The Capstone Paper is written by students in the SIT Graduate Institute Master of Arts degree programs. Capstones reassess theoretical knowledge in light of professional experience in the form of a final research paper, incorporating both classroom knowledge and practicum based experience.

The full-text of papers written prior to July 2011 in the Capstone Collection are limited to SIT and other World Learning faculty, staff, students, and alumni. If you are not affiliated with SIT or World Learning and want access to these papers contact your local library and ask about requesting the hard copy on interlibrary loan. Full-text papers written after July 2011 are openly accessible to the public.

Due to copyright restrictions some papers are not available full-text electronically. World Learning affiliated students and staff can check these papers out of the library or, if you are off-campus, request them via interlibrary loan

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Submissions from 2008

Career Advising For Japanese College Students Studying In The United States, Maya Kuriki

Entrepreneurial Mentorship For New Growth In Rwanda, Scott Pedersen Lamer

Strengthening Cross-Sector Partnerships for Sustainable Development through Improved Partnership Communication and Knowledge Management, Julian Lauzzana

The Asian Tsunami: A Case Study of Habitat for Humanity’s Disaster Response Program, Saren Lay

Searching For Curriculum Views On Social Justice Teaching-Learning At The Compass School, Christopher Lievense

Western Massachusetts Mediators’ Perceptions Of Their Preparation And Training To Deal With Bias And Power Imbalance, Debbie Lopes da Rosa

Education for Self-Reliance: Rethinking Education for a Rural Community in Indonesia, Hasriadi Masalam

Stumbling Blocks to Stepping Stones: The Results of Combining Choice, Literacy and Learning for the Empowerment of Women, Jack Daniel Maxson

Empowering Her Fist: The Social Justice Of Women’s Self-Defense Training, Jennifer McClearen

Methods And Systems Of Purposeful Reshaping Of Ethnic Identities – Serbs In Former Yugoslavia, Tanja Meničanin

Are You My Mother? Integrating High Risk Children Living In Residential Care: A Narrative Study In A Rural Ethiopian Village, Carolyn Moore

The German Flower Campaign for Workers’ Rights and the Environment: Lessons Learned and Implications for Future Campaigns, Megan L. Moss

Oil Wealth And Niger Delta Crisis; Gender Perspectives & Women’s Interventions In Building Peace, Roselyn Onyegbula

Intercultural Training For Specific Purposes In Corporate Tokyo: Cultural Competence Or Avoidance?, Andrew Shaffer

Teacher Training in Post Solidarnosc Poland: A Journey through Intercultural Communication & Social Justice Theory, Practice, and Personal Growth, Mary Katherine Sigda

The “Inroads” Of Backroads, Krista Susan Simundson

The World with B Corporations: Visions of Change, John Smith

The Relationship Between Workers’ Centers And Labor Unions In The United States Today, Ian Stone

Hurricane Katrina as experienced by the Red Cross: What are administrative lessons learned by Red Cross Disaster Preparedness and Relief in the year following the disaster? How do they plan to improve for the future?, Laura M. Swetz Howe

Transforming Ourselves and our Communities, Jennifer Tee

Permaculture Adoption Among Malawian Farmers: A Positive Deviance Inquiry, Hope Thornton

Promoting The Rights Of The Forgotten People In The Land Of A Thousand Hills: A Case Of Indigenous Batwa Advocacy In Post Genocide Rwanda, Jean Chun Tong

Peacebuilding and Development in Sri Lanka. Through the Framework of Experiential Education, Frances D. Walsh

An Appreciative Inquiry of Volunteerism: A Case Study of Individual’s Volunteering for an NGO in Granada, Nicaragua, Eric V. Weisenberger

Family Farm Defenders’ Fight Against the National Animal Identification System, Katherine I. Wied

Practicing What We Preach: Using M&E To Develop The Learning Capacity Of The Aga Khan Foundation Tajikistan, Anne Worthington

An Investigation Into The Social Marketing Practices Of Smaller Nonprofit Organizations, Sean Young

Submissions from 2007

The International Student Services Office: A Conceptual Framework for Comprehensive International Student Services And Programs, Linda Asaro

Bicultural Egyptians, Self And Other Perceptions: Strangers Abroad; Foreigners At Home, Mary B. Ayad

Yo Voy Con La Sexta: U.S. Adherents To The Zapatista National Liberation Army's Sixth Declaration Of The Selva Lancandona, Corry Banton

Creating A Global Communication Strategy with Champions of UNICEF’s P²D (Personal Times Professional Development Program), Elicia H. Berger

