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 2006
Malaria Prevention and Treatment in the Province of Toliara, Madagascar: A Socioeconomic and Cultural Perspective of Supermoustiquaire Use and Healing, Lily Conover, Bates College
Faleoloa Laititi: The Role of Small Shops in a Developing Samoa, Nicholas K. Courtney, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Campesinas en Resistencia: Estrategias de Sobrevivencia Para Construir una Cultura de Paz, Camia Crawford, Brown University
Dutty Wine: Ooman Big Up or Dis?, Nicole Cruz, Brandeis University
The Missing Piece: Understanding Nairobi’s Traditional Medical Practitioners, Mufaddal Dahodwala, Swarthmore College
Letters of the Bush: A Case Study of Traditional Setswana Herbal Medicine, Kristen Danley, Carleton College
Knowledge and Social Movements: Promotoras Populares and Social Transformation Beyond the Classroom of Grupo de Mulher Maravilha (GMM), Shanna Devine, Occidental College
Una Reflexión Sobre la Responsabilidad Extracontractual del Estado en el Ecuador, Christopher Dinkel, Pomona College
Sea Urchin Predation in Misali Island Marine Park, Nicole Esclamado, Harvey Mudd College
The Cyprus Property Issue: A Study on Proactive Steps to a Resolution, Anya Esmaili, University of Redlands
Dai Medicine: Preservation of and Changes in Ancient Healing Practices, Geoffroy Fauchet
“Sou Doméstica:” Construções de Identidade e Saúde das Trabalhadoras Domésticas Salvador, Bahia Brasil, Jenny Fauci, Harvard University
Migrant Working Children in Ho Chi Minh City: Emerging Trends Between Economic Migrant and Runaway Child Workers, Paige Fern, Georgetown University
Casa da Mulher do Nordeste: Feminist Visions of Development, Sarah Frazer, University of Richmond
La Economía Solidaria: Ayudando a las Mujeres a Cambiar su Destino de Pobreza, Michele Frix, University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Here, There, and Everywhere: Tale-ing Liz Weir; Uses of Storytelling in Northern Ireland Today, Leanne Gaffney, Harvard University
Chinese Landscape Painting, Maria Gambarov, Williams College
From Soldiers of War to Soldiers of Peace: La Red de Promotores de Paz y Desarrollo, Stephanie Gharakhanian, University of Notre Dame
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish: The Economic and Environmental Impacts of Commercial Fishing, Jessica Glenn, Bucknell University
The Art of Building Peace: How the Visual Arts Aid Peace-Building Initiatives in Cyprus, Daniella Gold, Brandeis University
Mormonism in Samoa: Cultural Dialogues, Jessica Goman, Macalester College
Stones, Slabs, and Stelae: The Origins and Symbolism of Contemporary Oromo Burial Practice and Grave Art, Christopher Grant, University of Chicago
De Movimiento Político a Cooperativa Una Investigación de la Evolución del MTD-La Matanza, Will Greene, Stanford University
What is Available vs. What is Accessible: An Evaluation of Resources for KwaZulu Natal Diabetics Based on the Data of KwaZulu Natal Experts and Cato Manor Diabetics, Mollie Gurian, Carleton College
Uma Doença Esquecida: A Falta de Conhecimento da Hanseníase no Brasi, Anders Gustafson, Davidson College
Percepciones de la Clase Obrera Acerca de la Central Unitaria de Trabajadores, Timothy Hatfield, Kenyon College
Neutrality in Ireland: The War on Terror, the Use of Shannon Airport and the Irish Anti-War Movement, Margaret Havemann, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
¿Resolver la Tragedia de las Comunas? La Experiencia de la Caleta El Quisco, Amelia Hawkins, Wiliams College
Bienes Raíces en la Comuna de Pucón, Brendan Hayes, Duke University
The Effects of the Makgadikgadi Wildlife Fence on Cattle Populations and Local Cattle Industry, Jenny Hazelhurst and Elliot Vander Kolk, University of California - San Diego, Claremont McKenna College
Nieuwe Moslima’s: Gender Discourse, Identity, and Conversion in the Netherlands, Jenna Henderson, Yale University
Democratic Control of Armed Forces: An Analysis of the Role of the Parliamentary Assembly in the Defense Reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elisabeth Hubbard, Davidson College
La Política Comercial de la República Oriental de Uruguay: La Integración en el MERCOSUR y las Negociaciones de Libre Comercio con los Estados Unidos, Patrick Hudson, University of Virginia - Main Campus
Voices From the Closet: Male Homosexuality and Dual Identity in the Republic of Cyprus, Tasia Jelatis-Hoke, Macalester College
