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 2008
Diary of the Hijab, Monica Ek, University of Redlands
Sit Like a Bell: Sound and the Body in Tibetan Buddhism, Christopher Elford, Southwestern University
Aquatic and Terrestrial Habitat Use of the Australian Freshwater Turtle, Chelodina expansa, Ellyn Ercolano, Bucknell University
Waste Management Education in Samoa: A Collection of Case Studies on Present Issues, Kathy Feeney, Swarthmore College
Tibetan Medicine: Carving a Niche in the Modern Medical and Scientific Community, Devon Marie Fitzgerald, Kenyon College
La Lucha por una Comunidad Sustentable Los Campesinos Tonocote de Breayoj: Manejo de Recursos, Desarrollo y Elecciones, David Flannelly, College of Wooster
The Blame Game: Water and Sanitation in Kampala’s Urban Slums, Noelle A. Fogg, Wellesley College
Fiji’s Relationship with India: The Answer to or the Source of Fiji’s Problems?, Julia Fogleman, Duke University
Growing Up Gay in a “Tolerant” Society, John Frank, University of Richmond
Give Life Without Losing Life: The Casa Materna of Matagalpa and the Struggle to Prevent Maternal Death, Lily Emiko Friedman, Brown University
The Exchange at Halesi: A Sacred Place and a Societal Context, Ethan Gohen, Brandeis University
The Moving Landscape: Perspectives on Place, Emily Goughary, Hamilton College
A Portrait of Perseverance: A Glimpse Into the Life of One Family in Edehara, Tunisia, Kathryn Graves Tindell, Butler University
Fighting the Man: A Case Study of the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign, Allison Grill, Skidmore College
Global Advertising and its Implications on the Concept of Spatial Identity: A Case Study of Urban Billboard Advertising in Tunis, Kristen Hackett, Connecticut College
Sex Education in Amsterdam: What They Do and Why They Choose to Do It., Coral E. Hackler, Fort Lewis College
L’Augmentation des Associations Dans « l’État Providence », Sara Haj-Hassan, Rhodes College
The Integration of Traditional and Western Medicine In Ngaoundéré, Cameroon, Alison Hardy, Wesleyan University
Emotional Expression: Poems and Pacific Voices, Anna Lane Harmless, DePauw University
The Interplay of Peace, Justice, and Logic: Bali-Bawock as a Case Study for Inter-Ethnic Land Disputes, Masumi Hayashi-Smith, Brown University
La Religión y los Discursos del Progreso en el Valle del Colca, Eric Hirsch, Columbia University
Smarter Mothers, Healthy Children, Smaller Families: A Look at the Impact of Women’s Education on Family Planning Decisions in the Sultanate of Oman, Kerala Hise, University of Puget Sound
Molding Memory: An Analysis of the Relationship between Representations of Candomblé in Public Places of Memory and the Afro-Brazilian Community, Lauren Hobby, Williams College
Samoa’s Tree of Life: A Study of the Roles of Coconut Products in the Samoan Economy, Past and Present, Dale Hoff, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Las Canastas Solidarias: Construyendo una Comercialización Directa con los Productores, Un Análisis de los Métodos Usados Para Realizar Este Objetivo, Caitlin Howe, Pomona College
The Stallion's Mane: The Next Generation of Horses in Mongolia, Amanda Hund, Carleton College
Educating the Forgotten: Non-Formal Education in Urban Kampala, Eleanor Huntington, University of Notre Dame
An Assessment of Subsidy Removal Effects on and Future Sustainability for Livestock Sector of in the Northern Jordanian Badia, Christopher Jetter, Hope College
The Next Generation: A Case Study of Roman Catholic Youth in Suva, Michelle Johnson, St. Michael's College
Teaching the War: What the Vietnamese Government Wants Students to Learn About the American-Vietnam War, Alex Joseph, Wellesley College
El Plan Agua Bosque: Impactos Sociales y Ambiéntales de las Hidroeléctricas Comunitarias Propuestas en Intag, Jonathan Kadish, Pomona College
The Role of Zoos in Creating a Conservation Ethic in Visitors, Elean Kazarov, Washington University in St Louis
Traditions in Transition: A Musical Perspective in a Changing, Developing Samoa, Colin Kiley, University of Oregon
The Complexity of Re-Evaluating Antiretroviral Therapy Eligibility Guidelines for HIV/AIDS Patients in Uganda, Jennifer Klein, Washington University in St Louis
