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.

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Submissions from 2011

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What is the Value of a Sea Turtle?: A Case Study of the Conservation Ethics of Sea Turtle Fishermen in the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua, Alicia Conte, University of Colorado at Boulder

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Performance Measurement and Improvement at FINCA Uganda, Aaron Cowans, Indiana University Bloomington Campus

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Photography and Poetry in Children’s Literature: An Illustrated Journey Through Environment and Place, Hannah Crews, St. Edward's University

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Constructing Cidadania: Shifting Visions of Citizenship in the MST settlement Assentamento 25 de Maio in Ceará, Brazil, Alexis Victoria Cruzzavala, Yale University

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#reformjo: Jordanian Tweets for Social Reform, Megan Daily, Washington and Lee University

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Differentiating the Vulnerability of Kothis and Hijras to HIV/AIDS: A Case Study of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Poonam Daryani, Scripps College

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Acholi Clan, Ethnic, and National Identities in Post-Conflict Northern Uganda: A Case Study in Koch Goma Sub-County, Nwoya District, David L. Davenport, University of Richmond

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Seaweed Farmer Education: Is it Enough to Sustain the Industry? Analyzing the Status of Stakeholder Investment in Muungoni and Jambiani, Unguja, Erika Davis, North Carolina State University

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This Land Is Our Land: The Ngöbe Stuggle for Land, Fran del Rosario, Univeristy of Richmond

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Il Faut Manger: A Study of Women’s Body Image and Obesity in Mali, Jennifer Denike, Duke University

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CAP Centre : L’Epicerie Sociale, Ana de Pina, Providence College

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Youth Dating Culture in Urban Vietnam: Attitudes, Behaviors, and Influences, Alexa DiFiore, Washington University in St. Louis

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“Mind the Gap” Addressing the Gap Between Health Care Policy & Health Care Reality in Madagascar & the Way Forward Integrating Traditional Medicine & Ethical Reform Within Health Care, Laura Dillon, University of Vermont

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Effective, Efficient Health Care Reform The United States and Swiss Health Care Systems: A Comparative Analysis What Can the U.S. Learn From the Swiss Experience?, Rebecca Dittrich, Cornell University

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Psychosocial Problems of Refugees: Understanding and Addressing Needs, Catherine Doren, Wesleyan University

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Soul Medicine: The Role of Traditional Senegalese Music in a Therapeutic Context, Alexa K. Dorris, Denison University

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Validating the Culture of Agriculture: Farmers Groups and Organic Agriculture Mitigating Rural to Urban Migration in Bhutan, Emma Dosch, Allegheny College

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Hchouma Alik!: A Look at the Evolution of Hchouma in Contemporary Moroccan Society, Eden Dotan, Skidmore College

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Monitoring Nesting Trends and Hatchling Success of the Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) Population on Mnemba Island, Zanzibar, Taylor Dunbar, Franklin & Marshall College

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Rural Futures: How Can Agricultural Development Lead to a High Quality of Life?, Jessie Ebersole, Middlebury College

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Herbs and Healers of the North: Medicine, Practices and Philosophies in Islamic and Traditional Healing in Northern Ghana, Renee Edwards, Babson College

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Assessing Mental Health Care for Iraqi Refugees in Jordan Looking to New Solutions for the Future, Hannah B. Egan, Villanova University

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Rising Food Prices in Kenya: How the Government and Its Citizens Are Coping, or Not, Teresa Eilers, Occidental College

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尼西黑陶: A Study of Tibetan Black Pottery, Catherine Elliott, Bates College

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The Perfect Storm: How Pro-Abortion Activists in the Netherlands Incite Social Change From International Waters, Julia Ellis‐Kahana, Brown University

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Counting Cailloux, Multiplying Mambos: An Analysis of Mathematics Education in Cameroonian Primary Schools, Rachel Elzinga, Hope College

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R-E-S-P-E-C-T Expectations, Perceptions, and Influences on Moroccan Etiquette, Christina Ermilio, Wesleyan University

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Fight or Flight: The Situation of the Young and Jobless in Morocco, Anduriña Espinoza, George Washington University

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Correcting 60 Years of Development Failure: The Potential of Scaling Up in Addressing Development Ineffectiveness, Jossif Ezekilov, George Washington University

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“It’s Just Not That Simple:” Territory and Politics at Girdwood Park, Kyra Fallon, Gettysburg College

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Infectious Disease as a Security Threat, With Particular Application to the Migration Context, Marielena Faria, George Washington University

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Buscando el Agua El Papel del Agua en la Histora, las Vidas Cotidianas, y la Educación de la Gente de Lomas de San Jacinto, Sabrina Faubert, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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La Integración de Gimnasios al Aire Libre y el Desarrollo Local, Emily Feenstra, Carnegie Mellon University

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¡Edúcame! Violencia, Autoridad e Identidad en el Movimiento Studiantil Actual, Aila Ferguson, Occidental College

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The Believer, the Traveler and the Storyteller, Natasha Field-Rahman, Sarah Lawrence College

