Digital Commons Network^™

Yak, A Green Icon And A Good Investment, Caroline Kang

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

“Yak, A Green Icon and Good Investment” was conceived after I briefly interned for the Mongol Yak Society during the NGO Drop Off. I became interested and even, invested in their mission. For three weeks of the ISP period, I worked closely with the Mongolian Yak Society based in Ulaanbaatar and researched how increasing the productive value of yaks through improved communications, equipment, knowledge, and support will address several key environmental and economic issues. I further focused on the Mongolian Yak Society and its role as a detached entity that intervenes on various levels of the yak wool value chain: …

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 …

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 …

Brazen (Spring 2011), Hollins University

Brazen - Gender & Women's Studies Department Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Tafasiry: Theater As A Tool For The Conservation Of Malagasy Oral Tales, Cassandra Stroud

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

At the outset of my project, I intended to collect information from both storytellers and story listeners on the subject of angano or tafasiry, Malagasy verbal tales, so as to examine the state of this ancient aspect of daily life in the modern Malagasy world. An elder, such as a grandparent or parent, usually tells the tafasiry in Malagasy to the children of the family, historically in front of the fire while waiting for dinner. Before formal schools were instituted, tafasiry were used as a form of education to teach children morals, information they might need for future experiences, and …

Like Crazy: A Writer’S Search For Information And Inspiration, Sarah Lawrence

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

I began this project with the sole aim of learning about the experience of the mentally handicapped in Morocco and the treatment and care options available to their families. However, with my independent study project on hold until I could find an advisor, I began brainstorming a Moroccan-themed fantasy story. Once I started my field research, many of my findings and observations about modern and traditional healing practices for the mentally disabled in the context of the Moroccan family enriched my developing world.

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 …

Claiming Manaslu: The Agency Of A Rural Community In Nepal’S Developing Mountain Tourism Industry, Sierra Gladfelter

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Due to the commoditization of Everest‟s summit and road construction around Annapurna, adventure tourists drawn to Nepal for wilderness and „authentic‟ village experiences are increasingly seeking more remote destinations like the Manaslu Circuit, which only opened to trekkers in 1991. The trekkers and mountaineers who travel such routes play a crucial role in ushering in the development of remote regions and reshaping the face of previously isolated villages. As agencies, nonprofits and community organizations design and market these alternative treks with the noble goal of alleviating poverty in rural Nepal, there is often a disconnect between those promoting the destination …

Yongzhi Village: An Example For Sustainable Tourism And Development In Deqin County, Kiersten Brown

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Nestled beneath misty mountain peaks, among the Salween, Mekong, and Yangtze rivers, a beautiful Tibetan village lies. Alongside low-lying mountain creeks and waterfalls this village is in Deqin County of Yunnan’s Deqin Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (Deqin TAP). The Deqin TAP is the most Northwest prefecture of Yunnan. Deqin boasts that 33% of its population is comprised of the dominant minority group, Tibetans. Deqin prefecture is comprised of three counties, Shangrila County, Deqin County, and Weixi County. Deqin County is mostly comprised of small Tibetan towns and villages like Yongzhi. About 100 families inhabit Yongzhi. The village is placed right along …

A Long Road Home: Housing Rights In South Africa’S Informal Settlement, Joe Slovo, Kaitlyn Bowles

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Most countries legally consider housing to be a necessary human right. But for
millions of individuals in this world, adequate housing is out of reach. Homelessness is evident in different manors throughout the world, but in South Africa, the problem of insufficient housing develops itself in the form of informal settlements. One such settlement, Joe Slovo1, is situated just outside of Cape Town, and is the primary focus of this paper. Recently, Joe Slovo has been a prominent feature in the local news because of its involvement in a Constitutional Court case. On March 30, 2011, 20,000 residents of Joe …

Experiencing Samoa Through Stories: Myths And Legends Of A People And Place, Samantha Lichtenberg

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research will explore oral tradition, indigenous beliefs prior to Christianity, and the significance of place through the study of Samoan myths and legends. The researcher will investigate the tradition of storytelling by hearing the stories from Samoan elders themselves. These stories will be supplemented with details from secondary written resources in order to compile comprehensive versions of the myths and legends. The research will consider the affect that Christianity has on the meaning of the stories and examine whether traces of indigenous belief/religion are preserved today through storytelling and the remembrance of myths. The researcher will spend a significant …

Ua68 Arts & Letters :The Magazine Of Potter College At Western Kentucky University, Sally Ray, Editor-In-Chief, David Lee, Dean

PCAL Publications

No abstract provided.