Cancer Control: A Comparison for Progress, Stephanie Lachapelle, Stonehill College
Renewable Energy and Agriculture: Promoting Biogas in the Rural Communities of the Lashihai Wetland Nature Reserve, Amanda Lee, Clark University
El Legado de Al-Andalus en la Gastronomía Granadina y la Influencia Actual (The Legacy of Al-Andalus in the Gastronomy of Granada), Elizabeth Leibinger, Williams College
‘Everything is for Him’: Mothers of Autistics as Agents of Social Change at Casa da Esperança, Alexandra Levin, George Washington University
Present-Tense Tradition: The Conflict Over Commodification in Sauraha, Nepal, William Litton, Brown University
Development in Morocco: Re-Examining the Effect of Remittance Flows, Tom Lochery, George Washington University
An Enduring Scourge: The Evolution of Trafficking in Women for Forced Prostitution in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Elizabeth Longino, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Kilombo do Kioiô: The Use of an Artesanato Program as a Program of Social Justice, Anna Losacano, Carleton College
Heifer Tanzania’s Alternate Training Methods: A Study Comparing the Dairy Cow Husbandry Practices of Farmers Trained in Their Villages by Project Supervisors to Those of Farmers Trained by the Liti Tengeru Animal Husbandry Training Center, Ciara Lowery, Lehigh University
Surgeons and Bureaucrats: An Interactive Research Experience at the World Health Organization, Hannah Lust, Brandeis University
Le Développement de Perceptions: Une Etude sur les Opinions Concernant les Zones Franches à Madagascar, Victoria Mallett, Guilford College
Como Mujer…Yo Decido: El Derecho de Salud Sexual y Reproductiva en Mujeres Aymara de Putre, Chile, Alice Manos, Oberlin College
La Cuisine Renouvelable Une Evaluation de l’Utilisation du Foyer Solaire et de l’Epargne de Combustibles Dans la Région d’Ejeda, Andrew March, University of Colorado at Boulder
Phoenix or Phantom: Residents and Sarajevo’s Post-War Changes, Katherine Marple-Cantrell, Columbia University
Fighting the System From Within: CMPIO and Education Reform, Anna Marshall, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Options for Rural Sustainable Development: An Examination of Solar Energy in Morocco, Wynne McAuley, Occidental College
Human Mobility Through Closed Borders: The Impact of Morocco’s European and Algerian Relations on Sub-Saharan Immigration, Caitryn McCallum, University of Virginia
Flowers and Feeders: A Comparison of Hummingbird Feeding Activity, Caitlin A. McHugh, Wesleyan University
Romancing Dahalo: The Social Environment of Cattle Theft in Ihorombe, Madagascar, John McNair, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Creative Ecology: Art’s Role in Addressing Environmental and Sustainability Issues in Australia, Michael Meade, Connecticut College
Storybooks: A Teaching Tool for Sustainability, Amanda Medress, Oberlin College
“Art as Direct Political Action:” An Investigation Through Case Studies and Interviews, Emily Meinhardt, Claremont McKenna College
Transnational Anti-Imperialism: A case study of Witness for Peace and their relationship with El Regadío, Estelí, Sam Menefee-Libey, Willamette University
Combating Educational Inequalities: Afro-Brazilian Youth & the Bahia Street Project, Kimberly Menendez, Pomona College
From Subsistence to Existence: Worker Strategies in the Recovery of Talleres Union, Ryan Merz, University of Iowa
Community-Based Income Generation: A Case Study of its Effects and Replicability in Urucureá, Santarém, Lucy Midelfort, College of William and Mary
Walking Amongst the Sacred Spines: Social and Ecological Investigation of the Fenoaivo and Zanavo Sacred Forests in Southern Madagascar, Laura Miller, Macalester College
Surfistas for Change: Building New Identity and Community in Poor Brazilian Communities Through Sport and Education, Stephanie Miller, Washington University in St Louis
Economics, Epidemics & Eradication: A Case Study of Malaria in Madagascar, Kathleen Minton, Colby College
The Stories of Juruti Velho, David Mittelman, Brown University
Acceso Limitado a Educacion y los Efectos en la Experiencia Familiar por los Jovenes Aymaras Traslado, Adaptación Social y la Identidad en Arica, Kate Mooney, St. Michael's College
