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 2022
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
Analyzing Alternative Spaces: Queer Social Networks and Notions of Belonging in Morocco, Adam Griffin, University of Notre Dame
“¿Te invité yo a vivir aquí?” … Vivir contra la pendiente: resistencia entre el mapa y el territorio, el caso del cerro Las Cañas, Darlene Guadalupe Valencia, Smith College
Murals & Mother Nature: Urban environmental art in Lisbon reveals great concern and appreciation for the environment, Ana Gunther, Bowdoin College
Vox and Spanish Nationalism: The Constitutional Processes for the Elimination of Regional Autonomy, Noah Halterman-Mitchell, Muhlenberg College
How Spirituality Intensifies Sustainability: A case study of Ananda Valley in Northern Portugal, Mia Handler, Wake Forest University
From River to Ridge: The Influence of Elevation and Habitat on Herpetofauna Species Abundance and Diversity in the Llanganates-Sangay Ecological Corridor, Ecuador, Elle Hankin, Colby College
Gen-Z, Gender, & Governmental Grievances: A post-transition political philosophy for the newest generation of women in a ‘failed’ state., Olivia Harvey, Denison University
Microplastics, The Environment, and Reproductive Health: How is The Accumulation of Microplastics in our Environment and Bodies Impacting Reproductive Health?, Katherine Hayward, University of Connecticut
Carpets, Education, and Documentation: A Case Study of the Jawalakhel Tibetan Handicrafts Settlement, Diana Hewitt, Williams College
Beacons of Peace and Tolerance: The Politics of Memory in Judeo-Moroccan Cultural and Historical Institutions, Audrey Ming An Hirsch, Wellesley College
Earth stories: a narrative understanding of farmlife in Pokhara, Nepal, Grace Holmes, Skidmore College
Regenerative Agriculture Framework for Island Ecosystems Using São Miguel as a Case Study, Mya Hunter, Colorado State University
How Survivors of Domestic Violence Seek Legal and Social Support Against Their Abusers in Ahmednagar District of Maharashtra State in India: An Exploratory Study, Jonathan Israel, Tulane University
How Survivors of Domestic Violence Seek Legal and Social Support Against their Abusers in Ahmednagar District of Maharashtra State in India: An Exploratory Study, Jonathan Israel, Tulane University
Riding On Giants: Elephant Tourism in Chitwan National Park, Joshua Jacoves, Trinity College
Small but Strong: Growth and Development of the Sikh Community in Kathmandu, Sarbjot Z. Jessop, Macalester College
Arthropod Assemblages at the Intersection of Epiphyte and Soil Habitats: An assessment of understory level nonvascular epiphyte communities and their connectivity within a tropical montane rainforest, David “Max” Jones, Northwestern University
Seeking Independence a Second Time: FDI in Uganda’s Development, Halle Jones, Vassar College
Can Joy be Racialized? Analyzing how Ghanaians Conceptualize Joy, Zakiyyah (Zaza) Jones, Swarthmore College
‘Too shy to talk about this topic’: The impacts of gender conceptions on the embodied sexual experiences and perceptions of urban Vietnamese students in Ho Chi Minh City, Lily Kafka, Skidmore College
(Witch) Crafting Identity: An Autoethnographic Analysis of the Dutch National Identity Through Women in Haunted History, Hallie Kamosky, Brandeis University
Loving You in the Desert: Short Stories, Sam Kass, Vassar College
Los impactos del cambio climático en las comunidades Aymaras en Putre, el valle de Azapa y Arica, Lindsey Kaufman, Washington University in St. Louis
“La Ultra Periferia de un País Periférico”: La Política Estratégica Litífera en Jujuy: Los Objetivos, Los Instrumentos, y los Desafíos / The Ultra Periphery of a Periphery Country: The Strategic Policy Towards Lithium in Jujuy: The Objectives, the Instruments, and the Challenges, Max Kaye, Georgetown University
The Power of the Middle Class in the United States and China, Sarah Kent, University of Michigan
“Hadithi ya Matunda”: The Informal Fruit Economy on Unguja Island: A study of the livelihoods of smallholder producers, intermediaries, and sellers, Daisy Kettle, Bates College
Irregular Migration in Morocco: A Case for Constructionism, Mourad Khalil, Davidson College
Desert Power: Exploring How Jordan Can Democratize Through Tribalism, Shahab A. Khan, The University of Iowa
Aman Iman: Resilient Customs, Community Water Management, and Dry Futures in Anounizme, Morocco, Haley Kirtland, Pomona College
