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 2005
The Political Economy of Giving: Legitimacy, Welfare, and the Influence of Foreign NGOs in China, Nathan Wallace, Drake University
Maternity, Sexuality, and Capability: An Exploration of the Aesthetics of the Rural Moroccan Female Body, Carlye Warren, Bucknell University
Periodismo Medioambiental, Peter Weisberg, Claremont McKenna College
Les Filles de Marianne: La Laïcité, la Libération, le Voile, et le Féminisme Chez les Femmes Françaises ou Daughters of the Republic: The Perspectives of French Women on Laïcité, Liberation, the Veil, and Feminism, Kirsten M.Y. Wesselhoeft, Willamette University
The Effect of Human Predation, Rats and Goats on Small Colonies of Wedge-Tailed Shearwaters (Puffinus pacificus) in Southwest Madagascar, Alexis P. Will, Bucknell University
La Flore Qui A Faim : Une Enquête Chimique, Biologique et Culturelle de la Dimorphisme Rouge/Verte et les Applications Médicinales de Nepenthes madagascariensis, Keirnan Willett, Bowdoin College
¿Qué Vale Más: El Agua o el Oro? Las Implicaciones de y Reacciones al Proyecto Minero Pascua Lama, Leni Wolf, Connecticut College
Educando al Hombre Nuevo: La Pedagogía Histórica y Política de la Cruzada Nacional de Alfabetización, Kevin Young, Wesleyan University
Submissions from 2004
The Depoliticization of Czech Female Art, Roya Amirsoleymani, University of Redlands
The Return of the Sick Man of Europe: A study of the political, economical and cultural grounds for/against the entrance of Turkey to the European Union as viewed by Turkish Immigrants and Germans living in Berlin, Ursula A. Arno, University of Colorado at Boulder
De Dónde Eres? Reflexión Teatral de una Mujer Americana en España Sobre el Nacionalismo y la Identidad = Where Are You fFom? A Theatrical Reflection of Nationalism and Identity, Madeline Kathleen Baugh, Occidental College
Citizenship in the Republic of Ireland: In the Context of the European Union and the Citizenship Referendum, Cora Bruemmer, University of Rochester
Finding The Door in the Mirage: The Politics of Cultural Change in Mongolia, Evan Buxbaum, Swarthmore College
Are you for Bush or for Kerry? A Discourse Analytical Study of the Russian Mass Media Response to the 2004 United States Presidential Elections., Matthew Thomas Calvin, University of Colorado at Boulder
Land Conflict Resolution Within an Autonomous Space, John Cheney, American University
A Changing Church: Radical perspectives of Catholicism from the margins of society in Dublin, Caitlin Connelly, Ithaca College
Village Elections: Emergence of a Democratic Political Culture or Reinforcement of a Repressive Regime?, Laura Conniff, Columbia University
The Effects of Modernization on the Bedouin Populations of Jordan, Peter DiCampo, Boston University
Los Santos Católicos y su Repercusión en la Sociedad = Catholic Saints and the Repercussion on Society, Virginia Dyson, Birmingham Southern College
Using the Trees to Understand the Forest: Evaluating the Risks of the Panama Canal Amplification Project, Caroline Gross, Harvard University
The Maidens of the Maiden City, Lauren Herman, Cornell University
Sexuality in Chile, Elana Jacobs, Smith College
Ich Rede, wie Ich Mich Wohl Fühle: Language and Ethnic/Cultural Identity among German-born Young Adults of Turkish Descent in Berlin, Emily R. Jenkins, Earlham College
Un Tren que Pasa: La Lucha de la FAA por Alcanzar la Representación en el Mercosur, Heather John, University of Toronto
BiH in Black and White: Photo-Diary of My Adventure Learning How NGO’s Anti-Trafficking Prevention Programs Work in Small Communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rebecca Johnson, University of Rhode Island
Fences in Mongolia: A Study of Land Reform, Nicholas A. Kroshus, Gustavus Adolphus College
