Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

R-E-S-P-E-C-T Expectations, Perceptions, And Influences On Moroccan Etiquette, Christina Ermilio

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Why do humans naturally create distinctions? How do we establish these distinctions between ourselves? What marks us as an individual within a particular group? In this project, I consider how etiquette is defined in Morocco and how it relates to the work of certain theorists and sociologists such as Pierre Bourdieu. Primarily, this project focuses on expectations of behavior, perceptions of the ‘other,’ and influences on the definition of good behavior in Morocco. In addition to observations in public spaces and more specifically at universities, I interviewed University students from Ibn Tofail in Kenitra and from Mohammed V in Rabat, …

White-Washed: The “Conservation” Of The Physical And Metaphysical States Of Ghanaian Slave Castle-Dungeons And Forts, Britney D. Ghee

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The methodology for this qualitative research is heavily reliant upon personal observation, photographic documentation, secondary source analysis, and interviews. It i was crucial to also develop personal observation through other sources like journals and museum professionals. By visiting and thoroughly investigating Cape Coast Castle, St. George’s Castle (referred to as Elmina Castle), Fort Victoria, Fort St. Jago, and the English Fort in Komenda, observations that deal with preservation tactics for the buildings and for memorializing slave castles and forts in Ghana can be addressed. Certainly these case studies are all located in the Central Region, but the differences and variety …

L@S Desaparecid@S No Desaparecen: Testimonios De Familias Desgarradas, Sara Jacobs

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Since the beginning of time, migration has been a reality in our world. It is a phenomenon linked with the human race that has always existed and is always going to exist. There are a multitude of theories and reasons behind why people choose to migrate, whether it is in search of something different or to flee from something unsustainable, among other things. There are many reasons and each person has his or her own explanation and motive for migrating.

Although there are different motives, migrants and their family members share a human experience, and this experience connects millions of …

Puerto Disperso: La Existencia O No De La Comunidad Y El Espacio No-Heteronormativa En Valparaíso, Chile, Rebecca Raymond-Kolker

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The social and political reality of contemporary Chile continues to be characterized by hegemonic social conservatism and restrictive and often violent government. Within this context, studies of sexuality and deviations from normative sexuality in Chile have historically focused on certain identity groups—namely gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual/gender populations—in relation to this conservative context. Previous work on specifically lesbian and gay individuals focus on the relationship between identity formation and social realities. Gay and lesbian studies in Chile are often based in Santiago; as the capital and the largest metropolitan area, the 15th Region is the site of the most GLBT …

Constructing Cidadania: Shifting Visions Of Citizenship In The Mst Settlement Assentamento 25 De Maio In Ceará, Brazil, Alexis Victoria Cruzzavala

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The social movement known as Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST) was founded in 1984 with the intent of agrarian reform in a newly democratic Brazil. The movement arrived in Northeastern Brazil in the late 1980s and successfully organized a group of landless workers in the interior of Ceará on May 25, 1989 to create the first settlement the state had seen. The citizens of Assentamento 25 de Maio, as the settlement was later named, have undergone a unique social transition from circumstances closely resembling forced servitude and latifúndio to liberation. This transition affected the men and women who …

“Los Huaynos Me Recuerdan A Mi Tierra”: La Música Radial De Cusco Y La Formación De Identidades Migrantes”, Violet Cavicchi

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

La experiencia migratoria de muchos peruanos de comunidades con identidades andinas marcadas que se mudan a la ciudad de Cusco crea un conflicto identitario que es distinto. Estas personas se enfrentan con nuevas influencias que complican su conceptualización de una identidad propia. Este estudio considera la manera en que un foro especifico de la música radial funciona como un espacio para trabajar estas influencias solapadas y construir un entendimiento de identidad regional en este nuevo contexto. El artículo empieza con un análisis del contexto histórico que establece este fenómeno y que explica la importancia de la radio y su música …

“Necesitamos Amar La Autonomía”: Los Retos Que Enfrenta El Desarrollo Autonómico De La Raas, Joshua L. Mayer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Twenty-four years after the passage of the Autonomy Law (Ley 28) by the Nicaraguan National Assembly, the Southern Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAS) continues to struggle to exercise its newfound rights and fill the space provided to it. Especially in the five years since President Daniel Ortega took office for the second time and began an earnest effort to reinforce the autonomy kept weak over the past sixteen years, the internal challenges facing the region’s ability to assert itself in its own political and economic development have become increasingly clear. This project aims to highlight these challenges as a synthesis of …

A Foreigner’S Gaze On The Micro-Culture Of The Car-Rapide—Senegalese Values Vs. Monetary Lust, Merrill Pierce

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The vibrant, chaotic, and interactive Car Rapide, a poignant micro-culture in Dakar, is a visually communicative entity and social space in Senegal’s transportation system. From an outsider’s gaze, this project addresses the history, artistic and religious significance, inner-workings of the system of employees, and present day implications of the car-rapide. The car-rapide emerges as the embodiment of both valuable and challenging aspects of Senegalese culture.