“Antes éramos de tierra firme”: community perspectives on the past, present, and future of Isla Narganá and Isla Corazón de Jesús, Comarca Guna Yala in the face of a changing climate, Izabella R. Klosterman, Skidmore College
From City State to Medina: The Timeless Wisdom of Aristotle’s Polis, Spencer Koehl, University of Notre Dame
The Contradictions of Sought Safe Havens: The Difficulty of Immigration and Integration for Muslim Maghrébins in France, Serena Korkmaz, Georgetown University
Strength of Climate Goals and Results in Regions: A Comparative Study of the Basque Country and Scotland and their Respective Nations, Oviya Kumaran, Swarthmore College
Ley N° 26.160: su implementación y efectos en la lucha por la recuperación territorial mapuche en las Provincias de Neuquén y Río Negro (2006 - presente), Noura Lamb, Vassar College
Domesticated: Migrant Domestic Workers in Jordan and Their Place in Jordan’s Law and Homes, Jeromel Dela Rosa Lara, Harvard University
Surveying the Stigma: How the PLHIV Stigma Index acts as a validated framework to measure healthcare discrimination and how it can be adapted to quantify mental health stigma, Keeley LaRiviere, Claremont McKenna College
La crisis carcelaria en el Ecuador: las causas, manifestaciones y algunas recomendaciones, Ava Lausch, Oberlin College
Caviar of the Pacific: Palolo Fishing Today and its Association with Coral Reef Health, Emma Letti Lee
Defensa y Oposición al Aborto Legal: una exploración de las estrategias y las agendas dentro de los movimientos a favor y en contra de los derechos reproductivos en Buenos Aires, Argentina / Defense and Opposition of Legal Abortion: an exploration of the strategies and agendas within pro- and anti- reproductive rights movements in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Hannah Levenstein, University of Redlands
The Influence of a Company's Inherent Values on its Sustainability: Case Study of Portuguese Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Charlie Lynch, Colorado College
“Yo también Puedo” - Una investigación de pensamientos y opiniones sobre redes de apoyo y historia de violencia intrafamiliar contra mujeres mapuches rurales, Shira A. Lyss-Loren, Washington University in St. Louis
Market Feminism in Morocco, Claire Madsen, Colgate University
The Current Status of Women in Morocco and How it Can be Improved, Amanda Maia, Smith College
A comparative analysis of migrant health policies and practices in the US and Switzerland, Rebecca Mak, Rice University
The Maps of Us: Generational Trauma, Community Building, and Creative Resistance in Amman, Jordan, Neha Malik, Georgetown University
Investigating White Hegemonic Masculinity Among SADF Veterans in Durban, James Marculitis, Occidental College
Afforestation and Biodiversity: Bryophyte Richness Changes Between Icelandic Forest Types, Kian McDonough, University of Michigan
Improving the Longevity of Dairy Cattle: An Important Initiative for the Swiss Dairy Industry, Frances McMillan, Denison University
How elevation affects epiphyte distribution: An analysis in epiphyte distribution changes at different elevations and tree strata in Santa Lucia Cloud Forest Reserve, Ecuador, Nicole L. Melnick, Gettysburg College
Doing Well by Doing Good: Analyzing the Dynamics and Effectiveness of Corporate Engagement, Gillian Meyers, Georgetown University
The Nesting Behavior of Russet-backed Oropendola on Sumak Allpa, Ecuador: An analysis of nest construction and interactions with competing species, Claire Molina, Scripps College
Healing in the Himalayas: Mustangi Medical Practitioners’ Perspectives on Integrative Approaches to Chronic Illness, Lucia Morey, Mount Holyoke College
¿Cuál es el futuro del Sistema Alimentario en Argentina? El rol de los talleres de alimentación sana, segura y soberana del Área de Alimentación de la UTT en la lucha por la agroecología y la soberanía alimentaria, Gabriela Nahm, Davidson College
Sacred Scavengers: Vulture Conservation in Nepal, Hans Nedde, St. Lawrence University
Step by step: Understanding perceptions of time and space in Nepal, Lillian Norton-Brainerd, Hamilton College
Unofficial Torturers and Helpless Victims: Applying the Convention Against Torture to Organized Criminal Groups, Emmanuel Orozco Castellanos, University of Michigan
El Parque de la Papa y el Centro Internacional de la Papa: un caso de estudio de una colaboración única para la conservación de diversidad biocultural, Molly Orr, Kenyon College
Jabaaru Immigré ak Goor Jaarin: Migration, Marriage, and Emigrants’ Wives in Senegal, Sophia Patterson, Trinity University
