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 2011
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
Performance Measurement and Improvement at FINCA Uganda, Aaron Cowans, Indiana University Bloomington Campus
Photography and Poetry in Children’s Literature: An Illustrated Journey Through Environment and Place, Hannah Crews, St. Edward's University
Constructing Cidadania: Shifting Visions of Citizenship in the MST settlement Assentamento 25 de Maio in Ceará, Brazil, Alexis Victoria Cruzzavala, Yale University
#reformjo: Jordanian Tweets for Social Reform, Megan Daily, Washington and Lee University
Differentiating the Vulnerability of Kothis and Hijras to HIV/AIDS: A Case Study of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Poonam Daryani, Scripps College
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
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
This Land Is Our Land: The Ngöbe Stuggle for Land, Fran del Rosario, Univeristy of Richmond
Il Faut Manger: A Study of Women’s Body Image and Obesity in Mali, Jennifer Denike, Duke University
CAP Centre : L’Epicerie Sociale, Ana de Pina, Providence College
Youth Dating Culture in Urban Vietnam: Attitudes, Behaviors, and Influences, Alexa DiFiore, Washington University in St. Louis
“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
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
Psychosocial Problems of Refugees: Understanding and Addressing Needs, Catherine Doren, Wesleyan University
Soul Medicine: The Role of Traditional Senegalese Music in a Therapeutic Context, Alexa K. Dorris, Denison University
Validating the Culture of Agriculture: Farmers Groups and Organic Agriculture Mitigating Rural to Urban Migration in Bhutan, Emma Dosch, Allegheny College
Hchouma Alik!: A Look at the Evolution of Hchouma in Contemporary Moroccan Society, Eden Dotan, Skidmore College
Monitoring Nesting Trends and Hatchling Success of the Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) Population on Mnemba Island, Zanzibar, Taylor Dunbar, Franklin & Marshall College
Rural Futures: How Can Agricultural Development Lead to a High Quality of Life?, Jessie Ebersole, Middlebury College
Herbs and Healers of the North: Medicine, Practices and Philosophies in Islamic and Traditional Healing in Northern Ghana, Renee Edwards, Babson College
Assessing Mental Health Care for Iraqi Refugees in Jordan Looking to New Solutions for the Future, Hannah B. Egan, Villanova University
Rising Food Prices in Kenya: How the Government and Its Citizens Are Coping, or Not, Teresa Eilers, Occidental College
尼西黑陶: A Study of Tibetan Black Pottery, Catherine Elliott, Bates College
The Perfect Storm: How Pro-Abortion Activists in the Netherlands Incite Social Change From International Waters, Julia Ellis‐Kahana, Brown University
Counting Cailloux, Multiplying Mambos: An Analysis of Mathematics Education in Cameroonian Primary Schools, Rachel Elzinga, Hope College
R-E-S-P-E-C-T Expectations, Perceptions, and Influences on Moroccan Etiquette, Christina Ermilio, Wesleyan University
Fight or Flight: The Situation of the Young and Jobless in Morocco, Anduriña Espinoza, George Washington University
Correcting 60 Years of Development Failure: The Potential of Scaling Up in Addressing Development Ineffectiveness, Jossif Ezekilov, George Washington University
“It’s Just Not That Simple:” Territory and Politics at Girdwood Park, Kyra Fallon, Gettysburg College
Infectious Disease as a Security Threat, With Particular Application to the Migration Context, Marielena Faria, George Washington University
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
La Integración de Gimnasios al Aire Libre y el Desarrollo Local, Emily Feenstra, Carnegie Mellon University
¡Edúcame! Violencia, Autoridad e Identidad en el Movimiento Studiantil Actual, Aila Ferguson, Occidental College
The Believer, the Traveler and the Storyteller, Natasha Field-Rahman, Sarah Lawrence College
Sostenibilidad y Autogestión en Programas de Seguridad Alimentaria en Nicaragua, Katherine Finnegan, University of Southern California
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
Alliances et Cultures: Cap Nord, Stacey Fitzpatrick, Colorado State University
Tree Plantation Expansion: Impacts on Rural Communities in the Central North of Tasmania, Kyla Flaten, Whitman College
The Barzakh of Flamenco: Tracing the Spirituality, Locality and Musicality of Flamenco From South of the Strait of Gibraltar, Tania Flores, Occidental College
The Rise of the Last Woman: An Analysis of Women’s Independence in 21st Century Rajasthan, Anita C. Foster, Spelman University
How Do Religion and Belief Systems Influence Traditional Medicine and Health Care in Madagascar?, Whitney Franklin, University of Texas at Austin
A Study of Sponge Aquaculture in Jambiani: Is Shallow Farming Feasible?, Sarah Friday, University of Richmond
Assessment of International Efforts to Protect the Rights of Unaccompanied Minors, Kyla Gaines, Spelman University
Cost of the Connoisseur’s Cup: Power Dynamics in a Tea Factory’s Conversion to Organic Production, Karen Gardner, Bard College
Nomadic Knowledge of the Yak: A Case Study in the Khangai Mountains, Mongolia, Jesse Geary, Macalester College
Fair and Lovely: Standards of Beauty, Globalization, and the Modern Indian Woman, Rebecca Gelles, Carleton College
The Role of Information in Enabling Community Response to Mining Threats in Palmares II, Christine Gerbode, Rice University
