Digital Commons Network^™

Ending Generational Poverty: A Contemporary Application Of The Work Of Paulo Freire In Nicaragua, Los Angeles And Uganda, Nicole Broom

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Para disminuir el nivel de pobreza generacional en poblaciones marginalizadas, hay que explorar formas educativas alternativas porque los esfuerzos existentes no han mostrado una habilidad para reducir ese fenómeno. A pesar de las diferencias en geografía y el estatus socioeconómico de los países de origen de esas organizaciones, las siguientes instituciones comparten ciertos fundamentos filosóficos, muchos de los cuales corresponden a las teorías de Paulo Freire en Pedagogy of the Oppressed, que sirven como prácticas efectivas para servir a poblaciones marginalizadas: Pearl Lagoon’s Academy of Excellence en Laguna de Perlas, Nicaragua; Camino Nuevo Charter Academy en Los Ángeles, California; …

Bridging The Gap: Identifying Social Factors That Affect The Knowledge Of Sexually Transmitted Infections And Use Of Prevention Methods In Young Women, Ariel Spigel

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study investigates the social factors that affect the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) in young women, focusing on their knowledge of the subject and use of prevention methods in order to discover why STIs, though preventable, are still prevalent in the lives of young adults, and more often, young women. Sixty-one anonymous, closed questionnaires were distributed to female students of at least eighteen years at the Colegio Estadual Francisco da Conceição Menezes in Santo Antônio de Jesus, Bahia, Brazil, and six structured interviews were conducted with students from the same pool. Results showed varying levels of knowledge, educational …

The Sand In The Oyster: A Study Of Post – Trauma Storytelling As A Means Of Facilitating Individual Healing And Impacting Societal Healing In Northern Ireland, Eliza Browning

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper is the outcome of a month-long exploratory study on storytelling in Northern Ireland, examining the impacts and possibility of healing for the individual and how those impacts affect societal healing and inter-community relationship building. Data was obtained by way of qualitative methods using focused interviews and unstructured observation. I argue that ‘moving on’ and healing of trauma, and the re-humanization of the enemy image may be possible at an individual level through storytelling, but that societal transformation needs to include an aspect of structural change in order to be sustainable. I also examine the potential for the unintended …

Una Lucha Por Valor Y Dignidad: La Situación Actual De Trabajadoras De Hogar En Bolivia = A Struggle For Value And Dignity: The Current Situation Of Domestic Workers In Bolivia, Jenny Kauffman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El gobierno actual de Bolivia tiene una retórica de cambiar el poder en el país para dar más capacidad y una voz más fuerte a la gente marginalizada. Esta investigación entra a este tema para entender cómo estas ideas e ideologías del estado han afectado las vidas de los bolivianos. Para examinar la relación entre los ciudadanos y el estado, la investigación explora las realidades de las vidas de trabajadoras de hogar. La situación actual de trabajadoras de hogar es muy pertinente porque ellas viven los efectos de una confluencia de tensiones entre Bolivia. Basado en entrevistas con varias trabajadoras …

Cosmopolitan Romance In Nepal: An Investigation Of Young Newari Women’S Emerging Views Of Marriage And Dating, Rachel Williams

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For decades Newari women have been limited to marriages arranged by their families and lamis, or matchmakers. There has been a recent shift in marital views among the youth has led to more courting among young Newars as well as a significant increase in the number of love marriages. Through in depth interviews with fourteen young Newari women, this ethnography attempts to illuminate current attitudes towards marriage and courtship exemplified by young Newari women in Kathmandu. I also argue that being a cosmopolitan Newari woman requires a negotiation of traditional gender roles and requires a balance between tradition and …

Invernaderos: La Búsqueda Por El Trabajo Estable Y Seguro Y Un Medioambiente En Peligro, Elli Matkin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research is intended to discuss the rapid development of the “invernaderos” (greenhouses) on the coast of Spain and to expose both the social and environmental repercussions of such a massive agricultural project. The data was gathered through the use of both secondary sources and primary research. The author conducted a number of interviews both on the coast, in Motril and Carchuna, and inland in Granada city -- discussing the subject with owners of “invernaderos”, pesticide sellers, and cooperative workers.