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Sostenibilidad y Autogestión en Programas de Seguridad Alimentaria en Nicaragua, Katherine Finnegan, University of Southern California

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The Aders’s Duikers (Cephalophus adersi) of Mnemba Island, Zanzibar: A Study of the Behavior and Diet of a Critically Endangered Species, Aviva Fiske, Bowdoin College

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Alliances et Cultures: Cap Nord, Stacey Fitzpatrick, Colorado State University

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Tree Plantation Expansion: Impacts on Rural Communities in the Central North of Tasmania, Kyla Flaten, Whitman College

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The Barzakh of Flamenco: Tracing the Spirituality, Locality and Musicality of Flamenco From South of the Strait of Gibraltar, Tania Flores, Occidental College

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The Rise of the Last Woman: An Analysis of Women’s Independence in 21st Century Rajasthan, Anita C. Foster, Spelman University

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How Do Religion and Belief Systems Influence Traditional Medicine and Health Care in Madagascar?, Whitney Franklin, University of Texas at Austin

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A Study of Sponge Aquaculture in Jambiani: Is Shallow Farming Feasible?, Sarah Friday, University of Richmond

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Assessment of International Efforts to Protect the Rights of Unaccompanied Minors, Kyla Gaines, Spelman University

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Cost of the Connoisseur’s Cup: Power Dynamics in a Tea Factory’s Conversion to Organic Production, Karen Gardner, Bard College

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Nomadic Knowledge of the Yak: A Case Study in the Khangai Mountains, Mongolia, Jesse Geary, Macalester College

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Fair and Lovely: Standards of Beauty, Globalization, and the Modern Indian Woman, Rebecca Gelles, Carleton College

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The Role of Information in Enabling Community Response to Mining Threats in Palmares II, Christine Gerbode, Rice University

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White-Washed: The “Conservation” of the Physical and Metaphysical States of Ghanaian Slave Castle-Dungeons and Forts, Britney D. Ghee, Rice University

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Claiming MANASLU: The Agency of a Rural Community in Nepal’s Developing Mountain Tourism Industry, Sierra Gladfelter, Temple University

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La Revolución Teatral: Las Concientizadas, las Empoderadas, las Liberadas en el Teatro Feminista Nicaragüense, Isela Xitlali Gómez, Macalester College

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Moms Behind Bars: Motherhood in Eshowe Correctional Center, IndiAna Gowland, Macalester College

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Social, Political, Economic and Health Effects of the Disi Aquifer on Jordanian Society, Ryan Greenwood, University of New Hampshire

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Building Houses, Making Homes: The Experiencing of Returning to Post-War Sanski Most, Claire Griffith, Grinnell College

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The Escola do Campo João sem Terra: A Look Inside the Process of Making Education Relevant in the Landless Worker’s Movement Settlement 25 De Maio., Owen Grooms, Warren Wilson College

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Growing Farmers’ Markets: Measuring the Competitiveness of the Byron Farmers’ Market With Other Local Food Sources, Audrey Gross, Denison University

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El Rol y el Simbolismo de las Tomas Dentro del Movimiento Estudiantil de 2011, Shara Guarnaccia, New York University

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The Use and Misuse of Wetlands in Kampala, Emily Gumm, Illinois Wesleyan University

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How to Sever the Legs of an Octopus: Tunisia’s Ongoing Revolution, Matthew Hammel, Vassar College

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Adult Female Activity Time Budgets in Red-Bellied Lemurs (Eulemur Rubriventer) and Infant Survival: Ranomafana National Park, Frances Hardy, Columbia University

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Is Lac Anony Reaching Its Tipping Point? A Comparative Case Study of the Traditional Fishery at the Village of Antsovela, Corinne Haynes, George Washington University

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Feeling, Experiencing, Learning: Environmental Education at Escola Vila, Isabelle Aida Heilman, Claremont McKenna College

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New Representations of the “Golden Lineage”: The Mongolian Folk Rock of Altan Urag, Jonathan Heins, University of Pittsburgh

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Doulas Going Dutch: The Role of Professional Labor Support in the Netherlands, Monica He, Rice University

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Mecanismos de la Participación Política El Movimiento Para Reformar el Sistema de la Licencia Postnatal en Chile, Lucas Hernández, Rollins College

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Zenga Zenga, Tente Tente: Can Tunisian Humanitarian Efforts Save and Preserve the Ideals of the Revolution?, Ava Hess, Columbia University

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Conciencia Social en Granada: Los Éxitos y las Dificultades - Raising Social Consciousness in Granada: Successes and Difficulties, Heidi Hong, Scripps College

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We Are What We Eat: A Sherpa Cookbook, Renee Horen, University of Richmond

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Bai and Bilingual: Improving Academic Achievement Through Bilingual and Multicultural Education, Priscilla Hsu, Claremont McKenna College

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The Hands Behind the Handicraft: How “Fair” is Fair Trade?, Carly Hubbard, Point Loma Nazarene University

