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
An Interpersonal Exploration of Zen Buddhism: A Case Study of Thiền Viện Trúc Lâm, Yuwen Michelson, Hamilton College
Populist radical right parties and the securitization of migration in France, Ashley Middleton, Duke University
Investigating effects of climate change on glaciers and proglacial landscapes in southeast Iceland: Fluvioglacial Behavior of Sólheimajökull and Seljavallajökull, Roberta B.C. Miller, Williams College
Street Art in Kathmandu as a Tool for Activism and Social Change, Madison Minchin, University of Redlands
A Precarious Paradigm: Seeking Alternatives to Public-Private Partnerships in Health, a Case for the Code, Lena Mininberg, Connecticut College
VARIABILITY OF LACUSTRINE SEDIMENT PROXY RESPONSES TO LATE HOLOCENE CLIMATE CHANGE AS MODIFIED BY LAKE SPECIFIC PROCESSES: A REVIEW OF ECOLOGICAL AND GEOPHYSICAL PROCESSES ACROSS NORTHERN AND EASTERN ICELAND, Mallory Mintz, Carleton College
Demise From Within: Factionalism in Maoist Parliamentary Politics in Nepal, Jehdeiah Mixon, Colgate University
The effects of sub-lethal predation on the reproductive output of Acanthaster planci (crown-of-thorns starfish), Emily Mucha, Rollins College
The effects of sub-lethal predation on the reproductive output of Acanthaster planci (crown-of-thorns starfish), Emily Mucha, Rollins College
Do Africans support English football teams and neglect local African teams: an interrogation of eight black African men in Cape Town, Eddie Mungai, Washington University in Saint Louis
Tomando en Cuenta: Perspectivas sobre las Tomas del Movimiento Estudiantil Chileno / Taking into consideration: Perspectives on the Tomas of the Chilean Student Movement, María Navarro-Gutiérrez, Carnegie Mellon University
Hanoians’ Experience: Suspending Moral Bias to Recognize Human Dimensions of War, Maggie Norsworthy, Lehigh University
Laughing It Off The Role of Comedy and Humor in Combating Extremist Ideals in Jordan, Juan Nunez Ledesma, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
FEMM Committee as Feminalist Space: Gendered Legislative Styles in the European Parliament, Madison Oakley, Beloit College
Educating Global Citizens: Moroccan University Students’ Global Awareness and Perceptions, Julia Ohanyan, Elon University
Nit Nitay Garabame: Analyzing Mental Illness and Art Therapy Within Dakar’s Atelier d’EX-PRESSION Artistique, Alaina Orr, Pitzer College
The Transgender Community in Bangalore: Health Issues and Factors Negatively Affecting Outcomes, Zayahary Ortiz, University of Texas at Austin
Continuous Care in Complex Contexts: Access to Health Services for Noncommunicable Diseases among Syrian Refugee Women in Jordanian Host Communities, Jennifer Ostrowski, University of Wisconsin
A Preliminary Study of Intergenerational Differences in Masxha Regarding Practice and Attitudes Towards Zulu Traditions During Pregnancy and Birth, Momoko Oyama, Washington University in Saint Louis
Los Derechos Humanos en un Contexto Local: La relación entre los derechos humanos y los movimientos Mapuche / Human Rights in a Local Context: Relationship between the Human Rights and the Mapuche movements., Lucas Richard-Virgene Paulson, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities
La lluvia y el océano oculto: el estudio del unu cambio y su relación con Viracocha en Chinchero / The rain and the occult ocean: the study of the change and its Relationship with Viracocha in Chinchero, Edgar J. Payano, Sewanee The University of the South
What is the Taste of CO2? The sustainability of Icelandic food systems in the face of climate change, Molly Peek, Smith College
Song of the Dzopa: A Case Study of Traditional Farming, Food, and, Isabella Pezzulo, The University of Richmond
Dropping In: The emergence of skateboard culture in urban Nepal, Olivia Pincince, Brown University
The Feminization of HIV/AIDS in Yunnan, China, Leah Pinckney, Gettysburg College
