Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

‘These Things Are Simply Very Difficult’: An Exploration Of The Existence Of And The Relationship Between Sectarianism And Racism In Present-Day Northern Ireland, Coreen Walsh

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This report is the outcome of a month-long exploratory study of the relationship between sectarianism and racism in present-day Northern Ireland. This exploration compares and contrasts the ideas and beliefs behind sectarianism and racism as well as how these issues exist and continue to be manifested in society. Data was obtained by way of qualitative methods using semi-structured interviews, participant observation and desk research. It is concluded that sectarianism and racism have very similar origins and exist in parallel ways, but these two things are not identical. Sectarianism and racism both represent distorted ways of relating to others and managing …

Creating A Culture Of Accountability: The Prosecution Of Gender Crimes In The Icty, Alice Hansen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study investigates if the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) successfully creates a culture of accountability through its prosecution of gender crime. It first frames the concepts of sexual violence in war as well as accountability theoretically, and describes the historical context of the war in the former Yugoslavia. The ideas of ethnic identity, gender roles, and rape as a war crime are placed against a historical and cultural background. Next, it uses twelve Statements of Guilt issued by the ICTY as a means to discuss the definition and creation of a culture of accountability within the …

Cultural Tourism In Botswana And The Sexaxa Cultural Village: A Case Study, Rachel Jones

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Botswana has seen tremendous growth in its tourism industry since its real inception the 1980s. Unfortunately, the tourism sector has almost solely focused on photographic and hunting safaris at the expense of cultural tourism. Because there is potential for rural development through effective cultural tourism, this study aimed to look at the case of one such rural community and their venture into cultural tourism. The Sexaxa community and their Cultural Village was studied to understand multiple facets of the issue. The history of the Bayei tribe, the history of the cultural village, how much the cultural village reflects the modern …

Street Culture Of Mombasa: Are The Survivors Really Surviving?, Danny Low

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Street children of Mombasa, Kenya were ethnographically studied in order to determine the effects of Swahili culture and structural violence on the children’s culture and place within greater society. It was discovered that Mombasa magnetizes street children as a result of the generosity of Swahili culture. Drug use was inextricably linked to street culture, yet children nonetheless held strong dreams of education. Since street children were also discovered to be significantly stratified, future policy and programming must account for these divisions to appropriately address the education and health problems facing Mombasa street children.

Consumption As Lifestyle: The Use Of Western Lifestyle As A Status Symbol In Multinational Corporations' Advertising In India, Alissa Goddard

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper examines the use of Western lifestyle as depicted in advertising by multinational companies through the use of English in advertising; sexually evocative imagery; and background images in advertisements that reflect Western lifestyles. These messages perpetuated by multinational companies of the elite status of Western lifestyle are further enhanced due to the pervasive influences of the mediums in which these lifestyles are communicated to Indian consumers (e.g. primarily television and magazines). However, this paper also examines how the products that the Indian consumer purchases to emulate this Western lifestyle are actually not the same products sold in the Western …

Voz De Los Internos: Atención De Salud En El Recinto Penal En Arica, Chile, Lily Hoffman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

According to both international and Chilean laws, incarceration does not affect one’s right to healthcare. Despite this protection, the health of prisoners’ remains a controversial topic in many communities, which may contribute to the inconsistencies in the levels of access to, and quality of, healthcare services in jails/prisons. A voice that is commonly overlooked, despite its value, is that of the patients of healthcare systems in jails/prisons around the world. This project was conducted in the maximum security prison complex in Arica, Chile and includes interviews with twenty-two incarcerated individuals based on their experiences with healthcare services in prison. Sixty-eight …

Train Hard, Win Easy: Running On The Periphery In Rural Kenya: The Last Shall Be First, Jordan Apfeld

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Past years have proven Kenyans dominant in the sport of athletics. Today, runners from the Rift Valley win more major middle- and long-distance running events than those from any other nation in the world. Although athletics is not the most lucrative of sports, modern marketing has resulted in creating a sport with various financial incentives. These include prize money, sponsorships, and the opportunity for a new life. However, runners from rural agricultural backgrounds find it very difficult to translate their athletic talent into dollars at the finish line. This study examines the economic prospects for young male runners from Kapsabet …

Political Capital And The Project Planning Process: An Action Research Exercise Of The Shirazi Community Health Clinic Project, Lindsay Beebe

