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 2020
An overview of supply-chain logistics in international humanitarian aid: finding challenges and solutions, Arjun Ganga, Brown University
Ecological and Economic Benefits and Risks of Using Botanical Insecticides in Tanzanian Farms, Lilia Garcia, Illinois Wesleyan University
El artista está en línea: E-performance en el tiempo de COVID-19, Ezequiel N. González, Columbia University
Morocco’s Leadership: Assessing the Relationship Between the State and Non-Governmental Organizations Working on Migration Affairs, Adriana Nadyieli González Ortiz, Whitman College
Gen Z Perspectives on Climate Change and the Future: Having the courage to imagine and fight for a better world, Isabelle Graj, Brandeis University
The Motif of Children in War in Memorialization Practices in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ana Gvozdić, Macalester College
United or Divided? The Politics of Euro-Mediterranean Regional Identity and Migration Governance, Sarah Hall, Brown University
Conservation efforts concerning native bee species of Michigan, Thomas Hellman, Denison University
Internship Paper: Completed at the Humanitarian Law Center Kosovo, Julia Herzfeld, Smith College
Un análisis histórico de la respuesta de organizaciones sindicales a la pandemia de COVID-19, Rachel Hodes, Wellesley College
El cuerpo en la poesía de mujeres ecuatorianas, Chloe Hood, Whitman College
Tramitación social después del trauma colectivo: Un análisis de las respuestas colectivas en torno el trabajo de las Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo de Argentina después de la última dictadura cívico-militar / Social processing after collective trauma: An analysis of the collective responses around the work of Argentina’s Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo after the most recent civic-military dictatorship, Sarah Horwitz, Washington University in St. Louis
La Relación entre Cambio Climático y Migración en los Andes de Perú: Los Q’ero, Taquile y la Cordillera Blanca, Sam Hosmer-Quint, Kenyon College
Colonial Patronage: Evolutions in the Critique of Sartre’s “Orphée noir”, Gus Huiskamp, Hamilton College
Una evaluación de la evolución y el futuro de la vigilancia de la pesca ilegal en Antártida bajo la CCRVMA, Courtney Jacobs, Barnard College
Empty Streets, Active Feeds: Moroccan Youth Activism in the Age of Social Media, Samantha Jaloza, Emory University
North Korean Refugees Along the Route to Freedom: Challenges of Geopolitics, Deborah Da Sol Jeong, University of California San Diego
Good Intentions, Mixed Results: Why Aid in Uganda Is Fragmented and What Can Be Done About It, Samuel D. Johnston, Willamette University
Two (or more) viruses in one bat: a systematic quantitative literature review of viral coinfection in bats, Eli J. Kaufman, Vassar College
“Gender and Sexual Minorities Identity Terms” Academic Discourse in Nepal Over Time, Carolyn Kelly, Barnard College
A Comparison of Entrepreneurship: Uganda and the United States of America, Jordan Killen, The University of Vermont
“El fútbol no tiene género”: confrontar, desafiar y cambiar la narrativa sexista del fútbol femenino en Argentina / “Soccer has no gender”: confronting, challenging, and changing the sexist narrative of women’s soccer in Argentina, Adia Klein, Yale University
Gender-based Violence During the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic: New Challenges and Adaptations at Haguruka, Asia Korkmaz, Wellesley College
The Indigenous as Orthodox: Religious Evolution in Tana Toraja, Charles Perry Lange, Whitman College
Understandings of Sexual Consent Among Male and Female Zulu South Africans in Masxha, KwaZulu-Natal, Larkin Levine, Washington University in St. Louis
Linguistic Differences in Swiss cantons and its role on the national identity, Karen Lin, Hamilton College
La construcción del imaginario de una ciudad multicultural: el Barrio Chino de Buenos Aires como exhibición pública de cultura, Yiran Lin, Columbia University
Encuadrar el aborto: Un estudio de caso de dos medios impresos porteños durante el debate en el Congreso Nacional de Argentina en 2018 / Framing Abortion: A Case Study of Two Buenos Aires Print Media during the Debate in the Argentina National Congress in 2018, Emma Lohman, Gustavus Adolphus College
Casablanca Bombings, Preventing Violent Extremism, Imam Training Program, Commander of the Faithful, Religious Pluralism, Rachel Macnow, Emory University
“En defensa por la salud”: Los actores sociales en la construcción del movimiento social en Chile, Karina Martinez, Washington University in St. Louis
Parásitos gastrointestinales de Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, Sarah Martínez, Brown University
Surviving Under the Reign of El Niño Southern Oscillation: An analysis of the effects of extreme El Niño events on the oceanographic and biological environment of the Galápagos Islands, Ava McIlvaine, Scripps College
