Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Bridging The Food Gap: Addressing The Feasibility And Applicability Of Three Key Traditionally Western Food Preservation Techniques To Improving Household Food Security And Reducing Malnutrition In Uganda., Eva K. Baguma

Capstone Collection

Food wastage is the leading cause of food insecurity and malnutrition in the world today. A huge amount of food gets wasted along the food supply chain from the time it is harvested to the time it gets to our plates. A significant amount of the food wasted happens in the home as well as on farms, in restaurants and supermarkets across the globe.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, many families and communities are facing severe food shortages due to lack of electricity for refrigeration, poor storage facilities and limited access to markets.

However for many centuries, different cultures around the world …

Promote Gender Equality And Empower Women: The Big Picture, Delylah Rasugu

Capstone Collection

This Capstone investigates the effectiveness of promoting gender and women’s empowerment policy. The Millennium Declaration adopted in the year 2000 by the United Nations member states lists the fundamental goals and objectives agreed in various international forums and summits. From this Declaration eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were born. The mandate was to provide standards to gauge the advancement towards global poverty and to achieve them by the year 2015. The third MDG aims to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment through political representation, employment and education. My capstone will use a macro perspective to analyse the impact of the …

An Examination Of South Carolina’S Institutions Of Reform And Their Impact On The Self-Narratives Of African American Men, Ashley E. Krejci-Shaw

Capstone Collection

In the State of South Carolina (SC), African American male adolescents disproportionately face disciplinary action in public schools and other institutions. In 2013, South Carolina’s Department of Juvenile Justice (SCDJJ) released data that listed Black male children comprising 57% of all juvenile referrals in the state. This disproportionate trend is also present in South Carolina’s correctional system. In 2013, South Carolina’s Department of Corrections (SCDOC) reported that out of 20,777 male prisoners, 13,631 were Black. For adolescents or young adults looking to continue their education, alternative programs are available. One program that captures educationally displaced children in South Carolina is …

Leading Happiness: Leadership And Happiness At Work In Certified B Corporations, A Qualitative Study Of Leaders And Employees To Understand The Influence Of Shared Leadership On Worker Happiness Within Certified Benefit Corporations, Travis Hellstrom

Capstone Collection

The Certified B Corps movement is setting a new standard for businesses, committing to a multiple stakeholder orientation focused on community, environment and the workplace in addition to financial profit. More than 1,000 companies, including well-known companies like Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, King Arthur Flour, and Etsy, have joined the ranks of Certified B Corps in over 30 countries.

The B Corps certification is understood to promote a set of organizational practices, which envision improved employee performance and well-being. An important element of that well-being is employee happiness. Previous research has shown that improved business leadership practices can have significant …

Building Bridges, And Reducing Anger: Liberal-Conservative Dialogue In The United States, Jeremy M. Moses

Capstone Collection

In the United States today, liberal and conservative citizens are becoming increasingly polarized in their attitudes of hostility toward one another. This has resulted in a socio-political climate in which liberals and conservatives routinely demonize each other, and political differences are unhelpfully framed as matters of good versus evil. Open and honest dialogue between liberals and conservatives has the potential to improve this situation, but a myriad of cultural, psychological, and societal challenges create significant barriers to liberal-conservative dialogue. This paper explores these barriers in detail through a synthesis of research in moral psychology, cognitive psychology, and sociology. It explains …

The Importance Of Community Resilience: Developing The American Red Cross International Services Department In The New Hampshire Region, Sarah Romac

Capstone Collection

Disaster management and humanitarian aid organizations have had to reevaluate how communities and individuals can better adapt and prepare for future disaster events. One concept organizations are incorporating into their overall framework is strengthening community resilience. Increasing a community’s resilience level increases its ability to cope with the changes that affect it. Creating awareness of the vulnerabilities in an area, addressing these vulnerabilities with preparedness training, disaster risk reduction (DRR), and sustainable changes made over the long-term can develop a community’s adaptive capacity to be more resilient.

For my practicum, I was given the opportunity to be the International Services …

Adult Third Culture Kids: Does Their Concept Of Home Have An Impact On Their Career Paths?, Kelly B. Wisecarver

Capstone Collection

For decades, social scientists have been conducting studies about Third Culture Kids (TCKs). TCKs are children who have been raised outside of their passport countries as a result of their parents’ professions abroad. One sociologist refers to TCKs as “prototype citizens of the future,” citing their backgrounds a playing a role in today’s increasingly globalized world. How have TCKs’ multicultural backgrounds and experiences shaped them? What types of professions are they prone to? What qualities and characteristics do they commonly share and why are they an important group to study? My capstone aims to address these questions.

