Digital Commons Network^™

Engendering The Classroom: A Look At Constructions Of ‘Gender’ And Empowerment Within Teachers’ Trainings In Northern India, Martha Snow

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Education for girls in India has been a crucial area of study for the past 20 years; however, the main focus of attention has been on issues of girls’ access to school only. This study moves beyond this, seeking to gain critical insight into how ‘gender’ is being understood within the classroom via teachers. Teachers’ trainings conducted by the government and by Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) were examined through interviews with teachers and coordinators of teachers’ trainings, along with experts on gender and feminism in Delhi and Jaipur, Rajasthan. These interviews focused on the content and quality of teachers’ trainings, and …

“Heaven And Earth” Samoan Indigenous Religion, Christianity, And The Relationship Between The Samoan People And The Environment, Grace Wildermuth

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper examines Samoan indigenous religion and the relationship between Samoans and the environment before and after the introduction of Christianity. It looks at how Christian beliefs and the cultural perspectives of European missionaries affected Samoa’s environment. It then considers Samoan indigenous religious values that may be helpful to combat current environmental problems. Primary and secondary sources were used, including interviews with both theologians and environmentalists. Samoan indigenous religion promoted a sustainable relationship with the land but Christianity and the cultural lens through which it was delivered had negative environmental effects. Samoa retains a deep environmental knowledge in the memories …

Chronic Child Neglect: Cys Staff Perspectives On Repeat Clients, Erin M. Murphy

Capstone Collection

Since the late 1960‘s, child protection agencies have acted under federal mandate to intervene in cases of child abuse and neglect. In accordance with state child protection laws, these agencies provide monitoring and support services to "at-risk" families. Despite these efforts, studies have shown that a record number of parents who receive services are re-reported to the agency for additional offenses within a short period of time. The available literature attributes recidivism to delayed or mismanaged interventions and adverse socio-economic conditions among parents, but research that considers employee perspectives on chronic neglect is scant. This paper explores inter and extra-agency …

Art As A Cure: Analyzing Healthcare Treatment For The Mentally Ill Through The Lens Of Art Therapy Programs In Dakar, Senegal, Sofia Porter-Castro

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Mental illness is a malady that affects roughly 2.3 million people in Senegal ("Statistics by Country” 2012), but the wide and sometimes opposing range of healing practices suggests that the attitudes surrounding mental illness are still largely contested. This is especially true in Senegal’s capital, where advances in medicine in big city hospitals are growing while ties to traditional beliefs and practices remain strong. Alternative therapies, such as art therapy, provide an opportunity for practitioners to explore different techniques for treating the mentally ill while still integrating elements of the local culture. It is precisely this integration that this paper …

The Perceptions, Problems, And Possibilities Of Cameroonians With Mental Disabilities: A Case Study Of Le Centre National De Réhabilitation Des Personnes Handicapées De Yaoundé, Lauren Miller

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For my study, I focused on the state of persons with mental disabilities in Yaoundé, Cameroon, a discriminated and marginalized population. I completed an internship at Le Centre National de Réhabilitation des Personnes Handicapées in the special education school as a case study. There, through participant observation, simple observation and interviews as well as outside research, I gathered information regarding my research questions and hypothesis:

1. Who is responsible for the majority of persons with mental disabilities?
2. What are the affects of perceptions of persons with mental disabilities?
3. What are some possibilities for a better life and through what means?

Hypothesis: …

The “Marikana Massacre” And The Reactions Of South Africans, Isabelle Soifer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper seeks to convey the wide array of perspectives of South Africans regarding the Marikana strike, one of the bloodiest and most violent of mineworker strikes since the end of apartheid. The author sets out to determine the factors that mold and shape the views of the interviewees as they express their opinions regarding the strike; more specifically, the actions of the strikers and the police who sought to contain them. The methodologies utilized include research regarding the historical context of mineworkers and strikes in South Africa, interviews with a diverse group of individuals residing in Cape Town, and …

Motivating Factors For Young Adults In The Brattleboro Area To Start In Organic Agriculture For Their Career, Tomokazu Utsugi

Capstone Collection

Despite a worldwide push for the conversion of conventional agriculture to organic agriculture, organic farming itself is not a very popular vocational choice for young people. Brattleboro, one of the towns in Vermont, is no exception. Although several local organizations are promoting local agriculture and food security, in reality, not many young people in Brattleboro want to choose organic agriculture as their career.