Global Transmission And Local Consumption: Navajo Resistance To Mainstream American Television, Sam Pack Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

A common assumption maintains that the global outreach of mass media inevitably leads to deleterious consequences for native communities. Indeed, different scholars have argued that awareness of the outside world from television results in the homogenization of local cultures. However, images viewed through the electronic peephole radically transform not only an understanding of the outside world, but the way indigenes define themselves and their relationship to each other. By presenting subaltern audiences with an idealized other, television compels the emergence of an objectified self. “Who are ‘we’?” would not have been asked—or asked in the same way—were it not for …

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 …

Kate 2011, Hannah Biggs, Niki Calvaruso, Rae Reed, Jennifer Rish, Jennifer Russell, Julie York

Kate

Each year, Kate seeks to:

• explore ideas about normative gender, sex, and sexuality
• work against oppression and hierarchies of power in any and all forms
• serve as a voice for race and gender equity as well as queer positivity
• encourage the silent to speak and feel less afraid
• build a zine and community that we care about and trust

The Language Of Action: A Creative Study Of Resistance To Slavery From West Africa To The Days Across The Sea, Kali Block-Steele

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The goal of this paper is to study one of the lesser known aspects of the Transatlantic Slave Trade: resistance. Before the discussion of resistance, a brief history of the trade can be found. The focus on active resistance to slavery both on an individual and collective level begins on the African continent and continues through the Middle Passage, finishing with a discussion on forms of resistance in the Americas. There is a second part encompassing some creative writings inspired by the formation of this paper.

Via (Vol. 4), Valparaiso University

VIA

No abstract provided.

Jean Hampton’S Theory Of Punishment: A Critical Appreciation, Richard Dagger

Political Science Faculty Publications

Jean Hampton’s work first came to my attention in 1984, when the summer issue of Philosophy & Public Affairs appeared in my mailbox. Hampton’s essay in that issue, “The Moral Education Theory of Punishment,” did not persuade me—or many others, I suspect—that “punishment should not be justified as a deserved evil, but rather as an attempt, by someone who cares, to improve a wayward person” (Hampton 1984, 237). The essay did persuade me, though, that moral education is a plausible aim of punishment, even if it is not the “full and complete justification” Hampton claimed it to be (Hampton 1984, …

Cultural Tourism Products: A Case Study In The Xi’An City, Yining Zhang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Nowadays, culture has been a major driver of tourism. Cultural tourism is another form of tourism by involving cultural elements. Some people traveled specifically to gain a deeper understanding of the culture or heritage of a destination. In order to satisfy tourists’ cultural needs and wants, cultural tourism products typically attracts consumers by the cultural attributes. A cultural attest is not a cultural tourism product unless it transforms itself into products that could be consumed by tourists. The market value of cultural tourism can be realized by cultural tourism products. This paper is to explore the development and evaluation of …

Volunteerism And Charitable Giving Among The Millennial Generation: How To Attract And Retain Millennials, Eniko Eva Baranyi

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

Nonprofit organizations play an important role in today’s society. These organizations provide support to many in need and fill voids left by the governmental services. For nonprofit organizations to work efficiently and effectively, these organizations need to be able to attract and retain volunteers and donors from all walks of life. A young generation, called the Millennials, is one group that can provide the needed support for these organizations. This group includes people born after 1980, with many of them currently in college. This upcoming generation will be great long term support for the nonprofit sector and it is important …

The Tourists And The Toured: Identity In Greenmarket Square, Sophia Perlman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project explores the intersection between vendors and tourists in Greenmarket Square, a popular arts and crafts market in Cape Town. I examine the way in which the identities of the vendors and tourists are co-constructed in this market setting. I focus, in particular, on how vendors articulate and negotiate their identity through the tourist gaze. In addition, I consider the role of the objects in the co-construction of the tourists and toured identities. My findings are based on data gathered through participant observation with vendors, interviews with vendors and tourists, and content analysis of objects and tourist guidebooks. My …

The Escola Do Campo João Sem Terra: A Look Inside The Process Of Making Education Relevant In The Landless Worker’S Movement Settlement 25 De Maio., Owen Grooms

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper explores the process of implementing the goals of the Escola do Campo João Sem Terra within the Landless Worker‟s Movement of Brazil (MST), a social movement pushing for agrarian reform that is establishing a network of schools in its communities, of which the newest branch is the Educação do Campo concept, which involves establishing high schools based around the reality of students in the campo, or countryside. As the first of these Escolas do Campo, João sem Terra is experiencing the difficulties of this process in becoming such a different school. The school has issues with the state, …