The combination of …

Creating A Community Of Support: An Evaluation Of The Healing For Educational Achievement Resource Team, Ann M. Quintrell

Capstone Collection

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Healing for Educational Achievement Resource Team (H.E.A.R.T.). H.E.A.R.T. is a committee of staff at a middle school in Dorchester. Dorchester is a violence hotspot in Boston, MA, and students in such areas need to heal from traumas while meeting academic requirements. In order to meet their students’ needs and achieve their goals, schools need to practice trauma informed care. H.E.A.R.T. represents a staff-driven effort to meet student needs and establish trauma informed care. H.E.A.R.T.’s effectiveness was evaluated through surveys and interviews of committee members, interviews of the school’s …

In Search Of Women’S Full Inclusion: A Case Study Of The Institute For Inclusive Security’S Advocacy For Women’S Inclusion In Sudan And South Sudan’S Cooperation Agreements, Anna Tonelli

Capstone Collection

Over the past nearly two decades, efforts to increase women’s inclusion in peacebuilding have grown exponentially as more research has proven that women’s participation leads to more sustainable peace processes. Yet women continue to be the marginalized from all levels of official processes including negotiation, drafting of resolutions, and implementing agreements. Nowhere is this more exemplary that in the efforts for peace between Sudan and South Sudan. The Cooperation Agreement, signed in September 2012 offered yet another opportunity to engage women. However, once more the processes excluded them from the table. In an effort to finally convince policymakers that women’s …

Basic Human Health And Sustainable Community Development: A Case Study Of A Community In Monte Plata, Dominican Republic, Rachelle H. Arnoux

Capstone Collection

One of my objectives in conducting this research is to enhance my skills in data collection while simultaneously improving my writing skills. More substantively, I wanted to explore how access to healthcare in a developing country like the Dominican Republic can contribute to sustainable development. As good health is fundamental and vital for all human beings, it is important in the context of this study to understand how the healthcare system in a particular country gives the population access to quality healthcare. Referring myself specifically to the situation at Batey Relief Alliance (BRA) Dominicana medical center in the Dominican Republic …

On The Link Between Conflict, Underdevelopment And The Pursuit Of Basic Needs Satisfaction: A Survey Of Haitian Construction Workers In The Dominican Republic, Joseph W. Alliance

Capstone Collection

The purpose of this study was to explore how conflict and underdevelopment impact Haitian construction workers’ experiences and their basic human needs situation in the Dominican Republic. The Basic Human Needs Theory served as the main theoretical background to approach the topic. Qualitative data were gathered by employing a self- administered, one-time survey and conducting semi-structured interviews with 25 Haitian construction workers in sites located in the Distrito Nacional in the capital city, Santo Domingo and the Consuelo municipality in San Pedro de Macoris. Absence of work in Haiti for the very poor, systematic lack of access to social security, …

Collaboration In Cambodia: Are Anti-Trafficking Agencies Working Together?, Heather Richardson

Capstone Collection

This study examined the presence and effectiveness of partnerships among anti trafficking agencies in Cambodia. Local NGOs and government ministries were questioned on a variety of topics including the scope of their agencies strategic goals as well as the number of partnerships they hold. I applied a biology based theory, Systems Theory, to my research in order to highlight the importance of collaboration. Based on a lack of respondents to my questionnaire, the information gathered from participating agencies, and literary research, I conclude that partnerships among stakeholders in the anti trafficking field in Cambodia are deficient, but that is not …

Volunteering And Social Development Across Cultures: A Credit Bearing Course For The Alliance For Global Education's Global And Public Health Program At Manipal University (India), Katie Jo Walter

Capstone Collection

This course-linked capstone presents full details for the creation, facilitation and evaluation of a new field-based course for the Alliance for Global Education’s (Alliance) Global and Public Health program at Manipal University in India. Operating in partnership with Manipal University’s Volunteer Services Organization (VSO), the course will increase opportunities for participant interaction with people both on and off campus, actively respond to participants’ stated interest in volunteer work, and strengthen institutional ties between the Alliance and Manipal University.