Mentoring Children Whose Parents are Incarcerated: An Examination of Their Technical Assistance Needs, Vanessa Ruth Bistarelli

Eat Wild Fish, Support Sustainable Economy, Save Wild Places: An inquiry into consumer values and buying power in relation to the conservation of salmon habitat and sustainable economic development in Bristol Bay, Alaska, Lindsey A. Bloom

Listening To and Learning From Katrina Survivors, Janet Brocklehurst

Diversity in Study Abroad, Joseph Reed Caldwell

Designing a Monitoring & Evaluation System: A Case Study of Etta II, Katie Chandler

Peace Education in the 21st Century: the benefits of teaching conflict transformation skills to Vermont students in a K-6 public school, Victoria Chertok

Building the U.S. Worker Cooperative Movement in the Context of Global Capitalism, David Ciplet

The Truth About Profit in the Non-Profit Sector: Staying Focused on Mission at Thompson Island Outward Bound, Boston, MA, Alison Clark

Creative Dialogues: Exploring Arts-based Dialogues in Issues of Diversity and Social Identity in an Australian Context, Reed Chapman Colver

The Works: A Case Study In Corporate Social Responsibility And Climate Change, Richard Denby

Business as Usual: Exploring Race at S.I.T. through the Eyes of US Domestic Black Students, Deniece Dortch

Democratization, Injustice, and the African Experience: How and Why the 2005 Democratic Election in Ethiopia Turned Violent, Teferi Fantahun

A Case Study: Taking A Look At CAPA’s Efforts To Reach Out, Julie E. Franzini

The Immigrant Justice Movement in the Northwestern United States: An Analysis of Immigration in Organizing and Electoral Politics, Kayla Christine Gleason

Intercultural Immersion for Education Majors: Components of Successful International Student Teaching Programs for Teaching Tolerance, Karen Green

In Search of a Pedagogy for the Environmentally Challenged, Stephen Hed

What is Sovereignty? An Understanding of the Hawaiian Movement, Chloё Heiniemi

Child-Centered Teaching In The Ugandan Classroom: The Conflict Area Supplemental Education Materials Project (CASEM), Jason Hoke

U.S. Leaders and U.S. Values: A Blind Spot in Understanding Ourselves and the Muslim World, Jennifer Jarvis

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“Parents, Please Tell Us What You Think of This Program” : Evaluating the Afterschool Component of a Community-Based Child Protection Network in Panama, Sri Lanka, Elizabeth Kenton

A Glimpse At The Elementary School Student’s View Of The World Regarding Stereotypes And Bias.: A Study Of How Explicit Anti Bias Music Lessons Effects Music Students In The New York State Public School System, Kyra Lynne Palmina Kenwood

Girls Dropping Out From Primary Schools of Pakistan: A Critical Examination of Causes and Remedial Measures, Asif Khan

Trends of Human Resource Management in Microfinance Institutions, Akram Khurshid

College Students’ Perception of Race and Racial Discrimination: A Study at a Private Liberal Arts College in Massachusetts, Oscar R. Lanza-Galindo

Understanding Public-Private Partnerships: A Case Study from Aqaba, Haneen Malallah

Succeeding across Cultures: A Study of Perceptions and Strategies for American Managers Working with Jordanians, Motasem Mansi

A Local Study Of Ngo Collaborative Relationships And The Role Of Trust Within The Context Of Romania’s Culture, Mary Louise Marino

Perceptions, Expectations and Staffing Strategies to Facilitate Hiring and Retention of Competent Staff in Mission-driven Organizations, Igor V. Masychev

The Small Business of Climate Change: Small Business Owners’ Perceptions Of Climate Change And Carbon Neutrality, Stewart John Matthiesen

Learning Through The Monitoring And Evaluation Design And Implementation Process: A Case Study Of Provision Asia, Bangalore, India, Mary Grace McCaskill

Teaching for Peace, Human Rights and Intercultural Understanding: the Role of Pre-Service Teacher Education in Ontario, Kathleen A. Meagher

Conflict-Sensitive Development A Case Study of Do No Harm in Kenya, Natalie Baker Merrill

Learning To Lead Or Opting To Leave, Shanna Mitchell

Servinf Refugee Teens: An Analysis Of The Working Relationship Between Resettlement Agencies And Public High Schools In Tucson, Arizona, Kelly L. Nafie

Mission Statement: Does It Make A Difference? A Case Study Of Brattleboro Community Television (BCTV), Agus Hadi Nahrowi

