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 2015
El Grano Milagroso y su Lado Oscuro: Un estudio sobre la demanda de la quinua y sus efectos en los sistemas de producción de la comunidad de Cabana, Jacob Frankel, Carleton College
Tunisia’s Young Islamists: Religious or Revolutionary Zealots?, Sawyer French, George Washington University
Vamos creciendo La educación bilingüe e intercultural en Ecuador: Lecciones de Peguche, Imbabura, Samantha Friedlander, University of Pennsylvania
Curandera, Partera, Bush Doctor, Luna Olavarría Gallegos, Ithaca College
Storytelling as Self-Empowerment: A Case Study of AVEGA Beneficiaries in Post-Genocide Rwanda, Lauren Garretson, Elon University
From Private to Public Women’s Cooperatives and the Construction of a Public Sphere, Cecilia Garza, Brown University
Herbs, Home Medicine, and Self-Reliance: A Study on the Current Status of Traditional Home Medicine in Idukki District, Kerala, Richard Gaunt, Ithaca College
Comparative Study of Terrestrial Arthropod Diversity in Primary and Re-planted Pine Forest in a Community Forest at Andasibe, Madagascar, Tyler George, Mira Kelly-Fair, and Andrea Wade, Oregon State University, Mount Holyoke, The College of Wooster
The Dichotomy Between Colonial Heritage and National Identity in the Senegalese Education System, Kyra Ghosh, Pitzer College
Extractivist Agribusiness Model: Analysis of social resistances emerging in response to the extractivist agribusiness model: a case study of the Industrial Belt of Gran Rosario, Alexa González, University of San Francisco
A Resistance, Remembered? Remembrance, Commemoration and the Parallel System In Prishtina, Kosovo, Conner Gordon, DePauw University
TAMING THE TEESTA: EXPLORING THE HOLISTIC EFFECTS OF HYDROELECTRIC DAM DEVELOPMENT ON THE TEESTA RIVER THROUGH DOCUMENTARY FILM, Taylor Graham, Ithaca College
Theravada Buddhism and Dai Identity in Jinghong, Xishuangbanna, James Granderson, Gettysburg College
La Implementación De La Ley N° 26.485 En El Sector De Salud Pública En La Ciudad De Buenos Aires, Meredith Greene, Northwestern University
Gender and Sexuality in Nepal: The Experiences of Sexual and Gender Minorities in a Rapidly Changing Social Climate, Sophia Greene, Carnegie Mellon University
Huggies, high-fives, and huismannen: Exploring the masculinity and everyday experiences of Dutch stay-at-home fathers, Courtney C. Grey, Stonehill College
URBAN GARDENING PRACTICES IN BANGALORE: TOWARDS A MORE LOCALIZED FOOD SYSTEM?, Delfina Grinspan, Washington University
Cross-Cultural Childbirth: Prioritizing the Healthcare Experiences of Migrant Women in Competent Models of Care, Emma Hall, Loyola University Chicago
Juntos Ya Somos el Cambio que Buscamos: Por qué la CONFECH Debe Fusionar los Movimientos Sociales para Aumentar Participación Electoral y Desmantelar el Régimen Neoliberal, Nathaniel Harding, Davidson College
Abejas silvestres (Himenóptera: Apoidea) en la neblina: Análisis de la diversidad, interacciones, y potencial para miel en un remanente de bosque nublado, Jen Hayes, University of Vermont
Environmental Education in Vietnam: A Case Study at Le Loi Elementary School, Emily Heck Heck, Oberlin College
Frog Diversity and Population Trends in Andasibe, Madagascar, Ryan Herman Herman and Alexandra Ulin, Bowdoin College / Bates College
The Right of Return: International Representation of Palestinian Refugee Rights, Ariella Hohl, Columbia University
The Justice-Seeking Power of Women who Experience Sexual Violence in Uganda, Caren Holmes, The College of Wooster
Effect of Females in Leadership Roles on Menstrual Sanitation in Rural Jamkhed, India, Kirsten Hughes, Tulane University
Bringing Flowers back to the Cité des Fleurs: A Geographical Study of the Sôma Beach Development Project in Mahajanga, Elizabeth Isaac-Herzog, Macalester College
