Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Navigating Cape Town: A Poetic Cartography, Sam Lin-Sommer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Cape Town has long been the site of conflicts over urban space. This study explored the potentials of a place-based poetry workshop as a tool for critically engaging with the urban environment. With the assistance of a well-established local poet, the researcher facilitated a poetry workshop that brought three young and emerging poets to contested public spaces including District Six, Company Gardens, and Church Square. After the workshop, poets submitted their writing to the researcher, who compiled and narrated a poem that showcased the voices of these poets while drawing attention to salient ideas evoked by the poets’ work. The …

Student Protests At Uct: An Analysis Of Uct Community's Perspectives Of Tactics Used In The Fallist Movement, Laura Isdahl

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study investigates the opinions of Rhodes Must Fall from the perspective of various members of the UCT community. Violence has been a term used to describe the tactics used in protests during the Fallist movement. I argue against condemning the students based on this reasoning, citing Fanon, Robins, among others.

Through six interviews and observations, I gathered different narratives and accounts of the Fallist events at UCT. This study includes perspectives from activists involved in the Fallist movement, other forms of activism, and some who oppose the movement as a whole. It seeks to gain different narratives than are …

Laughing It Off The Role Of Comedy And Humor In Combating Extremist Ideals In Jordan, Juan Nunez Ledesma

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research focuses on comedy in Jordan, and whether it plays a role in the larger fight against extremist ideals in the region. The purpose of this study is to gain an understanding of how comedy is used in Jordan for a purpose other than merely making people laugh. Through this research, I study whether Jordanians believe that comedy has a role in combating extremism and if so, whether it is systematically employed for this specific purpose. The hypothesis of this study states that most Jordanians believe that comedy is a powerful weapon in the fight against extremism and as …

Where Women Stand In Rural Electrification Efforts: An Exploratory Study Within Gujarat, Meital Rosenberg

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Since its 2003 village electrification scheme, the state of Gujarat has been acclaimed for providing rural households with 24-hour access and farmers with uninterrupted 8-hour power supply. The Government of India has emphasized goals of providing electricity for all of its citizens yet has been unable to address glaring discrepancies across the country. For those in rural areas, which is approximately 60-70 percent of India’s population, a varying degree of connection exists plagued by frequent outages, transmission losses, unreliable billing practices, and poor infrastructure maintenance. Gujarat has been reported to have overcome these obstacles with its bifurcation of electricity feeders, …

Obstetric Violence Within The Brazilian Healthcare System: A Critical Analysis Of The Childbirth Narratives Of Tupinambá Indigenous Women From The Olivença, Ilhéus Community, Cassandra Fareira

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The objective of this research project is to hear the personal narratives of Tupinambá Indigenous Brazilian women living in the Olivença community in Ilheus, Bahia regarding their experiences giving birth in order to discern the prevalence of various forms of obstetric violence within their experiences. In the context of this study the term "obstetric violence," derived from an extensive literature review, encompasses 1) physical abuse, 2) the unethical imposition of medical interventions, 3) the denial or lack of privacy, 4) undignified care which includes verbal abuse, 5) discrimination, 6) abandonment, neglect or the refusal to grant assistance, 7) detention in …

Las Sobrevivientes: La Represión Social Y Política Del Trauma Sufrido De Las Mujeres Desde La Dictadura, Savannah Ducharm

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project is a visibilization and analyzation of gender and human rights abuses. Focusing on the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet in Chile and the following democratic transition, it unravels the systematic and social oppression of gender. The question remains, how is gender manipulated as a tactic of conflict and a means of control? There are clear social elements working to obstruct justice following the catastrophic forms of torture at the hands of the state. These forms of torture were blatantly gendered as a means for intensified state mandated terrorism. In other words, sexual violence in all forms was clearly a …