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper assess the political capital of the rural Kenyan coast village of Shirazi in the context of the project planning process, using the subjective well-being paradigm of development to guide the research parameters. Household surveys were conducted to provide a baseline of information about village demographics, political efficacy, and measure subjective well-being. The surveys found that Shirazi village, although disadvantaged by limited access to economic markets and financial capital, has a wealth of political capital. The results of the survey, supported by an observation of and participation in the village’s political processes, indicate that Shirazi village will be a …

A Sociological Analysis Of Crimes Of Honor: Examining The Effects Of Higher Education On The Concepts Of Honor And Notions Of Gender Equality In Jordan, Alex Miller

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The study analyzes the ever present traditional notions of patriarchy in Jordan, and the contexts by which they are surviving in the milieu of democratization. By way of 12 interviews with academics, legal professionals, judges, and tribal sheikhs, it specifically looks to legislation, concepts of honor, and gender notions as exemplified by the traditional exercise of honor killings in Jordan. The conclusion of this research critically assesses that, despite a wealth of political rhetoric promising the ideals of egalitarianism, Jordan still harbors a patriarchal society that does not apply benefits of equality (especially sexual equality) to all of its citizens …

Intervención Gubernamental En Barrios Pobres: El Caso De Quiero Mi Barrio En La Población Modelo Comuna De San Ramón Providencia De Santiago, Sara Kushner

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The research contained in this essay pertains to the implementation of Quiero mi Barrio, a pilot program funded by the Chilean government, within a poor neighborhood. Specifically, this text accounts for the achievements, challenges and limitations of this program in Modelo, a neighborhood in the popular community of San Ramón. This analysis is based in political theory that pertains to the significance of civic participation in political processes. In the following pages, context based on the development of a new public space is provided so that this analysis may be carried out. Through this qualitative analysis it is possible to …

La Ciada De La Industria Salmonera Y Las Consequences, Kyla Jacobs

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For almost fifteen years, the Chilean salmon industry grew at an unprecedented rate, cultivating the otherwise desolate tenth region of Los Lagos as territory of great economic prosperity. Home to several of the worlds largest salmon companies such as Marine Harvest and AquaChile, Puerto Montt and its surrounding towns were once the epicenter of salmon cultivation, making Chile the second largest producer of salmon in the world after Norway. Though with the official emergence of the ISA virus in 2007, numerous salmon companies were forced to shut down, propagating thousands of layoffs and consequently leading to a large blow in …

Guide Accreditation In The Wet Tropics World Heritage Area: A Study Of The Practices, Attitudes, And Concerns Of Small Tourism Operators, Nora Vogel

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study assessed the attitudes, practices, and needs of tour operators in the Wet Tropics World Heritage area with respect to the recruitment and training of tour guides. The results will be used to help determine the need and demand for an official Wet Tropics guide accreditation system, as well as the form that system should take. The study also served to add more contacts to the Wet Tropics Management Authority’s growing network of tour operators, tour groups, and research scientists. Tour operators’ guide training practices varied with their business type and resources; many of the smallest operators provided a …

“We Didn’T Choose To Live In A Transition Society:” The Youth Of Milošević’S Serbia Ten Years Later, Jessica Tsunami Acosta

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The 1990’s were an extremely dark time in modern Serbian history, mired by wars, sanctions, dictatorship, and struggle. Those who came of age in that time find their entire lives to be defined by their country’s transition process. Because of this experience, these individuals are in a unique position to make connections between past conflicts and present challenges in Serbia. In particular, through understanding their narratives of this recent past and their perceptions of Serbia’s current progress in its transition phase, one can glean a better picture of this generation and what it holds for Serbia’s future. In allowing these …

Yugonostalgia: The Pain Of The Present, Claire Bancroft

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project concerns the concept of nostalgia in the context of Yugoslavia. Through my interviews, observations, and daily interactions, I have sought to present the state of Yugonostalgia in present-day Belgrade. This project looks at Yugonostalgia through three lenses: the past, present, and future. In general, there is positive thinking about the past, a dismal perception of the present, and an optimistic outlook for the future. Despite the fact that many people have these nostalgic stories about the past, Yugonostalgia is still a negative and sometimes offensive term. In this paper, I, the researcher, struggle with my own nostalgia for …

Sex Trafficking: Social Constructions And Stereotypes Of Recovery In Viet Nam, Linh Huynh

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The research attempts to reveal how labels of victimization of trafficked returnees can actually harm socialization efforts of reintegration. Although men are trafficked for sexual purposes as well, the study will focus only on the acclimization of women in An Giang province, on the border of Cambodia. The paper discusses the stories of three returnees and analyzes their social reintegration through social events such as cooking and through informal conversations. This is turn, is compared to other populations that may be susceptible to trafficking, but have not yet been. All work and research is based on the participant observation form …