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ODUVEK (Since the Beginning): Roma Narratives of Continuous Discrimination and Perspectives on Identity, Marginalization, and Assimilation in Niš, Serbia, Erin Humphries, Washington University in St. Louis

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La Educación Intercultural Bilingüe en Cusco: Un Análisis Crítico del Discurso de Algunos Sectores Involucrados con su Implementación, Maggie Hutchison, Macalester College

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The Different Perceptions of Breast Cancer in Post-Conflict Northern Uganda, Karen Im, Emory University

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De la Fragmentación a la Unidad: Familias Transnacionales Cochabambinas y las Relaciones a Larga Distancia a Consecuencia de la Migración a los Estados Unidos, Maya Jacob, Brandeis University

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Duality in Bouazizi: Appraising the Contradiction, Alec Jacobson, Amherst College

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L@s Desaparecid@s No Desaparecen: Testimonios de Familias Desgarradas, Sara Jacobs, American University

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Morality, Mathematics, & Music Class: A Case Study of a First Grade Vietnamese Classroom, Emma James, Bowdoin College

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Departing From “Education”: Finding Autonomous Learning The Ability for Knowledge that Gives Itself, Matthew Jernigan, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Entre Fronteras Historias Personales de Migración en el Austro de Ecuador, Hannah Johnson

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Examining Trends in Taste Preferences, Market Demand, and Annual Catch in an Indigenous Marine Turtle Fishery in Southwest Madagascar, Kristin Jones, Washington State University

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Western Influence, Latent Racism, and Their Impact on Access to Health Care in Madagascar, Jessica Joy, Muhlenberg College

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Yak, a Green Icon and a Good Investment, Caroline Kang, Smith College

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Migration, Vulnerability and Xenophobia: Central African Refugee and Asylum Seekers’ Access to Health Services in Durban, South Africa, Cathy Kaplan, George Washington University

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¿Cómo Ganó Piñera la Presidencia de Chile? El Caido de la Concertación y la Subida de la Coalición por el Cambio, Emma Kaplan, Macalester College

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La Calidad y Accesibilidad del Agua Potable Rural Chile: Arica – Parinacota, Eileen Kapples, Georgetown University

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¿Por qué Participan? Las Motivaciones de Participación de los Miembros de la Corriente Classista Combativa en la Matanza Why Participate? The Motivation to Participate for the Members of the Corriente Classista Combativa in La Matanza., Googie Karrass, Vassar College

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Análisis de Heces del Tapir Andino, Tapirus Pinchaque (Roulin, 1829), en la Comunidad de Oyacachi, Parque Nacional Cayambe-Coca, Ecuador: Un Estudio Realizado en la Comunidad de Oyacachi, Ecuador Analizando el Contenido de las Heces del Tapir Andino y Registrando Proporciones de Fibras, Hojas, Tallos, o Semillas en su Dieta, Para Verificar su Función de Dispersor de Semillas en su Hábitat., Katlyn M. Keane, St. Michael's College

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Sem Terrinhas No More: The Place of Second Generation MST Settlers in the Agrarian Reform Movement Sem Terrinhas Não Mais: A Posição da Segunda Geração dos Assentados do MST no Movimento de Reforma Agrária, Lorraine Keeler, University of Pittsburgh

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La Pobreza Móvil de los Migrantes Shipibo-Conibo: Una Investigación de la Influencia de la Migración en la Cosmovisión Shipibo-Conibo de Canta Gallo-Rímac, Lima, Lauren Kennedy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Rise of the Veil: Islamic Modernity and the Hui Woman, Zainab Khalid, Mount Holyoke College

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Las Negociaciones Entre las Comunidades Nativas Machiguengas y la Industria Extractiva Dentro del Proyecto Camisea: Asesorando los Roles de y las Interacciones Entre los Actores, Julia Kim, Brown University

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The Economy of Success: Learners’ Attitudes and Behaviors Toward Peer Success and Their Repercussions at Amatigulu High School, Jocelyn Kopfman, The College of Wooster

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The Revolutionary Art: Street Art Before and After the Tunisian Revolution, Nicholas Korody, Vassar College

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Living for Two: Experiencing Alzheimer’s Disease Through the Caregiver, Jacob Kramer, Johns Hopkins University

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“La Percepción Social de VIH/SIDA en Chile y sus Efectos”, Philip Krause, Tulane University

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A Case Study of Health Interventions and the Caste System: Addressing the Social Determinants of Health Through Development at Crhp Jamkhed, Laura Kroart, Tufts University

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Endangered Heritage and Emergent Ogogo: A Case Study of the “Ulwazi Programme”, Emily Kwong, Columbia University

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Reflexiones Sobre la Tristeza y la Preocupación en las Personas Aymara de Putre, Chile, Jordana Laks, Tufts University

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Homelessness: A New Culture of Poverty in the Streets of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Lindsay Lanteri, University of Pittsburgh

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Like Crazy: A Writer’s Search for Information and Inspiration, Sarah Lawrence, Muhlenberg College