Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Small Town Drug Problem: The Socio-Economy Of Malindi’S Heroin-Using Population, Greg St. Arnold

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Research was conducted in Malindi focusing on the social and economic characteristics of heroin-users. A survey of users’ ages, employment, education level, future ambitions, family status, and attitudes towards rehabilitation was undertaken with the assistance of The Omari Project, a local non-governmental organization specializing in rehabilitation services. The findings reveal a community mired in the throes of poverty and unemployment, which exacerbates the community’s drug problem. Recommendations are offered suggesting how best to meet the economic and social challenges presented by the heroin-using community.

Maternity, Sexuality, And Capability: An Exploration Of The Aesthetics Of The Rural Moroccan Female Body, Carlye Warren

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper provides an intimate look at the rural female body and its nuances – aesthetics, self-perception, sexuality, maternity, and purity. Based on this research conducted in the rural village of Loutichina, it seems apparent that almost unrealistic demands are traditionally made on the rural female body, most noticeably the demands of reproduction and physical labor. Local perceptions and attitudes towards maternity and sexuality are also explored, as is the way in which the rural female body undergoes basic biological changes and cycles and is simultaneously affected by surrounding social and cultural pressures. Ethically, I was confronted with issues of …

The Role Of Malagasy Women In Community Development: Analyzing The Potential For The Creation Of A Women’S Association For Alternative Livelihoods In Ifaty, Amanda Fencl

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Integrated Conservation and development projects (ICDPs) have increased in number worldwide as conservation organizations have to come to terms with the importance of involving and addressing the needs of local human populations to order to achieve their conservation goals. Madagascar’s unique biodiversity, environmental degradation, and plaguing poverty has made ICDPs crucial in achieving national goals of tripling the area of natural heritage conserved and poverty reduction through socially, economically, and ecologically sustainable development. In order to understand how such sustainable development can be achieved, it is essential to spend time enhancing one’s understanding of the local mentality and worldview. On …

El Movimiento De Mujeres Y El Estado Nicaragüense: La Lucha Por La Autonomía, Sarah Moberg

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El Movimiento de Mujeres ha sido un movimiento social vital, diverso e influyente en la historia de Nicaragua, comenzando a mediados del siglo veinte. Ha tenido tres etapas en su evolución, bajo las tres diferentes estructuras del Estado: la dictadura Somocista, el gobierno Sandinista, y los gobiernos neoliberales. Durante las tres etapas, el Movimiento tuvo cambios en sus agendas, sus debates, su membresía y su forma de organización. La relación con el Estado es un gran factor en el rumbo de un movimiento social. Ha influido en las estrategias políticas y las formas de participación, las cuales también han influido …

The Needs Of The Marginalized; Documenting A Crisis Defined As Such By The Catadores De Lixo Of Jangurussú, Jane Hudson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Catadore de lixo is a general term used by Brazilians to refer to those people who work with garbage. It encompasses those who work (and often live) in open landfills and scavenge for salvageable goods to consume, use, or sell; those who work in the street collecting garbage; those who collect only recyclables; and those who work within associations, companies, or cooperatives that sort, sell, and/or recycle refuse. Such a cooperative and the catadores who comprise is the focus of my research.

My objective for spending three weeks in the homes and community of the catadoras de lixo was to …

Towards Delivery And Dignity: Community Struggle From Kennedy Road, Jacob Bryant

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Since 1994, a number of new community-based movements have risen in protest of the economic policies of South Africa’s new, African-led government. Among these is a movement of shack-dwellers in Durban that began at Kennedy Road with a defiant protest that recalled the protests of the “first struggle,” that against apartheid. The movement has embodied many of the characteristics of its predecessor in the United Democratic Front, including its democratic organization, consultative culture, songs and tactics. But the extent to which these similarities are conscious or connected is unclear, for the movement has created much culture of its own. This …

