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 2010
Indlovukazi Yase-Afrika (Zulu Queen): A Curriculum for Young Women’s Empowerment in Kwa-Zulu Natal, Judith Merzbach, Colby College
Reform of the United Nations Security Council: A Rope of Sand, Alice Minor, Whitman College
Economic Coping Mechanisms of Iraqi Female Headed Households in Jordan, Sophia Moradian, Boston College
Water Quality and Eutrophication: The Effects of Sewage Outfalls on Waters and Reefs Surrounding Stone Town, Zanzibar, Molly Moynihan, Cornell University
Faith & Reconciliation: A Study of Christian Forgiveness in Post-Genocide Rwanda, Brynn Muir, Augustana College
Perceptions of the International Media in Post-Conflict Srebrenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Erin Murphy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Proambiente in Rio Capim: An Abandoned PES Program and Its Effects on Environmental Consciousness, Dylan Murray, College of William and Mary
Utopian Marketization and the Historical Fate of Rural Society: Sideng Village, Shaxi Township, Ilona Nanay, New York University
Paradise Lost? Impact of Tourism and Public Use on the Mnemba House Reef, Allison Nangle and Vicki Sheng, University of Connecticut, Williams College
Living in Pain, Throwing Out Agony: A Health Study of the Rural Residents of Three Hani Zu Ethnic Minority Villages in Hong He Prefecture, Yunnan Province, Haley Newman, Tufts University
Why Mexicans Migrate: A Glimpse at the Causes and Effects of Rural Mexican Migration in the Community of Yogana as well as Current Movements Towards Local Development, Katie Norris, Butler University
Semillas y la Ciudad: La Agricultura Urbana en Oaxaca de Juárez Como un Aporte a la Soberanía Alimentaria, Katie Oberwager
Development of Predatory Behavior in Juvenile Fish: Evidence of Attraction to Prey Chemical Alarm Cues by Naïve Coral Reef Predator, (Pseudochromis fuscus), Shannon Odell, Vassar College
Can the Center Hold? Finding Decentralization in Moroccan Migration, Matthew O’Sullivan, Washington and Lee University
From Failing to Effective: A Case Study of Transformational Leadership and Teaching at a Township High School in Durban, South Africa, Kathlyn Pattillo, Wesleyan University
Conflicting or Complimentary? The Varying Approaches to Humanitarian Action, Andre Patzke, Cornell College
Views From the Road: An Inquiry Into the Meaning of Development in Lower Mustang, Tracy Pecher, Fordham University
Simplicity and the City: Understanding the Voluntary Simplicity Movement in Melbourne, Gershwin Penn, Williams College
Social and Community Media in Poor and Marginalized Urban Communities: A Study of Collective Action in Kiber, John Perkins, Colby College
Rally Around the Flag and Support the Black Stars: Multi-Relational Analysis of Nationalism and Contemporary Football in Ghana, Elka Peterson Horner, Villanova University
La Correlación Entre el Autoestima y la Intención de Cambiar en Seis Ámbitos de la Vida de un Fumador Adolescente., Aaron Picus, Tulane University
Renewable Energy in Rural Amazônia: A Case Study of Its Advantages and Limitations in Santo Antônio, Amy Plovnick, Washington University in St. Louis
Mi Educacion, Mi Voz, Nuestro Futuro: Una Investigación con el Uso del Diálogo Para Ver y Entender las Conversaciones de los Protagonistas Sobre los Expectativas, Aspiraciones y Participación de la Educación Secundaria, Hilary Pollan, Mount Holyoke College
La Prise de la Violence, la Force de la Femme, Abi Pollokoff, Tulane University
Midwives, Rain, and Donkey Carts: Factors Affecting Women’s Decisions to Deliver at Home or at a Clinic in Rural Mali, Jessica Preslar, Emory University