The plan for the course, titled, “Volunteering across cultures: India and the United States”, incorporates best practices and theories from international service …

A Student Assessment In Value Of Cooperative Education Curriculum Integrated Through Character Development: The Greenwood School, Rebecca Clarke

Capstone Collection

Cooperative education programming as a model of teaching to varied learning styles, is based on a small scale school working to teach children to their specific learning styles centered around their brain function strengths and limitations. The Greenwood School is a boarding school located in Putney, VT specializing in teaching boys with academic, social, and behavioral differences. The school caters to about fifty boys from ages ten to eighteen. Within all of the programs operating on this campus, one of the newest is the internship program, which offers off-campus, community based work learning opportunities with adult mentors and small business …

Active Development Of Tacit Knowledge: Adtk In A World Without Farmers, Roger E. Garrett Jr.

Capstone Collection

Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) and extensions such as Transformative Learning Theory offer significant potential for skill development later in life – reskilling. Despite wide acceptance and deployment, practitioners are still obliged to design their own methods and activities in order to implement these theories. This paper introduces a novel curricular model, Active Development of Tacit Knowledge (ADTK). Educators can use ADTK to effectively implement and scale ELT. Agricultural Education, specifically the training of new farmers, is used as a sample context to demonstrate ADTK. In new-farmer education, it is necessary to compress the educational cycles of dozens of years of …

The Use Of Agents In International Student Recruitment: International Education Professional’S Opinions, Emily M. Kirsch

Capstone Collection

The use of recruitment agents in international student recruitment is a controversial topic with divisive and differing opinions among international education and higher education professionals. This paper researches international educator’s opinions on the use of recruitment agents in international education and explores the idea of a framework to regulate their use. A survey was sent out to international educators across the United States. 119 respondents gave their opinions on the use of agents and provided a valuable snapshot of the current outlook on the ethics and necessity of the use of agents.

The Value Of Conservation Easements: An Analysis Of The Effects Of Conservation Easements On Property Values In Central Vermont., Jonathan Decker

Capstone Collection

This capstone research aims to explore the possibilities of an association between changes in the fair market value of landed properties and their proximity to land parcels containing conservation easements. The study attempts to provide a greater understanding of how conservation easements provide benefits to Vermont municipalities. These benefits are described as ecosystem services, and their value was proxied by increases in the fair market value of transferred real-estate located within two distinct radiuses of the conserved land.

The study focuses on two specific properties located in the towns of Marshfield and East Montpelier. For each town, four separate datasets …

Planning Sustainable Food Hubs: Thinking Beyond Economic Viability To Democratize Local Food Access, Ashley Bahlkow

Capstone Collection

In light of an increasing awareness of the detrimental public health impacts of conventional food systems, the New Hampshire Endowment for Health (NHEH) funded a food hub feasibility study to develop a local food hub in the southeastern region of New Hampshire. The study centered on conceptualizing a food hub that would be both viable from a small business standpoint as well one that would increase access to local food, especially for marginalized communities in the city of Manchester--the major population center in the region.

The project work plan contained several activities for determining feasibility, which were completed over the …

The Influence Of Peacejam’S Ambassadors Program On Youth In Relation To Their Future Career Choice, Community Involvement And Acceptance Of Diversity: A Qualitative Study Of Program Alumni From Four Affiliate Regions In The Us, Ashley Sicard

Capstone Collection

PeaceJam is a yearlong educational program for youth ranging from age 5 to 25 with a mission of creating the next generation of ‘Change Agents.’ Its curriculum focuses on the model of “Education, Inspiration and Action” with the intention of providing youth a comprehensive understanding of the complex problems of today and what is needed for them to gain the skills, knowledge and commitment to create positive change in themselves, their community, and the world in the future. Through previous research, the program has demonstrated success in achieving its short term and intermediate outcomes in the youth participants. However, no …

Environmental Sustainability, Cultural Awareness, And Personal Growth: A Short-Term Study Abroad Program Design For The University Of Colorado, Boulder, Jana K. Howlett

Capstone Collection

The University of Colorado (CU), as with many academic institutions in the United States, has seen a consistent increase in the number of students opting for short-term study abroad programs. A growing concern in the field of international education is whether it is possible for students to mature in cultural competence from such a short time spent abroad. In an initiative to deliberately increase students’ intercultural growth during short-term excursions, Global Seminar: Environmental Sustainability and Cross-Culture Contact in Costa Rica (GSCR) proposes a program that implements two new aspects to CU’s study abroad options: a course-linked program and an …