El Papel Homosexual Del Cine De Pedro Almodóvar Durante La Movida Madrileña = The Role Of Homosexuality In The Films Of Pedro Almodóvar During The Movida, Spencer Silverthorne

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

When I first arrived in Spain, I wanted to conduct my Independent Study Project on the relationship between machismo and homosexuality, and how these lifestyles were represented in the arts throughout Spanish history. Ideally, I would have liked to study the foundation of machismo, and how it was realized and enforced upon the Spanish people and culture, especially during the regime of Francisco Franco. Then, I would have liked to contrast that movement with the portrayal and the image of the homosexuality community, exhibiting how that broke such a traditionalist belief system. The reason why this subject fascinated me was …

Gender Based Violence In Jordan: Domestic Violence And Honor Crimes, Danielle M. Becknell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper analyzes the social, psychological, religious, and legal interactions of gender-based violence that manifest themselves within the Jordanian society in various ways. Honor crimes are the ultimate manifestation of this phenomenon in this culture, and as such cannot be separated from the society, gender-relations, or violence against women. Interviews with specialist within the field allow for a more in depth exploration of the topic.

La Participación De La Juventud En El Desarrollo Comunitario: Un Estudio En La Organización Juvenil De Cantera, Ciudad Sandino, Surya Karla

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Cuando pensamos en las formas de exclusión, discriminación y opresión que existen en la sociedad, usualmente pensamos en términos de clase, género o raza. Muchas veces, se nos olvida pensar en otro sector enorme de la población oprimida: los jóvenes, adolescentes y niños. El poder en la sociedad puede ser concentrado en personas ricas, blancas y masculinas, pero significativamente también en las personas adultas. En una entrevista con Aura Lila Ulloa, Directora de la organización CANTERA, respecto al enfoque de este proyecto, me informó:

… “Vivimos, desgraciadamente, en una sociedad adultista. Dejar de ser una sociedad adultista y dar espacio …

Facing Reality: The Story Of Icaro Amorim, Nicole Vengrove

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The harsh struggles and lack of basic necessities, which plague many low-income neighborhoods in Northeastern Brazil negatively impact children’s physical and emotional development. My research follows a 16 year-old boy, Icaro Amorim, who lives in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Fortaleza, Ceara, located in the Northeastern region of Brazil. Despite his hard life where food is never a guarantee, Icaro possesses a social awareness that motivates him to improve the life of his family and his community. This social consciousness is played out in Casa de Cultura, a project which Icaro and his peers started in their community of …

Arte Y Pobreza: Integración Social A Través De Movimientos Culturales, Betsy Mccormick

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This aim of this paper is to explore the relationship between artistic and cultural movements as a means of integration for socially excluded populations in Buenos Aires following the economic crisis of 2001. Art in a traditional sense, that is, art found in museums, is most frequently an expression of the dominant classes and is an object of contemplation rather than a form of intervention with the social reality of the masses. Two prominent and “opposing” theories are presented as a possible framework for understanding the relation between art and the societies that produce it: Liberalism and Marxism. The specific …

La Migración Por Obligación: Los Movimientos Migratorios De Los Mapuche, Rebecca Jones

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project seeks to explore connections between the neoliberal economic model with the migratory patterns of the mapuche, an indiginous people group in Chile. Since the imposition of neoliberalism the mapuche have been forced to migrate from the country to urban centers in order to survive. Chile has taken control over the majority of mapuche land, forcing an economy of subsistence agriculture on the pueblo. Thus, the youth vacate their communities, migrating to the cities to try and provide a future for their families. In so doing, the influences of the dominant culture permeate nearly every aspect of their lives. …

Facilitating Public Participation In The Eastern Cape Province: A Case Study Of The Centre For Governance In Africa, Paul D. Lemaistre