The Kora and Korafolaw: A Treatise on the Musical Instrument and Those Who Play It, William Ridenour, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Salud Reproductiva de Mujeres en Edad Fertil de la Zona de Intag: Deteccion Oportuna del Cancer Cervico Uterino (DOC) Papanicolaou, Astia Roper-Batker, Smith College
Sperm Use During Egg Fertilization in the Honeybee (Apis Mellifera), Maria Rubinsky, Brown University
Estamos Bien en el Refugio los 33 Una Historia de las Organizaciones Mineras y su Lucha Por la Seguridad en la Minería., Bram Sable-Smith, Washington University in St. Louis
The Tibetan Jewish Youth Exchange: The Importance of Youth in Exile and Diaspora Communities, Jade Sank, Brandeis University
“It’s a White People Thing”: The Experience of Negotiating Sexual and Cultural Identity for Young-Adults in Durban, Erin Schaff, Kenyon College
“We Can No Longer Declare Ourselves a Multicultural City Until We Start Reacting to Things Like This” : Contextualizing the Violence at the 2008 Queer Sarajevo Festival, Sarah Schrag, Oberlin College
Did You Make That? : Wood Carving, Apprenticeships, and Collective Art in Senegal, Christina Schueler, University of Oregon
Justice Sector Reform in Rwanda: A Space of Contention or Consensus?, Maria Sebastian, University of Richmond
Mujeres en las Sombras: Un Estudio Sobre el Aborto en Chile, Molly Serventi-Gleeson, Yale University
Pesticide Use and Awareness on Pemba Island, Brooke Shorett and Lauren Crask, Duke University, University of Redlands
Sticks and Stones: The Strategic Use of Development by the Maoists in the Mobilization of Nepal‘s Rural Population, Iyla Shornstein, Binghamton University
Banking for the Rich: A Case Study, Cindy Shuck, Georgetown University
La ‘Paradoxe Marocaine’ Moroccan-Dutch Citizens in Transnational Social Space, Deva-Dee Siliee, Columbia University
El Artesano y la Comercialización del Patrimonio Cultural del Norte de Argentina Un Estudio de Caso: Salta y la Quebrada de Humahuaca y el Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la Unesco, Jessica Slattery, Beloit College
Out of Conflict Comes Creation: A New Era for Contemporary Music in Belfast, Martha Slenker, Gettysburg College
¿Aprendemos Juntos? Guiando Educación Comunitaria en Oaxaca, Raisa Slutsky-Moore, Mount Holyoke College
Reminding, Retelling, and Re-Remembering: The Evolution of Staro Sajmište, Its Future, and the Marginalization of the Holocaust in Serbian Public Memory, Benjamin Somogyi, Carleton College
Bridging the Gap: Identifying Social Factors That Affect the Knowledge of Sexually Transmitted Infections and Use of Prevention Methods in Young Women, Ariel Spigel, Duke University
Body Politics Within the Body Politic: Ghanaian Disabled Communities and Their Relationships to Power, Conner Chivone Spinks, University of Iowa
Mobility and Permanence of Local Ethics: The Case of Young Adults Involved in the Banco Palmas Economic Solidarity Movement, Lillian Steponaitis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
El Movimiento Verde en la Tierra de la Albiceleste: Obstáculos y Oportunidades Para la Energía Limpia en Argentina, Robert Strickling, Macalester College
Rural Tree Decline in Tasmania’s Midlands: Stand Structure, Substrate Geology, and Carbon Content Analysis, Claire Superak, Skidmore College
Babylon by Tro-Tro: The Varieties of Rasta Identity and Practice in Ghana, Jonathan Tanis, University of Southern California
Conditional Acceptance: Asserting Fa’afafine Claims to Legitimacy in Samoan Society, Teake, Harvard University
