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
“Tem um Doido no CAPS / Que diz que Louco é Gente/Que diz que Louco Sabe/Que diz que Louco Sente” Failures and Successes in Brazilian Mental Health Reform: A Case Study of CAPS – Quixadá, Zachary Fuhrer, Yale University
Between the Lines of Hegemony and Subordination: The Mombasa Kadhi’s Court in Contemporary Kenya, Bailey Funderburk, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Discursive Study on Centrality of Dutch Society, Religiosity, and Female Body: How Five Women Reflect, on Faith, on Embodiment, and on Dutchness., Mollie Rachel Garber, American University
A Case Study of Appendicitis at Antanimalandy Lutheran Hospital, Jennifer Gemmell, Colby College
Crouching Tiger Hidden Goiter Belt: A Critique of Health Care and Universal Salt Iodization in the Tsum Valley, Julian Goetz and Vanessa Soetanto, Binghamton University, Williams College
Las Percepciones de la Salud Mental y su Evolución, Rebecca Gourevitch, Carleton College
Traditional Plant Use of the Raglay in Cãu Gãy Village, Núi Chúa National Park, Alex Greene, University of Puget
Coloured Identity in the Rainbow Nation: Historical Narratives of the Durban Coloured Community, Olivia Greene, Columbia University
Contrainsurgencia y Salud: Contradicciones en la Teoría, Historia y Aplicación del Programa Oportunidades en Comunidades Rurales en Chiapas, José Carlos Gutiérrez, Yale University
Kenya’s Post-Election Violence: Using a Kisii-Luo Case Study for a Critique of Common Thought, Josh Gwin, Hofstra University
Marriage and Other Social Unions: A Study of Marriage Alternatives and Cultural Trends in the Netherlands, Claire Harris, American University
The Prospects of Using Athrospira platensis as a Malnutrition Treatment in Kenya, Kari N. Harris, Wofford College
Finding the Right Fit: Unique Challenges Faced by Health NGOs in the Health System of Lamu District, Lauren Hartel, University of Denver
El Camino Largo de Integración Regional de Defensa y Seguridad: Desafíos y Potencialidades del Consejo de Defensa Suramericano, William Heegaard, University of California Berkeley
Una Investigación de la Cultura y la Identidad Mapuche en la Escuela Municipal G-539 Chapod, Jessica A. Howard, Bates College
La Cara de la Explotación: Un Estudio de la Industria Minería en el Sur de la República de Ecuador, Jillian Howell, Colby College
¿Donde Están los Padres de la Plaza de Mayo? La Militancia de los Padres de Desaparecidos en Comparación con las Madres = Where Are the Fathers in the Plaza de Mayo? The Militancy of the Fathers of the “Disappeared” in Comparison to the Mothers, Iris Howorth, Smith College
¿Amigos, Enemigos o Hermanos en Riña?: Cooperación y Conflicto Entre el Gobierno de Morales y la Confederación de los Pueblos Indígenas, Antti Aki Eemeli Isoaho, Lake Forest College
Los Problemas Energéticos de Chile y Sus Soluciones: El Rol de las Energías Renovables No Convencionales, Megha Jain, University of Pennsylvania
El Fin de la Xenofobia: el Plurilingüismo, George Wendell James, Jr., Bennington College
“Real Culture” Preservation, Authenticity, and Change in Hoi An’s Heritage Tourism Industry, Ursula James, Southwestern University
Civil Society and Inequality in Jordan: A Study on the Effectiveness of the Community Development Center in Ashrafiyah, Mary-Katharine Johnson, Loyola College
NGO’s: The Voice of the People: The Relationship Between Government and Civil Society in a Samoan “Democracy”, Dani Karnoff, University of Pittsburgh
Sobrevivientes del Holocausto en Argentina: La Importancia de sus Testimonios = Holocaust Survivors in Argentina: The Importance of Their Testimonies, Jessica Michelle Katz, Emory University
Una Lucha por Valor y Dignidad: La Situación Actual de Trabajadoras de Hogar en Bolivia = A Struggle for Value and Dignity: The Current Situation of Domestic Workers in Bolivia, Jenny Kauffman, Skidmore College
AIDS Epidemic in the Russian Federation and Policy Reform, Veronika Kiselev, University of Washington
Pabean Sangsit: A Cultural Study Through the Lives of One Family, Sylvie Kovnat, Sarah Lawrence College
Transformación de la Mente: Desarrollando una Conciencia de Empoderamiento Ideológico en Mujeres = Transformation of the Mind: Developing a Consciousness of Ideological Empowerment in Women, Amber Lakin, Emory University
La Historia de la Energía y Desarrollo en Una Comunidad Rural: El Uso e Historia de la Energía en Santa Rosa de Pacto y las Implicaciones Para el Futuro de los Países en Vías de Desarrollo, Julie Lapidus, Scripps College
Alcohol and Dutch Masculinity: How Does Alcohol Influence the Dutch Male Image?, Adriana Lara, Franklin & Marshall College
A Review of Psychosocial Support and the Challenges Faced in Disclosing HIV Positive Status to Children in Kibera, Katherine Lesyna
The True Cost of a Cup of Coffee: Wealth Concentration and Worker Exploitation in the Nicaraguan Coffee Industry, Rose Levy, Bates College
DEVELOPING THE SACRED: Local & Global Bikas in the Nepali Bhotkhola, Clayton Andrew Roger Hawkins Lewis, New York University
Políticas Públicas Para Enfrentar los Desafíos Proporcionados por las Rentas Económicas: El Caso del Impuesto Específico a la Minería, Andrew Linville, Davidson College
Protecting Indigenous Identity and Culture in the Modern Nation-State: A Case Study of the Sami in Norway, Claire Lockerby, Duke University
Bringing War Criminals to Justice and Justice to Victims: Mass Rape in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Efficiency of the ICTY, Meredith Loken, The College of Wooster
Trapped in the Street: Defining the Health Care Use of the Homeless Adult in Salvador, Bahia, Nicole Lunardi, Johns Hopkins University
Lebanese Water Resources: A Potential to Alleviate Middle East Water Stress, Basil Mahfouz, Georgetown University
A Study of Corallivores of Bawe and Chumbe Islands, Zanzibar, Rachael Mallon, University of Puget Sound
“No voy a Invitarte a mi Cumpleaños”: El Acoso Escolar de Niñas, Hana Maruyama, Carleton College
Invernaderos: la Búsqueda por el Trabajo Estable y Seguro y un Medioambiente en Peligro, Elli Matkin, Whitman College
España y el Buen Ciudadano: el Debate Educativo, Thomas McAfee, Tulane University
Modernization of the Hijab in Amman, Jordan: A Symbol of Islam and Modernity, Nicole McDermott, Arcadia University
Reconstructing Pitaguary Identity: Indian Exchange and Outside Resources, Tess McMahon, University of Colorado at Boulder
Formal Education and the Rural Dwelling Vezo of Ankilibe: A Study of the Relationship Between Daily Life of the Vezo and the Public Education System in Madagascar, Katherine McNeil, Bowdoin College
Race, Class, Gender and the Law: A Study of the Relationship Between Empregadas Domesticas and Their Patroas, Vasti Marilyn Mejía, Occidental College
La Libertad do Expression Politica en la Prensa Escrita de Chile, Jessica Merrill, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hil
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