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 2016
Goals of Aid Organizations and Perspectives of Employees: Urban Integration of Syrian Refugees in Jordan, Alysha Alloway, Macalester College
Framing Feminine Identity: Exploring Ways of Being a Woman, through the Practice of Faith, and Ideas of Equality and Justice through Narratives of South African Muslim Women Activists, Rachel Anderson, University of Oregon
For a public-private partnership to achieve migrant health equality in Morocco: A Cross-Analysis of Integration Policies and Migrant Peer Educator Programs, Victoria Anders, Pomona College
One Year Later: The Politics and Stories of Post-Earthquake Nepal, Boyer Andrew, Macalaster College
University Expectations and Preparations at the Upper-Secondary School Level: A Case Study at the Experimental High School of Hanoi and Hanoi University, Charlotte Andrews, Hamilton College
The Future of Agriculture in Cameroon in the Age of Agricultural Biotechnology, Audrey Ball, Washington University in St. Louis
Human Rights Education: A Tool for the Cultivation of National Human Rights Culture in Morocco, Page Benoit, Bard College
Pathways to Positive Change: A People's Perspective of Healthcare in Humla, Wensday Meyers Berman, Macalester College
Globalization of the Food Industry: Transnational Food Corporations, the Spread of Processed Food, and Their Implications for Food Security and Nutrition, Elizabeth Black, Loyola University Chicago
Women in the Religious Wave of Terrorism and Beyond: The West Versus the Rest An analysis of women’s motives and agency in Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, Regina Blaskie, Illinois Wesleyan University
Conservation as Mutualism: A Case Study of Thulo Syafru, Jennifer S. Brady, Bucknell University
Así que, ¿qué podía hacer? / So what could I do?, Summer Brandimarte, University of Texas
Geospasial Indonesia: The Utilization of Spatial Data Through Geographic Information Systems Across Indonesia in Various Environmental Contexts, Kaitlyn Bretz, University of South Carolina
Relocation, Resistance and Resilience: Squatter Community Responses to Government Intervention for Urban Development in Kathmandu, Reilly Brooks, Rice University
Perceptions of Dignity in Humanitarian Aid: A Postcolonial Critique of Syrian Refugee Response, Jonathon Burne, Williams College
Access is not Enough: Family Planning in Dar Es Salaam, Claire Burrus, Trinity University
Emergency Medical Services and Public Policy in Durban, Kwazulu-Natal, John Buyske, Pomona College
Rural Emergings, Urban Imaginings: The Effect of Urbanization on Senegalese Ethnic Identity, Arianna Calabrese, Georgetown University
Dharma Dogs: A Narrative Approach to Understanding the Connection of Sentience Between Humans and Canines, Anna Caldwell, Franklin & Marshall College
Una mueca irónica: !El travestismo como recurso artístico de las Yeguas del Apocalipsis / An ironic grin: ! Cross-dressing as an artistic resource of the Apocalypseof the Yeguas, Sophia Cantizano, Columbia University
Un análisis post-colonial: la encarnación de la pérdida histórica en la manifestación de depresión en personas Mapuche en el contexto urbano, Haley Case, Whitman College
Independent Study Project: Investigation into the implications of zooarchaeological studies for climate reconstruction in the North Atlantic; zooarchaeological research at the Agricultural University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Hazel Cashman, Bates College
Why Children, Adults and the Elderly are living on the streets in Moroccan cities and what Morocco is doing about it., Nora Charidah, Villanova University
Benthic algae and diatom communities in seagrass meadows under three different human impact regimes in Bocas del Toro, Panamá, Averyl Cheng, Carleton College
A Racism Without Race: A Moroccan Case Study of Race Denial, Leila Chreiteh, Agnes Scott College
Talking Walls: Freeing Art in Bali, Indonesia, Lila Chu, Occidental College
La accesibilidad al Test de VPH y al Papanicolaou para la prevención del cáncer cervicouterino en servicios públicos de salud en San Miguel de Tucumán según la perspectiva de los profesionales de salud, Eve Cleghorn, Ithaca College
The Importance of Nature: An Investigation on How Geography Influences Well-being, Christina Cobb, Claremont McKenna College
The Spike of Female Soccer Players in the Netherlands since 2010, Morgan Colley, Rollins College
David vs. Goliat: Políticas y prácticas exitosas de la DECOIN (Defensa y Conservación Ecológica de Intag) durante la lucha contra la minería en Intag, Ecuador, Ana Teresa Colón García, Haverford College
Watch Chöd Self: An Examination of Chöd, Its Practitioners, and Its Music, Weston Conner, Muhlenberg College
The Influence of Raja Ravi Varma’s Mythological Subjects in Popular Art, Rachel Cooksey, Portland State University
The Impact of Geopolitical Factors on the Future Economic Integration of ASEAN +3, Michael Corrigan, College of the Holy Cross
Making it work: Supporting contemporary artists in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Michael Curran, Macalester College