Can Bilateral Free Trade Agreements be a Catalyst for Widespread Economic Change: Analyzing the Successes and Failures of the US-Omani FTA, Demic Eugene Tipitino, University of Oregon
Vietnamese Beauty: Exploring the Definition of Female Beauty in Present Day, Urban Vietnam as Seen Through the Desire for White Skin, Dorie Topolsky, Wheaton College
El Papel de la Educación y las ONG’s en Mejorar el Acceso a Derechos Para Inmigrantes: El Caso de los Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos = The Role of Education and NGO’s in Helping Immigrants Obtain Better Access to Their Rights: The Specific Case of Sexual and Reproductive Rights, Amy Torres, Wesleyan University
Border Conflict and Tibet: The Asian Giants and Their History of Power Struggle, Evan Towt, Franklin & Marshall College
Amor Revolucionario: La Educación en las Escuelas de Reingreso en Buenos Aires, Argentina., Cara Tratner, Wesleyan University
Desenterrando la Verdad: El Equipo Argentino de Antropología Forense y la Continuación de la Búsqueda Para los “Desaparecidos” = Unearthing the Truth: The Argentina Forensic Anthropology Team and Search for Argentina’s “Disappeared”, Frederica Tunnard, Columbia University
De Sous le Matelas: La Capacité d’Épargne des Propriétaires de Petites Entreprises Dans le Réseau de Microfinance de UNICS, Ali Urban, Middlebury College
Articulando la Lucha: Los Procesos e Historias de Politización de la Juventud Alteña = Articulating the Fight: Processes and Stories of the Politicization of the Youth of El Alto, Luke Walsh-Mellett, Guilford College
As Rivers Run Dry: A Study of Global Freshwater Scarcity and Its Implications for Socio-Economic Development, Sophia Wenzlau, Western Washington University
Cultural Heritage Preservation Meets Modern Port Development: Securing the Integrity and Authenticity of the Lamu Town World Heritage Site in the Face of Current and Future Challenges, Sarah M. Wiggins, Southwestern University
Las Jefas de Hogar Empobrecidas: Servicios y Recursos Públicos Para Estas Mujeres en Chile, Florence Williams, Cornell University
Cosmopolitan Romance in Nepal: An Investigation of Young Newari Women’s Emerging Views of Marriage and Dating, Rachel Williams, Whitman College
Identity and Fashion: A Look at Jordanian Christian Women and How Their Identity is Portrayed Through Their Clothing, Brittany Witcher, Arcadia University
La Integración de los Inmigrantes: Una Sociedad que Acoge, Weddy Worjroh, Villanova University
HIV Risk Factors Among Moroccan and Turkish Same-Sex Attracted Youth in Amsterdam, Daniel Woznica, Washington University in St. Louis
Post-Independent Kosovo: From Prescriptive to Descriptive Identities, Marisola Xhelili, Skidmore College
75 Hours, 18 Babies, Dozens of Women, and Me: Exploring Gynecological and Obstetrical Care in Bamako, Minnie Yordon, Franklin & Marshall College
Stop Pummeling My Primates: Effects of Land Use Change on Behaviors of Papio Anubis Near Lake Manyara National Park in Mto wa Mbu, Tanzania, Hannah Young, Portland State University
Landscape Factors Impacting Survival of Sympatric Red-Necked Wallabies (Macropus Rufogriseus) and Swamp Wallabies (Wallabia Bicolor) in Urbanized Areas, Karen Zusi, Villanova University
Submissions from 2009
Effects of Re-Grown Forest Habitat on Lemur Catta Behavior, Sophie Ackoff, Wesleyan University
“We Didn’t Choose to Live in a Transition Society:” The Youth of Milošević’s Serbia Ten Years Later, Jessica Tsunami Acosta, Colby College
The Perseverance of Aboriginal Australian Time Philosophy and its Impact on Integration Into the Mainstream Labor Force, Kelly Adams, John Hopkins University
Critical Mass Representation in Uganda, Daisy-Cynthia Nneamaka Adi, Emory University