Post-Earthquake Relief Efforts: A Case Study in Foreign Aid and Development, Ella Israeli, Wesleyan University
Dying for a Drink: How the Consumption of Home brews Affects Health within the Kibera Slum of Nairobi, Kenya, Teaka Jackson, University of Maine
“Going Back Home”: The Mawale Movement and the Rediscovery of Minahasan Identity, Nathan Jacobson and Erica Larson, Drake University / Boston University
Treatment of Drug Addiction Within Brazil’s Penitentiary System A Qualitative Investigation, Samantha Jain, University of Denver
Fauna Census of Intertidal Cliffs, Mangapwani, Zanzibar, Emily Jankowski, Gettysburg College
KENYA’S KONZA TECHNO CITY: UTOPIAN VISION MEETS SOCIAL REALITY, Amina Johari, George Washington University
Un análisis del trabajo de equipos asistenciales de salud mental que acompañan a los hijos de desaparecidos en el proceso de restitución de su identidad en Buenos Aires / An analysis of mental health teams that work with the appropriated children of the desaparecidos throughout the judicial identity restitution process in Buenos Aires, Magdalena Jurczuk, Tulane University
How Social Determinants of Health, Health-Seeking Behaviors, and Treatment Adherence Influence and Interact with Endemic Levels of Pulmonary TB and MDR-TB in Urban Rajasthan, Michelle Kagei, Emory University
A Home In The Hills: Examining the Socioeconomic Benefits of Homestay Tourism on Rural Women and Their Communities in the Darjeeling District, Isabel Kannegieser, Middlebury College
Narratives Towards Ending Stigma: HIV-Related Stigma in the Netherlands from the Standpoint of Those who Experience it First-Hand, Anya Katz, Oberlin College
Engaging Non-State Armed Groups (NSAGs) in the ‘Fight’ Against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Eastern Congo (DRC), Mackenzie Kennedy, Colby College
Placeness: Mongolia A Call for the Creation of a Human Impact Assessment, C. Winston Kies, Middlebury College
An Analysis of Biodiversity, Sustainability, and Ecotourism in the VO.I.M.MA Community Managed Forest, Andasibe, Madagascar, Catherine Knowlton and Charlotte Walton, Trinity College / Bucknell Univeristy
Patagonia Con Poder: El Éxito de la Oposición frente el Proyecto HidroAysén, Nathaniel Korn, University of Northwestern
Sin derecho a respirar: una investigación audiovisual sobre los efectos de los agronegocios en el cordon industrial del rio Paraná / Without the Right to Breathe: An Audiovisual Investigation About the Effects of Agro-Business in the Industrial Belt of the Parana River, Emma Kraft and Nora Meyers Sackett, Brandeis University / Lewis and Clark College
An Assessment of the Impact of Sand Mining: Unguja, Zanzibar, Caroline Ladlow, Lafayette College
Identity, Movement and Belonging In a Land of Tradition: A Critical Examination of the Nepali Workforce in Leh, Ladakh, Teresa Langseth-Depaolis, Occidental College
Women’s Work in a Rural Village: Realities, Motivations, and Satisfaction, Sierra Larson, Colgate University
Processes, practices and politics in the treatment centers for addictions and problematic consumptions: an analysis of the perspectives and practices of the professionals in a treatment center in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Chiara Lawrence, Middlebury College
Community Owned Renewable Energy in North Coast NSW Social Housing, Kelly Leatherman, Drake University
Prevalence of Depression among Active TB and TB/HIV Patients in Kisumu County, Esther Lee, Wellesley College
Medina: The Alternative and Hidden Sides of Fez el Bali, Jie Li, Skidmore College
From Laws to Last Names: Examining Popular Opinions of Adoption in Morocco, Margaret Liston, Elon University