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Decreasing amounts of public participation threaten to undermine the legitimacy of democracy in South Africa. Numerous surveys, academic resources and Internet and print media indicate general trends among the citizenry that a disconnection and dissatisfaction towards government is prevalent. As a result, the South African public has extremely low levels of public participation for a nation with such a politically charged past. It has become the objective of many civil society organizations to help with the delivery of vital developmental goals, including democracy advocacy, on behalf of the citizens. This paper seeks to examine the efforts of a single NGO, …

Remember Ruben? L’Histoire De Ruben Um Nyobé À Travers La Société Camerounaise, Katelyn Knox

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Aujourd’hui la société camerounaise est caractérisée par un sentiment de tribalisme que l’on peut voir dans plusieurs domaines. Pour combattre ce sentiment tribal (voire fraternel) l’on doit cultiver une mentalité plutôt nationaliste dans la société plus élargie. Pour créer cette mentalité, quelques intellectuels ont suggéré qu’il faut regardé le passé de ce pays, surtout chercher à cultiver cette mentalité en utilisant l’esprit des « grands nationalistes », ceux qui ont combattu pour l’indépendance avant les années 1960 et au-delà. Cette étude se focalise sur le père du nationalisme au Cameroun : Ruben Um Nyobé. Elle montre son taux de connaissance …

¡Dame Un Ritmo (Y Sueldo)!: La Sustentabilidad Económica De Los Artistas Callejeros En El Gran Santiago, Zachariah Smith Cheema

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Street artists in the greater Santiago area are the product of a high unemployment rate and a history of street music in the city. Street artists can be found in every part of Santiago, from the shopping centers to the tranquil parks. Santiago’s street artists vary in age, talent, and future plans. However, these street artists confront many similar risks, such as the threat of detention, other street vendors, or the spectators themselves. While street art as a long-term job is a possibility, there is not a lot of room to save money for the future. Street art lacks support …

“Sacar A La Familia Adelante:” El Impacto De La Emigración En La Comunidad Salvadoreña De Nuevo Amanecer, Elisabeth Golub

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

La camioneta azul saltaba por el camino pedregoso, y pensé que si no fuera por la vista dramática de los cerros del campo salvadoreña podría ser en el carro de un@ de mis amig@s en los Estados Unidos. Un disco de Bob Marley sonaba en la casetera, y estaba platicando con el muchacho que conducía sobre nuestras carreras universitarias. Le pregunté que estaba estudiando. “Sistema ingeniería,” me dijo. “¿Y que piensa hacer cuando termine?” Se reía, y me contesto, sin hesitación: “Voy a los Estados, a trabajar en la lechuga.” Hoy en día en El Salvador, su respuesta no es …

Las Abejas Y Los Zapatistas: Una Comparación Y Contraste De Dos Movimientos Indígenas En Chiapas, México, Anna H. Lifson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Me llamo Anna Lifson. Soy estudiante de mi tercer año en Macalester College en St. Paul, Minnesota, Estados Unidos, con una concentración en las ciencias políticas y los estudios hispánicos. Desde que puedo recordar, siempre he tenido un interés en la “justicia.” A mi padrastro le gusta recordarme que mis palabras favoritas de mi niñez eran, “¡no es justo!” He crecido con la búsqueda de la justicia y el deseo de mejorar el mundo como principios fundamentales de mi identidad. Cuando estaba buscando programas para estudiar en el extranjero, me fijé en el enfoque del programa de SIT en México, …

¿Qué Mas?: Una Mirada A Las Posibilidades De Un “Instrumento Político.”, Rebecca Bor

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Llegué a Bolivia y estaba sorprendida de la polarización entre los partidos políticos y los movimientos sociales. Me pareció que habían dos caminos políticos distintos en Bolivia, y ni el camino política institucional ni el camino política no-institucional funcionan bien para el progreso de Bolivia. Dentro de este paradigma, una tercera opción ha sido formada como posibilidad de una alternativa. Esta opción es el instrumento político del Movimiento Al Socialismo (MAS). El Movimiento Al Socialismo no es un partido político ni un movimiento social. Por eso, es necesario entender las teorías de los movimientos sociales y cómo ellos han cambiado …