An Old and New START to Russian—United States Nuclear Arms Control Agreements, Samantha Pitz, Washington University in St. Louis
Cameroon’s Political Opposition: Efforts and Obstacles Towards Political Change in Contemporary Cameroon, Clare Platt, George Washington University
Foraging Time and Food Resource use of Geoffroy’s Tamarin (Saguinus geoffroyi) in an Urban Forest Landscape, Parque Natural Metropolitano, Ciudad de Panamá, Panamá, Rachael Pruitt, Gettysburg College
Deaf or [insert ethnicity here]? The impact of South African Sign Language and Deaf community membership on the ethnic identities of three Deaf students in Cape Town, Leanna Quach, Ithaca College
Human Creativity as a Vehicle for Societal Change: Can Social Action Through Art and Music Drive Positive Societal Change in Jordan?, Marina Qutab, University of Massachusetts Amherst
“It’s Not Important for You to Speak:” The Perception of Purity and Its Power Over Women’s Reproductive and Sexual Health, Margot Radding, Carleton College
Exploration of the State of Mental Healthcare Services for Youth in Nairobi, Rashiidah Richardson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Food for Thought: Perceptions of Food Access and Heathful Eating in The Masxha Community, Hannah Richason, Indiana University
Evaluating a Squirrel Monkey Troop in Natural Rehabilitation: An Assessment of Population and Behavior of Saimiri sciureus in Preparation for Relocation from Sumak Allpa to Yasuní National Park, Bria Riggs, Bates College
Enough: Narratives of Migration on a Small-Farm in SidiBouafif, Steven Ring, Kenyon College
Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) conservation: juvenile behavior and diet at a nest near Pijibasal, Darien, Hannah Rodgers, Oberlin College
Beyond What is Heard: A Documentary Film about Acoustic Ecology as Sustainability Activism, Jesse Rolfe, Ithaca College
Where Women Stand in Rural Electrification Efforts: An Exploratory Study within Gujarat, Meital Rosenberg, University of Pittsburgh
En toma. Desesperanza aprendida: El rol de la memoria colectiva en los movimientos estudiantiles. / Occupation. Learned Despair: The role of collective memory in the students’ movements., Abigail Rothstein, Brandeis University
Wildlife Underpasses: Frequency of use by neotropic mammals in Parque Natural Metropolitano, Panamá City, Panamá, Kelly Russo, University of Colorado at Boulder
Water Resource Change and Management: Implications of Climate Change and Water Resource Management for Pastoral Herders in Bayan Ulgii, Rachel Ryan, University of Denver
Balancing the Local and the Global: Understanding Alternative Education in Modern Ladakh, Hannah Ryde, Tufts University
Use of Cycling Paths along the Morogoro BRT Line, Ford Sanger, University of Denver
Sentido de comunidad: Conectando la teoría con la práctica en el sector La Mariscal, Quito, Ecuador / Sense of community: Connecting theory with practice in the Mariscal sector, Quito, Ecuador, Matthew Sant-Miller, Yale University
Estigma y discriminación hacia hombres que tienen sexo con otros hombres (HSH) y mujeres trans: el impacto en la vulnerabilidad y riesgo frente al VIH/SIDA / Stigma and discrimination against men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women: the impact on vulnerability and risk of HIV / AIDS, Alessandra Scher, Tulane University
Exploring Social Cohesion in South Africa Within the Context of Post Apartheid Racial-Disparity, Peter Schneider, Washington University in St. Louis
Migrant Education in Morocco: Cross-Cultural Competence Favored Over Integrative Reform. An analysis of the Moroccan government’s migrant integration efforts through education., Ella Schoenen, Macalester College
Illuminating Infertility: An Exploration of the Socioreligious Implications of Infertility in Bali, Michaela Schwartz, Barnard College
Tapez le Tam-Tam and the People Will Come: A Study of Theater for Social Justice in Kaolack, Senegal, Emily Schwerdtfeger, University of Kansas
