Digital Commons Network^™

Impacts On The Contemporary Visual Arts Community In Samoa, Sarah Cancelarich

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study illuminates the world of contemporary visual art in Samoa. Research was primarily conducted using personal communications with members of the contemporary visual art community. A basic framework of the community was established by overviewing the present informal galleries, formal galleries, and art schools. This project explores the impacts felt on the contemporary visual art community; their subsequent challenges, and successes. These impacts include; a cash economy, conflict between traditional and contemporary styles, a need for higher education, Christianity, Samoan artists overseas, in-country and international support. Possible solutions and hopes for the future are also discussed.

Tibetan Women Tailors: Sewing A Community Of Tibetan Women Tailors, Charlotte Fleming

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper examines the effects of a handicraft promoting company and sewing training workshop, the Shangri La Tangtong Handicraft Development Center, on the lives of its participant group of 28 women tailors. Explained is the history of the organization, justifications for formation, and description of the current workspace and products as located in Shangri La Old Town, Yunnan Province. From a series of 19 interviews (13 of which conducted with the tailors) and personal observations comes the conclusion that beyond the organization’s specified goals of cultural heritage preservation and poverty alleviations, the workshop effectively provides the tailors with a strong …

The “Good” South African: Concepts Of Nation-Building And Social Cohesion In The Public School Setting, Kristi Carey

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The purpose of this research project is to examine the ways in which the classroom, teacher, and student dynamics of a South African urban primary school create a site for nation-building, citizenship, and the promotion of social cohesion. Understanding that the school serves as an institution for the production of ideology, socialization, and spreading of knowledge, this research will investigate how curriculum, authority, and policy influence what it means to be a “good” South African citizen, and thus, a contributor to forming both personal and national identity. Through observing the “Life Orientation” courses, the research attempts to grasp the kind …

"Let It Come From The People”: Exploring Decentralization, Participatory Processes, And Community Empowerment In Western, Rural Uganda, Rachel Harmon

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study sought to understand the extent to which the participatory planning framework established in the Local Government Act of 1997 is utilized and to what extent it encourages and results in genuine community empowerment for rural communities.More specifically, it aimed to understand the extent of genuine citizen participation by assessing the degree to which community members feel that they are empowered to participate in strategies for rural development at all levels of the government. Additionally, this project sought to explore the position that the Epicenter Managers have within the participatory framework established for rural development, with a particular focus …

How Far Would You Go With Him?: Interethnic Romantic And Sexual Encounters And Relations Among Men In The Dutch Context, Dillon C. Harvey

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This report seeks to explore the experiences and complications men face romantically and sexually when ethnicity and race are used as focus lenses to reflect upon the participants' past interpersonal interactions. The interviews and analyses within this article reflect the ways in which Dutch ethnic/racial norms and stereotypes shape attraction and desire, and how men who pursue other men romantically and/or sexually negotiate with said external constructions of identity. Research in this paper provides the reader with insight into race relations on an intimate level through the participants' personal narratives, revealing the complexity of Dutch race relations on the most …

El Estigma De La Depresión Y Cómo Está Influenciado Por La Percepción De La Enfermedad En Santiago, Chile, Elena Michaels

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Over the past century, as a greater understanding has been developed regarding the brain and mental health disorders, a stigma surrounding the field of mental health has emerged. The goal of this study was to analyze how the public perception of depression relates to the stigma surrounding mental illness and define the relationship between the two. This investigation took place at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile in Santiago.

In Chile, one of the consequences of the stigma regarding mental health disorders is usage of the mental health services offered. Not uncommonly, a medic would give a mental health evaluation …

Jordanian Ethical Perceptions Of Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis, Sarah C. Miller

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) is a procedure that can be done during In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), involving genetic and chromosomal screening of fertilized embryos prior to implantation into a woman’s uterus. After PGD, only the embryos possessing the desired characteristics are implanted, while the other embryos are frozen for future use, or discarded. PGD is used for family balancing (gender selection for balancing the gender dynamic within a family), gender selection to screen out sex-linked diseases, or a broader genetic screening for diseases known to be present in the patient’s family history.

