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
Trazando Fronteras, Persiguiendo Sueños: La Realidad de la Migración del Campo en Nicaragua Hacia Costa Rica, Becca Telzak, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
The Human Ecology of a Disease: Dissemination of Resources and Information on HIV and AIDS in Can Tho City and An Giang Province, Lucas Thornblade, Hamilton College
Les Aspects Positifs et Négatifs Dans la Nudité Dans la Publicité Française, Caitlin Thornton, University of Texas at Austin
A Separate World: Conflicts Between Malagasy Society and the Mentally Handicapped, Jesse Travis, Austin College
Ley y Desorden: La Participación, la Política, y la Planificación en el Archipiélago de Bocas del Toro, Sage E. Trombulak, Wesleyan University
To Smear or Not To Smear? Evidence of a Failure of Implementation and Content Suitability of the 2000 National Guideline on Cervical Cancer Screening Program in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, Lee Trope, Stanford University
What about Sustainable Improvement? Current Efforts and Challenges in the Work of the Municipal Government to Improve the Rights of the Garbage Pickers in Fortaleza, Brazil, Shehzia Valiulla, College of the Atlantic
Arte en las Calles, Graffiti en Granada: Un Movimiento en Cambio, Alyson Virginia Visser, Hartwick College
Ethnic and Gender Identity in Hip-Hop Among Three Female Emcees in the Netherlands, Shoshana Walter, Mount Holyoke College
Cows and Colobus (Procolobus kirkii): Resource-Sharing Habits at Jozani National Park, Emily Walz, Swarthmore College
Piecing Together Social and Environmental Priorities in the Ongoing Process of Community Development In the MST Assentamento of Palmares II, Clara C. Ward, Duke University
The Complex Realities of Indigenous Health Care Delivery, Megan Waterman, Bowdoin College
Entrepreneurship and “Conscientious Capitalism”? Economic Solidarity Within the Banco Palmas Network, Caroline Whistler
Options and Aid: What the Future Holds for the Displaced Sugar Cane Families of Labasa, Fiji, Lieselot Whitbeck, Washington University in St Louis
El Movimiento Político Mapuche: Factores de División y Debilidad e Ideas Para el Futuro, Devon Kay Whitham, Scripps College
Les Catholiques Pratiquants en France, Erin Wilson, McDaniel College
Impacts of Salt Production on Pemba, Lauren Wolchok, Harvard University
Luta: The Story of the Movimento dos Atingidos Por Barragens in the Valley of Jaguaribe, Rachel Wood, American University
Assessment of Small-Scale Biogas Systems and Their Widespread Dissemination in Can Tho City, Viet Nam, Tracy Zhu, Mount Holyoke College
Interpreting Their Blood: The Contradictions of Approaches to Menstruation Through Religious Education, Ritual and Culture in Rabat, Morocco, Nitzan Ziv, Wesleyan University
Submissions from 2005
La Ornamentación de la Alhambra de Granada y su Proyección en la Cultura y la Religión = The Ornamentación of the Alhambra of Granada and its Projection in the Culture and Religion, Alyssa Anderson, Carleton College
Assessment of Ecuadorian Viewpoints Concerning the Gutiérrez Administration and Current Political Issues, Alissa Barrett, University of the Pacific
Finding a Sexual Dialogue with Children: A Dutch Model, Cassandra Baxter, Wheaton College
Non-Formal Education and Autonomous Spaces: CideCi’s Independent Alternative and the Regeneration of Indigenous Cultural Spaces in Chiapas, Rachel Beatty, Susquehanna University
Gender Based Violence in Jordan: Domestic Violence and Honor Crimes, Danielle M. Becknell, Westminster College
Comparing Rural and Urban Primary Education in the Mekong Delta, Helen Behr, Carleton College
L’Enseignement de la Guerre d’Algérie en France : La Liberté et l’Objectivité, Ayora G. Berry, Portland State University
El VIH en la Ciudad de Buenos Aires: Obstáculos en el Acceso al Tratamiento en el Sector Público, Erica Tai-le Bliss, Claremont McKenna College
Feministica: Creating Feminist Consciousness in the Former Yugoslavia, Meghan Boone, Trinity College
¿Qué MAS?: Una Mirada a las Posibilidades de un “Instrumento Político.”, Rebecca Bor, Barnard College
Avoid Cold: A Brief Look at Tibetan Medical Practice and Ideals Compared to Modern Allopathic Medical Treatment Through a Study and Analysis of the Essential Tremor, Graham Brant-Zawadzki, Stanford University
As Filhas de Oyá: Warriors in the Eye of the Storm, Sheela Bringi, Mills College