Bills, Bribery And Brutality: How Rampant Corruption In The Electoral System Has Helped Prevent Democracy In Uganda, Sam Tabachnik

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study looks at the electoral system in Uganda and the corruption and inefficiencies that go with it. In addition, this study delves into the most common electoral crimes and the way they are committed. Going even deeper, the study examines the reasons for bribery pervasiveness, the role of money in politics and the views locals have of their government and its leaders. Crucial institutions such as police, military, judiciary, Electoral Commission and civil society groups were also discussed in how they relate toelections and politics in Uganda.

The research design was qualitative, historical and descriptive. Information was gatheredby in-person …

Highlife In The Ghanaian Music Scene: A Historical And Socio-Political Perspective, Micah Motenko

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

I lived in the cities of Accra and Kumasi for a total of 30 days during the month of November, 2011. To achieve my research objectives, I used a combination of formal and informal interviews, participant observation, and non-participant observation. I interviewed 7 musicians and 1 professor/musician in Accra, as well as 1 musician, 1 CD shop owner, and 1 DJ in Kumasi, making a total of 11 interviews most of which I recorded. For my participant observation, I observed 4 concerts total in Accra, all consisting of a mixture of genres including Highlife and Gospel. I participated in 2 …

A Berber In Agadir: Exploring The Urban/Rural Shift In Amazigh Identity, Thiago Lima

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Arab Spring has seen North African and Middle Eastern youth organizing against the status quo and challenging what they perceive as political, economic, and social injustices. In Morocco, while the Arab Spring may not have been as substantial as in neighboring countries, demonstrations are still occurring nearly everyday in major cities like Rabat as individuals protest issues including government transparency, high unemployment, and, for specific interest of this paper, the marginalization of the Amazigh people. The Amazigh, also popularly referred to as Berbers in most Western academia and literature, are regarded as the original inhabitants of Morocco and the …

Sustainability Series: Creating Student Sustainable Practices Within Sfs And Beyond, Staci Hagen

Capstone Collection

The School for Field Studies (SFS) is a non-profit environmental research based study abroad program that integrates academic, research, social and community activities in a holistic education model. One of the six SFS centers is the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) in Baja California Sur, Mexico. At CCS, students take courses that explore local and regional environmental, social and economic problems and they have the opportunity to design their own research project. Even though students study these problems and come up with sustainable solutions, it does not mean that they make personal choices with the least impact on the environment. …

Emerging Youth Leaders: A Redesign Of A Two-Way Youth Exchange Between The Us And Senegal, Aspen L. Felt

Capstone Collection

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is increasingly focused on youth exchange programs to build bridges of understanding between peoples and address ongoing social, environmental, and political challenges in an increasingly globalized world. The Emerging Youth Leaders program is a unique Department of State exchange program that brought a group of thirty Senegalese and American students together for 6 weeks in Dakar and the San Francisco Bay Area in the summer of 2010 around the themes of democracy and governance in civil society. Over the course of the U.S. based portion of the program I …

Intercultural Competency Training For Semester At Sea, Leah Charbonneau

Capstone Collection

Semester At Sea, a comparative education study abroad program, is a unique experience that provides participants an opportunity to challenge their worldview. Semester At Sea cultivates opportunities beyond the classroom to explore issues of culture and identity. However, little training is provided to give participants the tools to navigate in intercultural contexts.

The proposed Semester At Sea (SAS) Intercultural Competency Training (ICT) program will offer a semester-long intensive training program with the purpose of providing participants with a foundation in intercultural competency and sensitivity. The purpose of the SAS ICT design is to incorporate experiential educational practices and classroom learning …

Nomadic Knowledge Of The Yak: A Case Study In The Khangai Mountains, Mongolia, Jesse Geary

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

It is extremely important to probe and preserve the knowledge of nomadic herders of Mongolia. There is no formal piece of literature that dictates how these clever humans survive. Their lifestyle requires a vast skill set spanning from construction knowledge, to navigational skills, to a deep understanding of their animals. One attains this knowledge through years of observation, listening, and attempting to mimic their parents. In this way, knowledge is passed on from one generation to the next. Investigating herder’s knowledge of the yak provides a window into the animal husbandry practices of Mongolian nomads. The herders in the central …

Commercial Patterns And Spatial Networks In Hanoi’S Old Quarter: A Case Study Of Vendors On Lan Ong Street, Daniel Weiner