“It’S Not The Pride Parade Model”: Investigating Changes In Queer Activist Practices In Sarajevo After 2008, Matthew Zarenkiewicz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In 2008, a group of queer activists in Sarajevo organized the Sarajevo Queer Festival in an attempt to raise the visibility of queer people in Sarajevo, but the event resulted in a violent attack on the queer community. Since 2008, the actors and tactics of activists have changed, moving from the single, more radical, Organization Q, to the emergence of more groups with a more moderate approach. My research poses the question how have the tactics of queer activists in Sarajevo changed since the attack on the Sarajevo Queer Festival and the passage of the 2009 anti-discrimination law. Through semi-structured …

¿Quién Tiene La Voz? Un Estudio De Murales Y Movimientos Estudiantiles / Who Has Got The Voice? A Study Of Murals And Students’ Movements., Mara Imms,

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este estudio aborda los temas de murales y los movimientos estudiantiles. Trata de recoger información sobre el rol de los murales en el ambiente escolar y el vínculo entre los murales y los movimientos estudiantiles a través de entrevistas, conversaciones, y observaciones en La Escuela Alemania, el Liceo Miguel de Cervantes, el Liceo de Aplicación, y la marcha del 11 de mayo de 2016. Adicionalmente, fueron pintados dos murales en el proceso de recoger esta información, uno en la Escuela Alemania representando su identidad, y otro en el Liceo Miguel de Cervantes ilustrando los movimientos estudiantiles.

Kompa As A Lesson In Value Or A Semi-Voyeristic Appreciation Of The Bamboo Basket In Dolpa, Maxwell Shaw-Jones

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This “study” explores two central topics: 1.) The logistics and details of basket weaving as both a skill and a business in Dolpa and 2.) The cultural value of the woven bamboo basket, also in Dolpa. My fieldwork started in lower Dolpa, (Dunai and Bysagar), peregrinated north into the Tarap Valley, and then returned back down to Dunai. From my research I attempt to provide an insight into the way people, of all walks of life in Dolpa, think and relate to this tool (kompa), and then attempt to derive larger moral implications from what I have observed. …

El Método Anticonceptivo Implante Subdérmico Para Prevenir La Repetición Del Embarazo Adolescente En La Provincia De Tucumán, Madelaine Hack

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Información Contextual: El método anticonceptivo implante subdérmico se utiliza para prevenir la repetición del embarazo adolescente entre mujeres de 14 a 24 años de edad que no tienen cobertura de salud (es decir, sin cobertura de una obra-social o pre-paga) y que han tenido un evento obstétrico (parto o aborto) en los últimos 12 meses. La prevención del segundo embarazo adolescente es una línea estratégica sumamente importante porque la tasa de embarazo adolescente ha mantenido su valor cercano al 15% por los últimos 20 años. En el caso particular de la provincia de Tucumán, está presenta un contexto interesante lo …

El Fútbol Femenino: Los Implicaciones De Ser Una Futbolista Femenina En Una Cultura Machista, Maya Mccann

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El objetivo del estudio fue investigar las experiencias de las mujeres del equipo de fútbol femenino de la Universidad de Las Américas (UDLA) con relación a la práctica del fútbol y a la diferencia de género en Quito, Ecuador. El estudio incluye observación participativa, entrevistas abiertas y la consulta de fuentes bibliográfica . La información fue analizada utilizando el marco conceptual del feminismo del deporte y el feminismo transnacional. Esta monografía ha sido diseñada a partir de las historias y experiencias temáticas de las mujeres. En el análisis se concluye que las mujeres de la UDLA experimentan ciertos desafíos con …

Instead Of Silence: Chinese Nicaraguans And The Formation Of Identity Across Two Cultures, Lisa Lee

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project studies the ways in which Chinese Nicaraguans have developed their identity while living in a country that is not their motherland. It investigates the divided history and experiences between the Chinese Nicaraguans that lived in the Atlantic coast and those that lived in the Pacific side. Also, it researches how the experiences of Taiwanese immigrants differed from those of the Chinese Nicaraguans who came from mainland China. By examining interviews done with Chinese Nicaraguans today, the essay will compile the long and unknown history of the Chinese Nicaraguans, as well as their many experiences of belonging and displacement …

The Vibrant Traditions Of Masaya: El Mestizaje As A Culture, A Process, And A State Of Being, Isabelle Lee