Fire Management in the Top End and the Kimberley, Katie Brownson, Tulane University of Louisiana
Towards Delivery and Dignity: Community Struggle From Kennedy Road, Jacob Bryant, Harvard University
The Survival of the Central American Squirrel monkey (Saimiri oerstedi): the habitat and behavior of a troop on the Burica Peninsula in a conservation context, Liana Burghardt, Carleton College
“To Be a Doctor” The Hopes and Aspirations of the Children Attending Namu Elementary School, and the Obstacles That Block Their Paths to Obtaining Them., Lauren Burke, Connecticut College
¡Dame un Ritmo (y Sueldo)!: La Sustentabilidad Económica de los Artistas Callejeros en el Gran Santiago, Zachariah Smith Cheema, Macalester College
Identities in Dialogue: Deconstructing the Dynamics of Bošnjak-Muslim Identities in Novi Pazar, Christine M. DeBacker, Mount Holyoke College
Est-ce que le Droit d’Asile Est Menacé en France ?(Is the Right to Asylum Being Threatened in France?), Ralph DeLouis, Connecticut College
Hope: An Ethnography of an Alternative Orphan Care System in Mgange Dawida- Taita; A Case Study of the Isuwirio-Tumaini Self-Help Group, Malaika M. DosRemedios, University of Vermont
A Falta de Voz Quilombola no Canto Brasileiro: As Conseqüências da Desvalorização da Terra Quilombola Pelo Estado Brasileiro, Maíra Dos Santos, Pitzer College
Post-Velvet Jazz Baby, Jack Elkin
El Servicio Militar Obligatorio en el Marco de la Democracia, Meagan Michelle Elliott, Southwestern University
“Oh Uncle Pema!” The Role of Musical Agency in the Creation of a Modern Tibetan Identity, Tracy Ellwanger, New York University
“Apparently, I am a Pedophile:” Living and Coping as a Child-Lover in the Netherlands, Andrew Extein, Pomona College
The Role of Malagasy Women in Community Development: Analyzing the Potential for the Creation of a Women’s Association for Alternative Livelihoods in Ifaty, Amanda Fencl, Tufts University
El Árbol De la Vida: El Mito de Wuanámei de la Comunidad Nativa Huachipaeri de Queros, Emily Fisher, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Concientious Cinema: Senegalese Cineastes as Preservers of Cultural Identity and Promoters of Social Change, Paula Fortner, Tufts University
Agroecology of the Naso-Teribe: The Management and Conservation of Traditional Agroecological Systems, Maisie Ganz, Tufts University
Le Développement Durable : Un Etude de Cas de l’Agenda 21 à Toulouse, Cailey Gibson, Carleton College
“Sacar a la Familia Adelante:” El Impacto de la Emigración en la Comunidad Salvadoreña de Nuevo Amanecer, Elisabeth Golub, Macalester College
Playback Experiments Using Regional Duets and Solos: Territoriality in the Grey-Breasted Wood Wren in Eastern Andean Ecuador, Arathi Govind, Scripps College
Buscando el Cusco: Análisis del Turismo en la Ciudad de los Incas, Nicole A. Grant, Yale University
K’oando: La Mesa Urbana en Cochabamba, Erin Hatheway, Whitman College
Supporting Ourselves: Maintaining Mental Well-Being Through an HIV+/AIDS Support Group in a Rural South African Community, Narda Hernández, Southwestern University
Microcredit in the Rural Areas of Northwest Yunnan Province, China: Investigating the Operation of, Results of, and Obstacles to Microfinancial Institutions, Evan Hofmockel, University of Colorado at Boulder
The Silence Around Them: AIDS NGOs, Scaling Up and AIDS Fatigue in University Students, Carolyn Holmes, DePauw University
Natural Loggers: Leaf Cutter Ants as Pests in Northwestern Ecuador, Aaron Honig, Tufts University
The Needs of the Marginalized; Documenting a Crisis Defined as Such by the Catadores de Lixo of Jangurussú, Jane Hudson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Crafting a Co-Operative: Lessons on Women’s Education, Artisans’ Livelihoods, and Rural Development in Morocco, Jenifer Humphrey, Brown University
Good Morning, Africa! (Dreams and Identity in Morocco), Chantal James, Spelman College
Evangelization and Religious Conflict in Chiapas: In Search of Common Ground, Katie Jones, Pomona College
La Migración por Obligación: Los Movimientos Migratorios de los Mapuche, Rebecca Jones, Gordon College
La Participación de la Juventud en el Desarrollo Comunitario: Un Estudio en la Organización Juvenil de CANTERA, Ciudad Sandino, Surya Karla, Occidental College
Coral Reef Tourism and Conservation in Bocas del Toro: An Analysis of Ecotourism and its Tour Guide-Based Components, Rebecca Kayes, Wellesley College