The main conclusion of this research is that while the work of “invernaderos” is a security for many agricultural families …

La Integración De Los Inmigrantes: Una Sociedad Que Acoge, Weddy Worjroh

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The first truth that I stumbled across upon arriving in Granada is that immigration has and continues to have a great impact on the society as a whole. I have always been intrigued by immigration because both of my parents were immigrants. Coming from a country that was built by the hands of immigrants, I get irritated when people say offensive things about the immigrants of today. Ever since I was a child my parents have told me many stories about the struggles and adversities they overcame in order to obtain a better life. For this reason, when I look …

Developing The Sacred: Local & Global Bikas In The Nepali Bhotkhola, Clayton Andrew Roger Hawkins Lewis

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The purpose of this paper is to study the effects of bikas on community and culture. Research was conducted from 9-30 November 2010 in the Bhotia village Chyamtang in the Sankhuwasabha district of Northeastern Nepal. The forms of development observed at the site are separated into local bikas and global bikas, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Research focused on a two-year old development project initiated by The Mountain Institute (TMI) using medicinal plant cultivation and community participation. Methods for studying Bhotia culture and development took the form of interviews with local healers, religious figures, farmers, and TMI …

Sticks And Stones: The Strategic Use Of Development By The Maoists In The Mobilization Of Nepal‘S Rural Population, Iyla Shornstein

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Nepal is a country with a brutal history of endemic domestic conflict and economic inequality. With the majority of the population living below the poverty line, development discourse has been crucial to political discussions for the past 20 years. The advent of the People‘s War marked a highly significant turn in the history of Nepali politics as the formation of the United Communist Party of Nepal (CPN-M) and the subsequent insurgency that followed brought issues of socio-economic equality and empowerment of marginalized peoples to the forefront of the national agenda. The CPN-M rapidly gained support predominantly in the rural countryside …

“No Voy A Invitarte A Mi Cumpleaños”: El Acoso Escolar De Niñas, Hana Maruyama

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

After working with children, mostly girls, between the ages of four and eight, I noticed a pattern of exclusion with one girl in the group. This experience has shown me the subtlety with which bullying can occur, even at very young ages. I decided to write my essay about this to illuminate the issue at hand, one that is all too often forgotten. With boys, bullying is generally more direct but this does not mean that bullying with girls does not occur. I begin my essay by defining bullying, and follow with an explanation of the causes and the manifestation …

Análisis De “Proyecto Mirlo”: Aprendiendo A Acoger Al “Desconocido”, Abigail Bissette

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

During the fall and early winter of this year, I volunteered with a program called, “Proyecto Mirlo,” which is a small part of a larger organization, “Caritas,” whose focus is providing support to marginalized groups of people in Spanish society. Proyecto Mirlo is a subsection that provides free language classes for immigrants, as well as food and, in extreme cases, financial help. In my volunteer work, I taught basic Spanish classes to an eighteen-year-old immigrant from Senegal. As my student grew in his language proficiency, I grew in my teaching proficiency, especially on the discovery of teaching resources that I …

La Cara De La Explotación: Un Estudio De La Industria Minería En El Sur De La República De Ecuador, Jillian Howell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Mi viaje continúo al sur oriente a la ciudad de Macas en la provincia de Morona Santiago, a dónde había una reunión del Programa de Pequeños Donaciones (PPD) de las Naciones Unidas - Proyecto de Desarrollo (UNDP) sobre los pequeños proyectos sostenibles en el sur de Ecuador. Unos de estos proyectos era sobre mitigando de los impactos ambientales de los mineros artesanales de La Pangui y Congüime en el Cordillera del Cóndor. Yo visité este proyecto una semana después, cuando fui a La Pangui y viví una noche con la familia del presidente de una asociación de los mineros artesanales. …

De Sous Le Matelas: La Capacité D’Épargne Des Propriétaires De Petites Entreprises Dans Le Réseau De Microfinance De Unics, Ali Urban