Deconstructing Counselling: The Complexity of Psychosocial Support Services in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, Emily Luba, Colgate University
Non-compliance in marine reserves: measuring the drivers of behavior among recreational fishermen within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Nick Manning, Colby College
Los Guardianes de Yaoska de Rancho Grande: Ocho pasos para detener una empresa minera transnacional, Joshua Marcus, Macalester College
Tracing the Human Healthcare Roots of Antibiotic Resistance in India: Causes, Challenges, and Promising Solutions, Kelsey Matteson, Rollins College
Branches Above and Roots Below: Mothers’ Hopes for their Children in Batoufam, Cameroon, Taylor Maxfield, Calvin College
Exploring the Passage to Adulthood in Masxha: A Narrative Inquiry, Sonia Max, Wesleyan University
The Impact of Jordanian Health Care Policy on the Maternal and Reproductive Health Care Seeking Behavior of Syrian Refugee Women, Momina Mazhar, University of Maryland
The History of US-Iran Relations and its Effect on the JCPOA Negotiations, Chase McCain, Occidental College
EXISTENTIAL AVALANCHE THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN DOLPO AND MUSTANG, NEPAL, Keegan McChesney, Occidental College
Peace Building through Education Reforms Case study: Objectives and Philosophy of Jordanian Educational System, Megan McKeown, Chapman University
Characteristics of Geoffroy’s tamarin (Saguinus geoffroyi) population, demographics, and territory sizes in urban park habitat (Parque Natural Metropolitano, Panama City, Panama), Caitlin McNaughton, Ohio Wesleyan University
Furendei Wama Garifuna Aprendemos En Garifuna, Emmanuel Melgoza-Alfaro, University of Colorado at Boulder
Huellas en la Historia: Educación y Derechos Humanos, Kimberly Méndez, DePauw University
Las tomas en Liceos Emblemáticos: Herramientas para Cambio Social, Daniel Mendoza, Connecticut College
Comparing Avian Diversity and Anthropogenic Disturbance at Sendero Los Quetzales Cerro Punta, Panamá, Sloane Merdinger, University of Illinois at Chicago
Tracing the Human Right from Law to Policy to Reproductive Healthcare: Exploring the Strengths and Shortcomings of Undocumented Migrant Women’s Access to Reproductive Healthcare in Switzerland, Sabrina S. Merold, Swarthmore College
El impacto de los lazos familiares en la salud física, emocional y espiritual en cuidados paliativos: Un estudio de la Clínica Familia, Max Meyerhoff, Macalester College
Driving Away: A Macro and Micro View of the Prague Car Transit System, Danny Meyers, Skidmore College
Facilitators of Empowerment Lead in Sustainable Rural Development: A Case Study of Thanda, Emma Milford, Washington University in St. Louis
Afrochilenos en rumbo al reconocimiento como pueblo tribal Una investigación sobre los factores históricos y culturales de los Afrodecendientes en Arica, Sandy Milien, Sewanee University of the South
TEORÍA Y PRÁCTICA: La educación liberadora y la disputa contrahegemónica en los Bachilleratos Populares Germán Abdala y Sergio Karakachoff / THEORY AND PRACTICE: Problem-Posing Education and Counterhegemonic Struggle in the Germán Abdala and Sergio Karakachoff Popular High Schools, Rebecca Millberg, Scripps College
An Expanding Financial Sector: Continuity and Change Among Dhikur Groups in Lower Mustang, Anna Misenti, Occidental College
The Cognitive Effects of Chronic Malnutrition and Environment on Working Memory and Executive Function in Children, Kristiana E. Morgan, Emory University
Permanence and Picnic Tables Perceptions of Maji Safi Group’s Disease Prevention Center at Shirati KMT District Designated Hospital, Sarah Muskin, Vassar College
This Is Not About Cows: Historic and Contemporary Challenges to South-Central Madagascar’s Cattle Systems, Dan Myers, University of Denver