Examining “Empowerment”: Insights into the Murshidat Program in Morocco, Hannah McKenzie, Bates College
El Ingreso Familiar de Emergencia en Argentina: una exploración cualitativa preliminar de la suficiencia relativa y el acceso / Emergency Family Income in Argentina: a qualitative and preliminary exploration of relative sufficiency and access, Seamus McWilliams, University of Wisconsin-Madison
El proceso de decolonialidad en las escuelas chilenas: Desde la educación popular y la pedagogía crítica hasta las prácticas educativas regulares, Georgia Moses, Bates College
Climate Change and Migration in Madagascar: Investigating the impacts on people, ecosystems, and natural resources, Eloise Parish Mueller, University of Oregon
EL COVID-19 Y EL DERECHO A LA INFORMACIÓN DE LOS PUEBLOS INDÍGENAS EN LA REGIÓN DE ARICA Y PARINACOTA / COVID-19 and the Right to Information of Indigenous Peoples in the Region of Arica and Parinacota, Finn Odum, Macalester College
From the Ulama to the Legislature: Hermeneutics & Morocco’s Family Code, Rachel Olick-Gibson, Washington University in St. Louis
Innovative Protection and Conservation of Coral Reefs in Madagascar, Meghan Parker, Colby College
NGOs, Religious Diversity, and Displacement in Morocco: How NGOs in Morocco navigate religious diversity when working with displaced populations from other countries, Anjali Patel, The George Washington University
Sin acceso a alimentos seguros, saludables y económicos: el modelo agroindustrial dominante y sus efectos en los consumidores en Salta, Argentina / Without access to safe, healthy, and affordable food: the dominant agroindustrial model and its effects on consumers in Salta, Argentina, Sara Paulsen, Williams College
El rol del gobierno en las campañas sanitarias de VIH, COVID-19 e Influenza, Sydney Reyes, Washington University in St. Louis
Prescribing Public-Private Partnerships to Global Health Initiatives, Elizabeth Rhoads, The George Washington University
Encuentros intergeneracionales: Continuidades y reformulaciones en las prácticas militantes de las jóvenes integrantes de espacios de acompañamiento de aborto en la AMBA / Intergenerational encounters: Continuities and reformulations in the activist practices of the young members of abortion accompaniment spaces in the AMBA, Hannah Robinson, University of Maryland
COVID 19 in U.S. Migrant Detention Centers: The Call for Freedom in the Face of a Global Pandemic, Salma Rojas, Occidental College
Climate Change Effects on Volcanoes in the Tropics: A review of the deglaciation of Antisana and its effects on subsequent water streams and rivers over 20 years, Callie C. Rominger, Whitman College
La justicia medioambiental y la minería aurífera: Las implicaciones de la deforestación y la contaminación de metales pesados en Madre de Dios, Perú, Madison Scully, Georgetown University
The Cultural and Systemic Influence on Substance Use Disorder, Christina Seery, Franklin & Marshall College
Why is Las Vegas busy everyday? A behavioural analysis of impact investors’ attitude and decision-making process, Isha Shah, Bennington College
The Social Dimensions of Reproductive Health: Analyzing Disparities in Morocco through Health Indicators and Social Determinants, Mila Sicorsky, Vanderbilt University
Constructions of Democratic Citizenship and Civic Education in Tunisia, Abigail Smith, Barnard College
Rastreo de la agencia de los Uchurracaínos: Yuxtaposicionando la CVLL y la CVR para analizar la representación de la gente indígena durante la Violencia Política Peruana, Emma Smith, Macalester College
Mysticism and Syncretism on the Island of Java, Ryan Smith, Whittier College
A Look into the Varying Usage Patterns of Traditional and Western Medicine Within Senegal’s Urban Centers, Sarah Smith, Swarthmore College
Non-Conventional Vehicles as a Way Towards Carbon Neutrality in Iceland, Julia Sokolowska, Wellesley College
The Right to Housing in Spain: Community Action and Alternative Housing Models, Georgia Sparks, Barnard College
Connections With(in): Exploring the Intangibles of Public Transit in Prague, Sarah Stapleton, Smith College
Crude Intentions: Evaluating the Growing Risks of Arctic Alaskan Oil Production, Eliot Stein, Tufts University
Analyzing the Social Impact of Gacaca Courts in the Reconciliation Process in Rwanda, Mary Thibodeau, Elon University
¿Buscando estabilidad y encontrando crisis? jóvenes venezolanos en el estallido social chileno, Carmen Rio Vescia, Washington University in St. Louis
The Key Factors Driving CCP Opposition to Taiwanese Independence, Connor Warshauer, Washington University in St. Louis
Iskay Simipi Yachay: El papel de la educación intercultural bilingüe en la preservación y valoración de la lengua quechua en Perú, Tori Wiese, Albion College