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

L’épargne est une facette intégrante et nécessaire de la microfinance, un outil qui favorise une croissance financière durable des institutions de microfinance et leurs clients. Cette recherche examine les perceptions des Camerounais en ce qui concerne les économies et comment les pratiques des propriétaires des petites entreprises et comment la gestion du budget influence leur capacité d’épargne. Pour ce faire, la recherche a été menée auprès d’un échantillon de clients de Unity Cooperative Society (UNICS), un IMF de la deuxième catégorie basée à Yaoundé, et des propriétaires qui ne sont pas affiliés avec UNICS et qui travaillent au Marché Central. …

Identity And Fashion: A Look At Jordanian Christian Women And How Their Identity Is Portrayed Through Their Clothing, Brittany Witcher

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

My research seeks to analyze the relationship between identity and fashion among Jordanian Christian women between the ages of 18-24. The goal of my project was to discover how Jordanian Christian women identify themselves, whether their clothes reflect their identity, and lastly find out what ways their clothes reflect their identity. In order to investigate my study, I observed various places throughout the city of Amman, the media and various churches; surveyed 20 women regardless of religion; held a focus group; and lastly, interviewed 5 Jordanian Christian women between 18-24, and 1 Jordanian Christian man of similar age. Through my …

Persecution Of Religious Minorities In Samoa: The Bahá’Ís Struggle To Face A Common Problem, Zoe Bryan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The aim of this research is to determine the prevalence of religious persecution and examine how minority religions, particularly within the Bahá‟í Faith, have experienced it in Samoa. Case studies from the Bahá‟í and research looking at prominent stories of persecution will demonstrate the overarching problem that a lack of religious freedom presents in Samoa for minority religions. Understanding Samoans‟ perceptions of religious persecution will be gleaned from the survey portion of the research. Finally, the paper will yield some ideas for improvement in looking at the future of the Bahá‟í Faith and religious freedom in Samoa. In addition to …

Ngo’S: The Voice Of The People: The Relationship Between Government And Civil Society In A Samoan “Democracy”, Dani Karnoff

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project examined the meaning of civil society, both in its true form as well as in the Samoan context, the roles of civil society, and whether civil society is used as a modem to converse with the Samoan government on behalf of the people. The purpose of this study was to formulate a more complete understanding of the term “civil society”, how civil society works within the Samoan Democracy, and the relationship between civil society and government. Research for this study was completed through interviews, surveys, secondary research, and field based observations. The interviewees for this study were either …

Reminding, Retelling, And Re-Remembering: The Evolution Of Staro Sajmište, Its Future, And The Marginalization Of The Holocaust In Serbian Public Memory, Benjamin Somogyi

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research paper examines the evolution of Staro Sajmište, its future and the resultant marginalization of the Holocaust in Serbian public memory. Sajmište was the largest Nazi concentration camp in territory of the Republic of Serbia. After a brief overview the history of the Holocaust and the history of the site, this paper focuses on the political manipulation of Sajmište’s memory since the Second World War. The paper divides the evolution of Staro Sajmište in Serbian public memory into four phases: rewritten memory, reduced memory, fabricated memory, and erased memory. Through the analysis of Sajmište’s legacy in Serbian public memory, …

¿Amigos, Enemigos O Hermanos En Riña?: Cooperación Y Conflicto Entre El Gobierno De Morales Y La Confederación De Los Pueblos Indígenas, Antti Aki Eemeli Isoaho

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este trabajo investiga la relación entre la Confederación de los Pueblos Indígenas del Oriente, Chaco y Amazonía Boliviana (CIDOB) y el actual gobierno, es decir, identifica conflictos, así como áreas de cooperación recientes entre los dos. A través de la realización de ardua investigación literaria, distintas entrevistas y participación directa en la Gran Asamblea Nacional de los Pueblos Indígenas (GANPI 2010), esta investigación propone responder de manera detallada la siguiente pregunta: ¿Cómo es y cómo ha evolucionado la relación entre el actual gobierno boliviano (liderado por un indígena) y los pueblos originarios del Oriente? Este estudio revela que a pesar …