Nutrient Recycling: Rural On-Site Wastewater Disposal and Treatment in Can Tho City, Viet Nam, Micah Johnson, Berea College
Nixi: A Case Study of the Influences of China’s Economic Development on the Fringe of Tibet, Zachary Johnson, Plymouth State College
Antipodean Inscapes: Reflection of the Land as a Young Man, Michael Kantor, Vassar College
State-Sponsored Terror and Security Force Collusion in Northern Ireland, Nate Keenan, St. Michael's College
Climbing the Limitless Mountain: Daoism and the Internal Martial Arts, Sophie Kerman, Carleton College
Individual Responsibility Concerning HIV Transmission Among MSM: A Comparative Study of the Effectiveness of NGO Intervention Policies and Their Practical Applications Within the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Netherlands, Martha Kienbaum, Smith College
La Economía Solidaria: Las Limitaciones, las Contribuciones, y los Valores Comunes de una respuesta inherentemente local Dos estudios de campo, Alissa Kimmel, Wesleyan University
Outing the Center: Homophobia in Jamaica, Jamilah King, Pitzer College
Education for Survival: Roma and Hopes for the Future, Keevan Labowitz, University of California - Santa Cruz
Male Istine: A Collection of Short Stories and Prose Exhibiting Pre-War Lifestyles, Experiences, Ideals, & Memories, Adriana LeBaron, University of San Francisco
Fire Making Fuel: How a Surface Fire in a Primary Forest Affected the Availability of Potential Fuel One Year Later, Alex Leckie, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Learning to Fight: The MST’s Escola Nacional and its Pedagogy of Resistance, Marisol León, Yale University
La Medicina Mapuche: Cosmovisión e Identidad, Pérdida y Recuperación, Claudia Grace Lesser, Wesleyan University
La Ley de Maternidad Gratuita en Intag: Su Aplicación, Educación y Uso, Stephanie Lewis, Gustavus Adolphus College
How to Bridge the Gap: An Analysis of the Coverage and Efficacy of Volunteer Counseling and Testing Centers in Suba District, Kenya, Joseph Lippi, Boston University
Corruption in Montenegro Untangling the Knot, Anna Lipton Galbraith, Wesleyan University
Decision Modeling: Why farmers Do or Do Not Convert to Organic Farming, Ryan Locke, University of Richmond
Pedro Almodóvar y la Representación de la Mujer Española, Eric López, Harvard University
“Beauty” as a Public Health Concern: An Analysis of the Internalization and Effects of the Western Beauty Ideal in Nairobi, Kenya, Elizabeth Lownik, University of Dayton
Una Investigación de las Políticas Públicas en la Argentina Dirigidas Hacia la Prevención del Delito en Comunidades Vulnerables: En Estudio de Caso en Villa Tranquila de Avellaneda y el Barrio Pampa en Lanús, Camilia Lozano, Denison University
The Effects of the 2006 Spraying of Deltamethrin for Tsetse Control on Aquatic Macro-Invertebrates in the Kwando/Linyanti River System, Botswana, Emily Lyczkowski, Colby College
Reproducing Social Identities: Employer-Employee Relationships Within Paid Domestic Labor in the Netherlands, Melissa MacDonald, Smith College
“Il Faut Manger” : Eating Disorders in Cameroonian Women, Jennifer Madowitz, Wesleyan University
Mediation in Morocco: Current Uses and Future Possibilities, Rachel Markowitz, University of Texas at Dallas
The Development of Environmental Consciousness and Identity in Surfing Subculture, Alex Mass, Bucknell University
Positive Living: Nutritional Realities and Interventions for People Living with HIV/AIDS in Northwest Province, Cameroon, Rachael Massell, Duke University
Migration as an Economic Activity: the Efficiency of Population Redistribution in Viet Nam, Megan L. Maurer, Kenyon College
Study of the Cultural Sexuality: A Matter of Honor and Shame, Alyssa McEachran, Wittenberg University
War Over Water: Water, Poverty, and Conflict, Tyker McMahon, Colorado College
Effectiveness of Cane Toad Eradication Methods: Arakwal National Park, Matthew Miller, Beloit College
Un Estudio de la Palma de Ramos, Ceroxylum alpinum, en la Zona Intag, Ecuador, Lupe Moscoe, Williams College
From Quilombo to Bairro: The Maintenance of a Permanent Afro-Brazilian Underclass, Calisha Myers, University of Virginia
Teaching with Systematic Phonemic Awareness: The Effects of Group Learning and Oral Instruction at the Operation Restoration Christian School, Laura Nichols, Bates College
Mujeres de Frente: Conciencia, Amistad y Voz en la Cárcel de Mujeres el Inca, Rachel Nordberg, University of Wisconsin - Madison
