Digital Commons Network^™

Empowering Women Through Land: An Analysis Of The Barriers In Accessing Land Rights Within Kisumu County, Kenya, Madison Shaffer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project aims to gain a greater understanding of the current state of women’s land rights in Kisumu County, Kenya. It will discuss current barriers women face in accessing land and how land can impact a woman’s empowerment and in turn, her control over her health. Property rights can provide women with a secure place to live, a place of economic activity and reduce dependence on men. Property ownership can also serve to empower women and “give them greater bargaining power at the household, individual, and community level...increasing agency” (Dworkin,2009). Unfortunately, men have almost always been favored in land rights …

Motorbike-Related Injuries & Safety Practices Among Motorbike Riders In Kisumu, Western Kenya In 2019, Rowan Poehler

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Road traffic injuries are a growing public health problem throughout the world. Kenya has is known for having unsafe roads with an estimated 13,463 road traffic fatalities in 2016 and 24% of road traffic fatalities coming from 2-and 3-wheeled vehicles (WHO, 2018). This study sought to analyze road safety measures and road traffic injuries amongst motorbike taxi drivers in Kisumu, Kenya. A qualitative survey was administered to 152 motorbike taxi drivers in Kisumu over a two-week period in April 2019. The results were then analyzed. Results showed that 70% of drivers owned a helmet for themselves and 48.3% of drivers …

Home And Healing In The In-Between: Migrant And Refugee Mental Health In Tunisia, Donia Torabian

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research is a study of migrant conceptions of home and healing in Tunisia. It seeks to understand the ways in which migration, trauma, and healing interact as lived experiences for people who migrate for various reasons to Tunisia. Using past research from Terre d’Asile and Médecins du Monde, the research seeks to understand the main risk and protective factors of migrant mental health. The research is a qualitative study of the ways in which migrants identify with having experienced trauma and the healing practices they may have brought to or learned in Tunisia. It also hopes to build connections …

Youth Empowerment Programs In Jordan: Access And Equality, Mingyang (Linda) Zhang

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The research question for this study is to investigate the role of youth empowerment programs in providing equitable access for students at public and private schools in Jordan. Given the differences in education cost, quality, and outcomes between public and private schools; students are exposed to different levels of engagement opportunities within school systems. At the same time, the youth population is the engine of Jordan’s future growth. Understanding the role of external youth empowerment program providers is important to further education quality and equity.

The research includes six interviews with program providers and survey results from University of Jordan. …

"Root Causes Not Symptoms": Sustainable Organizational Structures, Réseau De Lutte Contre La Faim: The Decision-Making Process In Combatting Systemic Issues, Ambar Deleon

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper attempts to understand the basis for how an organization structures itself and their vision. This research draws its focus to the civil society sector in Cameroon, particularly looking at Reseau de Lutte Contre la Faim (RELUFA) and their organizational structure in the battling against systemic issues. The main research question for this study looked at how RELUFA reflects and monitors its performance to keep the organization sustainable in the long-term. For this research the methodology included interviews, observations and secondary resources along with tertiary resources that offered the context for the analytical part of this research. The interviews …

Mind Over (What Doesn’T) Matter: De-Stigmatizing Mental Health From Senegalese Women’S Perspectives, Jenna Marks

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As a matrilocal and collectivist society, Dakar is an urban space where the woman is at the center. With this in mind, it is possible to understand all the pressures women in urban Senegalese society face. Women are the center of the household, thus being responsible for the family, finances, and the social aspect of welcoming visitors. In addition to these factors, women in Senegal also deal with community expectations and responsibilities since there is larger emphasis on the community, rather than the nuclear family in Senegalese society. This paper examines how these two aspects of Senegalese society (matrilocality and …

La Comida, La Identidad Y La Migración: Un Caso De Estudio De Inmigrantes Femeninas Y Su Relación Con La Comida, Susanna Morales

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Esta corta investigación se enfoca en cómo la comida, la migración y la identidad se entrecruzan dentro de la vidas de las mujeres involucradas en el Sindicato de las Trabajadoras del Hogar de la ciudad de Cochabamba. La mayoría de ellas han migrado del campo a Cochabamba en búsqueda de un trabajo. El enfoque está en cómo ellas recuerdan sus pueblos y cómo su identidad se expresa a través de la comida. Mi pregunta de investigación es la siguiente: ¿Cómo se entrecruza la comida, la migración e identidad en la vida de una inmigrante femenina? Respondo a estas preguntas usando …

