Inequality and Stratification Commons^™

Access To Healthcare For The Poor: Will The Affordable Care Act Address Income-Related Health Disparities In The United States?, Sonya Fabricant

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Background: Low-income populations live shorter and less healthy lives in the United States due to a complexity of social, environmental and behavioral factors. These populations also face significant barriers in accessing health services. In 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) passed, marking the first major reform of the American healthcare system since the 1960s. This paper evaluates its potential to address health disparities through changes to medical care delivery. Methodology: Results were compiled from government documents, reports from research institutes, journal articles, and an expert interview. A section-analysis was also performed, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of …

The Importance Of Play To Childhood Development: A Child’S Right To Play While Living With Hiv/Aids, Rachel Bambrick

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This is a social analysis paper that explores child development and a child’s right to engage in play activities while living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa. Through experiences volunteering at the Children’s Rights Centre, interviewing occupational therapy professors, and living and playing in various communities in KwaZulu-Natal, the study looks into play development for children living with HIV and the policies put in place to protect their rights to play and develop. Primary data was triangulated against secondary sources, most of which were found while volunteering at the Children’s Rights Centre in Durban. The study looks at the stigmas surrounding …

Régulations De L’Usage Et De La Possession De Terre: Exploration De L'Efficacité Des Règles Officielles Concernant La Gestion De Terre Et Perceptions Des Lois Par Les Habitants D’Andranomena Dans La Région Menabe, Ben Armstrong

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Autour d’Andranomena, un village qui se trouve près de Morondava dans la Région Menabe, il y a encore des terres non cultivées couvertes d’herbes sauvages ou de forets. Mais avec l’accroissement de la population dû au taux de natalité et de l’immigration, il y a de plus en plus de pressions pour trouver de la terre nouvelle.

Cette recherche de terrain se passe avec deux processus parallèles: le premier est la demande de titres domaniaux auprès de l’Etat effectuée par l’intéressé et le second est la validation de la possession de terre avec la connaissance locale de la personne qui …

Women In Post Revolutionary Tunisia: Political Inclusion And Prospects For The Future, Courtney Joline

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As the world turns it attention to Tunisia as the first state to undergo the democratic transition in the phenomenon known as the Arab Spring, women’s status has been a dominant theme among policy analysts, journalists, and scholars. As people debate their means of mobilization, I sought to document how women see their futures and their opinion of the democratic transition, and most importantly what this holds for women. This piece seeks to give women agency and a forum for them to share their stories, opinions, and perspectives of the future. In a time when so many thinkers are getting …

Conflict Situation For Health Care Workers: A Case Study Of The Occupational Challenges In Kasangati Health Centre Iv And Their Implications For Patient Care., Shannon Mcdowell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Many factors influence a country’s ability to provide quality health services for its people. Particularly, quality health care hinges upon the availability of properly trained and equipped health care workers (HCWs) to deliver effective care. Resource-strained countries committed to the Millennium Development Goals are confronting the reality that shortages and uneven distribution of HCWs threaten their capacities to encourage and establish healthy communities. A scarcity in HCWs is one challenge of public health initiatives and places stress on existing HCWs. Other challenges faced by HCWs severely affect performance, motivation, and overall care-giving ability.

This study aims to examine the particular …

Managing Diversity And Dealing With The Obstacles To Integration Of Non-European Union Migrants: A Comparison Of Policies In The Netherlands And France, Eryn Eby

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Because of the reality of permanent immigration to Europe, the issue of integration of immigrants, particularly Muslim immigrants is of great importance and the direction and style of policies are the subjects of increasing debate and disagreement. Neither multicultural policies nor assimilation policies have led to a satisfactory level of integration and decreased social and ethnic tensions in France and the Netherlands. We found that often, the rhetoric, perceptions, and misinterpretations that go along with the labels of ‘multiculturalism’ and ‘assimilation’ serve to further polarize the debate and lead to more problems than they solve. The overall rhetoric and program …

Lo Personal Es Político: La Lucha Por La Legalización Del Aborto En Chile, A Través De La Organización Feminista, Católicas Por El Derecho A Decidir, Gavin Odabashian

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper investigates the work of a small collective of women—Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir—and the practice of their activism in Valparaíso, Chile. I focus on the ways in which these women are strategically mobilizing as an organization to fight for justice for women in Chile—more specifically, for gender equality, access to reproductive rights, and the legalization of abortion in all cases. I examine the history of the organization, its form and structure, the projects and campaigns they are currently working on, the individual experiences of the women working within the organization, their perspectives on their work, …

Conocimientos Y Conductas Sexuales En Trabajadores Migrantes (Arica, Chile), Anna Conley

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Background: The HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to be prevalent and to expand in Chile, as in many other regions of Latin America and around the world. Furthermore, it continues to concentrate in distinct, vulnerable populations. Migrant workers represent one such vulnerable population. The HIV/AIDS epidemic disproportionately impacts migrant workers because of the social, economic, and psychological factors that are involved in both migratory behaviors and disease construction.