The Scholarship of Vietnameseness: The Dialectic of “National Identity” Between Self and Society in Vietnamese Education, Amber North, Northwestern University
Samoanizing My Fa’apalagi : The Indigenization of Language in Samoa, Cheryl Nunes, Swarthmore College
Accès aux Médicaments à Madagascar : L’Etat, La Pharmacie, et L’Usager, Peter Olds, Carleton College
Sex-Education and Preventative and Contraceptive Services: Educação-Sexual e Serviços Contraceptivos e Preventativos, Elizabeth M. Ortiz, Wesleyan University
Obstacles to Women’s Political Empowerment in Jordan: Family, Islam, and Patriarchal Gender Roles, Margaret Pettygrove, Macalester College
‘Like a Parrot Screaming in Its Cage’ Activism and Empowerment in Nepal’s Bhutanese Refugee Community, Elena Phoutrides, Boston College
Viviendo sin Bosques: Perspectivas en Disputa Sobre el Desarrollo y su Impacto en el Pueblo Mbya Guaraní, Maya Politis, New York University
Los Impactos Socio-Económicos del Proyecto de Desarrollo Sostenible en la Entrada Norte del Canal de Panamá en la Comunidad de Cativá, Carey Pulverman, New York University
Home on the Range: Case Study of Kham Nomadic Peoples and the Litang Region, Katelyn Ransom, Ithaca College
Development, Civil Society and the Conflict in Nepal, Shan Rehman, Hampshire College
Catholic Community Services in Fiji Solutions to Poverty Alleviation, Rebecca Richard, St. Michael's College
Contemporary Slavery in the Amazon of Maranhão: Reality and Response, Landen Romei, Washington University in St Louis
“Ahora Tenemos una Voz”: Transformaciones en la Vida Cotidiana de Mujeres Piqueteras en la Provincia de Buenos Aires = We Now Have a Voice”: Transformations in the Daily Life of Piquetero Women in the Province of Buenos Aires, Claudia L. Romeu Mejía, Washington University in St Louis
Something Fishy: Cultivating Children’s Sense of Place Through Literature, Anne Rone, Furman University
Food Item Coloration of the Common Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri sciureus): An Analysis of Color Vision Polymorphism at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station, Stefan Cooper Rosin, Macalester College
Making Space for Critical Discourse: The Daily Resistance of Acampamento Luiz Carlos, Nicholas Detlef Salmons, McGill University
Politics and Propriety in Oman: Omani Reactions to the Danish Cartoon Controversy, Averell Schmidt, Lewis and Clark College
A Promising Start in an Arid Region: Assessment of the Anaqeed Al-Khair Cooperative’s Impact, Jason Shenk, Earlham College
Searching for a Path: Evangelicals in Nicaraguan Politics, Jacob Siegel, Williams College
The Grass is Always Greener in Gated Communities: The Social Segregation and Construction of Difference in the Urbanizaciones Cerradas of the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area, Ben Simons, University of Washington - Seattle Campus
A Study of the Formative Factors of the Free Trade Agreement Between Oman and the United States, Gregory Smith, Miami University
Feminist Justice in Practice: Witness Experiences of Survivors of Wartime Sexual Violence in the Sud BiH, Brett A. Smith-Hams, University of California, Berkeley
Factors Affecting the Distribution and Health of the Intertidal Coral Goniastrea aspera on the Reef Flat in Geoffrey Bay, Magnetic Island, Julia Smith, Bowdoin College
“¿Quién le Compró la Tierra a Dios?” El Conflicto Territorial Entre los Mapuches y las Empresas Internacionales en la Patagonia, Lauren Smith, Claremont McKenna College
Soil Fertility and Changes in Fertilizer Use for Intensive Rice Cultivation in the Red River Delta and Mekong Delta of Vietnam, Jennifer Soong, Oberlin College
Visiting the Past, Reclaiming the Present: The Africanisms of Capoeira Angola, Juan Esteban Sosa, Oberlin College
Les Forêts, les Charbonniers, et l’Avenir Une Analyse de la Filière Charbon Dans le District de Fianarantsoa, Bronwen Stanford, Stanford University
Las Comunidades Judías en la España Moderna, Gesse Stark-Smith, Macalester College
Sydney’s Public Sculpture, Gabriel Strader-Brown, Beloit College
La Economía del Transporte Público en Santiago de Chile, Jacqueline Ann Strenio, University of Colorado at Boulder
Embracing the Demons Within: Spiritual Possession and Mental Health Support in Madagascar, Thomas Cody Swift, University of Puget Sound
El Arte Ngöbe de la Chácara: Su Significado Cultural y Potenciál Financiero en una Asociación de Artesanas, Danica Taber, University of Colorado at Boulder