Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Role Of Liberian Community Organizations In The Integration Of Liberian Immigrants: A Case Study Of Immigrants In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Solomon M. Muin

Capstone Collection

Immigrants that settled in a dominant new culture face challenges during the process of acculturation. Though minority culture is always at the disadvantaged end of acculturation in most cases, most research done on acculturation in the West mostly focused on the impact of immigrants on their societies, or on ways of strengthening integration in the host countries. As this continues, the dominant culture role and importance of the majority culture is what influence most narratives and not much is seeing from the minority culture. Most research on acculturation in the United States, for example, placed more emphasis on the Hispanic …

The Influence Of Social Media In Egypt During The Arab Spring, Nicole Reed

Capstone Collection

In the past 10 years social media has become a way of communicating, following the news, posting pictures, and marketing for brands. The platforms including Facebook and Twitter continue to grow, making them an ideal way of communication all across the world. It has been argued that what happened in the Arab Spring in 2010 was shaped and influenced by more people having access to the internet, and therefore having signed up for social media sights. The act of one man sent a region swirling into turmoil, political overthrow, and in some cases, such as Egypt, creating a revolution.

In …

The 2015 Al-Shabaab's Attack In Garissa, Kenya. An Immersion Into The Structural, Socio-Political And Psychological Roots Of Violence, Mathilde Simon

Capstone Collection

The paper studies the attack conducted by the Somali insurgent group al-Shabaab in Garissa, north of Kenya, on April 2, 2015. In contrast to judgmental and narrow- minded media explanations which tended to dominate the debate after the attack, the present paper uses conflict theories in order to investigate the deep roots of violence. It questions how a group such as al-Shabaab has been able to emerge, to find support and to become a major actor in the Horn of Africa, and to some extent internationally. It draws on Basic Human Needs, Collective Psychology and Structural and Cultural Violence theories …

Integrating Evaluative Thinking Into Organisational Practice: A Case Study Of Lutino Adunu In Uganda, Shilla Adyero

Capstone Collection

Northern Uganda is still recovering from over two decades of civil war between the Government of Uganda and the Lord Resistance Army (LRA). The conflict created over 1.8 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who sought refuge in camps for 23 years. Around 80% of the affected population are mainly women and children. The displacement in the region caused large-scale loss of social and economic infrastructure, together with the productive resources. This contributed to the erosion of the social and financial capital of the affected areas population, forcing the population to depend on non-sustainable aid and relief services provided by international …

Across Systems: Preventing, Countering, And Defusing Violent Extremism—A Discussion Of Strategy, Policy, Practice, And Theory, Keenan Powers

Capstone Collection

This paper explores today’s landscape of violent conflict in the context of the now 15-year-old “War on Terror” and its defining trait of strengthened, nimble, and networked violent extremist non-state militant groups. Through an exploration of primarily United Nations and United States strategies, policies, and programming the concepts of Countering Violent Extremism and Preventing Violent Extremism are melded into a discussion of the shifting frameworks and broadening notions of what it takes to create human security. This paper is particularly concerned with how the traditionally at odds fields of Counter Terrorism, Military Security, Development Assistance, and Peacebuilding practice are co-thinking …

Syrian Refugee Women In Jordan: Family Planning Preferences And Barriers In A Host Community, Hilary Smith

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The aims of this pilot study were to research and analyze the availability of birth control and family planning resources among Syrian refugee women at a reproductive age. This study took place in the host community of Karak, Jordan. Syrian women are a vulnerable population based solely on their gender. But being refugee women makes them more vulnerable and sometimes, their needs do not get met. This study is important because it will look into reproductive health aspects for this vulnerable population to ensure that there is satisfaction among women about their own health. This cross-sectional study sought to answer …

Nit Nitay Garabame: Analyzing Mental Illness And Art Therapy Within Dakar’S Atelier D’Ex-Pression Artistique, Alaina Orr

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As mental health issues are usually given low priority in countries of sub-Saharan Africa, including Senegal, mental illness continues to be an emerging topic of discourse (Rand 2015). In Dakar, the practice of art therapy has been used for decades to provide those living with mental illness or going through trauma with a method for selfexpression when words fail to articulate their situations or mental states. Situated within Hôpital Fann’s psychiatric hospital, Clinique Moussa Diop, is an art therapy workshop known as l’Atelier d’EX-PRESSION Artistique1, which provides the space, structure, and material for persons with mental illness to work with …