By The Pricking Of My Thumbs, Something Wicked This Way Comes: Omani Perceptions Of The Supernatural, Jennifer L. Borger

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As a student who came to Oman knowing very little about the Arab world or Islam, I can safely say that my knowledge has increased tenfold. Upon entrance to the country in January 2011, I had no idea what my independent research study would end up addressing. Upon first hearing of the concept of the evil eye and all it relates to, my interest peaked. I began to think that this topic was interesting enough to command a month’s attention from me. This all changed during a weekend trip to Salalah, in the south of Oman, which included a lecture …

Riesgo De Exposición A Los Plaguicidas En Familias Con Niños Menores De 6 Años De Azapa Y Lluta, Andrew Wilbur

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study aims to characterize the risk of pesticide exposure for children under the age of 6 who live in the rural, agricultural communities of the Azapa and Lluta valleys in Region Arica and Parinacota in northern Chile. To achieve this objective, it seeks to understand current perceptions held by parents or guardians with respect to risk of pesticide exposure within their families and identify practices and living circumstances that contribute to this risk. In environmental health, children are an especially vulnerable population as a result of their distinct characteristics. Their exploratory behavior and naivety contribute to their risk of …

Talking Masturbation: Men, Women, And Sexuality Through Playful Discourse, Geoffrey Evans-Grimm

Honors Projects

This study seeks to understand the relationship between talking about masturbation and masturbation as an everyday practice in the United States. This essay is arranged in terms of a number of overlapping sections that converge to offer a clearer interpretive context for a discussion of the results of the questionnaire and interview data. The first part of my essay is an attempt to make sense of the cultural history and to situate conceptions about masturbation and attempts to regulate it up to present day. Then, as a gendered talk, it is necessary to engage in a theoretical discussion of gender …

Resilience And Community In The Age Of World-System Collapse, Glen David Kuecker, Thomas D. Hall

History Faculty publications

In this essay we explore how humans might face systemic collapse and/or entry into a dark age through forms of community resilience. We also note that nature, types of communities, and degrees of resilience differ in core, peripheral, and semiperipheral areas of the contemporary world-system. Core or global north or first world communities have all but disintegrated due to neoliberal policies. However, communities in peripheral and semiperipheral areas are more emergent, and more resilient. These areas are most likely to have or to creatively develop strategies to overcome global collapse. We further argue that social scientists need to develop new …

Emulating Gossip Girl: Aggressive And Prosocial Material In Adolescent Novels And Associations With Behavior, Laura Ann Stockdale

Theses and Dissertations

Decades of researchers have found that exposure to aggressive content in multiple forms of media is associated with both physically (Bushman & Anderson, 2001) and relationally (Coyne, Nelson, Graham-Kevan, Keister, & Grant, 2010) aggressive behavior. Similarly, other researchers have found that exposure to prosocial content in multiple forms of media is associated with increased prosocial behavior (Mares & Underwood, 2008). While these associations have been studied in a variety of media, books as a form of media have received less research attention. The current study examined the associations between the content of adolescents' favorite novels and their normative beliefs about …

Loving The World And Our Children Enough--Nurturing Decidedly Different Scientifc Minds, By Design, Stephanie Pace Marshall

Publications & Research

Wise world-shaping and problem-solving requires that we and our children think in decidedly different, integral and wise ways. This transformation requires a fundamental shift in consciousness and the emergence of global minds that can creatively live into a new worldview of an interconnected planet and a sustainable and interdependent human family. "The fullness of our humanity and the sustainability of our planet rest with the nurturing of decidedly different minds."

Dimensions Of Aging And Belonging For The Older Person And The Effects Of Ageism, Laurence C. Nolan

Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law

No abstract provided.

The Boundaries Of Belonging: Allegiance, Purpose And The Definition Of Marriage, Lynn D. Wardle

Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law

This article addresses an important concept theme in family law scholarship: that of belonging. This paper will address the boundaries of belonging, the need to preserve boundaries to preserve communities, particularly the community of marriage, and to protect and maintain the opportunity and value of belonging to such communities. One of the paradoxes of belonging is that the need to belong also creates a need to exclude; in order for belonging to occur, there must be boundaries, standards defining the relationship, and criteria separating members of the group from nonmembers. The boundaries of marriage must reflect the key purposes of …