Conflicting Loyalties: Changing Roles And Relations Of Labor Unions In Vietnam, Jan Slezak

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As labor unions in Vietnam become further divided from the political ideologies they arose from, it is important to examine how workers can become accurately represented in a system of changing markets, government and an economic movement towards the free-market system. As the role of the labor union changes and attempts to adapt into contemporary times, this study discusses and analyzes the opinions and actions of Vietnam’s citizens; from the worker’s most affected by the oncoming changes to those who take part it crafting and enforcing legislation on the issue. This study arrives at its answer by combining interviews, social …

Comparative Medinas: Complexity And Contradiction In Tourist Spaces In Tunisia, Maxwell E. Loos

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

There does not seem to be a lively debate in academia that tourism is worth studying. The wealth of material published on the subject is dizzying, and comes from a wide range of disciplines, from business and economics to anthropology and postcolonial theory. This is partially because of the wideness of the subject material; tourism is at the same time a cultural practice with specific characteristics and a decidedly transnational phenomenon, the form and implications of which change depending on which borders and cultures are involved or excluded. I would like to make my brief contribution to the study of …

Marriage In Conflict: Formerly Abducted Women’S Struggles With Marriage Upon Return, Julie Bailey

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

With the end of the twenty-year war in Northern Uganda, the area has begun the long process of rehabilitating, rebuilding, and reintegrating. For women who have now returned from abduction and forced marriage, reintegration has proven difficult, specifically in regards to these women’s desires to marry upon return. The experiences of these formerly abducted women in the bush as well as the conflict-induced changes to traditional marriage often limits their ability to remarry and thus prevents them from fully regaining their place in Acholi society. Ultimately, this study sought to examine these difficulties by looking at the societal norms for …

Integrating Identities: Negotiating The Religious Lives Of Homosexual Christians In The Netherlands, Scott Mitchell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper explores how homosexual Christians experience their religious life, as well as the various methods used to negotiate any difficulties or conflicts between these two identities. Data for this study consists of in-depth interviews with homosexual Dutch adults who participate in worship services at a Catholic congregation in North Holland which ministers specifically to the homosexual community. Findings reveal that respondents describe their religious life as taking place on three different levels: the denominational, the individual, and the community level. These descriptions were characterized by an overall rejection of official denominational doctrine concerning homosexuality, an isolation of religious practice …

Co-Development In Mali: A Case Study Of A Development Phenomenon Exploited By Immigration Policy, Diane Galatowitsch

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This case study establishes a historical basis for migration from Kayes, contextualizes co-development in immigration and development literature, and provides insight into how organizations implementing migrant financed projects in Mali define and perceive the concept of co-development. In my research, I pulled together scholarly articles, organizational documents, reports, and conducted semi-structured personal interviews that were scattered across the fields of history, migration, and development and pulled together an analysis of co-development in Mali. Challenging the concept of co-development as an effective immigration policy and a development strategy, this paper reflects the concept’s true benefits to Malian society. Finally, the conclusion …

Renewable Energy As A Means To Community Development: A Case Study Of Solar Power With Avani In Kumaon, Uttarakhand, Sarah Connette

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For the woman who must spend four hours walking to the forest, cutting wood, carrying it back on her head and lighting a fire in her home, energy poverty is a harsh reality of everyday life. As of 2000, more than 500 million Indians did not have access to electricity, which accounts for 35% of the world’s population living without this facilityi. Energy poverty is defined as the inability to afford access to a sustainable energy supplyii. The concept of energy poverty as a focus of sustainable development is given more importance by the correlation between electricity consumption and GDP …

Globalization’S Impact On Identity Through Billboard Advertisements, Sarah Hogan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

When one walks down the main streets of Tunis it is clear that the faces represented in billboards do not match the faces of those walking along the streets. Why is this? Are the ads representative of the layering of civilizations that Tunisia has undergone? Are the ads from another source, such as the French, and just implementing their system on top of Tunisians expecting it to be successful? Moreover, what are the implications of these advertisements on the Tunisian identity? W.E.B. DuBois discusses the phenomenon of a “double consciousness” that has developed in African-Americans due to the portrayal of …

Black & Red The Impacts Of Development On Culture: A Case Study Of Dogon People Of Sangha, Mali, Kathleen Remington

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For my Independent Study Project (ISP) I focused my research on struggling to understand the relationship between development and culture in an isolated community. I chose to study the Dogon people located in Sangha, Mali and spent 17 days studying and living among them. By conducting a series of interviews daily, I explored the land and the hearts of the people in order to obtain a meaningful understanding of their culture as well as, to acquire first hand knowledge of the ongoing development.

