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 2023
Wishing for Water While Fleeing Their Farms: A Study of Water Scarcity and Internal Migration in Tunisia, Tyler Rak, The College of Wooster
Críticas contrahegemónicas de la Estrategia Nacional del Litio: hacia el postextractivismo, Sarah Reyes, Stanford University
Local Traditions, Global Influences, National Belonging: Conditional Acceptance of Cross-Gender Dance in Central Java, Indonesia, Calla Rhodes, Georgetown University
The Role of Moroccan Street Art in Decolonial Discourse and Binary Deconstruction, Taylor Rokala, Occidental College
Hidden Hurdles: Evaluating Informal Barriers to Primary Healthcare Access Among Undocumented Migrants in Switzerland, Arantxa Bonifaz Rosas, Emory University
Coastal Morphology and Sediment Deposition on Adjacent Coral Reefs at Misali Island, Sophia Rosati, Bowdoin College
Conflicting Socio-Cultural Attitudes and Community Factors Resulting in Backstreet Abortion in Cato Manor, KwaZulu Natal, Chloe Sachs, Washington University in St. Louis
What Makes a Family: How an Empowerment-Based Health Care Delivery Model Employs Family Planning to Positively Impact Families in Rural Maharashtra: A Study in Jamkhed, Ahmadneger, Sezin Sakmar, The George Washington University
Education to Employment: The Role of University Career Guidance in Reducing Youth Unemployment in Jordan, Anoushka Saraf, Hamilton College
Creating a Framework for an Effective Koala Recovery Center: A Case Study of Friends of the Koala, NSW, Finley Scoular, California Polytechnic University
Geopolitics of Semiconductor Supply Chains: The Case of TSMC, US-China-Taiwan Relations, and the COVID-19 Crisis, Aditya Sehgal, Georgetown University
Ubuntu in Practice in a Church in George, South Africa, Dana Seville, Mount Holyoke College
Community participation and perspectives of Ambondrolava mangrove restoration project, Nadine Shannon, Davidson College
Maternal Healthcare Access and Obstetric Complications: A Cause and Effect Relationship?, Lena Sharara, Tufts University
Talking to the Earth: A Digital Documentation of Biodiversity in the Sherpa Language, Dvij Sharma, Davidson College
Historical Interpretations and their Legacies: Dialectical Materialism and the Umayyad Conquest of Morocco, Grayson Shaw, Pomona College
Un análisis de los programas de asistencia para varones que han ejercido violencia de género en la Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires (AMBA). An analysis of programs of assistance for men who have committed gender violence in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires., Shreya Shrestha, University of Colorado Boulder
The Experience of Awe in Nature and its Implications for Sustainability, Ella Shriner, Carleton College
Organism Communities on Giant Clam Shells as Compared to the Surrounding Substrate in Reefs Around Lizard Island, Queensland, Gayatri Singla, Rice University
Inclusión Cultural en FONASA: Parto aymara como un estudio de caso, Madison Singleton, Washington University in St. Louis
Spatial ecology and habitat preference of yellow-spotted monitors (Varanus panoptes) at Lizard Island National Park, QLD, Australia, Ryan Snyder, Butler University
Carbon Credibility: Strategic Opportunities for ASEAN Regional Industrial Policy in Voluntary Carbon Markets, Bryan Jed Soh, Claremont McKenna College
The Implications of Politicizing Global Health Diplomacy in a Multipolar World, Haley Stock, Davidson College
Lha, Lu, and Shipda: Religious Landscape in a Conservation Area, Luke Stumpfl, University of Colorado Boulder
A Reflection of Change: Evolutions in International Water Law Principles Through the Lens of Euphrates-Tigris Dispute, Maeve Sullivan, Duke University
EU Migration Policy: Analyzing the Coercive Responses of Transit Countries Within the EU’s Framework of Externalization, Emily Swan, Barnard College of Columbia University
Psychopathology or Possession: How Ghanaian Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians Understand Mental Illnesses and how Perceived Understandings Vary Depending on if they are Current Students or not, Jamila L. Taffe, Denison University
Unveiling Anti-Blackness in Moroccan Society: A Historical and Contemporary Analysis, Olivia Talbert, Tufts University
Sembrando una cultura de soberanía alimentaria: la Reserva Pambiliño y la Reserva de Biósfera del Chocó Andino de Pichincha, Sophie Tanner, University of Richmond
Variation in the growth parameters and biomass of Rhizophora mangle seedlings with distances from Playa Estrella, Bocas del Toro, Panama, Thiny Tep, Barnard College of Columbia University
No Woman Left Behind: Women’s Lived Experiences, purposes, and perceptions on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) of Maasai and Datoga communities in Arusha, Tanzania, Audrey Tirrill, University of Oregon
Judicial Off-Bench Resistance in Post-Revolution Tunisia, Farah Tolu-Honary, Beloit College
Exploring the Influence of Globalization and Self-Expression in Shaping the Vietnamese LGBTQ+ Community in Urban Vietnam, Minh-Thy Tyler, Emory University