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

“The only constant in life is change.” What this old adage leaves out is that the processes that catalyze these changes can occur in vastly different ways which impact the product. In the case of the history of Masaya, Nicaragua, today’s dominant culture of mestizaje is the result of the arrival of the Spaniards to the Americas and the process of racial and cultural blend that followed between Spanish, indigenous and African peoples. But in this mixing process, Spaniards held disproportionate power: most of the changes they imposed were made through violent and deceptive imposition. Yet indigenous and African people …

Vivas Nos Queremos: Feminicidio En Bolivia, Taslim Tavarez Garcia

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Bolivia uno de los países en latinoamérica que tiene una gran cantidad de feminicidios o mujeres asesinadas por hombres debido a su género y relación afectiva. Hay muchos problemas sobre las violaciones de derechos humanos que sufren las mujeres en razón de género. Con el enfoque de derechos de las víctimas y sus familiares, esta investigación pretende descubrir si ellas, tienen acceso a justicia en el sistema judicial de Bolivia . Específicamente analizando el efecto de antes y después de la ley 348: La Ley Integral Para Garantizar a Las Mujeres Una Vida Libre de Violencia. A través de una …

El Uso De Terapias Psicológicas En Mujeres Jóvenes En La Ciudad Autónoma De Buenos Aires (Caba), Argentina, Batsheva Honig

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Información Contextual: Esta investigación se enfoca en el uso de terapia en mujeres jóvenes en la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (CABA), Argentina. Argentina es el líder mundial de psicólogos por habitantes con una gran concentración de psicólogos en CABA (Alonso y Klinar 2014). El uso de terapia no es exclusivo de personas con trastornos mentales. En el ámbito privado son comunes las consultas por cuestiones generales de la vida. La población de este estudio son mujeres jóvenes entre 22 y 32 años. Este periodo es caracterizado como un tiempo de exploración y auto-reflexión. Además, esta franja etaria constituye un gran …

La Creación De Crianza: Un Retrato De La Niñez En Martín Centeno, Sara Dean

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In the ever-shifting landscape of rural Nicaragua, how do new developments affect the ways in which children make sense of their worlds and their identities? Taking place in Martín Centeno, a cooperative community near Río Blanco in the Department of Matagalpa that was founded in the 80s for families displaced by the war, the present study borrows the theoretical framework of children’s geographies. Through observation, interviews, and visual research methods, this study paints a portrait of childhood in Martín Centeno today, as well as highlighting ways it has changed over time. The study places particular emphasis on the role of …

Dropping In: The Emergence Of Skateboard Culture In Urban Nepal, Olivia Pincince

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Since its inception less than a century ago skateboarding has epitomized youth counter culture. In recent years, this fringe sport has emerged in urban Nepal. Through in depth interviews with members of the skateboarding community and supplemental observational research, this study attempts to illuminate how social identity is realized for the skateboard community and how that conceptualization fits within the larger Nepali society. The following research suggests that skateboarding needs to overcome key economic limitations to truly become a cultural more in society.

An Analysis Of Opposing Feminist Views Of Sex Work: Is It The Woman’S Choice? In Kolkata, West Bengal, India, Julia Webster

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Sex work is an ancient profession that throughout history has been both socially stigmatized and socially sanctioned. Presently, there is conflicting discourse within the feminist movement about whether to support or combat the sex work industry. This study analyzes the current perceptions of sex work in Kolkata, India which is home to South Asia’s largest red-light district Sonagachi. It aims to answer the questions: Is sex work a respectable profession or forced labor? Are women sex workers as a result of choice or force? And are the answers to these questions determined by the sex workers themselves or by NGO …

Los Factores Influyentes En Las Perspectivas De Aborto De Los Estudiantes Universitarios En Santiago, Chile: Desde Lo Conservador A Lo Contrario, Victoria Albert

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Research Question: What factors influence the pro-life and pro-choice perspectives of university students in Santiago, Chile? What are these perspectives? Objectives: The general objective of this study is to describe the pro-life and pro-choice perspectives on abortion held by university students in Santiago, Chile, and to describe how factors such as feminism, religion, and the right to life influence these views today. The specific objectives of this study are to define and analyze the way in which these factors work to influence students’ perspectives, as well as identify what percentage of students currently support various types of abortion.