With a total of 17 in-depth qualitative interviews with young adults in the Brattleboro area, this inquiry sought to identify a range of factors that would motivate them to choose organic agriculture as their career. The results …

Stable, Practical, And High-Paying: How Second Generation Indian/Pakistani Adults Are Affected By Parental Pressure In Their Career Choices, Sabrina Eveland

Capstone Collection

This study explores the pressure to succeed that some Indian and Pakistani first generation parents put on their second generation children living in the United States. The study was conducted through guided interviews with fourteen interviewees; six first generation parents who immigrated to the United States between 1966 and 1978 and eight second generation adult children between the ages of 20 and 35. The study captures the intergenerational stress that occurs when parents want their adult children to study traditional and stable careers that the second generation adults are not necessarily interested in. It also explores the pressures and limitations …

Connecting Cultures: Msmcbj’S Alternative Methods To Mental Health Therapy Within The Aldeia Indigenous Reserve And The Bom Jardim Favela, Emily Rasowsky

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For my Independent Research Project I observed how community integration and connecting individuals back to the indigenous cultural idea of community work together to improve upon the mental health of individuals in the Favela of Bom Jardim, Fortaleza and the Pitaguary Indigenous Reserve or Aldeia. I examined how the Movimento de Saude Mental Comunitara do Bom Jardim (MSMCBJ) organization provides individuals within Bom Jardim a space to build a supportive community, based in indigenous ideals, while simultaneously providing professional and social opportunities for the Pitaguary tribe to create a sense of cultural valorization and how both of these aspects lead …

Local Perceptions Of Population Growth: The Causes And Effects Of Local And National Population Changes On The People Of Kenya, Taylor Osborne

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In the early 1990s, Kenya held the record for highest population growth rate in the world, with greater than four percent per year (Van Der Veen 2004:243). Kenya's population broke 40 million by the year 2010 and is still expanding (World Bank Group 2010). This rapid growth in population has brought many changes to the country, creating pressure on land and other resources. A large rural-urban migration has left Kenyan cities faced with a shortage of space, high unemployment rates, and rapidly expanding impoverished slums. This study seeks to construct an understanding of how Kenyans have witnessed evidence of population …

Taking Action Against Gender-Based Violence: Bringing Men And Women Together In Wentworth Through The Prevention In Action Movement, Silpa Srinivasulu

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project is an exploration with the KwaZulu Natal Network on Violence against Women and its activities and relationship with grassroots-level organizers regarding the Prevention in Action movement in Wentworth to unite men and women in a movement to end gender violence and protect health and safety. Gender-based violence is a particularly tragic health and justice issue in South Africa. While most interventions attempt to raise awareness and empower women to stand up against gender violence, recently organizations have understood the need to engage men in the dialogue, mobilize them to take action, and foster true changes in social norms …

Curative Care As The Access Point To Rural Social Transformation A Case Study Of The Comprehensive Rural Health Project, Nancy Liu

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Health inequities based on geographic differences and between rural and urban populations in modern India demonstrate the stark differences in health access and community development throughout the country. More than 70% of the Indian population lives in rural areas, and yet a greater proportion of health care spending is devoted to urban populations. In 2004-5, 29.2% of both central and state public expenditures were allocated to urban allopathic services while 11.8% went to rural allopathic services (Balarajan, Selvaraj, and Subramanian 2011, 508). There are more than twice as many government beds in urban than in rural areas and geographic distribution …

Access To Healthcare For The Poor: Will The Affordable Care Act Address Income-Related Health Disparities In The United States?, Sonya Fabricant

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Background: Low-income populations live shorter and less healthy lives in the United States due to a complexity of social, environmental and behavioral factors. These populations also face significant barriers in accessing health services. In 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) passed, marking the first major reform of the American healthcare system since the 1960s. This paper evaluates its potential to address health disparities through changes to medical care delivery. Methodology: Results were compiled from government documents, reports from research institutes, journal articles, and an expert interview. A section-analysis was also performed, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of …

