn, Gordon College
Who Am I? The Relationship between Cultural Identity and Globalization within the Local and Global Intersections, Nir Aish, Bucknell University
Convivendo na Lagoa do Mineiro: An Education in Living and Loving With, Daniela Aldrich, Dickinson College
Panji's Present Predicament: the artistic prominence and tension of the Malat in painting and contemporary Balinese performance, Emily Austin, Washington and Lee University
Fish community assessment of the Bonyic and Teribe Rivers within the Naso-Teribe territory Bocas Del Toro, Panama: Possible implications of Bonyic Dam., Shaylyn Austin, University of Michigan
Tourism and Representation: Digital Expressions and Implications of Orientalism, Lily P. Ayau, Occidental College
Investigation de regeneración natural de plantas vasculares en la Reserva Madrigal del Podocarpus / Investigation of natural regeneration of vascular plants in the Madrigal Reserve of the Podocarpus, Sy Baker, University of Colorado
A Glimpse into Life on Avenida Caetano: An Auto-Ethnographical Study with Emphasis on Community Health and Social Determinants of Health within an Urban Context in Brotas, Salvador, Brazil, Harleen Bal, University of Richmond
Un vistazo interior al sistema educativo público de Managua: Las voces de estudiantes, padres y maestros, Karla Barron, University of Southern California
“Que rica...”: sexualización y exotificación de mujeres migrantes y sus experiencias y percepciones en el centro urbano de Santiago / "How rich ...": sexualization and exotification of migrant women and their experiences and perceptions in the urban center of Santiago, Alexandra Barton, Lafayette College
El acceso y uso de las pruebas genéticas para la detección precoz de enfermedades congénitas en mujeres embarazadas en la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires en el año 2017 \ The access and use of genetic tests for early detection of congenital diseases in pregnant women in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires in the year 2017, Anna Anna Bauer, Franklin & Marshall
Luchadoras: Resistencias contra la violencia de género por las mujeres en la región de San Ramón, Olivia "Livey" Beha, University of Southern California
Olas de cambio: Violencia política y desplazamiento durante la Guerra Interna en el Perú (1980-2000), Sarah Benewith, University of San Francisco
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement, Katelyn Bergl, University of Colorado Boulder
The Impact of Program Structure on Language Acquisition and Intercultural Competence: A Comparative Study of Study Abroad Programs in Kunming, China, Samantha Bergman, Smith College
Pluralism and Religious Education In Bali: How lack of implementation of educational reform threatens Indonesian identity in the system used to construct it, Nikolai O. Birch, Occidental College
From Kipat to Kathmandu: A Failed Integration of Limbu People into the Nepali State in Biblate, Ilam, Andrew Blunt, Bowdoin College
The Environmental Paris-ite: The Current and Potential Impacts of the Paris Agreement on Sustainable Finance and the Global Market, Caitlin Boelsen, University of Minnesota