La construcción de una identidad propia por parte de las mujeres piqueteras de Claypole, como protagonistas, dentro del Frente de Organizaciones en Lucha (FOL) / Mujeres Piqueteras of Claypole Constructing their own Identity as Protagonists within the Frente de Organizaciones en Lucha (FOL), Luz Daniela Castro, Whittier College
The Changing Roles and Reputations of Dais in Rural Uttarakhand: An Investigation into the Maternal Health Services of Villages in Okhalkanda Block in Nainital, Jenna Davis, Vanderbilt University
La creación de crianza: un retrato de la niñez en Martín Centeno, Sara Dean, Wesleyan University
Dealing with Migratory Trauma: Mental Health Stressors and Coping Mechanisms among Sub-Saharan Migrants in Rabat, Morocco, Dominique DeFreece, Rhodes College
Powerful Words: An Exploration of Linguistic Hierarchy in Moroccan Hospitals, Ellelan Degife, Pomona College
Violating of Individual Privacy: Moroccan Perceptions of the Ban of VoIP Services, Tyler Delhees, Morocco: Multiculturalism and Human Rights
The Political Participation, Engagement, and Perceptions of President Magufuli Among Students at the College of African Wildlife Management, Carolyn Del Vecchio, Gustavus Adolphus College
Orientalism and the Archaeological Survey(s) of India, Ilan Desai-Geller, Brown University
Las sobrevivientes: La represión social y política del trauma sufrido de las mujeres desde la dictadura, Savannah Ducharm, University of Colorado Boulder
Welcome to the Streets: Tracing the Development of Street Art in Nepal Since 2010, Malik Earle, Macalester College
When The Hunt Is Over: Culture and Conservation in Kazakh Eagle Falconry, Nolan R. Ebner, Macalester College
Reconciliation as a form of Cultural Catharsis: The Role of Theater in Revitalizing Kosovo-Serbian Relations, Sarah Edwards, Whitman College
Migrant Access to Healthcare: A Study of Undocumented Migrant Access to Sexual Healthcare & Family Planning Services in Switzerland in 2016, Emily Egbert, Washington University in St. Louis
Multi-Sector Analysis of the Progress and Challenges of Soil-Transmitted Helminth Eradication in Rural Udaipur, Jessica Ellis, University of Texas at Austin
Nutrient Cycling in the Amazon: A Comparison of Soil Characteristics, Insects, Root Types and Decomposition Rates between Varzea and Terra Firme habitats in the Ecuadorian Amazon, Mira Ensley-Field, Macalester College
Self-Perceptions of Disability and Impairment in an Indian Prosthetic Population using Jaipur Foot Technology, Litany Esguerra, University of Illinois at Chicago
Obstetric Violence within the Brazilian Healthcare System: A Critical Analysis of the Childbirth Narratives of Tupinambá Indigenous Women from the Olivença, Ilhéus Community, Cassandra Fareira, University of Washington, Seattle
Healthcare Access for Syrian Refugees Lacking Legal Documentation in Jordan, Caroline Flynn, Tulane University
The Complex Combatant: Constructions of Victimhood and Perpetrator-hood in Gulu District, Northern Uganda, Kyra Fox, University of Wisconsin
Protección de los niños y niñas indígenas: El caso del SENAME y el pueblo mapuche en Chile / 90/5000 Protection of indigenous children: The case of the SENAME and the Mapuche people in Chile, Maxine Freedman, Macalester College
An Evolution of Tradition: Understanding the Unintended Effects of the 1999 Inheritance and Marital Property Law on Intra-Family Relationships in Rwanda., Pete Freeman, University of Notre Dame
The development of a reproductive population of chorongos: Intergroup interactions, dispersal, and sexual behavior of Lagothrix lagotricha poeppigii in natural rehabilitation on the island of Sumak Allpa, Ecuador, Rachel Gallegos, Duke University
Vivas nos Queremos: Feminicidio en Bolivia, Taslim Tavarez Garcia, Pace University
Traditional Fresh Markets and the Supermarket Revolution: A Case Study on Châu Long Market, Carly Giddings, George Washington University
Maternal Healthcare in Eastern Uganda: The Three Delays, Mothers Making Empowered Choices, and Combatting Maternal Mortality, Emma Gier, DePaul University
An Assessment of Soil Erosion on Pemba Island Using the Universal Soil Loss Equation, Emily Gillispie, Miami University
Nesting trends of the Green (Chelonia mydas) and Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) turtles on Misali Island, Pemba, Thaowan Giorno and Megan Herrmann, Beloit College & Oberlin College
The Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Political Aspects of Nuclear Power in a Modern Context, Eve Gleeson, Emory University
Exploring Access to Portable Water and Sanitation Practices in a Post-Conflict Environment: The Case of Gulu District, Northern Uganda, Peyton Going, St. Norbert College
La minería en la conciencia urbana: las estrategias de los YASunidos de Cuenca contra la minería en el Azuay, Alexandra Golden, Yale University
Kila Wakati ni Wakati wa Chai: Mapping the Regional Commodity Chain of Tea in the Village of Sagara, Rebecca Gourlay, Boston College
Local Flavors: A Look at Farm to Table in Samoa, Emily Gove, University of Richmond