Code-Switching Among Tunisian Women and its Impact on Identity, Krista Moore, Macalester College
“We’re Talking About Sex”: Young Adults and Sexual Health in Northern Ireland, Caroline Erin Morris, Southwestern University
Desarrollo de la Comunidad y Humano Como Resultado del Turismo, Annie Moulton, University of Virginia
Art, Ritual, and Representation: An Exploration of the Roles of Tsam Dance in Contemporary Mongolian Culture, Mikaela Mroczynski, Smith College
A History in Limbo: A Human Rights Perspective on Conflict-Ridden Nepal, Claire Mueller, Tufts University
Baguncaco Cleans Up the Bagunca of "Racial Democracy", Afro-Brazilian Consciousness and Racial Identity in Alagados, Salvador, Bahia, Monica Mugure, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The Legacies and Potentials of Feminism in Art de Appel Arts Centre, Amsterdam: A Case Study, Tatyana Neplioueva, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Obstetric Fistula in Mali, Chandler O’Connell, Harvard University
Prey Selectivity of Planktivorous Fish: Analysis of Stomach Contents in Four Pomacentrids at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, James O'Hare, Oberlin College
The Flavor of Money: The Vanilla Industry and the Economy of Antalaha, Elizabeth Packer, University of California - Los Angeles
Concentración Urbana: El Papel de la Competición, Jason Peuquet, George Washington University
Health as a Basic Human Right: Efficacy of Quality Assurance for Healthcare in Uganda, Ally Pregulman, George Washington University
South Africa’s Unsung “She-roes”: A Practicum Study of NPO Grandmothers Against Poverty and AIDS, Khayelitsha Township, Cape Town, Rachel Pryzby, Smith College
Estatus Actual de los Búhos Terrestres (Athene cunicularia) en la Zona de Puerto López, Ecuador: Efectos de las Creencias y Sentimientos hacía los Animales Silvestres, Allison Qubain, University of Puget Sound
Sigue la Lucha: Metodologías de Resistencia en Contextos de Cultura de Violencia, Alicia Quiros, University of Notre Dame
Supervivencia Cotidiana: Un Análisis de las Estrategias de Vida de las Mujeres del Comedor Infantil Virgen Del Valle, Salta, Argentina, Kate Ono Rahel, Kenyon College
“The Dust of Some”: Glasnevin Cemetery and the Politics of Burial, Nina Ranalli, Harvard University
Urf: Islamic Biomedical Ethics in Rural Mali, Amanda Reider, Pomona College
Interning at the Médecins Sans Frontières Operational Office in Geneva, Casie Reiss, University of St. Thomas
A Culture Seen Through Cuisine: Traditional Zanzibari Recipes, Lizzie Resta, University of San Diego
The Current State of Populations of Diadema antillarum on Isla Colón in Bocas del Toro, Panamá, 25 Years After Mass Mortality, Leah T. Ritz, Macalester College
Corallivorous Reef Fishes as Potential Vectors of Coral Disease Based on a Study of Dietary Preferences, Tanya Rogers, University of Puget Sound
Improving Beekeeping on Unguja Island, Larken Root, University of Puget Sound
On Est Ensemble: A Participatory Study of the Jembe Tradition as Preserved by the Griots of West Africa, Joel Rowe, Fordham University
“Chaque Femme a son Histoire:” Exploring the Lives and Voices of Sub-Saharan Migrant Women Living in Morocco, Silvana Rueda, Vassar College
¨En Este País no se Habla con la Verdad¨: Investigando la Falta de Educación Sexual en el Ecuador¨, Laney Rupp, Scripps College
Samoa: A Truly Religious Place? Views Toward Religion in Samoa, Angelica Saada, Swarthmore College
Summary and Analysis: Mental Health Infrastructure in Ulaanbaatar, Mini Saraswati, Wellesley College
Formal Education for Sustainable Development, Caryn Saslow, Skidmore College
Behavioral Disparities Between Two Troops Of Lemur Catta That Occupy Different Habitats, Laura Saucier, Duke University
Fijian Art: Traditional Roots, Contemporary Expression, and a Source of Livelihood, Emma Scanlan, Wheaton College - Norton
La Sucesión Primaria de la Vegetación Sobre los Flujos Piroclásticos del 2006 en el Volcán Tungurahua, Lauren Schaefer, DePauw University
Sacred Work: Transforming Spirit and Community in Lucena, Paraíba, Jenny Schneider, Brown University
Alcoa in Juruti, Brazil: A Case of Environmental Injustice and Colonialism?, Caitlin Schroering, Denison University