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 2013
Establishment of the Coral Sea Marine Reserve: An In-Depth Analysis of the Social And Environmental Impacts of an Ecosystem-Based Management Approach to Conservation, Grace O’Connor, Colby College
Humanitarian Diplomacy and the Need for Protecting Humanitarian Personnel in Contemporary Conflicts., Theodora Okiro, University of Illinois at Chicago
Traditional Woodcarving in Elmina: The Creation of a Fishing Canoe, Bjorn Olsen, College of Wooster
Reading, Writing and Resources: The Conditions of Creativity, Mariclaire O’Neill, St. Michael's College
Preserving Tradition: Analyzing the Commoditization of Cultural Identity Through Beauty Pageants Among Ethnic Minority Groups in Kathmandu, Martha Oster-Beal, College of Wooster
Redefiniendo los Límites de la Colección: la Revolución del Museo Contemporáneo el caso del Museo Antropológico y de arte Contemporáneo de Guayaquil, Camila Pacheco-Fores, Brown University
¿Tiene Chile una Economía Neoliberal?, Christina Park Park, University of Virginia
Filmmaking, Reconciliation & Peacebuilding in Rwanda: Challenges and Opportunities., Kierran Petersen, George Washington University
Language Shift and Development: A Case Study of Zhongdian Southern Khams Language Vitality, Simon Peters, Portland State University
Lessons Learned From Pakistan: A Dissertation on the Bush-Obama Drone Doctrine, Michael A. Pipa, Gettysburg College
Justicia ambiental contra la corriente: Un estudio del impacto, la influencia y el éxito de FUNDICCEP en Chiriquí, Gabby Queenan, Macalester College
The Creation of the Hombre Nuevo: How do Men in Nicaragua Confront their Privilege and the Inequality of Gender?, Paul Rebman, Macalester College
Assessing the Senate: Political Opinion Among Cameroonian Youth, Rebeccah Rendall, Butler University
Influencia De Los Programas De Concurso Televisivos en la Construccion de Identidad Cultural en Jóvenes Cusqueños, Tess Renker, University of New Hampshire Durham
Testing the Waters: Public Health Lab- Ivo de Carneri’s Safe Water Project Pemba Island, Tanzania, E. Grace Reville, Colby College
Misguided Saviors: An Analysis of International Adoption Issues and Necessary Considerations for Prospective Adoptive Parents, Louisa Rich, Colorado College
The Abstract Text: Adinkra Symbolism as a Narrative in Drawing, Sherae Rimpsey, Cleveland Institute of Art
Illuminating rlung: The Vital Energy of Tibetan Medicine, Alma Rominger, Tufts University
Llaguepulli y la Resistencia Mapuche Dentro Del Espacio Del Indio Permitido, Marlen Rosas, Columbia University
Maximizing Community Action: An Internship with Be The Change, Rachel Rosenbaum, Cornell University
La apertura de un barrio: Las transformaciones del espacio urbano en Palermo, Buenos Aires = The Opening of a Neighborhood: The Transformations of Urban Space en Palermo, Buenos Aires, Daniel Rosenblum, University of Vermont
Como el Hijo de Nadie: Internal Divisions and the Struggle for Attention in Bocana de Paiwas, Alina Rosenfeld, Vassar College
Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra: Constructing Humanity, Phoebe Rosenheim, Pomona College
“Breastfeeding Perceptions and Practices” A Comparative Study of Two Opposing Socio-Economic Level Quarters within Yaoundé, Cameroon, Alexandria J. Ross, Syracuse University
Los Agroquímicos usados en Las Plantaciones Bananeras y sus Efectos en el Agua, la Gente, y el Ambiente en la Comunidad de Changuinola, Bocas del Toro, Panamá., Daniela Rossi, Lehigh University
Una Primavera Incierta: El Momento de la Política Educativa en Chile, Alexandria Sadler, University of Utah
La Percepción del Sistema de Salud intercultural y la Generación de una nueva Discriminación: Estudio de los Centros de Medicina Mapuche en Nueva Imperial y Puerto Saavedra con Población Adulta, Jannet Guadalupe Sánchez, Wellesly College
Illusion or Ununderstood Reality: Spiritual or Psychic Healing and Protection in Southern Madagascar, Henri Lucien Sandifer, Carleton College
Old and Alone: Analyzing the Developed and Inherent Social Avenues for Elderly in a Modernizing Society, Haley Sanner, Davidson College
Health as a Human Right: An Analysis of Healthcare Delivery to Bidonvilles, Juliana Saracino, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A Village National: The Transformative Potential of Fortifying the Preexisting Structures of an Organic Nepal, Alexandra Sarazen, University of Colorado at Boulder
“Queering the Rainbow Nation”: An Analysis of 11 Gay and Lesbian Capetonians’ Perceptions of LGBT Identity in Cape Town and the South African Government’s Commitment to LGBT Equality, Ryan Sasse, Washington University in St. Louis
Schistosomiasis (Bilharzia) in Madagascar: A Case Study of a Neglected Tropical Disease, Sarah Grace Sawyer, George Washington University
The Impact of Syrian Refugees on Food Security in the Northern Badia, Jesse Schaffer, George Washington University