Many ethical questions have been raised about PGD, …

Los Determinantes De La Diferencia En La Tasa De Fecundidad Adolescente Entre Comunidades Pobres Y Ricas En Buenos Aires, Emily Turner

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The city of Buenos Aires has some of the lowest rates of teenage fertility in Argentina (Gogna, Binstock, Fernández, Ibarlucía, & Zamberlin, 2008). However, this aggregated number obscures the huge variance within the city. In the most current available data (2010/2012) from the government of the city of Buenos Aires (GCBA) broken down by comunas (areas) highest fertility rate for 15-19 year olds was 81.6 births (per 1000) versus the lowest fertility rate which was only 6.2 (D. d. e. d. GCBA). This discrepancy is huge and reflects the incredible economic disparity in Buenos Aires. The comunas with the three …

Challenges Affecting Street Children In Post-Conflict Northern Uganda: Case Of Gulu Municipality, Annie Weber

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Northern Uganda has been beleaguered with political unrest and rebellion for over two decades. The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has wreaked havoc on the entire northern population, causing lives to be lost and leaving a stain of physical and mental trauma that will last forever. Children, having been the most affected during the war, are still feeling the influence that the LRA has left behind. This study sets out to try to understand the phenomenon of street children in post-conflict northern Uganda, specifically in Gulu Municipality. The phenomenon of street children is considered to be one of the most prevalent …

Jordanian University Student’S Attitudes And Perceptions On Mental Health, Amira Khablein

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The present study examines the attitudes and perceptions of students at a private, Jordanian University to examine, through surveys, interviews and a focus group whether the stigma commonly associated with mental health in the Middle East and North African region persists for students and the reasons behind this stigma. It was also investigated what kind of disorders came to mind when asked to name specifics to see if students focused on the illness of psychological disorders when weighing mental health. It was found that the stigma does not necessarily exist for students, though it is perpetuated throughout the community and …

Beyond Ramaluk: Towards A More Inclusive View Of Identity In The Tibetan Diaspora, Shani Shih

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper is an investigation of identity in the Tibetan diaspora in India, informed by the oral histories and narratives of Tibetan diasporic youth living in the capital city of Delhi. By documenting, comparing, and analyzing the experiences of Tibetan youth growing up in India (both Indian-born and Tibetan-born), and attempting to understand their varying notions of Tibetan identity, as well as perspectives on its role in their community, it seeks to answer the following: Why and how do dominant notions of Tibetan identity and/or “Tibetanness” become dominant? What are the unintended consequences of affirming these notions of Tibetan identity …

From Pokhara To Kandahar: The Two Hundred Year Journey Of The Force That Made Nepal Famous, Elijah Wohl

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Gurkhas are renown throughout the world for their fighting skills, their bravery, and their loyalty to the British Crown. Much has been written on their distinguished history, but traditional literature on the Gurkhas leaves several questions unanswered. How did the Gurkhas come to be as a fighting force for the British Empire when the British never occupied Nepal? How have they survived the independence of India and the subsequent dismantling of the British Empire? And what will the future of the Gurkhas be? Will they continue their two centuries of service to the British Crown? Or will they become …

Blood, Self-Sufficiency, And The Government Dime, Elijah Ober

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project begins with an examination of the blacksmith trade in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, based upon the observation and limited apprenticeship of the author.

It then examines the caste system in Spiti. Th9is system more intense in certain regions than others, but throughout the region the Zoks, the metal-smith caste, are second from the bottom. This has two main effects on the caste. First, caste is keeping zoks who remain in the village in the lower class. Secondly, the fact that their historical profession is the symbol of their caste, combined with the fact that their Scheduled Caste Status makes …

The Social Lives Of Pots And Potters In The Kathmandu Valley, Briana Foley

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper investigates the changing status of ceramics in Thimi, Nepal. Pottery in the Kathmandu Valley is an ancient tradition, dating as far back as 400 AD. However, the rich craft is currently at a crossroads between extinction and innovation. The author’s project is to trace the lives of pots and the potters from the mid 20th century until present as they are imagined, remembered, and enacted by the human and clay inhabitants of Thimi. Rather than focusing on the aesthetic properties of pots, the author instead emphasizes the social relations that both surround and encounter them. This method aims …

Oxen And Elephants: An Examination Of Approaches To Enlightenment And Dialogue Between Zen And Tibetan Buddhism, Alexander Macmillan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Exchange between Tibetan Buddhism and Zen1 Buddhism in the United States has proven fruitful and mutually beneficial to each form as practiced in the American context. The relationship between the two began famously with the intimate relationship between Shunryu Suzuki Roshi and Chogyam Trungpa, arguably the two most influential Buddhist teachers in the West during the 1960’s and 1970’s. Although short lived, this relationship led Trungpa, from the Kagyu Tibetan lineage, to reach out to other Zen teachers in America and adopt zen art forms and meditation style in his teaching. On the side of Zen practitioners in America, Trungpa …

Analysis Of Mitochondrial Dna Structuring Between Colonies Of The World’S Smallest Penguin (Eudyptula Minor) In New South Wales, Australia, Melissa R. Tighe

