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 2019
La sostenibilidad de la reconstrucción 2014-2019 tras el Gran incendio en Valparaíso: una mirada desde la habitabilidad, resiliencia y preparación en la gestión de desastres, Dana Kulma, Amherst College
Gambaru-ando: Las Familias de los Desaparecidos de la Colectividad Japonesa (FDCJ) y su lucha por la memoria, verdad, justicia, y visibilidad / Embodying gambaru: Nikkei Families of the Desaparecidos and their Fight for Visibility in the Movement for Memory, Truth, and Justice, Mieko Kuramoto, Smith College
Not-So-Decriminalized: Consequences of Intersectional Identity for Migrant Sex Workers in Switzerland, Teagan Langseth-DePaolis, Occidental College
Multicultural Narratives: Language as a Site of Struggle for Amazigh Rights Activism in Morocco, Joyce Lee, Hamilton College
The Process of Conducting Socioeconomic Research in Vietnam: An Internship with the Development and Policies Research Center (DEPOCEN), Kira Le, The George Washington University
Characterizing systems of reporting and mitigating Anthrax outbreaks near Mto wa Mbu, Monduli District, Tanzania, Megan Levy, University of Maryland
Araneae Biodiversity in the Amazonian Foothills: An analysis of family and guild presence across habitat types, Rae Lewark, Hawaii Pacific University
A Delicate Balance: The Effects of Habitat Type on Frog Communities: A three-pronged study examining the effects of differing habitat characteristics on anuran diversity at el Centro de Investigación Sumak Kawsay in situ, Ecuador, Zane Libke, Davidson College
La situación actual del lenguaje inclusivo de género en Valparaíso, Chile, Madison Liistro, Bates College
Social Support and Discrimination: The Experiences of Recovering Heroin Addicts in Kunming, China, Phoebe Li, Washington University in St. Louis
Political Object or Individual Subject?: Dominant Dutch Narratives Vs. Migrant Identities, Ashley Little, Franklin and Marshall College
The Effect of Tribalism on Political Parties, Cyrus Lloyd, Vanderbilt University
Como la mejora de la educación especial depende de la sociedad, Peyton Locke, Denison University
Examining the Culture of Poverty Argument in Morocco: How Development, Criminalization, Education, and the Makhzen Craft Perceptions, Raegan Loheide, Cornell University
Los Microcosmos de la Interculturalidad? Una mirada al cómo los trabajadores de la salud biomédica de orígen indígena relacionan con los modelos de salud tradicional y occidental, Taylor Lord, Washington University in St. Louis
Health on the Move: Health-seeking behavior of Changpa nomads in Ladakh, India, Maya Lubeck-Schricker, Tufts University
Vaccine Hesitancy in the United States and Switzerland, Anna E. Lunderberg, Hope College
The Impacts of Warming Coffee: The Climate Change-Coffee-Migration Nexus in the Northern Triangle of Central America, Connor Lynch, University of Dayton
Conditionality, Rationale, and Implications of EU Aid for Migration: The Case of Morocco, Miranda Macaulay Miller, Tufts University
Impacts of Agricultural Practices on Soil Quality and the Resulting Soil Conservation Implication in Kizanda Village, Lushoto Region, Tanzania, Sarah MacCormick, Bates College
The Effect of Stray Dogs on Urban Arusha Residents and Existing Preventative Measures, Brooke MagliaBatista, Beloit College
Divorce Experiences: What The 2004 Moudawana Does and Does Not Do for Women In Morocco, Beatrice March, Vanderbilt University
Approaching Contemporary Terrorism, Jonathan Marcus, University of Michigan
#Bolivia: Trascendiendo las fronteras de la participación social y política a través de los hashtags, Azella Markgraf, Davidson College
Mind over (what doesn’t) Matter: De-stigmatizing mental health from Senegalese women’s perspectives, Jenna Marks, Barnard College
The Practice of Dhikr Among Senegalese Taalibe Baay Women: Individual Devotion, Communal Well-Being, Natalie Marsh, Carleton College
Un musical sobre las campesinas de Valle de Tambo y su resistencia socioambiental en el conflicto de Tia Maria, Gretta Lucia Marston-Lari, Macalester College
Improving Thorium-230 Determination in Marine Sediment, Katherine Mateos, Carleton College
Sex and Senesce: A Exploration of Aging Women’s Sexual Selves, Cordray McCann, Wesleyan University
A survey of beetle diversity (order Coleoptera) on Lizard Island, John McCormack, University of Virginia
Coastal Stream Salinity and Its Impacts on Pemba Agriculture, Sara McCormack, University of Denver
E-Waste Shouldn’t Be Waste: A Study on the Practices, Perceptions, and Policies on E-Waste in Urban Arusha, Tanzania, Melanie McKenzie, Davidson College
“Existen tantos géneros como personas hay en el mundo”: un estudio de las visiones de la inclusión de géneros diversos en una escuela alternativa de Santiago, Chile, Sarah Mele, Yale University
Subversión del Binario de Género: Descubriendo Las Violencias Ejercidas Sobre las Personas Trans en Valparaíso, Marie Mendoza, Northwestern University