How Ultra Firms in Former Soviet and Yugoslav States Became Political Actors, Alex Pelletier, Davidson College
If These Walls Could Talk: Restoring 15th Century Paintings in Upper Mustang, Ellie Penner, Washington and Lee University
Abandonados por los Estados Unidos: Migrantes Venezolanos Llenan los Vacíos en la Comunicación de la Política Migratoria, Ingrid Piña, University of Texas at Austin
La Cultura Familiar: Una exploración de herencia y memoria a través de comida, Alexandria Pizzino, Bowdoin College
La Capital Marica de Chile: Un mapa queer/kuir/marica de Valparaíso y una investigación sobre la construcción publica de una comunidad visible en Valparaíso, Steven Powell, Duke University
Counternarratives of Color: Race in Queer Archiving, Sanjula Rajat, Rollins College
Los desafíos y sueños históricos y actuales de la Unidad Educativa Amauta Ñanpi: Comunidad como base y meta de la educación intercultural bilingüe, Catherine Rhame, Williams College
Fighting Heroin Abuse with Heroin: How Legalizing Prescription Heroin Has Changed the Way New Generations Use Drugs, Claire Ridley, Georgetown University
The Geopolitical Impact of Conflict on Food Security in Nigeria, Charis Riebe, Washington University in St. Louis
Born A Foreigner: Tibetan Statelessness in India, Sonam Rikha, Pomona College
Discusión política en los liceos de Santiago, Chile: Explorando las escuelas cómo espacio de ciudadanía formación y reflexión critica, Nicole Rodríguez, Hamilton College
Investigating primary succession following the retreat of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, Iceland, Ella Roelofs, Middlebury College
Economic Perceptions and Potential Within La Marsa, Dean Roiland, Cedarville University
Gender Roles And The Social Agent: Framing The Women’s Movement(s) In Postcolonial Morocco, Lily Ross, Pomona College
A quantitative study of orchids and their proximate environments over an elevational gradient on the Northern slope of Montagne d’Ambre, Hazel Schrader, Hamilton College
Shinetagantsi: Un caso de la alimentación materna e infantil y medicina intercultural durante lactancia en la comunidad nativa de Palotoa Teparo, Layne Scopano, University of South Carolina
El impacto de la pandemia en la formación de los hábitos de alimentación en niñes pequeñes en la Villa 21-24 en Barracas, Buenos Aires / The impact of the pandemic in the creation of nutritional habits in young children in Villa 21-24 in Barracas, Buenos Aires, Hannah Seewald, Temple University
Contemporary Legacies of Morocco’s Gnawa Music Communities, Luke Sheppard, Haverford College
Millonarios y Bosteros: La rivalidad entre River y Boca desde una perspectiva de desigualdad social en la ciudad de Buenos Aires contemporánea, Noah Siderhurst, Vassar College
La Ciencia Deshumanizada: La relación humano-ambiental entre el CADIC-CONICET y la Antártida, Ariel Silverman, Harvard University
Observational Study of Woolly Monkey Behavior and Vocalizations: Behavioral Time Allotment and Vocalization Habits of a Small Population of Poeppig’s Woolly Monkey (Lagothrix lagotricha poeppigii) in the Ecuadorian Amazon, Marina Smith-Hanke, Vassar College
The Viability of Traditional Portuguese Olive Groves in the Alentejo Region under a Sustainable Development Framework, Sydney Soloway, Hamilton College
La política cultural del aborto: Las percepciones y el manejo del aborto en Arica, Chile, Eva Strelitz-Block, The University of Texas at Austin
Assessing the Threat of Coral Decline on Fish Diversity in Response to Temperature, Ryland Talmadge, College of Charleston
The Effects of Gender-Based Violence on Maternal and Neonatal Health Among Women of Reproductive Age Seeking Services at the Gender-Based Violence Recovery Center at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital, Mana Tezuka, Syracuse University
Aquatic diversity in a changing tropical Andean glacierized catchment: Macroinvertebrates reveal possible important consequences to the Chimborazo region as glaciers recede and the climate continues to change, Tanner Thomas, Bowdoin College
Treatments of Cyanobacteria on Mariculture Sponges in Jambiani, Tanzania, Sally Thornton-White, University of Denver
Perceptions of the Efficacy and Trustworthiness of Faith-Based Organizations and Secular NGOs in Mgwashi, Bumbuli District, Tanzania, Naomi Tomlin, Vassar College
A Displaced People: Documenting the History and Displacement of the Batwa Tribe in Bundibugyo District, Uganda., Marcos S. Turk, The George Washington University