Gallardo, Guisinde y hacer Puntas Agudas de huesos de Guanacos: Un Análisis de Fuentes Etnográficas sobre tecnologías Elaboradas sobre materias primas duras de origen animal, Benjamin Van Rooy, The University of Virginia
An analysis of factors in the policymaking process that enabled prison sentence decreases through the 2022 Organic Law of Comprehensive Guarantee of Sexual Freedom/La Ley Del Solo Sí es Sí in Spain, Cambron Wade, Bowdoin College
Climate Change, Malnutrition, and HIV: The Impact of Food Insecurity on HIV Response in Sub-Saharan Africa, Olivia Walshak, Trinity University
Tibetan Vegans in Diaspora, Ringzen Wangmo
La Formación de la Identidad Afrodescendiente y su Manifestación en Movimientos Políticos, Simone Watson, Spelman College
Biocultural Diversity of Medicine in Tsum Valley, Ashira Weinreich, Cornell University
Biodiversidad de Plantas en la Reserva Natural Urbana Punta Popper en Río Grande: Una Propuesta para Senderos para la Gestión de la Conservación y Métodos de Campo Replicables en un Etorno Educativo, Lili Weir, Colorado College
Costumbre y Carnavales; el rol de alcohol en la comunidad Aymara de Putre, Billy White, Smith College
The Headbangers of the Himalaya: An Investigation of Nepal’s Rock and Metal Scene, Samuel White, Washington and Lee University
Representations and Realities: Misali Island's Biodiversity in Hybrid Narratives, Justin Ross Whitney, Bowdoin College
El Trabajo de las mujeres: los impactos del feminismo socialista en la organización sindical de Buenos Aires después de la crisis orgánica de 2001 / Women’s Work: The Impacts of Socialist Feminism on Buenos Aires Union Organizing Following The 2001 Organic Crisis, Elise Williamson, Yale University
The Role of Worker-Driven Regulation in the Global Fashion Industry, Jessie Wills, Washington University in St. Louis
Variation of carbon stock of Boca del Drago mangrove forests based on salinity and seaward proximity, Fiona Wyrtzen, The University of Texas at Austin
Medicina Tradicional en la Urbe: El Funcionamiento del Sistema de Salud Mapuche en Santiago, Mariko Yatsuhashi, Macalester College
“Comrade Woman” in 21st-Century Serbia: (Dis)continuities of Yugoslav Feminism in Post-Yugoslav, Post-war Serbian Feminism, Heyu Yuan, Rice University
Paved with Good Intentions? A Geopolitical Analysis of the Belt and Road Initiative in Central and Eastern Europe, Vincent Zhang, Georgetown University
Collectivism and Individualism in Jordanian Young Adults and Older Adults, Zuha Zubair, St. Catherine University
Submissions from 2022
The relationship between substrate composition, community structure and feeding preferences of parrot fishes (Scaridae) in Anmardub, Guna Yala coastal reefs, Caitlin Amman, Gettysburg College
Aid for Ed: An Analysis of Rwanda’s 12-Year Basic Education System and its Relationship with Government-channeled aid, Gabriel K. Anzeze, Lake Forest College
The Rinpoche Sent me a Friend Request: The Roles and Perceptions of Social Media in Buddhist Religious Life, Solveigh Barney, Macalester College
Comparing amphibian species diversity and abundance in natural forest and cacao agroforest at Finca La Magnita, Changuinola, Bocas del Toro, Panamá Lake Barrett, Lake Barrett, The College of Wooster
The Role of Frugivorous Birds as Seed Dispersers: Feeding Selection and Preference of Madagascar’s Avian Frugivores in Analamazaotra Forest, Thaddeus Bashaw, Wesleyan University
The Future of Multinational Accountability within the Environmental Policy Nexus, Lauren Beasley, Whittier College
The Battle for the Sea: Tourism Development and Public Ocean Access in Jambiani, Zanzibar, Sophie Beauchesne, Salve Regina University
The Politics of Water: The Jordanian Water Crisis and the Future of Refugee Migration in the Middle East, Ruhama Bekele, Colby College
Healing from Genocidal Rape: An Exploration of the Trauma Healing Process among SEVOTA Members, Delaney Bluhm, Gustavus Adolphus College
“Somos un Pueblo Fumigado”: un análisis de la lucha contra la fumigación y sistema de agronegocios en la provincia de Buenos Aires, Samuel Brooks, Williams College
Hacia un Contra-Archivo Radical y Queer: El Archivo de la Memoria Trans y la [Re]Construcción de la Memoria Colectiva Sobre la Violencia Institucional en Argentina, Valeria Bula, Yale University
Restoring Dignity in the Gardens of eKhenana, Jordan Buser, University of Puget Sound
From Green to Gold: Community along lines of trade between Dolpo and Mustang, Jack Cantor, Bates College
A case study investigating perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine in Cato Manor and Chesterville, Caitlin Chan, Bates College
Retracing Revolutionary Footsteps: The Legacy of the People’s War in the Maoist Heartlands, Katherine Coetzer, Davidson College
Creating Sustainable Biofuels Using Essential Oil Distillery Leaf Waste Near Vohimana Reserve, Ashley Cohen, Carleton College
Evolving Swiss Neutrality: Foreign Policy, Identity, and a Changing World, Dan A. Cohen, Columbia University