Renewable Energy In Rural Amazônia: A Case Study Of Its Advantages And Limitations In Santo Antônio, Amy Plovnick

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Isolated renewable energy projects are a promising alternative to diesel power for providing electricity in rural communities not connected to the conventional electricity transmission grid. However, there have been a limited number of such projects in rural Amazônia, and they often face obstacles that limit their sustainability. The objective of this study is to evaluate the environmental, social and economic impact of isolated renewable energy projects through a case study of a small-scale biomass and solar energy electrification project in the community of Santo Antônio, Pará. It will also evaluate the limitations to implementing and sustaining isolated renewable energy projects …

Reconstructing Pitaguary Identity: Indian Exchange And Outside Resources, Tess Mcmahon

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research explores the recent methods by which the Pitaguary Indians in Ceará, Brazil have been reconstructing and revalorizing their indigenous culture using outside resources. Like many Indian populations within the Latin America, the Pitaguary have lost their culture due to conquest, exploitation, and assimilation policies. Only in 1997 did the Pitaguary file for governmental recognition and territorial demarcation[1] as an indigenous group. Since the mid-1990s, the tribe has been engaged in ‘rescuing’ and rediscovering their traditions and their culture. Three years ago, in 2007, an organization called Movimento Saude Mental Comunidade do Bom Jardim[2] came to the …

Marriage And Other Social Unions: A Study Of Marriage Alternatives And Cultural Trends In The Netherlands, Claire Harris

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This Independent Study Project investigates marriage and varying marriage alternatives available in the Netherlands and how societal norms and cultural taboos have affected these arrangements over the past fifty years. The high levels of acceptance in the Netherlands are used as a framework to explain the toleration of differing lifestyle and relationship choices, such as registered partnership, informal cohabitation, and same-sex marriage rights. Information was collected by conducting seven interviews with Dutch adults from different backgrounds with diverse views of and experiences with marriage and marriage alternatives. Secondary data on marriage rates in the Netherlands since 1960 were also used …

A Review Of Psychosocial Support And The Challenges Faced In Disclosing Hiv Positive Status To Children In Kibera, Katherine Lesyna

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The AIDS pandemic has become an increasingly global problem as well as an everyday reality for most people living in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2009, an estimation of the number of adults and children living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa totaled around 22.4 million.1 The people that have been affected most by the pandemic are women and children.
In Kenya, about 1.5 million people are infected with HIV, about 180,000 of them being children.2 While a lot has been done to reduce HIV infections and treat those who are infected, children have been left behind until recently. There is still much …

Les Impacts De L’Éco-Tourisme Sur La Population De Ranohira: Étude De Cas Du Parc National De L’Isalo, Benjamin Cook

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

À Madagascar, une île dans l’Océan Indien, le tourisme et les installations touristiques sont en processus de développement. Alors que certains étrangers profitent du climat tropical pour aller à la plage, d’autres passent le temps dans l’un des 20 parcs nationaux, tous connus pour la flore et la faune uniques. Madagascar National Parks, une organisation privée qui était établie en 1990, est chargé de la gestion de chaque parc y compris l’éco-tourisme, la conservation, et le développement durable. Généralement reconnu comme l’un des parcs les plus visités de Madagascar (avec des dizaines de milliers de touristes chaque année), le Parc …

Cultural Tourism In Mjini Ole, Pemba: A Case Study In Its Establishment And Marketing, Peter Rashid Clabby

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The purpose of this study was to attempt to better outfit the Kidike Pemba Flying Fox Ecotourism Center of Pemba Island, Zanzibar, in order to increase its appeal to a wider audience of tourists and to benefit the surrounding community of Mjini Ole. This goal was specifically carried out by establishing and marketing cultural tourism under the Kidike brand. In Kidike’s initial condition, guests were able to see the roost site of this endemic giant fruit bat – the Pemba Flying Fox – and continue on to see historical ruins and a mangrove forest, but the presentation and experience as …

Post-Independent Kosovo: From Prescriptive To Descriptive Identities, Marisola Xhelili

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The aim of this study was to uncover the existence, or possibility of, a Kosovar identity in today’s Kosovo. I intend to discuss the role personal experience plays in confirming or challenging one’s identity, and in this light show how the memories and personal experiences of Kosovo Serbs and Albanians endorse their ethnically-based interactions.