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Walking the streets of the Hanoi’s Old Quarter, one can easily begin to question the economic viability of the area’s commercial pattern. That is, how can multiple stores that sell the exact same products coexist in such a densely concentrated arena? Why do traders with the same goods choose to locate next to each other? Through a literature review of the history of Hanoi’s Old Quarter as well as a case study of the vendors on Lan Ong Street, I examine the purpose and the functionality of the Old Quarter’s spatial structure. I find that the vendors in the Old …

The Substance And Style Of Len Dong: Healing, Transformation, And Aesthetic In Spirit Possession Rituals Of Hue, Lauren Cardenas

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Len Dong is a spirit possession ritual practiced in the mother goddess religion of Tu Phu. Tu Phu roughly translates to “Four Palaces” or the sacred homes of the four spirits of the earth, heaven, water, and mountain or woods[1]. As there is no formal organization of the religion, there is much freedom in its expression among practitioners. For example, the styles, designs, and intricacy of the costumes may vary, or perhaps the size of the accompanying ritual orchestra. Yet there remains one very important element of spirit possession ritual: loc or lucky gifts from the spirits …

Youth Dating Culture In Urban Vietnam: Attitudes, Behaviors, And Influences, Alexa Difiore

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper attempts to research urban youth’s attitudes and behaviors concerning everything having to do with dating (the process, PDA, typical dating spots and behavior) and opinions towards “hot issues” in contemporary, Vietnam such as pre-marital sex and co-habitation. My research question focuses on what the term “dating” means among youth in urban Vietnam, and the various influences that affect youth’s dating and sexual lives. Through an extensive literature review, I learned that there is an overall lack of information and discussion about sex in Vietnam. There is also a general idea that from parents, the government, and school that …

La Pobreza Móvil De Los Migrantes Shipibo-Conibo: Una Investigación De La Influencia De La Migración En La Cosmovisión Shipibo-Conibo De Canta Gallo-Rímac, Lima, Lauren Kennedy

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Una investigación de las perspectivas de la pobreza y el desarrollo en la comunidad migrante Shipibo-Conibo viviendo en Canta Gallo-Rímac, Lima para entender cómo la migración al urbe influye la autoidentificación respeto a la pobreza.

Sostenibilidad Y Autogestión En Programas De Seguridad Alimentaria En Nicaragua, Katherine Finnegan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

La Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la Alimentación (FAO) estimó que en 2010 había novecientos veintidós millones de personas subnutridas en el mundo.[1] Ya tenemos bastante viviendo subtnutridas mientras el porcentaje más pequeña está viviendo en exceso y con doscientos diecinueve mil personas añadidas a “la mesa de cena mundial”, es imperativo que buscamos la clave al acceso alimentario para todos.[2]

Yo decidí investigar la seguridad alimentaria en Nicaragua porque no creo en estas injusticias. Además no creo en la injusticia de alimentos, especialmente en un país como Nicaragua que tiene bastantes recursos. Yo …

Departing From “Education”: Finding Autonomous Learning The Ability For Knowledge That Gives Itself, Matthew Jernigan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Initially, I set out to grasp an understanding of CIdeCI and its methods of learning, to observe these spaces in order to contrast them with those of modern western education. However, my time there has been a process of rediscovering as well as redefining the practices and routines of life; a life through struggle, through resistance, through passion and creation. Beneath the surface I found a different existence in which they pick up the world to hold it otherwise, as to see it from a new perspective, moving it further down and towards the left. So the following paper does …

Entre Fronteras Historias Personales De Migración En El Austro De Ecuador, Hannah Johnson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este estudio trata de las experiencias de personas migrantes retornados y sus familiares en las provincias australes de Ecuador, un país ubicado en América del Sur que tiene fronteras con Colombia al norte y Perú al este y al sur (véanse Figura 1). Desde los años 2000, la migración se ha vuelto un tema muy importante en el país—más de 2.5 millones de ecuatorianos viven en más que 55 países en cinco continentes.[1]^{, [2]} Aunque el tema de migración es de mucho importancia y discusión hoy en día, para entender la situación actual de migración en Ecuador, es …

No Me Conoces: Integración Social De Refugiados Colombianos En Quito, Anna Luberoff

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

¿Qué significa ser refugiado? Técnicamente, una persona es un refugiado cuando está en una situación de peligro en su país de origen, mientras que un migrante es una persona que se mudó de su país de origen principalmente por razones económicas. Según la definición técnica de ACNUR, un refugiado es una persona que:

“debido a fundados temores de ser perseguida por motivos de raza, religión, nacionalidad, pertenencia a determinado grupo social u opiniones políticas, se encuentre fuera del país de su nacionalidad y no pueda o, a causa de dichos temores, no quiera acogerse a la protección de tal país; …