¡Reparación Ahora!: La Lucha Del Colegio De Profesores De Chile Y Los Profesores Jubilados Para Reparar La “Deuda Histórica” Y El Legado De La Dictadura Militar En La Profesión Docente Chilena., Olivia Keane

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Esta investigación se trata de la deuda histórica que debe el Estado de Chile a los profesores que fueron municipalizados durante la dictadura y el trabajo del Colegio de Profesores de Chile y los profesores jubilados en la lucha para reparar la deuda. La investigación fue efectuada en Santiago de Chile y la autora recopiló información a través de entrevistas con profesores jubilados y, activos y empleados del Colegio de Profesores. La autora también observó cómo se manifestaron los docentes jubilados para la reparación de la deuda y la comunidad que ha formado como resultado de esta causa compartida. La …

Refugee Resettlement And Integration In Germany: Analysis Of Media Discourse, Dylan T. O'Neil

Student Publications

Refugees are among the most discussed and debated topics worldwide; the massive movement of refugees and asylum seekers facing the world today is the largest since the end of the second world war. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates the total number of refugees in the world to be almost twenty-six million people, while asylum seekers account for around three million. The concept of a refugee is formally defined by the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees, which creates a legal status, and states that a refugee is a person who “faces well-founded fear of being …

White, Linda C. (Fa 1275), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1275. Student folk studies project titled “The Bloodshed Legacy: Historical Legends of Civil War Guerilla Activity in Western Appalachia,” which includes descriptions of historic folk legends in eastern Kentucky and Tennessee. Transcriptions of interviews on reel-to-reel tapes may include description of the legend, date collected, and informant’s name and address.

Time And Place, Emma Fleming, Jane Liao, Rosie Salaro

Ethnographies of Parkland Student Life

This podcast is the result of an ethnography assignment for Anthropology 103. For this project, the group observed three locations at Parkland College to see if the varying locations evoke different emotional responses. The group’s findings are summarized in the included slideshow, and a transcript of the podcast is also available.

Demystifying Jadeite: An Underwater Maya Discovery At Ek Way Nal, Belize, Heather Mckillop, George Harlow, April Sievert, C. Wayne Smith, Michael C. Wiemann

Faculty Publications

Jadeite artefacts at Maya sites are normally associated with ritual and ceremonial locations, with high-quality jadeite reserved for elite objects. The discovery of a jadeite gouge with a wooden handle at a Classic Maya salt-working site submerged by sea-level rise - Ek Way Nal, Belize - is therefore unexpected and provides new information about the utilitarian use of this stone. The extremely high quality of this jadeite tool is particularly surprising, offering new insight into the Classic Maya exchange systems and the role of salt makers such as those based at Ek Way Nal.

Images Of Nursing From West Michigan: A Photo Essay, Aldina Mahmutovic

Honors Projects

The image of nursing is diverse and complex, with public perceptions influenced by traditional imagery and negative stereotypes. Few recent studies consider how nurses view their professional image. My study aimed to uncover how West Michigan nurses perceive the image of nursing. Approval was given by the local Sigma chapter (Kappa Epsilon at Large), to recruit participants from members, and by Grand Valley's IRB. Via an online REDCap survey, participants submitted an original photo and written narrative. Submissions were searched for underlying patterns using thematic analysis. Themes identified were: (1) nurses establish relationships with unique and vulnerable clients, using their …

What Can Anthropologists Do?: Applied Anthropology In A Conflict-Ridden World, Emma G. Dorshimer

Student Publications

This work examines the role of anthropology in conflict, post-conflict studies, and conflict resolution. Present research has asserted that Anthropology as a discipline must move forward with greater involvement in domestic and international conflict resolution, but no scholar nor activist has taken that leap. All anthropological research in conflict has pertained to forensic anthropology, expert witness testimony, and post-conflict ethnographic research— all completed after conflict has already ended. Many anthropologists have recommended involvement in actual conflict resolution, and many have advocated for further Ethnographic Peace Research. However, the role of anthropology continues to be questioned by the discipline itself as …

Learning From The Dead: How Burial Practices In Roman Britain Reflect Changes In Belief And Society, Samuel F. Engel

Student Publications

This paper begins by examining the burial traditions of the Iron age Britons and Classical Romans to see how these practices reflect their societal values and belief systems. The funerary methods of both the Britons and Romans are then analyzed following the Roman occupation of Britain in 43 AD to see how these practices changed once the two groups came into contact with each other. The findings show that rather than Romanization, there is a hybridization of burial practices which incorporated and reflect both Roman and British beliefs and values.