The 25th Anniversary of South African Democracy: Exploring Perspectives of 10 Stellenbosch Residents on Patriotism and National Pride, John Mitchell, Skidmore College
A Study of Stambeli in Digital Media, Nneka Mogbo, Wofford College
Strategic Implications for the United States of the Belt and Road Initiative in Africa, Alec Monnie, College of Wooster
What About the Environment?: Exploring the Neglected Third Dimension of Antimicrobial Resistance, Paige E. Montfort, Tulane University
Finding a Common Ground between Theology and Women’s Reproductive Rights: Assessing the societal levels of influence of religion on the sexual and reproductive health of women, Natalie Montufar, Brown University
Regenerative Grazing and the Benefits of Livestock on Soils in Northern New South Wales, Raymond Mooney, University of Colorado Boulder
La comida, la identidad y la migración: Un caso de estudio de inmigrantes femeninas y su relación con la comida, Susanna Morales, Macalester College
Los vacíos y las ausencias: Una mirada sobre la presencia de los afrodescendientes en las clases de historia nacional en Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sasha Mothershead, Carleton College
Analysis of Swiss Attitudes on Migration and their Impact on Policy, William McCarthy Murray, University of New Hampshire
Criminalizing the Other: Exploring the Impact of The Netherlands' Adaptation of Prosecutorial Guidelines on Sentencing Disparities, Alia Nahra, Washington University in St. Louis
“Not Yet a Priority:” The Intersectional Exploration of Labor Market Access for People with Disabilities, Anona Neal, Rice University
“El dialogo es unilateral... no cambian una coma”: La participación y protección de derechos en el proyecto del Hábitat del Barrio 31 en Buenos Aires, Jacqueline Negro, The George Washington University
Cambios en el Cronograma de Temporadas Reproductivas de Pingüinos de Magallanes (Spheniscus magellanicus): Relaciones entre Eventos Fenológicos y Variables Climáticas, Grace Neumiller, Colby College
“In Principle” versus “In Reality”: Assessing the potential of adaptive urban governance toward urban flooding in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 7, Cindy Pham Nguyen, Colby College
Cancer Management in Kenya - Awareness and The Struggles Patients Face to Access Treatment, Care & Support, Ashley Nmoh, Vanderbilt University
Voices Unheard: Women and Their Children in Nepal’s Incarceration System, Aune Nuyttens and Mikayla Rose, St. Lawrence University and Tufts University
Optimizing water quality and temperature parameters to increase survival rates of Anotheca spinosa (Anura: Hylidae) eggs at the El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center, Morgan Oestereich, Davidson College
Queer Spaces, Future Places: Conversations with 3 Black Capetonian Femmes on Embodying Liberation, Ivana Onubogu, Williams College
The Transformative Potential of High-level Gender Equality: The relationship between gendered laws and perceptions in Rwanda, Elena Ortiz, Georgetown University
Trends in Nectar Production and Concentration of Hummingbird-Pollinated Flowers: An investigation of three flowers of the Ecuadorian Cloud Forest: Palicourea demissa, Mezobromelia capituligera, and Kohleria affinis, Grace Palmer, Barnard College
Analysis in E Minor: An Autoethnographic Poetry Collection and Study of Transgender Identity in Liminal Amsterdam, Em Panetta, Muhlenberg College
“Todos somos trigueños”: La presencia de los pueblos indígenas en el arte urbano de Perú, Aubrey Parke, Trinity University
La Incorporación de la Dimensión Intercultural Para Pacientes Quechuas en el Centro Comunitario de Salud Mental de Calca, Caroline Parker, Occidental College
Where Do We Go From Here?: Two Key Informants' Perspectives on How to Address Conscientious Objection in TOP Provision in South Africa, Talia Parker, Georgetown University
Systems of Crime and Castigation: A Reevaluation of the Punishment Bureaucracy, Lia Pikus, Rice University
Exploring Mobility Help-seeking Behavior Among People with Physical Disabilities: A case study of Jaipur Foot, Alex Podell, Tulane University
Motorbike-Related Injuries & Safety Practices Among Motorbike Riders in Kisumu, Western Kenya in 2019, Rowan Poehler, Tulane University
We Are All Alive: Understanding Connections between People and Coral Reefs in Samoa, Kalamakaleimahoehoe Porter, Simmons University
Health and Education: Perspectives on the Role of Schools in Health Promotion, Miranda Powell, Tulane University
¿Un desarrollo sostenible? Analizando el ecoturismo como un modelo de desarrollo sostenible para disminuir la pobreza y su impacto en la cultura de la Comunidad Nativa de Infierno, Emily Pugh, Claremont McKenna College
Humanitarian Assistance in Protracted Emergencies: Rethinking the Role of Food Aid in Adjumani, Victoria Puglia, Lafayette College