Playing For Peace: Building Relationships Between Ugandan And Refugee Youth Through Football3 At Soccer Without Borders Uganda, Jean-Christophe Moran

Capstone Collection

This paper describes and analyzes a soccer tournament for Ugandan and refugee youth based on the principles and practices of football3, an established methodology for using soccer as a means of dialogue and resolution of conflict across differences. The goal of this tournament to was build relationships between Ugandan and refugee youth at Soccer Without Borders Uganda. This tournament was held in 2013 in Kampala under the auspices of Soccer Without Borders Uganda and involved training of staff. The implementation of football3 demonstrated that this methodology could have a positive impact on uniting refugee and Ugandan youth while providing participants …

Corporate Social Responsibility Enrichment Exchange Program, Deborah Waggoner

Capstone Collection

In this globalized age, international companies and organizations are working in more countries than ever before, and consumers and concerned citizens now have the opportunity and, perhaps even the responsibility, to better understand the environmental and social impacts of the companies and organizations with which they do business.

The concept that businesses and organizations need to be responsible to society for their direct and indirect impacts on people and the environment has become known as corporate social responsibility (CSR). As CSR continues to be a growing practice, companies seem to be approaching it from very different angles, depending upon their …

A Vision Of Capitalism, As It Was Meant To Be: A Social Purpose Business Plan For Foodshed Productions, August Miller

Capstone Collection

FoodShed Productions, a social enterprise is pursuing a mission: to raise the caring capacity of communities and resilience of our local environments through resident education in organic backyard farming. As a social enterprise, FoodShed Productions, a for-profit, earns its economic viability doing work more often associated with non-profits, measuring its worth by the social, environmental, and economic benefits of its operations. The communities in Boulder County, CO. are served by FoodShed Productions through a social process in which “We Build, We Coach, You Keep Growing,” toward the goal of self-reliance.

The topic of this CLC is a Social Purpose Business …

For Better Or For Worse: Gender And The Congo Basin Forests, Jennifer M. Bangoura

Capstone Collection

Abstract Gender is increasingly an element of program design in international development and education. Given its inherent significance in cultures around the world, gender shapes and molds the ways in which we perceive the roles and responsibilities of men and women. This study seeks to understand the intersection of gender and natural resource management in the Central Africa region. In this region, where tradition often guides the roles men and women play both at home and in the work place, it is critical to understand the role of gender and how accounting for it in project design can both support, …

Analysis Of The Efficacy Of Criminal Court Mediation As A Tool Of Restorative Justice, Teresa Hoerres

Capstone Collection

This capstone research paper aims to capture the personal narratives of how participants of criminal court mediation in Brooklyn, New York actual experience the program. The program, which is facilitated by New York Peace Institute, is a cornerstone of the organization’s restorative justice program. Restorative justice has been gaining traction over the last few decades, and its application to criminal matters as an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) service, is unprecedented.

The research was conducted using a mixed methodology approach, relying on the researcher’s ethnographic observations of the criminal court mediation program from August 2013 through March 2014, as well as …

Youth Violence Prevention Programming In Medellín, Colombia: Five Recommendations, Timothy Pracher

Capstone Collection

This paper presents five evidence-based recommendations for youth violence prevention programming in Medellín, Colombia. The recommendations are based on youth psycho-social needs and prior violence prevention program analyses. Recommendations will suggest that arts and sports activities could be effective programming tools. Historical and contextual information about Colombia's guerrilla war and gang violence in Medellín will be used to demonstrate the importance of youth empowerment programs and explain why a violence prevention program should be implemented in Medellín. The recommendations contained in this paper could be useful for anyone seeking to develop a youth program, especially a youth empowerment program in …

Communicating Climate Change: A National Security Framework, Stacy Casey

Capstone Collection

There is a severe lack of public concern and engagement surrounding climate change due to various challenges, barriers, and failures in Climate Change communications. Framing is a communication concept and tool proven to help break communication barriers by presenting information through a new perspective. This study asks if reframing Climate Change under a National Security frame will interest and inform the public about the many complexities of climate change, resulting in public engagement and policy. Strategic frame analysis is used to identify issues in communicating Climate Change and reframe Climate Change under a National Security frame. Specific framing guidelines and …