Invisible Intersex: How Discourse Serves To Perpetuate Violence, Zoe A. Philippou

Student Publications

Critical discourse analysis surrounding intersex individuals makes it is clear that the violence against intersex individuals stems from a sense of othering due to the silence surrounding the public discussion and representation of intersex individuals. Additionally, the current discourse serves to create a circular argument of blame instead of serving to decrease the violence done upon intersex individuals. This research serves to explore the discourse surrounding intersex individuals and propose social and institutional ways of working to end the stigma surrounding intersexuality.

The Trail Of Courage: A Mini-Ethnographic Case Study Exploring The Feasibility And Acceptability Of Integrated Equine-Assisted Therapy (Ieat) On Yazidi Adolescent Girl Wellbeing, Kari F. Eller

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In 2018, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Nadia Murad, a Yazidi woman who captured the attention of the world with her story of survival from the combatant and abusive hands of ISIS. Murad used her voice to speak out against wartime sexual assault and in doing so, has supported the wellbeing of women and girls around the world. A Goodwill Ambassador, her example and work has visibilized their trail of courage and lifted up the importance of work to support their wellbeing. This research, in albeit a very small way, seeks to follow Murad’s path. Though literature abounds …

¿Quién Compone La Historia?: Un Estudio Creativo De La Enseñanza Y Memoria De La Dictadura Cívico Militar Chilena A Través De Las Artes Y Trabajos Originales, Emily Beuter

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Esta investigación analiza la enseñanza de la dictadura cívico-militar de una manera no-tradicional en Santiago, Chile. La investigación consiste en entrevistas con personas que ocupan roles relacionados a la educación; en una práctica implementada por la investigadora en tres escuelas y en una actividad que incluye los trabajos originales de los estudiantes y los poemas originales de la autora. La historia, el arte, la creatividad son principios clave de la investigación. La investigación da importancia a la enseñanza de historia, específicamente a la de la dictadura cívico-militar en Chile y al uso del arte como una herramienta pedagógica en la …

“El Territorio Como Protagonista”: Un Análisis De Los Recuerdos Territoriales Como Parte De La Memoria Colectiva Del Pueblo Mapuche / “Territory As A Protagonist”: An Analysis Of Territorial Memories That Form Part Of The Collective Memory Of The Pueblo Mapuche, Sabrina Bustamante

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El estado-nación de la Argentina se construyó por encima del territorio del pueblo originario mapuche (y de otros pueblos indígenas, también), que históricamente ha habitado en ambos lados de la cordillera andina, y que precede la formación de estados, fronteras, capitalismo y colonialismo. A partir del evento disruptivo de las campañas militares del ejército argentino que se realizaron a fines del siglo XIX, el territorio mapuche se convirtió en un sitio de conflicto. Además, las campañas militares y el proceso de formación del estado argentino inscribieron en las historias oficiales un ideario de una nación homogéneamente blanca, europea y criolla. …

Poverty Redemption: Why Those Affected Stay Affected, Claudia M. Hampel

Honors Theses

This paper looks at why those in poverty have not taken advantage of self-sufficiency programs that are offered through Miami Valley Works along with other self-sufficiency programs offered. This paper looks at the general reasons why those in poverty do not go through self-sufficiency programs, whether they chose not to participate or leave a program prior to completion. This paper delves into multiple factors that could contribute to why an individual would forgo to participate in the program or would choose to leave the program before completing it. The study examines how governmental policies, the culture of poverty, race, housing, …

Secondary Trauma In Children Services Workers: Is The Opioid Crisis A Contributing Factor?, Rebecca L. Richardson

Honors Theses

Secondary traumatic stress (STS) can impact anyone who interacts with a victim of trauma, such as family, friends, first responders, or social workers. This project ultimately aims to determine whether or not the opioid crisis impacts the levels of secondary traumatic stress in children services workers. This research examines STS in current children services workers who work directly with victims of child abuse or neglect alongside how frequently children services workers are exposed to opioid-related cases in their professional lives. Data for this project were gathered by administering a survey to two area children services agencies to assess the STS …

Vol. 42 No. 1/2 (2019): Pacific Studies Front Matter, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Front Matter for the Vol. 42, No 1/2-April/August 2019 edition of the Pacific Studies Journal.