Implementing a Green Economy in Least-Developed Countries The Challenges of Intellectual Property Rights and Technology Transfers within the TRIPS Agreement, Spencer Schloss, University of Virginia
Legislative Impact of the Construction of an “Abortion Culture”: A Comparative Analysis of the Enaction and Impact of Abortion Restriction Legislation in the Netherlands and the United States, Anna Schmitz, Macalester College
Luxury’s Last Frontier: An Analysis of Hanoi Residents’ Perceptions of the Luxury Market in Vietnam, Rachel Schuh, Carleton College
Weza Motrin Pichikeche Meu: El Entendimiento Cultural de la Obesidad Infantil en el Pueblo Mapuche, Katherine Shaffer, Carleton College
Beyond Ramaluk: Towards a more Inclusive view of Identity in the Tibetan Diaspora, Shani Shih, George Washington University
El Legado Colonial en el Turismo Comunitario : El Caso de Valle de Elicura, Fatma Shuaipi, University of Richmond
Rhetoric or Results?: Tourism, The Aquarium, and The People of Fortaleza, Molly Silvia, University of Richmond
Economic Empowerment and Gender-Based Violence: A Practicum Study of Action Against Hunger in Post-Conflict Northern Uganda, Laura Simmons-Stern, Connecticut College
A Comparison of Malnutrition Causes and Treatments: A Case of Mwanamugimu Nutrition Unit, Mulago National Referral Hospital, Kampala District and Nakifuma Government Health Unit, Mukono District, Berkley Singer, Trinity College
Fractioned, Fissured, and Framed: Considering Public Versus Private Constructions of Muslim Women’s Identities in Indian Partition Literature, McCaulay Singer-Milnes, Whitman College
Chiriquí, Panamá: Una Investigación del Esfuerzo Multi-Nivel que Aspira a Mejorar la Alimentación en Escuelas Primarias de Zonas Rurales y Urbanas, Ni cole Sofia Smallwood
La opinión pública sobre el aborto en Chile: Conceptos públicos de moralidad y de derechos de las mujeres en relación con aborto, Sarah Smith, Northwestern University
Gender Disparities in Access to HIV Testing and Antiretroviral Treatment Services, Wyatt Lombard Smith, University of Notre Dame
Investigating the Paradigms of Sikkim’s Built Environment, Bennet Song, University of San Francisco
Lara Ngom ii Acoli: Identifying Root Causes and the Impact of Cultural Cataclysm on Land Conflict Resolution in Nwoya District, Northern Uganda, Madison Stevens, Franklin College Switzerland
The Religious Influence Inside Bali Orphanages, Shelly Strickland, Wofford College
Themes and Narratives Relating to Faith and Healing in the Area of Durban, South Africa., Natalie Strohmyer, University of Kansas
Himalayan Heritage: Local Organization and the Role of Tradition in the Community Development of the Thakali People, Erik Svedberg, George Washington University
You, Me and Society: Political Theatre and Its Impacts, Holden Taylor, University of Washington-Seattle
“The Gift of Gab”: An Investigation of Self Help Groups as Sources of Women’s Empowerment in Udaipur, Rajasthan, Leigh Thomas, Brown University
Análisis comparativo de los gobiernos locales: La política del medio ambiente en las comunas de La Pintana y Peñalolén, Nicolás Thorpe, Rice University
A Portrait of a Farm: A Short Film Documenting Small-Scale Livestock Production on Hayters Hill Farm in Byron Bay, Noah Throop, Skidmore College
Analysis of Mitochondrial DNA Structuring Between Colonies of the World’s Smallest Penguin (Eudyptula minor) in New South Wales, Australia, Melissa R. Tighe, Gettysburg College
Approaches to Mental Illness in Madagascar: A Case for Reconciling Reason with Faith, Raisa Tikhtman, Transylvania University
Perspectivas ciudadanas del petróleo en Ecuador: Variaciones de opiniones del desarrollo del Yasuní-ITT por barreras socioeconómicas y geográficas / Citizen Perspectives on Petroleum in Ecuador: Variances in Opinion on Yasuní-ITT Development across Socioeconomic and Geographic Barriers, Megan Tokunaga, Pomona College
Los determinantes de la diferencia en la tasa de fecundidad adolescente entre comunidades pobres y ricas en Buenos Aires, Emily Turner, Carleton University
Exploring the Need for Hands-on, Expert-Taught Environmental Education in Tasmanian Formal Schools: A Survey for Greening Australia in Hobart, Tasmania, Hannah Underwood, Smith College
Species Censes & Local Conceptions of Ornithological Fauna, Uzi, Alexandria Vandervest, Hope College
Cultivating Change: Women Transforming Holland’s Food System, Meg VanDeusen, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The Trajectory of Warwick Junction as a Site of Inclusivity in Post-Apartheid South Africa, Kara van Schilfgaarde van Schilfgaarde, Rice University
El Proceso de la Certificación Orgánica en Cerro Punta, Panamá: Cómo Promover Cambios Sostenibles, Michelle Velez, Villanova University
Jordan’s Energy Security: Impact of Dependency on Unstable Foreign Sources on Social Stability and Policy Alternatives, Allan Martinez Venegas, Macalester College