Proxy Dating in Iceland Testing the validity of Silene acaulis as a phytometric proxy, Madelyn Grant, Williams College
Annapurna’s Porters: Labor Conditions and the Factors that Shape Them, Ari Grant-Sasson, Middlebury College
Tracking the Elephant (Lexodonta Africana) Corridor and the Human-‐Wildlife Conflict in Esilalei Village, A Continuation Study, Victoria Gray and Cara Cappelletti, University of Colorado Boulder
Perspectivas locales sobre el Litio en el Salar de Uyuni: Niveles de conocimiento y opiniones regionales sobre el proyecto que puede determinar el futuro del litio en el mundo, Gillian Greenberg, Washington University in St. Louis
Resource Quality and Defense: Feeding Behaviors and Female Territoriality in Two Species of Tropical Hummingbird, Briana Grether
El método anticonceptivo implante subdérmico para prevenir la repetición del embarazo adolescente en la provincia de Tucumán, Madelaine Hack, Middlebury College
Capacity Building of Health Workforce: Investigation of Training Process for Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) Serving Refugee Populations in Host Communities, as Perceived by Participants and Trainers, Jerusalem Hadush, Yale University
The Use Versus Availability of Wood Extraction at the Baga II Forest Reserve Border Adjacent to Kizanda Village in the West Usambara Mountains, Tanzania, Rebecca Halter, Skidmore College
Asessing the Implementation of HIV/AIDS Programs Amongst Youth Fisherfolk: The Case of Mbita, Kenya, Edward Ham, University of Rochester
A Study of the Integration of Artificial Insemination into the Dairy Sector of the Alaotra Mangoro Region of Madagascar, Tara Hammonds, Cornell University
Del Movimiento Estudiantil a Revolución Democrática: Esperanza está en la institución, Jensen Handwork, University of Puget Sound
Breast is Best: Determinants of Breastfeeding in Bali, Leah Hardenbergh, Brown University
The Importance of Rivers in Protected Areas: Macroinvertebrate Sampling Reveals the Impact of Humans and Highways on Water Quality, Marie-Claire Harrison, Pomona College
THE INFLUENCE OF AJANTA ON INDIAN MODERN ART, Nolan Hawkins, Tufts University
Problemas con la producción de café en Los Yungas / Problems with coffee production in Los Yungas, Rob Hefferon, Williams College
Continuing Efforts to Alleviate "Orange Pain" An Internship with the Da Nang Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin, Loan Heilner, Colby College
A Critical Analysis of the Public Sphere: How the LGBTQ Movement Utilizes and Occupies Space in Morocco, Katherine Hirsch, Tufts University
La reconstrucción del debate en Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia: Una herramienta para la auto-descolonización y el desarrollo de un pensamiento crítico entre jóvenes., Tessa Holtzman, Bates College
El uso de terapias psicológicas en mujeres jóvenes en la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (CABA), Argentina, Batsheva Honig, Washington and Lee University
Humanity balancing on a turtle’s back: perceptions and values of sea turtle conservation among different demographics at four sites in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago Bocas del Toro, Panama, Roxanne Hoorn, Eckerd College
Needle Exchange Programs and HIV/AIDS: A Comparison of the Use of Harm Reduction Methods in Switzerland and the United States of America, Margaret House, Brown University
Symbiont type and photophysiology of Acropora loripes and Platygyra daedalea under future scenarios of rising ocean temperatures and pCO2, Lauren Howe-Kerr, Rice University
¿Quién tiene la voz? Un estudio de murales y movimientos estudiantiles / Who has got the voice? A study of murals and students’ movements., Mara Imms,, Colgate University
Student Protests at UCT: An Analysis of UCT Community's Perspectives of Tactics Used in the Fallist Movement, Laura Isdahl, Gustavus Adolphus College
Evaluation Des Impacts Sociaux et Ecologiques de la Gestion Communautaire de la Forêt d’Analabe, Nicole Israel-Meyer, Johns Hopkins University
¿El derecho a una vida sin discriminación?: Un análisis de las representaciones discriminatorias sobre los migrantes bolivianos por parte de los residentes argentinos en el barrio porteño de Flores, Kelly Johnson, Ursinus College
Avifaunal Community Composition in a Tropical Forest Corridor: A Case Study from the Atherton Tableland, North Queensland, Don Jones, Middlebury College
Pelear por la Dignidad: La lucha de las mujeres trabajadoras sexuales voluntarias por derechos laborales en un clima estigmatizado políticamente / To Fight for Dignity: The fight of female voluntary sex workers for labor rights in a politically stigmatized climate, Rosalind Jones, Occidental College
A Review of Climate Change Induced Effects on Avian Prey Species and their Consequences for Arctic Fox Populations of Western Iceland, Mikala Jordan, Villanova University
Economy and Decision: How Economic Factors Influence the Journeys and Destinations of Trans-Saharan Migrants in Oujda, Morocco, Dianne Kaiyoorawongs, Yale University
Tibetan Football:Perspectives From the 2016 Gyalyum Chenmo Memorial Gold Cup, James Karsten, Bates College