A Learning Process: The Implementation and Effects of Returnee Policies in Post-War Bosnia-Hercegovina, Danielle Kuczera, Illinois Wesleyan University
La Cultura del Agua en al-Andalus = The Culture of Water in al-Andalus, Natalie Lacy, Macalester College
La Crise du Vin Français ? L’Effet des Évolutions Sociaux et Culturelles sur l’Adaptabilité de l’Économie du Vin Français = French Wine in Crisis? The Effect of Culture and Social Changes on the French Wine Economy, Andrew McKibben, Pomona College
Politicizing Sexuality: An Investigation of LGBT Rights and the NGO Sector in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Rachel Kathryn Mercer, Washington University in St. Louis
La Lucha del MOCASE Para Desarrollo y Autonomía, Katie Metcalf, Villanova University
La Génie d’Oc: La Stratégie Castanienne = The Genius of Oc: Tha Castanian Strategy, Jason Moreau, Marlboro College
Managing the Commons Through Obligation: Communality in the Sierra Juárez of Oaxaca, Katie Moyer, Beloit College
Communalism to Consumerism: Consumer Culture in Samoa, Amelia Neptune, Pitzer College
Mental Healthcare in a Rural Community, Thuy Nguyen, Brown University
Inmigración Marroquí en Granada = Morrocan Immigration in Granada, Emily C M O’Neill, Macalester College
Descriptive and Comparative Study of the Nutritional Knowledge and Behavior of Mothers of Young Children Who Have Received Targeted Nutritional Education and Those Who Have Not as a Method to Ascertain the Effectiveness of the Little Tree Nutritional and Educational Centre in Combating Malnutrition in the Pienaarsig Township of Nieu Bethesda, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, Amelia Peterson, University of Puget Sound
A Comparison of Anuran Species Richness Between Primary and Secondary Forest in São Francisco do Pará, Michael Reichert, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
In Search of the Truth: Modern Church-State Relations in Yunnan Province, Kathryn Rosenbaum, Agnes Scott College
Efectos de las Plantaciones de Árboles Exóticos y el Movimiento Mapuche, Shannon Ryan, Colorado State University
Spirituality in Limbo: An Observation and Analysis of Mongolia’s Modern Religious Climate, Dustin Saldarriaga, Harvard University
La Calamidad del Nemagón: La Vía Crucis de los/las Bananeros en Búsqueda de la Justicia, Abigail Sanders, Middlebury College
Assessment of the Artisanal Shark Fishery and Local Shark Fin Trade on Unguja Island, Zanzibar, Deborah Schaeffer, Bowdoin College
McDonald’s and Samoan Youth: A Case Study of Globalization, Anna Schechter, Bates College
Cervical Cancer Screening in Rural South Africa: An Analysis of the Awareness, Attitudes, and Practices of Women Served by the Masincedane Clinic, Jordan Schneider, University of Colorado at Boulder
Environmental Sustainability and the Traditional Tibetan Home, Katherine Shrader, College of William and Mary
Leaving the Streets, Jane Slater, Connecticut College
Art and Democracy in Environmental Decision Making, Audrey Stewart, University of Rochester
Semana Santa en Blanco y Negro = Semana Santa in Black and White, Renata Strychaz
Self-Esteem of the Female Adolescent: As Promoted Through the Life Skills Class, Kelsey Sullivan, Connecticut College
Indigenous Healing Practices and their Effect on TB and HIV/TB Patients’ Utilization and Compliance With Anti-TB Medication, Josephine Thinwa, Southwestern University
Just Behind the Mountain: Refugee Children Imagine Tibet, Emma Tobin, Hampshire College
Multi-Culturalism in Ireland: Examining the Context of and Debates Surrounding the Citizenship Referendum, Melanie Todman, Carleton College
Canto al Huaso, Canto al Pueblo: La Música y el Discurso Político de la Identidad Chilena durante los Años Sesenta y la Unidad Popular, Greg Walz-Chojnacki, Macalester College
Living With the Truth: The Films of Věra Chytilová, Ethan White, Boston University