Ensuring Accountability to Affected Populations in Humanitarian Settings: "Holding humanitarian organizations accountable to people.", Jazmin Williamson, Schreiner University
Geopolitics and the Digital Domain: How Cyberspace is Impacting International Security, Georgia Wood, University of Michigan
An Apex Predator in Peril in the Western Lowlands of Ecuador: Mapping the Population Distribution of Harpy Eagles (Harpia harpyja) in a Highly Deforested Region, Samuel Zhang, Amherst College
Submissions from 2019
Endangered Danger: Christianity, Affect, and Harmless Snakes in Samoa, Ariel Abonizio G. S., Bates College
The Impacts of Tourism on Subak, Sawah, and the Environment, Reiley Adelson, Saint Michael's College
Islands in a Sea of Aaruul: Globalization and Mongolian Cheesemakers, Pearse Anderson, Oberlin College
Cuentos cortos sobre terrorismo de estado en Argentina: lecturas, análisis y usos / Short stories about Argentina’s state terrorism: readings, analysis and uses, Shannon Anderson, Davidson College
From the American People: An Autoethnographic Exploration of South African NGOs' Perceptions of PEPFAR, Antonia Asher, Tulane University
La Estructura Neo-Colonial del Turismo Espiritual en el Perú: las percepciones locales de quien controla la mercantilización del ayahuasca en Cusco, Andrea Aspajo, Yale University
Child’s Play: A Service Learning Project Conducted at ROROŠ, Nové Mešto pod Smrkem, Sanaya Attari, Denison University
Foraging Behavior in Atta Leaf-Cutter Ants: A comparison of disturbed versus undisturbed nests, Ariana Baetz, Mount Holyoke College
Unity in Diversity: Textile Expressions of the Human Condition in Times of Economic and Cultural Anxiety, Eli J. Baez, Whitman College
Informing Joyality 4 Kids: Ecopsychology Education to Support Upper Primary Children’s Well-being Through Environmental and Social Crisis, Cambry Baker, College of Wooster
Salud mental comunitaria: Implementación en Chile actual, Emma Baker, Vanderbilt University
Impacts of anthropogenic waste on Tasmanian Pacific Gull (Larus pacificus) diet, Anne Bartlett, Cornell University
Mixed Responses to Woody Encroachment in Icelandic Herbaceous Plant Morphology and Phenology, Cait Battle-McDonald, Smith College
The Hapless State of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in India: A comprehensive look at life and medical services for ALS patients in rural Himachal Pradesh, Carson J. Bergström, Pacific Lutheran University
Mammals of the Northern Andes: An analysis of camera trap data and observation in Angochagua, Ecuador, Risa Berman, Saint Michael's College
La construcción de espacios para la memoria: El rol de los actores en tres ex centros clandestinos de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Quentin Bernhard, Muhlenberg College
Socio-Political Criticism in Contemporary Indonesian Art, Isabel Betsill, Lewis and Clark College
¿Quién compone la historia?: Un estudio creativo de la enseñanza y memoria de la dictadura cívico militar chilena a través de las artes y trabajos originales, Emily Beuter, The College of Wooster
Terra Nullius: The Effects of Australia’s Colonial History on Sense of Place, Anna Beyette, Wellesley College
The tourist and the toured: How hostel owners navigate the age of global gentrification, Brianna Bilter, Northwestern University
El esfuerzo para establecer la Reserva Wilapewen: las motivaciones y impedimentos de establecer una reserva ecológica en la comuna de Curarrehue, Alexandra K. Black, Hamilton College
Packaging Morocco for the foreign eye: A survey into the Moroccan tourism industry, Pangrum Boonbaichaiyapruck, Pomona College
Kasbah 3, Kais Saied, and The Construction of a Post-Revolutionary Political Paradigm in Tunisia, AJ Braverman, Brown University
Self-Perceptions of the French Community in Morocco, Madeleine L. Breunig, Grinnell College
Intersections Between Health and Disability: A Case Study at Disha Centre, Jaipur, Rajasthan, Finnian Brokaw, The University of Vermont
An Analysis of the Rajasthan Public Health System’s Response to the 2019 Dengue Insurgence, Luke Bryan, Boston College
Primitive Palms: A density study on the impacts of harvesting natural materials for construction purposes on Sumak Allpa of the Amazon rainforest, Zachary Bull, University of Colorado Boulder
Perceptions of Rural Birthing Practices: A Glimpse into Maternal and Child Health for Women in Kangra District, Himachal Pradesh, Mackenzie Burke, The George Washington University
The Influence of Gender on Female Business Owners in Ho Chi Minh City, Abby Busis, Emory University
“El territorio como protagonista”: Un análisis de los recuerdos territoriales como parte de la memoria colectiva del pueblo mapuche / “Territory as a Protagonist”: An Analysis of Territorial Memories that Form Part of the Collective Memory of the Pueblo Mapuche, Sabrina Bustamante, Yale University