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Little Penguin, Eudyptula minor, is a flightless seabird that is endemic to Australia and New Zealand. It can be found nesting on both on and offshore colonies along the coasts of both countries and it is the only penguin currently found breeding on mainland Australia. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists E. minor as “Least Concerned,” but numbers have noticeably dropped in recorded history due to a number of direct and indirect anthropogenic influences. One particular location of decline is Manly, New South Wales that contains the last onshore breeding colony of E. minor in NSW, Australia. …

Preventative Care And Culture, Anna Wagman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper explores the intersection between culture and health. The similarities and differences between methods for preventative medicine employed by traditional and allopathic systems are discussed. These ostensibly disparate systems, in reality, display many parallels in regards to their delivery. The effects of industrial progress, and therefore cultural change, on the health of the inhabitants of rapidly urbanizing African cities are examined. Historical information from studies of Great Britain, the first area to undergo a full industrial revolution is also drawn on. These analyses essentially predict the societal issues that come with urbanization, such as the amalgamation of preexisting pollutants …

Are You Man Enough? A Look At The Attitudes Of Young Male Professionals On Notions Of Masculinity And Male Gender Norms In Modern India, Sanggeet Mithra Manirajah

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Indian society has traditionally adhered to very strict gender roles and norms that dictate the appropriate behaviors and attitudes of men and women in the private and public sphere. In the advent of a rapid urbanization and globalization, these rigid notions of appropriate masculine and feminine behaviors are changing in large metropolitan cities of India. This study explores the attitudes of young Indian male professionals regarding masculinity and masculine gendered norms in Bangalore, the epitome of metropolitan and modern India. Being a man is hinged to the notion of being the head of the family, and the appropriate traits to …

Redefiniendo Los Límites De La Colección: La Revolución Del Museo Contemporáneo El Caso Del Museo Antropológico Y De Arte Contemporáneo De Guayaquil, Camila Pacheco-Fores

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

La etimología de la palabra museo encuentra sus raíces en latín, de museum, que viene del griego mouseion, como mouseios: la casa de las musas (mousa).[1] En siguiendo esta epistemología, podemos entender los principios del museo, y su rol histórico en la sociedad. Las 9 musas fueron una gran parte de la mitología griega y representaron la inspiración en la literatura, la ciencia, y las artes: ellas eran las fuentes de todo conocimiento. Entonces, uno podría decir que el primer museo fue el templo, la casa de las musas. Este repositorio conservó esculturas y …

The Teaching Of The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade And It’S Lasting Implications On The African Diaspora, Mara Meyers

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Objectives

i. Gain an understanding of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade from the Ghanaian perspective

ii. Understand the ways in which the history of slavery and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade are a part of Ghanaians identities today

iii. Acquire knowledge regarding Ghanaians understandings of the African Diaspora

iv. Explore Ghanaians views on the history of slavery as compared to African Americans perspectives on slavery

4. Methodology: For this research I used a versatile approach. I observed and taught two Social Studies classes at a school in Cape Coast, both of which were of relevance to my topic. I also interviewed, both …

“Queering The Rainbow Nation”: An Analysis Of 11 Gay And Lesbian Capetonians’ Perceptions Of Lgbt Identity In Cape Town And The South African Government’S Commitment To Lgbt Equality, Ryan Sasse

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The South African government has made vast strides in the fight for LGBT equality, strides that are unparalleled by any other nation on the African continent. Unfortunately, the lack of hate crime legislation within the country—as well as the government’s unwillingness to address the nation’s resulting violence—often overshadows the accomplishments that have been made over the last few years. Keeping in mind that “[f]eminist research goals foster empowerment and emancipation for women and other marginalized groups, and feminist researchers often apply their findings in the service of promoting social justice for women,” we can see how the LGBT community is …

Cameras And Incense: Negotiating Religious Dance On Tourist Bali, Emma Brandt

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The small island of Bali has become famous throughout the world as a center of arts and culture. Tourists visit the island in droves each year to collect traditional paintings, carvings, and fabrics, and to watch performances of dances, gamelan, and puppet shows, all of these based in a Shivaite Hindu tradition that has absorbed elements of Buddhism and Islam, as well as bits and pieces from the religions of China and other erstwhile visitors to the island. Bali, a strongly Hindu island in one of the world’s largest Muslim countries, has achieved a worldwide fame perhaps greater than the …

Standardized Chaos: A Portrait Of The Indonesian Education System, Andrea Bucciarelli