White-Washed: The “Conservation” of the Physical and Metaphysical States of Ghanaian Slave Castle-Dungeons and Forts, Britney D. Ghee, Rice University
Claiming MANASLU: The Agency of a Rural Community in Nepal’s Developing Mountain Tourism Industry, Sierra Gladfelter, Temple University
La Revolución Teatral: Las Concientizadas, las Empoderadas, las Liberadas en el Teatro Feminista Nicaragüense, Isela Xitlali Gómez, Macalester College
Moms Behind Bars: Motherhood in Eshowe Correctional Center, IndiAna Gowland, Macalester College
Social, Political, Economic and Health Effects of the Disi Aquifer on Jordanian Society, Ryan Greenwood, University of New Hampshire
Building Houses, Making Homes: The Experiencing of Returning to Post-War Sanski Most, Claire Griffith, Grinnell College
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
Growing Farmers’ Markets: Measuring the Competitiveness of the Byron Farmers’ Market With Other Local Food Sources, Audrey Gross, Denison University
El Rol y el Simbolismo de las Tomas Dentro del Movimiento Estudiantil de 2011, Shara Guarnaccia, New York University
The Use and Misuse of Wetlands in Kampala, Emily Gumm, Illinois Wesleyan University
How to Sever the Legs of an Octopus: Tunisia’s Ongoing Revolution, Matthew Hammel, Vassar College
Adult Female Activity Time Budgets in Red-Bellied Lemurs (Eulemur Rubriventer) and Infant Survival: Ranomafana National Park, Frances Hardy, Columbia University
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
Feeling, Experiencing, Learning: Environmental Education at Escola Vila, Isabelle Aida Heilman, Claremont McKenna College
New Representations of the “Golden Lineage”: The Mongolian Folk Rock of Altan Urag, Jonathan Heins, University of Pittsburgh
Doulas Going Dutch: The Role of Professional Labor Support in the Netherlands, Monica He, Rice University
Mecanismos de la Participación Política El Movimiento Para Reformar el Sistema de la Licencia Postnatal en Chile, Lucas Hernández, Rollins College
Zenga Zenga, Tente Tente: Can Tunisian Humanitarian Efforts Save and Preserve the Ideals of the Revolution?, Ava Hess, Columbia University
Conciencia Social en Granada: Los Éxitos y las Dificultades - Raising Social Consciousness in Granada: Successes and Difficulties, Heidi Hong, Scripps College
We Are What We Eat: A Sherpa Cookbook, Renee Horen, University of Richmond
Bai and Bilingual: Improving Academic Achievement Through Bilingual and Multicultural Education, Priscilla Hsu, Claremont McKenna College
The Hands Behind the Handicraft: How “Fair” is Fair Trade?, Carly Hubbard, Point Loma Nazarene University
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
La Educación Intercultural Bilingüe en Cusco: Un Análisis Crítico del Discurso de Algunos Sectores Involucrados con su Implementación, Maggie Hutchison, Macalester College
The Different Perceptions of Breast Cancer in Post-Conflict Northern Uganda, Karen Im, Emory University
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
Duality in Bouazizi: Appraising the Contradiction, Alec Jacobson, Amherst College
L@s Desaparecid@s No Desaparecen: Testimonios de Familias Desgarradas, Sara Jacobs, American University
Morality, Mathematics, & Music Class: A Case Study of a First Grade Vietnamese Classroom, Emma James, Bowdoin College
Departing From “Education”: Finding Autonomous Learning The Ability for Knowledge that Gives Itself, Matthew Jernigan, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Entre Fronteras Historias Personales de Migración en el Austro de Ecuador, Hannah Johnson
Examining Trends in Taste Preferences, Market Demand, and Annual Catch in an Indigenous Marine Turtle Fishery in Southwest Madagascar, Kristin Jones, Washington State University
Western Influence, Latent Racism, and Their Impact on Access to Health Care in Madagascar, Jessica Joy, Muhlenberg College
Yak, a Green Icon and a Good Investment, Caroline Kang, Smith College
Migration, Vulnerability and Xenophobia: Central African Refugee and Asylum Seekers’ Access to Health Services in Durban, South Africa, Cathy Kaplan, George Washington University
¿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
La Calidad y Accesibilidad del Agua Potable Rural Chile: Arica – Parinacota, Eileen Kapples, Georgetown University
¿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
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
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
Rise of the Veil: Islamic Modernity and the Hui Woman, Zainab Khalid, Mount Holyoke College
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
The Economy of Success: Learners’ Attitudes and Behaviors Toward Peer Success and Their Repercussions at Amatigulu High School, Jocelyn Kopfman, The College of Wooster
The Revolutionary Art: Street Art Before and After the Tunisian Revolution, Nicholas Korody, Vassar College
Living for Two: Experiencing Alzheimer’s Disease Through the Caregiver, Jacob Kramer, Johns Hopkins University
“La Percepción Social de VIH/SIDA en Chile y sus Efectos”, Philip Krause, Tulane University
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
Endangered Heritage and Emergent Ogogo: A Case Study of the “Ulwazi Programme”, Emily Kwong, Columbia University
Reflexiones Sobre la Tristeza y la Preocupación en las Personas Aymara de Putre, Chile, Jordana Laks, Tufts University
Homelessness: A New Culture of Poverty in the Streets of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Lindsay Lanteri, University of Pittsburgh
Like Crazy: A Writer’s Search for Information and Inspiration, Sarah Lawrence, Muhlenberg College