Melbourne’s Community Gardens: Harvesting More Than Just Vegetables, Dana E. Kennedy, Vassar College
De Maíz Vivo” La Siembra de Maíz en la Sierra Norte de Oaxaca, Holly Kingsbury, Bowdoin College
Remember Ruben? L’Histoire de Ruben Um Nyobé à Travers la Société Camerounaise, Katelyn Knox, Williams College
Bofes e Sapinhas: Lesbian Life in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, Ronny R. Kraft, Mills College
The Road to Recovery: Economic and Social Development in Srebrenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Erinn Lachner, Claremont McKenna College
The Role of Tibetan Buddhism and Culture in Sustainable Development (A Case Study of Yubeng Village), Frazer Lanier, Lewis and Clark College
Facilitating Public Participation in the Eastern Cape Province: A Case Study of the Centre for Governance in Africa, Paul D. Lemaistre, Tufts University
Las Abejas y los Zapatistas: Una Comparación y Contraste de Dos Movimientos Indígenas en Chiapas, México, Anna H. Lifson, Macalester College
Czech Fiction? Kafka and History in Czech Literature, Zachary Macholz, Susquehanna University
La Participación Potencial en la Producción de Café Orgánico Vía la Alianza de Agricultores Orgánicos (Aliagro), Emily Hannah McAteer, Brown University
Arte y Pobreza: Integración Social a Través de Movimientos Culturales, Betsy McCormick, Harvard University
El Movimiento de Mujeres y el Estado Nicaragüense: La Lucha por la Autonomía, Sarah Moberg, Carleton College
Análisis del Desarrollo Sustentable en la Industria del Salmón en Chile, Theresa Mohin, Duke University
Una Enfermedad de la Sociedad: Una Investigación de las Causas, los Tratamientos, y la Prevención de la Desnutrición de Niños en el Centro de Nutrición Infantil, Albina R. de Patiño, Kimberly A. Mukerjee, Colby College
Transmission of Environmental and Conservation Knowledge in Andohahela National Park, Mika S. Nagasaki, Brown University
People Living With, Not Dying From Disease: Patient Empowerment Through Anti-Retroviral Therapy and Possibilities for Social Change, Xin Wei Ngiam, Harvard University
A Child’s Dance of the Sankofa: Redefining, Reconstructing, and Reclaiming Identity, Shawnrey Notto, Pomona College
Aprender sin Educación: El Aprendizaje, la Historia Personal y el Contexto Comunitario en la Experiencia de la Universidad de la Tierra, Leah Oster-Katz, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The State of “Differently Abled” People in the Western Cape, South Africa, Joshua Wade Paul, Wabash College
The Inter-Communal Relations Among NGOs Operating With Cyprus, Shelby Reneé Port, University of Washington
The Bond and the Beautiful!, Nicole Rearick, University of Pittsburgh
The Agenda Setting Function of Mass Media, Tampa, John Howard, Print Media and Public Opinion: How It All Came Together in Melbourne, Rosemary Schultz, Gustavus Adolphus College
What Do You See? Visualizations of Sexuality Among Young Women in Rijeka, Croatia, Annika Shore, Sarah Lawrence College
El Papel del Café en la Economía de Nicaragua: Desafíos, Estrategias, y el Futuro, Matt Shuman, Brandeis University
El papel homosexual del cine de Pedro Almodóvar durante la movida madrileña = The role of homosexuality in the films of Pedro Almodóvar during the Movida, Spencer Silverthorne, Kenyon College
An Oasis in Byron Shire: Factors in the Progress and Success of a Local Greens Party, Adam N. Smith, Carleton College
The Super Market: Examining the Bangladesh Market as a Model for Local Economic Development, Sally K. Smyth, Wesleyan University
Les Dernières Réformes de la Sécurité Sociale et l’Accès aux Soins en France, Carly Sorenson, University of Redlands
A Small Town Drug Problem: The Socio-Economy of Malindi’s Heroin-Using Population, Greg St. Arnold, Marquette University
Abortion: The Reality for Women of Praia Grande, Anna Tawse, Denison University
El Impacto de Micro-Crédito en Superar la Pobreza, Magda Tsaneva, Colby College
History and Society: Fact, Fiction and Reform in the Serbian Education System, Valerie Ullrich, Middlebury College
Facing Reality: The Story of Icaro Amorim, Nicole Vengrove, New York University
Drowning Shangrila: Balancing Environmental Protection With Development in China, Tessa A. Vennell, Brandeis University
Deaf Culture in Mombasa and HIV/AIDS Education, Krystel Viehmann, Mount Holyoke College