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Indonesian education system exists to provide children across the archipelago with a high quality education that bears relevance to life and culture in Indonesia. School attendance is mandatory for at least nine years, however schools have yet to achieve 100% enrollment at any level. School curriculums, unified by national guidelines, cover a wide range of subjects and evaluate students on their knowledge at the end of each schooling level, through a national exam. Teachers are often, but not always, employed by the central government and assigned to teach in public schools. Other teachers may work part-time at public schools, …

Fractioned, Fissured, And Framed: Considering Public Versus Private Constructions Of Muslim Women’S Identities In Indian Partition Literature, Mccaulay Singer-Milnes

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This Independent Study Project examines the depiction of Muslim women in Indian Partition literature as a means of understanding the relationship between public and private identity. It analyzes the manners in which female Muslim characters respond to and negotiate modes of categorical identification, namely religion, surrounding Partition. Furthermore, this study juxtaposes these generalized accounts present in literature with individual responses from interviews with Muslim women living in New Delhi today. The women spoke regarding their conceptions of Islam and the manner in which they incorporate faith into their overall negotiation of private identity. The project finds that Partition, one of …

Through Women’S Eyes The Development Of Lijiang And Nakhi Cultural Change, Wyatt Gordon

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper is an analysis of the current state of Nakhi minority culture as practiced by Nakhi women living in the city of Lijiang and its surrounding areas. This analysis presents a historical assessment of the cultural, economic, historical, and political factors that have lead to the creation of the Lijiang Old Town that we see today and the current state of Nakhi culture surrounding that development. As well, this paper presents a field assessment of the current state of Nakhi cultural practice in light of the internalized discourses of the Chinese state and the indigenous discourses of the Nakhi …

Language Shift And Development: A Case Study Of Zhongdian Southern Khams Language Vitality, Simon Peters

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The fields of language endangerment and maintenance address language shift overwhelmingly in the context of a local language being replaced by that of a surrounding oppositional dominant cultural group. There are, though, situations in which a local language is competing with the dominant variety of the wider cultural group to which it belongs. How a situation like this is dealt with by linguists and language planners depends largely on the recognition of participant tongues as their own languages or one as a dialect of another. Reversing language shift for a “dialect” is difficult to garnish institutional and financial support for …

The Modern Status And Future Of Dongba Religion, Chris Delacy

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

I have amassed data related to the changes undergone by the Dongba religion and its effects on local Naxi culture in the Eya, Baidi, Tacheng/Weixi County, and Lijiang communities. Each district was unique in that their religious practices and participation by the community was radically different as a result of outside influence (or lack thereof) as evidenced by how the religion is passed on through the generations and how the religion is publicly represented through art. As Naxi culture and the Dongba religion have already undergone an incredible amount of changes (especially the declining number of the Dongba religion’s religious …

A Shift In The Sector: International And National Volunteer Development Strategies In Modern Nepal, Megan Barrie

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The complicated political, social, and economic landscape of Nepal marks it a country in need of development as a means to improve poor conditions within a culturally and religiously diverse country. NGOs, INGOs, and bilateral agencies have emerged in Nepal in the name of development. It has become increasingly popular to send volunteers into developing areas to meet the goals of organizations. Looking broadly at the volunteer sector in Nepal, there is such a complex nature to development as the needs of communities in which these organizations serve are changing. The various strategies that volunteer organizations use to place their …

Dharma And The Free Market: Reconciling Buddhist Compassion With A Market Economy In Post-Socialist Mongolia, Yazmeen Mendez Nuñez

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In this inductive ethnographic study, I explore the unique social and theological pressures placed on Mongolian Buddhists after the wake of free market transition in Mongolia. It utilizes the Buddhist virtue of compassion as a lens by which the study might examine how Mongolians balance their spirituality and commitment to Buddhist ethics with new roles as rational agents in an emergent free market. In this study I draw on narratives from thirteen subjects as well as extensive participant observation to examine the ways that Mongolian market reform has guided social paradigms of ethic that present ethical contradictions with Buddhist dharma, …

Adding Injustice To Injury - Health Perceptions, Plurality, And Power In The Ongoing Bhopal Disaster, Ruth Markwardt

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Standards of health, human rights, and development are typically defined and dictated by policymakers instead of the populations directly affected by so-called development efforts. This paper seeks to contextualize global development efforts by highlighting specific local realities among the community of Bhopal Disaster survivors in Madhya Pradesh, India. As the site of the world’s largest industrial disaster, a disaster which is not over but ongoing, Bhopal represents an important population to highlight as the disaster continues. The Political Ecology of Health model was used to highlight political and environmental influences on community health. Within Political Ecology, this study takes a …