Aim: This study identified sexual health knowledge and sexual health behavior in the migrant laborer population of Arica, Chile. More specifically, it identified risk factors for HIV/AIDS and explored possible strategies for a preventative …

Creating Dignity Out Of Despair: The Impact Of The 2009 Decriminalization Of Homosexuality In Delhi, Diana Boesch

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code was created in 1860 and outlawed “carnal intercourse against the order of nature.” In the following years, even after independence, India used Section 377 to prosecute child sexual abusers. While the law was rarely used to prosecute adult same-sex intercourse, it created widespread homophobia and harassment for LGBT Indians. Finally, in 2001 the Naz Foundation filed a petition against Section 377. On July 2, 2009 the Delhi High Court struck down Section 377 in its application to adult consensual same-sex intercourse. The decision sparked celebration within the LGBT community, a massive media response, …

Sectarianism In Northern Ireland: Youth Work And The Art Of Having The Difficult Conversation, Dan Knishkowy

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This report is the outcome of a month-long exploratory study on youth work in Northern Ireland regarding sectarian issues. It is an investigation of how sectarianism transfers from generation to generation, and how this often results in cycles of violence. The goal of this exploration was to find out what efforts are being made to combat this cycle at a youth level, and gain a more nuanced understanding of how these efforts can be effective. Data was obtained through literature, structured interviews, and participation and observation in a youth workshop. It is concluded that cross-community contact at a youth level …

Beads, Sculptures, And Baskets: South African Traditional Craft As A Means Of Economic Empowerment, Sasha Kaori Hippard

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The significance of the South African traditional craft industry is often associated with the preservation of historical culture. However, besides being a crucial element in the protection and promotion of cultural heritage, craftwork also can be a significant source of income generation for disadvantaged communities across South Africa. The African Art Centre, a non-profit organization located in Durban, reaches out to various communities of disadvantage in and around the KwaZulu Natal province, holding training and design workshops, providing access to craft skills and materials, and providing a market for the sale of craft as a source of sustainable economic empowerment. …

Take Back Rondebosch Common: A Case Study On Discontent With The Da And Urban Land Reform In Rondebosch, Cape Town., Kyle Dallman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In late January of 2012, undercurrents of dissatisfaction with Cape Town’s ruling political party, the Democratic Alliance, and their pace of development and service delivery came to a head as aggrieved citizens marched through the southern suburbs of the city to a green known as Rondebosch Common. The citizens had planned on protesting the lack of opportunities for Cape Town’s non-white citizens while at the Common in a “Land, Housing and Jobs Summit,” but were met with police batons and armored vans that quelled the movement in an astonishing show of force. This paper will investigate the motivations of the …

The Effect Of Climate Change On Mongolian Herding Communities: Investigating The Current Prevalence Of Ecomigration And Community Perceptions Of And Responses To Migration In The Countryside, Rachael Diniega

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The livelihoods of Mongolian herders depend on rangeland conditions, which are being threatened by land degradation and climate change. These changes may cause some Mongolian herders to move to a different land. Thus, the prevalence of ecomigration today and the perceptions and responses of herding communities to migrants were examined to understand ways government could form adaptation policy to climate change in the future. Interviews were conducted with both migrant and host herders as well as government officials in Mungunmorit, Tov and Delgerkhan, Khentii, including the state reserve Herlen Bayan-Olaang. A survey was used to evaluate the prevalence of ecomigration …

Visibilización De La Población Rural En Villa La Angostura Después De La Erupción Del Volcán Puyehue, Claire Henkel