The Future of Architecture: Measuring the Sustainability of Paradigm Shifting Architectural Interventions, Jake M. Cohen, Sewanee: The University of the South
Rural Microfinance and Business Ownership Outcomes A Case of Tanzania Educational and Micro Business Opportunity (Tembo) Loan and Non-Loan Recipients in Longido District, Tanzania, Owen Conlin, University of Denver
The Ethics and Philosophy of Outdoor Education: Hidden Lessons Within the LeikSkoli Curriculum in Isafjordur, Iceland, Cici Conroy, Bates College
Changes in Identity: How Mongolian Musicians and Performers have Responded to Geopolitical Transition, Heather Cook, Macalester College
The Relationship Between Humans and Nature in The Himalayas: A Collection of Poems, Floyd Cornett, University of Virginia
Tsaachin Reindeer Herders: Perceptions vs Reality, Sharla Dart, Cornell University
Monuments as a Lens to Understand Climate Change: A Survey of Altered Indian Architecture, McKenzie Davis, University of Oregon
Sustainability and Connection to Place: Land Stewardship through Local Icelandic Women-Run Businesses, Hazel DeHarpporte, Carleton College
Examining the Power Dynamics in the Patient-Doctor Relationship in Bio-medicalized Countries: a Historical and Sociocultural Framework, Molly Dickerson, University of South Carolina
Water: The Gift and the Curse: A Climate Change Preparedness Study on an Increased rainfall Scenarios In the Yunguilla Cloud Forest, Ecuador, Emilia Dick Fiora del Fabro, Tufts University
A Destabilized World: The Effects of Climate Change on Armed Conflict and International Humanitarian Law, Chase Doctor, Washington University in St. Louis
The Ethics of Medical Voluntourism: the Conceptualization and Management of ‘Doing Harm’ Within the Business, Katelyn Dohler, Vanderbilt University
Shifting Relations: How Spain and Morocco’s Bilateral Relationship Affects Violence at the Border, Elizabeth Driscoll, Colgate University
Las Interacciones Entre la Migración y el Sistema Alimentario Globalizado en Oaxaca, México, Abby Dryden, Gettysburg College
“Sobrevivientes” o “Trabajadoras”: la representación de mujeres migrantes y racializadas en el debate actual acerca del trabajo sexual y la prostitución en Argentina, Jaya Duckworth, Occidental College
El canto del Río Ayampe que corre en la mitad: “La narración socioecológica y el conflicto territorial entre La Comuna Ancestral Las Tunas y el recinto de Ayampe”, María Juanita Durán González, Pomona College
Héroes anónimos: La relación entre la gente y las plantas nativas en Río Grande, Argentina, Rachel Elliott, University of Vermont
Good Cop/Bad Cop: A comparative analysis of affiliative and aggressive behaviors by adult female and male olive baboons with infants at Randilen Wildlife Management Area, Tanzania, Jesse Elop, University of Oregon
Orb-weaver Diversity and Niche Partitioning in Ecuador’s Amazonian Foothills: What spiders can reveal about tree fall gaps, streams, and cultivated areas, Riley Endries, Washington University in St. Louis
What Makes Mad Honey “Mad”? An Investigation into the Obsession of the Himalayan Wild Cliff Honey, Codi Farmer, University of Oregon
Tejer una red de apoyo: Tejemujeres: Una Cooperativa de artesanas en Gualaceo, Ecuador, Emma Floyd, Oberlin College
Energy Literacy in Portugal: A System Map and Framework to Increase Energy Literacy Through the Renewable Energy Transition, Molly S. Fox, University of Colorado Boulder
El Significado Cultural de la Platería Mapuche Contemporánea, Anna Frankel, Carleton College
Duelos incompletos: La situación actual del acceso a servicios de salud mental para los sobrevivientes del conflicto armado en Ayacucho, Olivia Frison De Angelis, The College of Wooster
Worrying in Cato Manor: A Case Study Analysis on the Influence of Context, Samantha Garbus, University of Vermont
What’s At “Steak”: The Drivers of Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon and Potential Multilateral Solutions, Soleil Gaylord, Dartmouth College
Hummingbird diversity, abundance, and feeding interactions across three floral communities on Mount Totumas, Chiriquí, Panamá, Zachary Ginn, Colorado College
Drivers and Barriers of the Transition To Regenerative Agriculture Within the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy Reform: Comparative Analysis with the US Farm Bill, Samantha Gish, Colorado University Boulder
Laguncularia racemosa top-layer sediment microorganism makeup in relation to differing levels of perceived anthropogenic impact in Bocas del Drago, Bocas del Toro, Panama, Gabrielle Glendening, The University of Maryland
The Correlation Between Vaccine Hesitancy and Privilege: Exploring the degree to which education and income foster resistance to vaccination efforts, Sophie Goldenberg, Vanderbilt University
Evaluating the validity of restrictions on blood donation eligibility for men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States, France, and Switzerland, Swathi Gorantla, Vanderbilt University
A Photo Documentary: Exploring Queer Identities in KwaZulu-Natal, Nicholas Graves, Occidental College