Life in the Collective Era: How Land Cooperatives Tried (and Failed) to Promote Local-National Integration in Tunisia, Isaiah Sciford, Washington University in St. Louis
“Ellas miran la realidad”: La sequía y la gestión de mujeres en Santa Julia, Nicaragua, Deborah Secular, Barnard College
Análisis de las políticas públicas de prevención del cáncer de cuello uterino vinculadas al control del virus del papiloma humano (VPH) en Argentina / An Analysis of Argentina’s Public Health Prevention Strategies of Cervical Cancer Related to the Control of the Human Papiloma Virus (HPV), Caroline Seman, Tulane University
Special Education in Tunisia: A Case Study in Social Entrepreneurship, Kaitlan Shaub, College of William and Mary
KOMPA AS A LESSON IN VALUE OR A SEMI-VOYERISTIC APPRECIATION OF THE BAMBOO BASKET IN DOLPA, Maxwell Shaw-Jones, Middlebury College
Reef fish and coral assemblages on Hospital Point and near Bastimentos Island, Panama, Elaine Shen, Rice University
Give a Man a Fish: A Narrative Approach to a Case Study of Soup Kitchens in the Wentworth Community, Evelyn Shen, Washington University in Saint Louis
Neglect Amidst the Zika Epidemic: A Case Study on the Reach of Government Campaigns and Resources in Quilombo Community Praia Grande, Bahia, Jenna Sherman, Tufts University
Consecuencias de la dictadura: la salud mental transgeneracional en hijos de detenidos desaparecidos / Consequences of the dictatorship: transgenerational mental health in children of disappeared detainees, Catherine Sillari, Tufts University
The Annapurna Road: Development and Tourism on the Annapurna Circuit, Benjamin Skach, Tufts University
Syrian Refugee Women in Jordan: Family Planning Preferences and Barriers in a Host Community, Hilary Smith, University of Denver
Analysis of Media in Rwanda: Internship with the New Times, Rhiannon Snide, University of Massachusetts
They Come Like the Clouds: Governing the Mountainous Periphery, Jared Sousa, Macalester College
Women in Microfinance and its Social Effects on the Community: A Case Study in Hue, Vietnam, Madison Spigel, Wheaton College
The Women of Helamb: Life After the 2015 Earthquake, Emma Squier, University of Vermont
Water Quality in Relation to Land-use of the upper 62.8 Kilometers of the Santa Maria River, Santa Fe, Veraguas Using Benthic Macroinvertebrates as Indicators, Charlotte Steeves, University of Rhode Island
Sex and Sexual Education in China: Traditional Values and Social Implications, Isabella Steinhauer, University of Colorado Boulder
Come on Baby, Light My Fire: A study on Dutch Millennial Usage of Dating Applications and Morals, Hannah Stokes, American University
“Always a double-edged sword”: How Women and Health Care Providers Navigate Issues of Contraception in Differing Senegalese Communities, Angelina Strohbach, Northwestern University
Los Rompecabezas del Enfoque Intercultural: El estado actual, la integración de los sistemas de salud indígena y convencional y el estancamiento de la transversalización en el Centro de Salud de Huancarani, Kasey Sumeriski, University of Tennessee
Realizing Urban Water Pollution Impact In Melbourne, Australia Through Painting, Gregory Suplinskas, Vassar College
Realizing Urban Water Pollution Impact In Melbourne, Australia Through Painting, Gregory Suplinskas, Vassar College
Sugar and Spice, Not Everything's Nice: Changing Dietary Habits in Bali, Harry Teplow, Emory University
Tools and Methods for Zika Prevention in Cachoeira, Bahia, Florence Tesha, Duke University
Live and dead coral cover on three reefs and public perceptions of degradation around Almirante Bay, Bocas del Toro, Phoebe Thompson, Bowdoin College
UNDERSTANDING PERCEPTIONS OF IDENTITY AND STRATEGIES OF EMPOWERMENT WITH ADOLESCENT AFRO-BRAZILIAN GIRLS, Julia Tremaroli, University of Denver
Actually, Let’s Not Talk About Sex: The Value-Laden Sex Education Received by China’s Young Women, Allyson Tsu, Barnard College