My paper begins by analyzing general definitions and discourses of both culture and development. I then detail …

Dublin’S Forgotten: The Transition From ‘Separated Children’ To ‘Aged-Out Minors’ Through Policy, Media, And Organizational Support., Meghan Jaird

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Introduction (excerpt) Over the last fifteen years, Ireland has undergone massive change: political, economic, social, and technological. During the Celtic Tiger that began in the mid 1990s, Ireland has been transformed from one of the poorest countries in Western Europe to one of the wealthiest. Resulting from this economic success and, concurrently with the expansion of the European Union, there has been a significant increase in Ireland’s migrant population. Due to the recent attraction of Ireland’s prosperity and progression, many from outside of Ireland have immigrated with hopes to reap economic and social benefits. Others are forced to migrate due …

The Realities And Effectiveness Of Ecotourism Operations On Moreton Island, Yoshihiko Kubota

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Ecotourism is the fastest growing sector of the tourism industry, but there has been a lack of studies assessing the tour operators’ views on the environment of the area of their operation, and of the effectiveness of their interpretation methods. This study focuses on Moreton Island for its relatively undisturbed environment and restricted accessibility.. Interviews with a former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employee, representative of a local conservation group, and multiple tour operators were conducted to assess the knowledge of tour operators on the environmental issues of Moreton Island, while pre-visit and post-visit surveys were conducted with Moreton Island visitors …

Graffiti En Managua: Una Expresión Democrática De La Juventud Nicaragüense, Katie Laroque

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Semiotics, or the philosophical study of signs and symbols, makes us rethink the familiar and the things we take for granted. If someone walks to work everyday on the same street, after time he will probably stop thinking about the graffiti on the corner. Graffiti is probably something that most of us take for granted, or hardly see anymore, but I argue that its role in society must be rethought. What does graffiti on the wall represent? It is a manifestation of the ideas and beliefs of the artist, as well as a reflection of his artistic talent. When several …

‘They Have To Know That They Are Moroccan’: A Sending Country’S Perspective On The Second Generation Of Emigrants Abroad, Olivia Paquette

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In this project, I set out to understand the relations that Morocco has with its second-generation population abroad, the children of emigrants from Morocco who were born and are living in a foreign nation. As citizens of Morocco and as members of Moroccan families, who nonetheless have lived their lives in another country and may perhaps identify themselves in many ways other than Moroccan, I wondered what role these individuals had in the eyes of the Moroccan state and in the eyes of their relatives who live in Morocco. My questions extended to the very categorization of this group that …

Alienation In Acholiland: War, Privatization, And Land Displacement In Northern Uganda, Nicole Kligerman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper presents the various dynamics, causes, and consequences of land conflicts in Acholiland. In order to comprehensively address these complex issues, this paper analyzes land conflict in connection to the Northern Uganda war, explaining the military strategies that resulted in widespread displacement and alienation from the land. This paper further explores changing Acholi cosmology and customary land law in connection to land alienation. Additionally, I examine local land conflicts as well as three privatization and “development” plans in relationship to preexisting land displacement issues. This paper highlights the opinions of my fieldwork participants regarding the importance of land to …

Rompiendo El Espejo Invertido: La Búsqueda Para Autosuficiencia Y Una Vida Campesina Y Digna, Tara Brian

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

La vida campesina e indígena ha sido amenazada por siglos de explotación y marginalización. Ahora neoliberalismo, el último capitulo en la historia de dominio, está creando cada vez más pobreza, vulnerabilidad y dependencia en el campo. En el intento, las diversas culturas rurales están perdiendo su autosuficiencia, costumbres, sabiduría y relación con la naturaleza. Se enfrentan un dilema: tratar de entrar en el mundo “moderno” a costa de perder su cultura, o quedarse en el campo empobrecidos y olvidados. En este proyecto yo exploro como comunidades campesinas e indígenas están luchando para crear una tercera opción: un futuro en que …

Lessons From Cideci Las Casas : The Potential For Non-Directive Learning Spaces In The United States, Gideon Mausner

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The purpose of my project was to observe the informal, non-directive and communal learning space of CIdeCI Las Casas in San Cristobal, Chiapas and consider its potential applications in the United States of America. The following paper presents the results of this project in five sections. In the first section I examine the meaning of modern education and its primary vessel, the school. In the second section I give a detailed background of CIdeCI: its history and purpose and its place within the cultural and political realities of Chiapas. In the third section I share my experiences and observations from …