The Importance Of Play To Childhood Development: A Child’S Right To Play While Living With Hiv/Aids, Rachel Bambrick

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This is a social analysis paper that explores child development and a child’s right to engage in play activities while living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa. Through experiences volunteering at the Children’s Rights Centre, interviewing occupational therapy professors, and living and playing in various communities in KwaZulu-Natal, the study looks into play development for children living with HIV and the policies put in place to protect their rights to play and develop. Primary data was triangulated against secondary sources, most of which were found while volunteering at the Children’s Rights Centre in Durban. The study looks at the stigmas surrounding …

Conflict Situation For Health Care Workers: A Case Study Of The Occupational Challenges In Kasangati Health Centre Iv And Their Implications For Patient Care., Shannon Mcdowell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Many factors influence a country’s ability to provide quality health services for its people. Particularly, quality health care hinges upon the availability of properly trained and equipped health care workers (HCWs) to deliver effective care. Resource-strained countries committed to the Millennium Development Goals are confronting the reality that shortages and uneven distribution of HCWs threaten their capacities to encourage and establish healthy communities. A scarcity in HCWs is one challenge of public health initiatives and places stress on existing HCWs. Other challenges faced by HCWs severely affect performance, motivation, and overall care-giving ability.

This study aims to examine the particular …

Empowered Minds And Sterilized Bodies: The Decisions And Lived Experiences Of Surgically Sterilized Women In Santo Antonio De Jesus, Leah Smith

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

During the last several decades, Brazil has experienced a rapid fertility decline from 6 births per woman in 1965 to 1.8 births per woman in 2006. Though Brazil lacks a significant and organized family planning program, this fertility decline has been caused in large part by an extremely high rate of female sterilization. Of the 81 percent of women living in union who use birth control, 29 percent are surgically sterilized, placing Brazil at the third highest rate of female sterilization in the world. This research analyzes the sterilization narratives of 10 women from the city of Santo Antonio de …

‘Boys Boys’ Talk, ‘Girls Girls’ Talk: Gendered Approaches And Strategies Towards Modern Contraceptive Use In Urban Kumasi, Yasmin Boakye

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Objective: The objectives of this project were three-fold:

1. How do men and women in the urban area of Kumasi come to understand the major forms of contraception available in Ghana?

2.Are there significant differences in the ways that men and women come to understand contraceptive methods, and are these differences influenced by region, religious affiliation, age, and socioeconomic level?

3. How are these understandings either reinforced, shifted, or broken down by the Ghanaian government’s reproductive health efforts, the work of NGO’s focused on family planning, religious beliefs, and social relationships?

Methodology: During the 30 day long research period I …

Training Parent Volunteers As Effective Allies In Youth Empowerment Programs, Ria Shroff

Capstone Collection

Empowering adolescent girls is an effective and sustainable way to break the cycle of poverty and initiate a process of worldwide change. It is also extremely challenging, given the traditional perceptions of adolescents as reckless, carefree, incapable of assuming responsibility and unaware of their own needs for success and positive development. While organizations can provide many of the resources that adolescent girls need, the lack of parental support can be detrimental to both the overall development of the adolescent girl, her access to services, her mobility in society and the choices she will have in her future.

In order to …

Making Changes And Coming Full Circle: A Look At How Women Farmers In Oregon And Washington Define Their Own Identities, Realities, And Contributions, Courtney Bauman

Capstone Collection

This paper investigates how women farmers in Oregon and Washington define their own identities, realities, and contributions as farmers, and it looks at how those definitions may be changing. Primary data was collected by interviewing 14 women farmers in the states of Oregon and Washington. Participants were selected to represent a variety of age groups, cultural backgrounds, years of experience farming, and farm size and type. Thus, in investigating the experiences of women farmers, the realities of young and beginning farmers; aging farmers; immigrant farmers and farmers of color; and small and family farmers are also explored.

Findings reveal that …