Train Hard, Win Easy: Running on the Periphery in Rural Kenya: The Last Shall Be First, Jordan Apfeld, Brown University
Marriage in Conflict: Formerly Abducted Women’s Struggles with Marriage Upon Return, Julie Bailey, George Washington University
Yugonostalgia: The Pain of the Present, Claire Bancroft, Macalester College
Who’s to Blame?: An Analysis of Agricultural Subsidies and Their Effects on Development, Jared Baragar, Yale University
Spirits & Sacred Sites: A Study of Beliefs on Unguja Island, Julie Bardenwerper, Gustavus Adolphus College
L’Aide au Développement : les Perspectives des Immigrés Sénégalais = Development Aid: The Perspectives of Senegalese Immigrants, Allyson Barnett, University of Pittsburgh
Political Capital and the Project Planning Process: An Action Research Exercise of the Shirazi Community Health Clinic Project, Lindsay Beebe, University of Vermont
Tradition in Transition: Tharu Traditional Governing System in Post-Conflict Nepal, Briana Bellamy, Bryn Mawr College
Lost Wax: An Exploration of Bronze Sculpture in Senegal, Kevin Bell, University of Denver
Forever Home: Funeral, Burial and the Life After This Life in Hue, Vietnam, Molly Bennett, Colby College
Un Juego de Identidad y Percepción: Un Estudio de Caso de “Visuales,” una Tribu Urbana en Viña del Mar, Chile, Anya Bergman, Brandeis University
The Role of the Local Community in Integrated Conservation with Development Projects: A Case Study of the Phu My Lepironia Conservation Project, Marion Boulicault, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Rompiendo el Espejo Invertido: La Búsqueda Para Autosuficiencia y una Vida Campesina y Digna, Tara Brian, Colby College
O Último Peixe Ideas About the Future in Coastal Trairí, MaryCate R. Brower, Brandeis University
Shake It: A Study of Traditional Dance and Drumming in Tanzania With the African Traditional Dance Group, Megan Browning, Colby College
El Espíritu Revolucionario: El Movimiento Obrero en los Sindicatos de Siglo XX y Catavi, Will Brunnquell, Bates College
Learning for Life at Escola Comunitária Luiza Mahin: Integrating Classroom and Community Experiences in a Neighborhood’s Mission for Social Change, Alexa K. Catao, Amherst College
The Ethical Limitations of South Africa’s Education Market, Ethan Chang, University of Redlands
Prevalence and Intensity of Trypanosome Infections in Stable and Declining Populations of Brush-Tailed Bettongs (Bettongia Penicillata), Melissa Chiasson, Yale University
The Efficacy of Climate Change Projects in Samoa: Evaluating Community-Based Adaptation Initiatives, Marisa Chock, Brown University
Disparities in the System: The Effects of Free Primary Education (FPE) on the Quality of Education in Nairobi’s Public Schools, Adrienne Chuck, Middlebury College
Investigating the Technical Feasibility of Utilizing Aquifer Storage and Recovery to Supplement the Public Water Supplies in Evans Head and Ballina, Brandon Cohen, Dartmouth College
“Fusion” Musics and Tunisian Identity in the Age of the Global Stereo, Rachel Colwell, Oberlin College
Renewable Energy as a Means to Community Development: A Case Study of Solar Power With Avani in Kumaon, Uttarakhand, Sarah Connette, Davidson College
Stand By Me: A Study of Activity Budgets, Nearest Neighbor, Social Behavior, and Home Range of the Olive Baboons (Papio Anubis) of Ndarakwai Ranch, Katie Conway, Bucknell University
Bodhisattvas in the Pagoda and in the World: Socially Engaged Buddhism in Hue, Rachel Cotterman, Oberlin College
Una Manera de Vida Diferente: Embarazos en Adolescentes y Planificación Familiar en la Zona de Intag, Ecuador, Jennifer Dabrow, Brandeis University