Assessing the Sustainability of Selective Logging in Ankarabolava-Agnakatrika New Protected Area, Eileen Nakahata, College of William and Mary
The Beast Inside Your Head: A Look at Mental Health Issues in Samoa, Brandon Nelson, University of North Dakota
Poner Fin a la Violencia Hacia la Mujer: Estrategias y Opiniones de Tres Organizaciones Feministas en Valparaíso, Chile, Hannah Neukrug, University of Virginia
La santé maternelle à Antsiranana selon la médicine occidentale et la médicine traditionnelle : Une étude des traitements opposés pour les femmes enceintes, Lauren Nguyen, Bowdoin College
El futuro ES la historia: El pasado doloroso y las generaciones futuros en los espacios de memoria en Buenos Aires / The future IS history: The painful past and future generations in memory sites in Buenos Aires, Leslie Niiro, Duke University
Ficus sp. y la frugivoría: Una investigación sobre un recurso importante para las aves en el bosque nublado occidental del Ecuador, Hilary Niles, Middlebury College
Not All Those That Are Buried Are Dead: An Analysis of Memorialization at the Prestwich Memorial, Anna Sumner Noonan, Sewanee University of the South
La radio comunitaria: hacia un futuro más democrático para Bolivia, Katharine Norris, Smith College
Lasrealidades y los desafíosde los padres adolescentes. Valparaíso, Chile, Kenechukwu Nwosu, Vassar College
Exercising Agency in Medical Decision-Making Processes Conventional and Traditional Medicine -A Case Study of 67ha, Antananarivo-, Sakura Oyama, Washington University in St. Louis
Killing to Save: Trophy Hunting and Conservation in Mongolia, Lucy Page, Williams College
Percepciones Sobre Las Aguas De La Cuenca Hidrográfica Del Valle De Lluta Y La Situación De Arsénico, Alec P. Pankow, University of Puget Sound
The Power of Peace: A Reflection on the Shifting Methods, Strategies, and Philosophies of Peaceful Protest Within Dharamsala’s Community of Activists Post-2008, Christian Bormann Paris, Muhlenberg College
Fish use of largely unexplored sub-tidal habitats in the Hinchinbrook Channel Estuary, Queensland, Alexandra Parisien, Duke University
Exploring Community Health through the lens of the Community Unit in Kariobangi North and the Surrounding Areas, Maya Paris-Saper, Sarah Lawrence College
Sports and Exercise Medicine for Athletes and Footballers: The Case of Kenya, Monil Patel, Tufts University
Las percepciones de los profesionales de la salud sobre los cuidados paliativos en diferentes sectores de salud en la Ciudad de Buenos Aires / Perceptions of health professionals about palliative care in different health sectors in the City of Buenos Aires, Kate Paulsen, Bowdoin College
A “UNIVERSAL VALUE”? PERCEPTIONS OF DEMOCRACY ACROSS RACE AMONG YOUNG VOTERS IN DURBAN, SA, Svati Pazhyanur, Cornell University
Child Marriage: Addressing the Challenges and Obstacles in the Post-2015 Agenda, Valeria Pelayo, Williams College
An Interactive Research Study on For-Profit Microfinance and its Continued Social Impact, Rachael Peroutky, Carleton College
Nutrition and Education in an Urbanizing Nation, Molly Pritz, Bates College
The impact of the Queensland Shark Control Program on local populations of threatened shark species, 1962-2014, Carolyn Pushaw, Harvard University
The Struggle Overseas: Risk Factors for Suicide among Female Migrant Workers in Nepal, Dhara Puvar, Loyola University Chicago
La vida es un conflicto, pero hay que llevar soluciones: La resolución de conflicto en comunidades rurales de San Ramón Nicaragua a través de facilitadores judiciales rurales y mediación, Marlee Raible, Whitman College
Cus M! Let’s Go!: The Flourishing of Bali’s Komunitas Gay in the HIV/AIDS Crisis, Ikaika Ramonès, Harvard University