The Following Sea: Cultural Perceptions and Knowledge on Traditional Sailing in Sāmoa, Connor Olin Ventling, Bates College
Exploring the Meanings of Social Support Networks, Andrea Villalobos, Occidental College
The Infinite and the Finite: An Analysis of the United States’ Energy Future, Elise Voorhis, The University of Texas at Austin
Preventative Care and Culture, Anna Wagman, Dickinson College
Fostering the Orphaned and Vulnerable Child: Exploring Identity Economics in Relation to Orphaned and Vulnerable Children in the Eastern Cape and Cape Town, South Africa, Khaliyah Yasmeen Washington, Occidental College
Challenges Affecting Street Children in Post-Conflict Northern Uganda: Case of Gulu Municipality, Annie Weber, Gettysburg College
Spatial Perceptions of Wildlife Crop Raiding in the Jangwani Corridor, Tanzania, Shelby Weiss, Colorado State University
Think Like a Mongolian: Cultivating Community Based Pasture Management, Karen Elizabeth Yoshida Weldon, Macalester College
La feminización de la especialidad de pediatría en la ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina / The feminization of the specialty of pediatrics in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jessica Wilder, Rice University
“Resistencia es Permanencia”: Concepciones de Resistencia, territorio y Recuperaciones de tierra en dos Comunidades mapuche, August Williams-Eynon, Cornell University
Vulnerability, Environmental Security, and Adaptation Awareness in Samoa, Katie Williams, Colgate University
From Pokhara to Kandahar: The Two Hundred Year Journey of the Force That Made Nepal Famous, Elijah Wohl, Macalester College
Relaciones de Coalición y gestión: ¿Que Pasó a la Concertación?, Samuel Wonderling, Gettysburg College
Livelihood Decisions “Choosing” Protein Deficiency: Relationship between Meat Consumption, Livestock Production, and Globalization in the Bangatan Household, Corey Wood, University of California Berkeley
Mongolian National Parks: Competing Interests and Institutional Viability in a Still Emerging Protected Areas System, Kieryn Wurts, University of Denver
Por Eso Cuidamos Una Investigación Sobre las Motivaciones Culturales Andinas que Incentivan a la Gente Indígena local a Conservar la Naturaleza en el Parque de la Papa, Pisac, Perú., Sarah Yanuck, Vassar College
Perdido en la Cadena: Un Análisis del Impacto Económico y Ambiental de cajas de Embalaje en Baños, Ecuador, Zhang Yuan, Middlebury College
Una Examinación del Potencial Estratégico de Argentina y Brasil en el Mercado Petrolero Mundial: Consideraciones Idiosincráticas entre el Estado y Empresas Petroleras Nacionales / An Examination of the Strategic Potential of Argentina and Brazil in the Global Energy Market: Idiosyncratic Considerations between National Oil Companies and the State, Patrick John Zailckas, Bucknell University
Densidad y Abundancia de conejo Pintado (Agouti paca): Tres Métodos de Estimación de la Población, John Zeiger, Cornell University
Submissions from 2012
Refractions: Poems Through the Prism of Proscription, Kayla Ahmed, George Washington University
The Life of a Child: Learning, Imitating, and Interacting Among Children in the Northern and Ashanti Regions, Annie Alexander, Juniata College
La Vista desde Arriba: El Uso de Cartografía Participativa para Empoderar a las Comunidades y Promover la Conservación del Medio Ambiente Los mapas como Herramienta en el proyecto de Cacao Silvestre en Baures, Beni, Lily Alexander, Macalester College
Prettiest in Pink? Dutch Teenage Girls and Femininity, Leah Allen, St. Michael's College
Régulations de l’Usage et de la Possession de Terre: Exploration de l'Efficacité des Règles Officielles Concernant la Gestion de Terre et Perceptions des Lois par les Habitants d’Andranomena Dans la Région Menabe, Ben Armstrong, University of Puget Sound
The English Language: Exploring its Educational, Economic, and Social Market Value in New Delhi, Andrea Asai, University of Oregon
Progression of Aesthetic: a Study of Beads and Adornment in Contemporary Krobo Society, Jordan Ashe, Spelman College
The Importance of Play to Childhood Development: A Child’s Right to Play While Living With HIV/AIDS, Rachel Bambrick, Ithaca College
Perspectives of Czech Youth Activists: Political Culture & the Cycle of Passivity, Alex Bargiacchi, Gettysburg College
Geological Survey of Cueva Guhamra, Cassandra L. Baumgartner, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Whose Gay Town is Cape Town? An Examination of Cape Town’s Gay Village and the Production of a Queer White Patriarchy., Mollie Beebe, Macalester College
To Huddle or Not to Huddle: That is the Question. A Brief Study of the Basis for Huddling Behavior in Eulemur rubriventer, Tessa Behnke, Colorado State University
Fund My Trip: Is Outmigration Changing the Functioning of Microfinance in Rural Areas?, Vadim A. Berg, George Washington University