The methods of my research were mostly of an experiential nature, and consisted of staying in Kosovo for a two-week period. My research shows that there is no clear idea of what a Kosovar identity means for the people of Kosovo at this time. Their narratives …

The Afro-Brazilian University Experience: How Racial Quota Policy Beneficiaries At The Federal University Of Bahia Perceive Racial Quota Debates, Ufba Quota Policy, And Life As Quota Students, Vivian O. Ekey

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For my project I will explore the experiences of Afro-Brazilian students enrolled in the Universidade Federal da Bahia through the University’s Resolution 01/04.[1] Through interviews with six students admitted through the quotas system at UFBA along with interviews with civic society leaders, and university advisors, I aim to identify the varying attitudes that these students may have in response to criticisms of racial quotas, the implementation of the quota system on their campus, and their own experiences as quota students. The implementation of affirmative action in Brazilian Universities has sparked serious debate and questioning of racial politics and what …

Una Investigación De La Cultura Y La Identidad Mapuche En La Escuela Municipal G-539 Chapod, Jessica A. Howard

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Durante una estadía de tres semanas en la localidad rural de Chapod se realizaron observaciones y entrevistas con alumnos, padres y profesores de la Escuela Municipal G-539 Chapod, además de entrevistas con estudiantes en práctica de la Universidad Católica de Temuco, realicé una investigación sobre la cultura e identidad Mapuche en este establecimiento educacional. Encontré que aunque los estudiantes dicen ser Mapuches, ellos no tienen una cultura ni identidad Mapuche y, por tanto, la cultura e identidad Mapuche no permanecen  en la escuela de Chapod. Este establecimiento educacional está incorporando algunos elementos de la cultura Mapuche, pero a mi manera …

Bringing War Criminals To Justice And Justice To Victims: Mass Rape In Bosnia-Herzegovina And The Efficiency Of The Icty, Meredith Loken

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper investigates if the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia has been efficient in achieving its main objective of “bringing war criminals to justice [and] bringing justice to victims.” This study explores the historical context by which the ICTY was created, and therefore examines the disintegration of Yugoslavia, focusing specifically on the Bosnian War. During this conflict, rape was employed as a method of warfare; this paper presents a brief theoretical examination of rape as a war weapon and analyzes rape and sexual violence as explicit methods of ethnic cleansing in Bosnia-Herzegovina. It explores the evolution of gender …

La ‘Paradoxe Marocaine’ Moroccan-Dutch Citizens In Transnational Social Space, Deva-Dee Siliee

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Human mobility has existed in countless forms for many centuries. Yet in our modern world of sovereign territorially defined nation-states, both policy makers and national publics increasingly see human mobility across national boundaries as alarming. The rising movement of people, culture and capital across borders is suggested to pose a direct challenge to the nation-state as the organizing unit around which many areas of human activity revolve. In the age of globalization, academics and politicans are investigating how to understand the question of individuals and entire communities, intent on maintaining strong economic, cultural and social ties across state borders. This …

The Incompatibility Of Dependence And Development: A Critical Analysis Of International Development Efforts In The Nicaraguan Context, Molly Dunton

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Countries in the Global South have been receiving billions of dollars annually in humanitarian and development aid for the past half-century. But they still remain poor, marginalized, and on the periphery in spite of this massive influx of money into the region. Many would argue that this very aid is in fact working to maintain the economic hierarchies responsible for their poverty. Through the lens of Dependency Theory, I analyze this apparent failure of the International Development Industry in the context of Nicaragua. After researching what was working and what wasn’t in Nicaraguan rural development, I was able to categorize …