Actually, Let’s Not Talk About Sex: The Value-Laden Sex Education Received by China’s Young Women, Allyson Tsu, Barnard College
Coral Disease in Chumbe Island Coral Park: A baseline survey of the prevalence of coral disease and other afflictions within Chumbe Marine Protected Area, Hannah Turley, University of Virginia
Fish Diversity and Coral Health of Tanzania's Reefs: A comparative study between the Ushongo Village Reef and the Fungu Zinga Reef over time, Della Turque and Corinne Casper, University of Denver
The Road Into the Future of Health Care: The Importance of Addressing Access to Health Facilities in Transportation Infrastructure Investment Decisions, Nicola (Nikki) van den Heever, University of Colorado Boulder
Seagrass Community Change at Three High Risk Ports in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area from 2005 to 2014, Celeste Venolia, Smith College
Queer Connections: Social Media as a Versatile Tool of the Marginalized Moroccan LGBT, Savannah Vickery, Santa Clara University
A Qualitative Investigation on the Effects of the Uttar Pradesh Population Policy on Women who Undergo Sterilization in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, Anna Wadhwani, George Washington University
Intertidal Interactions: Stakeholder Relationships Arising from Kitesurfing in Paje, Zanzibar, Jenna Walczak and Iris Levine, Colgate University & Tufts University
Shelo yigamer l’olam: La construcción de identidades compuestas en la comunidad judía de Iquitos, Perú / Shelo yigamer l'olam: The construction of composite identities in the Jewish community of Iquitos, Peru, Beatrice Waterhouse, Mills College
An Analysis of Opposing Feminist Views of Sex Work: Is it the woman’s choice? In Kolkata, West Bengal, India, Julia Webster, Gordon College
La Visibilización: El Desarrollo del Femicidio como un Problema Social en Argentina Según el Estado y las Organizaciones Civiles, Maggie Wetzel, DePauw Univeristy
Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy in Rural Maharashtra: a Preventative Approach to Risk Factor Reduction through Lifestyle Interventions, Jess Wiken, University of Puget Sound
Trends in Nectar Concentration and Hummingbird Visitation: Investigating different variables in three flowers of the Ecuadorian Cloud Forest: Guzmania jaramilloi, Gasteranthus quitensis, and Besleria solanoides, Sophie Wolbert, Scripps College
“La guerra de los centavos” y contratos sociales: Los impactos del desarrollo del Sistema Intermodal de Transporte Urbano en Loja, Ecuador / "The war of the cents" and social contracts: The impacts of the development of the Intermodal Urban Transportation System in Loja, Ecuador, Will Yetvin, Carleton College
A Study of Defensive Mechanisms Employed by Two Species of Nudibranchs using Toxicity and Unpalatability Analyses, Sean Youn, Rice University
A Study of Defensive Mechanisms Employed by Two Species of Nudibranchs using Toxicity and Unpalatability Analyses, Sean Youn, Rice University
The Autonomy of Chinese Migrants Despite Structural and Social Determinants, Helen Yu, Duke University
“It’s Not the Pride Parade Model”: Investigating Changes in Queer Activist Practices in Sarajevo after 2008, Matthew Zarenkiewicz, Villanova University
Self Sufficiency in Refugees, Sarah Zayed, Indiana University
Submissions from 2015
Mari et femme, sous Dieu: L’Évangile du genre dans le mariage chrétien camerounais, Allison Aaronson, Tufts University
The Kakawin Sutasoma: A Look at ‘Bhinneka Tunggal Ika’ & Perceptions of the Text’s Religious Implications, Hana Aghababian, Gettysburg College
The F Word: An analysis of the perceptions and performance of feminisms amongst five Black, Xhosa women living in Langa, Victoria Chigozie Akah, Columbia University
Bleaching, disease, and colonization: The ecology of coral health in southeastern Nosy Be, Madagascar, Luella Allen-Waller, Swarthmore College