Validating The Culture Of Agriculture: Farmers Groups And Organic Agriculture Mitigating Rural To Urban Migration In Bhutan, Emma Dosch

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Agricultural occupations make up the largest proportion of Bhutan’s workforce. Over the past two decades the occupation has shrunk from 90% to 65% of Bhutan’s employment. The younger generation of Bhutan’s rural population is seeking livelihood opportunities in urban areas, leaving farms with labor shortages. The movement may compromise the identity and sustainability of Bhutan’s rural population and undermine the nation’s goals of Gross National Happiness (GNH) directed policy. Initiatives to retain and legitimize agricultural livelihoods are emerging inside and outside of government policy. Existing efforts are models of ways to reconnect educated individuals with the needs and values of …

Like The Roar Of A Thousand Thunders: Instrumental Music And Creativity In Tibetan Buddhist Ritual, Eben Yonnetti

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Tibetan Buddhism has numerous detailed and diverse traditions of ritual music that play an integral part in religious practices. Despite the prominence of such performances in Tibetan Buddhist life, spectators and researchers alike have frequently misunderstood them based purely on physical observation. As a religion that focuses on the cultivation and development of the mind, any analysis focusing only on physical description is significantly flawed. Music in Buddhist practice is at a base level a sound offering. On a higher level, however, it is much more. If done with the proper motivation, musical performance during ritual is a method to …

La Educación Intercultural Bilingüe En Cusco: Un Análisis Crítico Del Discurso De Algunos Sectores Involucrados Con Su Implementación, Maggie Hutchison

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

En la segunda mitad del siglo XX en el Perú, la iniciativa de la Educación Intercultural Bilingüe, o la EIB, ha sido una manera importante de promover la revaloración de las lenguas y culturas indígenas y contribuir a un cambio social donde los espacios nacionales políticos y sociales incluyen por primera vez a las poblaciones indígenas sin la discriminación del pasado. La EIB tendrá mayor posibilidad de realizar un cambio social en el Perú si tiene el apoyo de todos los sectores involucrados con su implementación exitosa y más extendida. Cada sector tiene su propio discurso y comprensión de la …

Endangered Heritage And Emergent Ogogo: A Case Study Of The “Ulwazi Programme”, Emily Kwong

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Kwesukesukela, or “a long time ago,” there was a beautiful woman who lived by the ocean with her husband and two small children. The woman’s name was Mazanendaba. Although she lived a life full of happiness, Mazanendaba came to realize with time that something important was missing: there were no stories. No stories for mothers and grandmothers to tell their children. No stories to inspire joy and ease sorrow. No stories to enrich the mind and nurture the soul. Determined to find stories in a world without any, Mazanendaba left her beloved home in search of a new story to …

The Crisis Of Unity In The 21st Century: The Unrealized Dream Of Pan-Africanism In Cameroon, Araba Sapara-Grant

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The following is an analysis of how the sentiments of pan-Africanism, a notion formulated in the early 20th century, have failed to proliferate in Cameroonian society. As a concept based in the social, economic, and political solidarity of the African continent, the pan-African movement has often been a point of reference for intellectuals searching for a solution to the problems Africa currently faces, some of which include lack of political agency and stagnating economic growth. The beliefs promoted by pan-Africanists is that by joining together the collective potentials of all African people, the continent can become a global force, leaving …

South African Jews And How The History Of The Aparthied Has Effected The Community’S Relationship To The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Julia Berner-Tobin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research paper is centered on the question “how does the history of the Apartheid effect South African Jews relationship to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?” Four South African Jews from different parts of the Jewish community were interviewed. Blogs and newspaper articles were also analyzed. The participants were asked about their personal stories. They were asked about their relationship to Israel and Palestine, their visits there, whether or not they see a comparison between the Apartheid regime and the Israeli government. Participants were also asked to comment on the current climate of the South African Jewish community and the issues that …

¡El Machismo Mata! Promoviendo Una Masculinidad Libre De Violencia, Olivia Bergman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Al escuchar la declaración ‘¡el machismo mata!’, es muy probable que uno inmediatamente piense en las miles de mujeres que anualmente son asesinadas por el elemental hecho de haber nacido mujer. El pueblo nicaragüense está muy familiarizado con esta violencia contra las mujeres, porque “en Nicaragua, las muertes violentas de éstas han crecido en número y crueldad durante los últimos años.”[1] Solamente durante el primer trimestre de 2011 hubo 28 femicidios en Nicaragua - el número más alto nunca registrado, más del doble del número de mujeres asesinadas en la misma temporada de 2010.[2]

Sin embargo, cuando decidí titular este …