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El desarrollo de la población rural en Villa la Angostura, una ciudad en la provincia de Neuquen en Argentina cambió bastante después de la erupción volcánica de Puyehue Chileno en el Cordón Caulle. La comunidad rural en dicha región, que consiste de familias mapuches y criollos, ha sufrido décadas de ser perjudicadas por el Estado y el Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi. Este mal trato junto con el crecimiento de la economía turístico que genera la ciudad había puesto las poblaciones rurales en un estado aislado e invisible con poco acceso a recursos para desarrollar. Las vidas y oportunidades de estas …

El Microcrédito Como Herramienta Para Promover La Autonomía Económica Y El Empoderamiento Social En Mujeres De Bajos Recursos En El Conurbano Norte: El Caso De “Mujeres 2000” / Microcredits As A Tool To Promote Economic Autonomy And Social Empowerment In Women With Few Resources In The Northern Metropolitan Area: The Case Of “Mujeres 2000”, Stephanie Allen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In recent years, Argentina has been faced with many economic downfalls, specifically the economic crisis of 2001. These economic hardships led to higher rates of poverty and unemployment throughout the country. The populations most affected but such harsh economic downturns were the already vulnerable; one of which being women. Many women in Argentina and throughout Latin America occupy a lower position in society and often bear most of the burden of poverty and unemployment.

As a response to the isolation of some groups from the formal economic system, the idea of microfinance took shape. Presently in Argentina there exist over …

“The Invisible Disability:” Perceptions And Potential Of Children With Autism In Kisumu, Kenya, Talia Cohen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Awareness and prevalence of autism around the world is on the rise; however, much remains unknown about this developmental disability. This study is a survey of perceptions of individuals with autism in Kisumu and the services available to facilitate their development. Two areas of interest arose during this study. First, many children do not receive intervention services until a very late age, seriously hindering the success of the intervention. Many special schools do not accept children until they are well into vital stages of development, and the Educational Assessment and Resource Center (EARC) lacks the personal and funding to provide …

Inteñas En Acción: El Eco-Feminismo Y El Desarrollo Alternativo En Íntag, Ellicott Dandy

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El bosque nublado es una zona de vida subtropical y montañosa del Ecuador caracterizada por sus grandes cuencas hídricas, y su riqueza de aves y plantas epifitas.[1] Dentro del bosque nublado, está la Zona de Íntag con una extensión de 1.374,4 kilómetros cuadrados.[2] Junto a esta diversidad de especies, conviven unas doce mil personas[3] en parroquias y docenas de comunidades pertenecientes al sector, conectadas por carreteras que serpentean entre las lomas verdes de la Cordillera Toisán. Un 98% de la población de Íntag se identifica como mestiza, y del restante 2%, 1% como indígena y 1% como …

“It’S Bigger Than Hip Hop” : A Case Study Of Africulturban Association As A Site Of Social (Ex)Change, Renee Slajda

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Africulturban is a non-profit organization that seeks to promote Senegalese urban culture, a highly popular, socially conscious, and youth-led movement that began in Dakar’s impoverished suburbs. Situated in one of these underdeveloped areas, the association works to improve its community and develop urban culture into an industry that can support its artists. As a case study, this research firstly examines how Africulturban, as a young, grassroots organization, is run. It further aims to understand how urban culture may be used as a tool of social development by looking at the culture’s specific characteristics that make it suitable to this task. …

The Current Education System In Senegal: A Closer Look At The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Attending A Private Catholic Institution In Dakar, Erin Clasby

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For my independent study project I examined the possible reasons for the current state of the education system in Senegal. Focusing on the primary school level, I explored what factors contribute to the low levels of achievement currently in the schools of Dakar. To help me do this, I observed and participated in the everyday lives of children at École Primaire Sainte Bernadette, a local private Catholic school. I studied socioeconomic status, student to teacher ratio, curriculum, the importance placed on education in the culture and communities I stayed in, and how these factors affect the quality of education children …

Housing And Urbanization: A Socio-Spatial Analysis Of Resettlement Projects In Hồ Chí Minh City, Michael J. Stumpf

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As Hồ Chí Minh City continues to undergo rapid urbanization, especially with the creation of a multitude of new urban zone developments on the periphery of the inner districts, the resettling of people has become common. Families who live within areas that are selected for urban upgrading or, as in other cases for the construction of new miniature cities, must face the realities of relocation. Many issues arise in the complicated process of resettling the displaced, due to complex land-use laws, bureaucratic dissonance, and lack of investment in actual resettlement housing. The authorities of Hồ Chí Minh City have faced …