Buscando El Cusco: Análisis Del Turismo En La Ciudad De Los Incas, Nicole A. Grant

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Al principio, yo empecé ésta investigación con motivos de exponer la inautenticidad de las experiencias turisticas debido a la increíble dependencia de las guías de viajes tales como Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, Fodor’s, Moon’s Handbook, etc. Andando por las calles de Cusco, uno no puede evitar una vista en que casi cada turista tiene una guía de viaje entre sus manos en búsqueda de la experiencia descrita en su libro. El turismo masivo ha creado un cierto tipo de turista que vienen a Cusco con poco conocimiento de la ciudad y muy poca iniciativa de descubrir algo más allá de …

Identities In Dialogue: Deconstructing The Dynamics Of Bošnjak-Muslim Identities In Novi Pazar, Christine M. Debacker

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

My research was aimed at understanding how individual identify with larger, collective identities (national, ethnic, religious, etc.). In studying the history and current social situation of the former Yugoslavia countries, I learned that often individuals identify themselves within the terms of nation, ethnicity and religion. And I learned that often in this region those terms were used exchangeably. To better understand how differences among individuals and groups were conceived, I turned to the abounding academic theories written on the topics of nation, nationhood and nationalism.

In looking though the mass of theories, I realized that each academic creates theories of …

Post-Velvet Jazz Baby, Jack Elkin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Throughout the past fifty years, two principle agents have inhibited experimentation in Prague's jazz scene, totalitarian states and the conditions that followed after the fervor of the Velvet Revolution died out. What has resulted is an environment that has embraced variation but not typically new or contemporary ideas, which is only just beginning to change.

A Child’S Dance Of The Sankofa: Redefining, Reconstructing, And Reclaiming Identity, Shawnrey Notto

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The following research focuses on a major health crisis that exists within the black Brazilian population, that of identity and self esteem. The study will deals with the possibility of reconstructing black identity, through dance. Children are being socialized into a society whose system practically equivocates anything of Afro-descent, anything black, with negativity. This is a serious problem that is cultivated in a culture of violence, which is profoundly detrimental to the social and psychological development of a people. As such this is an offense to human kind. By using participant-observation and interviews the research traces how some empowerment, consciousness, …

Non-Formal Education And Autonomous Spaces: Cideci’S Independent Alternative And The Regeneration Of Indigenous Cultural Spaces In Chiapas, Rachel Beatty

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In this study I explore CIdeCI’s role in regenerating autonomous cultural and physical spaces for Indigenous learning, and thus living, outside of the government system through its alternative educational methods and non-formal, independent status. I argue that non-formal education plays an essential role in regenerating cultural and physical spaces necessary for ensuring that Indigenous forms of social organization retain and/or obtain their autonomy from state and national governments. I will begin by presenting a brief overview of my research methodology, followed by theoretical background regarding education and cultural spaces, specifically pertaining to the Indigenous population of Chiapas. I will then …

A Falta De Voz Quilombola No Canto Brasileiro: As Conseqüências Da Desvalorização Da Terra Quilombola Pelo Estado Brasileiro, Maíra Dos Santos

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

No Brasil, existe uma longa história de um racismo institucional. Ou seja, desde a escravidão, a população afro-brasileira tem sido abandonada pelo Estado brasileiro. Esta pesquisa explora a relação entre o Estado e uma comunidade remanescente de Quilombo situada na Chapada Diamantina no Estado da Bahia. A relação entre os dois é estudada em termos dos direitos à terra Quilombola. Para os Quilombos, o direito à sua própria terra é o mais importante para a preservação das comunidades e também é o direito mais negado pelo Estado brasileiro. A negação desse direito tem muitas conseqüências para os quilombolas porque eles …