Public Space, Legitimacy And Democracy, Julian Brash

Department of Anthropology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This essay seeks to bring the critical analysis of contemporary urban public space into relationship with the explorations of legitimacy put forward in Italo Pardo and Giuliana Prato’s edited volume on that subject (Pardo and Prato eds 2019). The notion of ‘democracy’ is the bridge between those two discussions. As Pardo and Prato note, legitimacy plays a ‘sine qua non role…at all levels of democratic society’ (Pardo and Prato 2019: 19). Without legitimacy, democracy can quickly devolve into a sham (albeit a ‘clever’ one, to use Pardo and Prato’s terms: Ibid.:6), with ostensibly democratic arrangements serving to cloak a reality …

Book Review: Forced Confrontation: The Politics Of Dead Bodies In Germany At The End Of World War Ii, Christiane K. Alsop

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

Between Hagiography And Wounded Attachment: Raphaël Lemkin And The Study Of Genocide, Benjamin Meiches, Jeff Benvenuto

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

In this article, we outline the significance of the special issue on the scholarship of Raphaël Lemkin. We argue that genocide scholars tend to identify with one of three different types of Lemkin scholarship. Each of the articles for the special issue challenges these genres in an effort to extend the study of genocide in new directions. Moreover, we contend that this work suggests that genocide scholars should endeavor to extend the study of genocide beyond Lemkin's vision and writings.

Virtual Realities In Archaeology: Employing The Oculus Rift For Artifact Visualization And Education, Jeffrey R. Nau

Masters Theses

Virtual reality (VR) is an emerging digital platform that can be utilized as an immersive educational tool. This thesis uses the Oculus Rift virtual reality head-mounted display to create a VR Museum, building upon research exploring video games in education. This VR Museum leverages virtual reality and video game technology to educate players about archaeology. Through virtual reality technology, players enter the digitally-constructed museum environment as if they are inside the virtual world. This technology provides new avenues for engaging the public in archaeological studies. This thesis also examines how digital copies of artifacts made with photogrammetry can be utilized …

An Examination Of Flintlock Components At Fort St. Joseph (20be23), Niles, Michigan, Kevin Paul Jones

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to identify the age, country and place of origin, function (e.g. fusil, pistol), and intended use (e.g. military, trade gun) of flintlock components recovered from Fort St. Joseph (20BE23), an eighteenth-century French mission-garrison-trading post in southwest Michigan. Flintlock muskets were a vital technology in New France throughout the fur trade era, both in their roles as weapons and as hunting implements. They were also important because their relatively complex nature necessitated localized, frontier supply and repair; their use and maintenance were integrated into many facets of frontier life. Historical documents and archaeological materials show …

The Social Logic Of Space In Early Horizon Peru: 3d Reconstructions Of Residential Compounds At Caylán, Nepeña Valley, Ashleigh V. Passafume

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Neocolonial Epidemiology: Public Health Practice And The Right To Health In Guatemala, Alejandro Cerón

Anthropology: Faculty Scholarship

The relationship between public health practice and the fulfilment of the right to health is often assumed to be synergistic. With the goal of understanding how exactly this relationship happens, I studied the everyday practice of epidemiology in Guatemala, seeking to understand how it shapes and is shaped by the notion of health as a human right. Here I present findings from my ethnographic investigation of the Guatemalan Centro Nacional de Epidemiología (National Epidemiology Center), created in 2004 with the explicit mission of contributing to fulfilling the right to health for the inhabitants of Guatemala. While the relationship between epidemiological …

The Impacts Of Warming Coffee: The Climate Change-Coffee-Migration Nexus In The Northern Triangle Of Central America, Connor Lynch

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As climate change continues to threaten every corner of the world, one of the key features of the 21st century is migration, as a response to the myriad of effects related to a warming planet. This paper seeks to analyze the role of climate change as a motive for migration. The climate change-migration nexus is illustrated in this paper by revealing how slow-onset effects of climate change jeopardize the production of coffee in the Northern Triangle of Central America (NTCA), a region that is particularly vulnerable to the many effects. Thousands of people who depend on coffee production around Guatemala, …