Background: Chile …

Proceso Identitario: La Vinculación Entre La Autoadscripción De Jóvenes Chinos-Argentinos En Buenos Aires, Argentina Y Las Oportunidades Laborales, Experiencias Educativas Y La Conservación Del Idioma Chino, Cassiopeia Lee

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The purpose of this research is to analyze the identity processes of Chinese/Taiwanese-Argentinean young people in Buenos Aires, Argentina and connect their self-identifications with experiences and decisions related to education, careers, and cultural preservation. The narrative of Chinese and Taiwanese immigrant experience in Argentina traditionally focuses on the role of these immigrants in the supermarket sector of the economy, emphasizing conflict between the immigrant community and Argentinean natives and the isolation of the Chinese community perpetuated by the role the children of these immigrants played as translators and workers especially during the years between the 1970s and the 1990s. This …

Framing Feminine Identity: Exploring Ways Of Being A Woman, Through The Practice Of Faith, And Ideas Of Equality And Justice Through Narratives Of South African Muslim Women Activists, Rachel Anderson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

What began as an attempt to explore Islamic Feminism through the life narratives of Muslim women, actually enabled a journey into exploring ways of being a woman, through the practice of faith, and ideas of justice and equality. Through multiple in-depth interviews and conversations, a visit to the mosque for Friday prayer, and a night at a theatrical production in the Muslim community, I spent time with influential Muslim women activists in the Durban community of South Africa listening, learning and reflecting.

What I found was less concrete than labeling these women as ‘Islamic Feminists’ but it was also more …

An Old And New Start To Russian—United States Nuclear Arms Control Agreements, Samantha Pitz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Russian Federation and the United States of America signed on April 8, 2010 the New START nuclear arms control treaty. The New START treaty replaced the lackluster SORT treaty in order to establish a nuclear agreement that would put new limits on numbers of weapons and delivery vehicles while also establishing an innovative framework for transparency and data transfer to allow confidence building between two countries that have not always seen eye-to-eye. Through academic analysis, treaty text, and four formal interviews, the context and trajectory of Russian-United States’ arms control treaties has formed to portray New START as a …

The Women Of Helamb: Life After The 2015 Earthquake, Emma Squier

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Disasters exacerbate inequalities that are already present in the society, put particular groups of individuals at risk, specifically women. The vulnerabilities of women shape the way they experience disasters as well as their ability to recover from them. Although it has now been over a year since the earthquake that occurred in Nepal on April 25, 2015, the recovery has been slow, and the destruction that it has caused is still greatly visible. For this project, women in the Helambu region of Nepla were interviewed to learn about how their lives were affected by the earthquake and the challenges that …

Balancing The Local And The Global: Understanding Alternative Education In Modern Ladakh, Hannah Ryde

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For nearly thirty years, the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) has addressed the shortcomings of the education system in Ladakh (la dwags), a mountainous region under the rain-shadow of the Himalayan Range in Jammu and Kashmir State of Northern India, through education reform in government schools and the creation of alternative education programs. These programs attempt to support students who have failed in, and been failed by, the Ladakhi government education system and are designed to fill in gaps in the curricula of mainstream schools through supplemental academics and skill-based learning, while simultaneously building confidence …

Tibetan Football:Perspectives From The 2016 Gyalyum Chenmo Memorial Gold Cup, James Karsten

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project uses a narrative account of the 2016 Gyalyum Chenmo Memorial Gold Cup,as a springboard into the multifaceted world of Tibetan sports in exile society, both past and present. As Tibetan exile society started to grow, the combination of growing settlement football clubs and a desire to honor the passing of HH the Dalai Lama’s mother, led to the founding of this club tournament. As football became more popular, the creation of an international Tibetan team came to be an important expression of national identity, and a useful method of raising awareness for the Tibetan cause. Despite this proliferation, …