Exigimos inclusión, no tolerancia: La interseccionalidad en los movimientos estudiantiles en Argentina, Angélica Ramos, Hamilton College
Syrian Refugee Mothers in Jordan: Perceived Social Support and Postpartum Depression, Marya Rana, Williams College
The Female Worker: An Analysis of Women Residing along the Moroccan-European and U.S.- American Borderlands, Marlen G. Renderos, Wellesley College
Refuge in a Place Without Refugees, Jane Roarty, Macalester College
Foreign Direct Investment in Kigali’s Special Economic Zone and its Impact on Rwanda’s Economic Reconstruction, Sabrina Roberts, Middlebury College
The Middle Ground: A Comparative Study on Mexico and Morocco as Transit and Forthcoming Host Nations, Christina Sarai Roca, Providence College
La ciudad versus el campo: la calidad de vida de los adultos mayores aymara entre Arica y Putre, Clare Rogowski, Williams College
“Uno Logra Olvidar la Tortura”: Impactos de las Dictaduras Militares y Conversaciones sobre las Secuelas de la Tortura en el Instituto de Terapia e Investigación, Em Rosner, Barnard College
Climate-Smart Agriculture: Building Resilience for Women Farmers in Kalchebeshi, Nepal, Annika Ruben, University of Vermont
La participación y representación de las mujeres afrodescendientes en los movimientos de Ni Una Menos y la Marea Verde en el Buenos Aires Actual, Olivia S. Sabini-Leite, Smith College
Eating some invasive species could help to mitigate the impacts of climate change-related invasions, and may increase future food security, Jesse Bull Saffeir, Bates College
Luchando por el derecho a la educación. Un estudio sobre las relaciones existentes entre la educación popular y la efectivización del derecho a la educación desde la perspectiva de docentes y trabajadores de bachilleratos populares., Madeline Samson, Wofford College
Z4, A Slow Puncture: An Autoethnographic Exploration of Language, Embodiment, and Meaning-Making, Charlotte Rose Samuels, Smith College
Socio-Cultural Norms and Perceptions of Menstruation: An Intergenerational Analysis of Rural Jamkhed, Maharashtra, Addison Scales, The University of Texas at Austin
Fictions of Sexuality, Emelyn Schaeffer, Davidson College
La adherencia a las recomendaciones de sueño seguro por parte de las enfermeras en Unidades de Cuidado Intensiva Neonatal (UCIN) de hospitales públicos y privados en el Gran Buenos Aires / The adherence to safe sleep recommendations by nurses in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) of public and private hospitals in Grand Buenos Aires, Joelle M. Schauer, Villanova University
Newsworthy Migrants: Sentiment and Text Analysis of Dutch Newspapers, Nicholas J. Schmitz, University of Notre Dame
The Guthi System of Nepal, Tucker Scott, Vanderbilt University
El poder del sonido: La radio comunitaria en la resistencia contra los proyectos extractivistas en la Patagonia / The power of sound: Community radio in resistance against extractivist projects in Patagonia, Dora Segall, Kenyon College
Pasantía en Programa de Integración Escolar (PIE): Apoyando estudiantes con discapacidades en la escuela secundaria, Emily Sen, University of Oregon
My Body, Their Choice: Childbearing Attitudes and Practices in Jamkhed, Maharashtra, Sienna Sewell, Washington University in St. Louis
Empowering Women Through Land: An Analysis of the Barriers in Accessing Land Rights within Kisumu County, Kenya, Madison Shaffer, University of Vermont
Local Democracy and Education Policy in Newly Federal Nepal, Jack Shangraw, William & Mary
Understanding Civil Rights in a Democratic South Africa: A Case Study of Students at UKZN, Ella Shlonsky, Washington University in St. Louis
It's Essential: The Ylang-Ylang Trade on Nosy Be, James Sleigh, The University of Vermont
Which Factors Influence the Usage and Perceptions of Medicinal Plants in Kizanda Village (Lushoto District) and Ushongo Village (Tanga District)?, Callie Smith, Gettysburg College
Vulnerability and Adaptability of Mangrove Forests on Misali Island, Zanzibar, Tanzania, Samantha A. Smith, Skidmore College
La Comunicación Intercultural entre Pacientes Bolivianos y Trabajadores de Salud en Buenos Aires, Argentina / Intercultural Communication between Bolivian Patients and Health-Care Workers in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Lilly Snellman, Rice University
La Comunidad Nikkei en Perú: Su Historia, sus Influencias y sus Relaciones con la Comunidad Indígena en Madre de Dios, Olivia Snyder, Miami University
Reintegration of Women Perpetrators in Post-Genocide Rwanda, Terrie Soule, Pace University
There She Blows: Public Perceptions of Mt. Merapi and Mt. Agung, Trey Atticus Spadone, Colgate University
Transnational Sharing Economies & Neoliberal Urbanism: Airbnb in the City-Region of Tangier, Jack Spector-Bishop, Oberlin College
Adicción como un hecho político económico: un análisis de servicios de atención de abuso de drogas y alcohol en Arica, Chile, Jack Steffy, Washington University in St. Louis