Connecting The Dots: What Is The Current Process For Reintegrating Cape Verdean Immigrants Deported From The United States?, Suely Ramos Neves

Reporting for Learning and Decision-Making: Reflective Practice Phase at the Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A, Rosalie Eli Nezien

In A Community Empowerment Process, What Triggers People To Action? The Case of Narok Integrated Development Program,, Francis Wamui Njoroge

Study Circles Facilitation Competencies and Assessment, Case Study at Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) Study Circles Program, Julia Novrita

Tambogrande Vale Mas Que Oro: Tambogrande Is Worth More Than Gold, Rosa Maria Olortegui

Coalition Building In Immigration Rights Advocacy: A Case Study Of Statewide Network Initiatives In Vermont, John Benjamin Parsell

Latino Identity of First-time Immigrants in the Philadelphia Area: What are its Characteristics and How Does it Develop?, Sarvelia Nonantzin Peralta-Duran

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Evaluative Inquiry: The Road To A Learning Organization, Antonia Pérez Bolívar

United States Federal Government Response to Domestic and International Natural Disasters: Case Study, Deborah Plavin

How Do Triqui Participants In The Educational-Based Program Of Oaxaca Street Children Grassroots Understand Themselves In Cultural Terms?, Jonathan Power

Small Business And Big Change: How Does Small-Business Development Contribute To Positive Social Change In The Russian Heartland, Alexander Pronin

New Worlds Born: Examining Friendship And Women’s Intercultural Adaptation, Deidra K. Razzaque

Living Civic Curriculum: An Approach Of The Future Voters Of America (FVA) In Building Youth Political Consciousness (A Case Study At The James Baldwin High School (JBHS) In Manhattan, New York City), Muhammad Ridwan

White From The Start: White Privilege And The Expatriate Experience In Guinea, West Africa, Joshua Gideon Romalis

A Way Of Embodying Peace: Approaching The Internal Preparation Of Peaceworkers Through The Principles And Practices Of Contemplative Martial Arts, Stician Marin Samples

Instructional Quality In Lesotho: A Critical Case Study Examinination Of Disparities Between National Policies And Actual Teaching In Primary Schools, Mary Lu Schweitzer

An Ethnographic Examination of One Traditional African Cultural Organization: Responding to Diversity when confronted by a Non-native’s Quest to Participate in Initiation, Ron Solberg

The Khmer Migrants And Trafficking Victims From Cambodia To Vietnam, Hong ThiThu Son

Standards-based Reform: Leaving the Teachers Behind, Michelle Suchenski

A Case of the Misinterpreted ‘hand out’ Dependency in Microcredit/ Microenterprise projects: How can Dependency be evaluated in a Microcredit/ Microenterprise project?, Tiffany Thomas

Dispelling Myths: The Role of Muslim Women in Indonesian Peacebuilding, Sumali Tuchrello

Study And Development Of A Performance Management System For The Rada Institute, Ludmila Ungureanu

The “Terra Para Todos” Campaign In Angola: a case study of a grassroots coalition supported by an international NGO, Ricardo Alejandro Vargas Go´mez

A Simple Everyday Gesture Gave Rise to an Enlightening Discovery: International House Reflections from Former International House Residents, Juan Antonio Venegas

Challenges to Effective Education in Secondary Schools in China, Peihui Wang

Farmers’ Motivation to Cultivate Without Chemicals: A Multiple-Case Study with Organic, Biodynamic and Natural Farmers in Japan and Switzerland, Anita Wiederkehr

From Study Abroad to Responsibly Engaged Citizenship: A study of citizenship and civic engagement amongst alumni of the SIT Study Abroad Brazil: Culture, Development and Social Justice program from 1999-2002., Kelly Greg Wilkinson

How can we build a strength-based professional development program through appreciative inquiry for the UNICEF Chinese staff, Jian Xie

Fundraising strategies in United Way: How these strategies can be used in China, Hailin Yan

Submissions from 2006

Sustainable tourism realities : a case for adventures service tourism, David Aabo

An evaluation of the effectiveness of the SEVIS as perceived by international students of Concordia College, Bronxville, New York, Sonober Abidi

The emerging citizen : concepts of service and democracy among US high school students, Marin Aldrich

Accountability and NGOs: A Honduran Experience, Sobeyda Álvarez Inestroza

Issues and Process in Change Implementation in Ethiopia: Learning from Two Case Studies, Gezaee Assefa