The Non-Proliferation Treaty And The Political Aspects Of Nuclear Power In A Modern Context, Eve Gleeson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was created in 1967 in response to the growing threat of nuclear weapon detonation.1 Today, it has been signed and ratified by 190 countries who pledge to pursue efforts towards non-proliferation, peaceful nuclear energy, and nuclear disarmament. Five states remain outside of the treaty, four of which are nuclear weapon states: Israel, Pakistan, India, and North Korea. The nuclear weapon states in the NPT have been established as Britain, France, the U.S., Russia, and China.

The NPT has been created and maintained through the existence of power dynamics between nuclear and non-nuclear states. The potential to …

La Construcción De Una Identidad Propia Por Parte De Las Mujeres Piqueteras De Claypole, Como Protagonistas, Dentro Del Frente De Organizaciones En Lucha (Fol) / Mujeres Piqueteras Of Claypole Constructing Their Own Identity As Protagonists Within The Frente De Organizaciones En Lucha (Fol), Luz Daniela Castro

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In the late 1990s in Argentina, the model of neoliberalism transformed political and economic policies, aggravated free trade and promoted the privatization of companies and free enterprise. A direct consequence was job instability, with masses amounts of unemployment prevailing, and no action nor response pursued by the state. As a result, the unemployed workers “desocupdos” came together and introduced new repertoires of action: the picketing “piquetes” and the temporary blockage of roads “corte de rutas”. The movement’s first appearance was in the Cutral-Có y Plaza Huincul in the Province of Neuquén (1996-97), extended to Salta and Jujuy (1997) and then …

Independent Study Project: Investigation Into The Implications Of Zooarchaeological Studies For Climate Reconstruction In The North Atlantic; Zooarchaeological Research At The Agricultural University Of Iceland, Reykjavík, Hazel Cashman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Zooarchaeology, the study of animal remains from archaeological sites, is crucial to the understanding of human interaction with the environment in the North Atlantic region and in Iceland, where the archaeological record is quite rich (Dugmore et al., 2005). Since its inception, zooarchaeology has drawn methods and concepts from both the natural and social sciences, as well as from history and the humanities, to inform an interdisciplinary understanding of the interactions between humans and their environments and the consequences of these interactions for humans and animals (Reitz and Wing, 2008). In this way, zooarchaeology can inform discussions about historical anthropogenic …

Trends In Nectar Concentration And Hummingbird Visitation: Investigating Different Variables In Three Flowers Of The Ecuadorian Cloud Forest: Guzmania Jaramilloi, Gasteranthus Quitensis, And Besleria Solanoides, Sophie Wolbert

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Many variables affect hummingbird visitation to flowers, including nectar concentration, time of day, corolla length and other aspects of flower morphology, and elevation. Nectar concentration was measured from flowers of three Ecuadorian subtropical montane species: Guzmania jaramilloi, Gasteranthus quitensis, and Besleria solanoides. Concentration values were compared across varying times of day, corolla lengths, and elevations to determine the effects of these variables on flower nectar concentration. Camera traps were also used to observe hummingbird visitation to the above three flower species. After running regression and ANOVA analyses, nectar concentration was found to be positively correlated with time …

The Complex Combatant: Constructions Of Victimhood And Perpetrator-Hood In Gulu District, Northern Uganda, Kyra Fox

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In the wake of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) conflict in Northern Uganda, both the local and international community struggle to define the “victims” and “perpetrators” of a conflict that transformed ordinary civilians into combatants. Made up primarily of child soldiers, the LRA forcefully abducted and conscripted children across Northern Uganda to fight in a guerilla war against the Ugandan government. LRA members were forced to murder their own families and terrorize their home villages in an attempt to disorient and desensitize them to lives of violence. Some became willing, even eager fighters; others struggled daily to live with their …

Harpy Eagle (Harpia Harpyja) Conservation: Juvenile Behavior And Diet At A Nest Near Pijibasal, Darien, Hannah Rodgers

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja), the largest and most powerful bird of prey in the Americas, is declining throughout its range in Neotropical forests. Hunting and deforestation threaten populations in the most important remaining eagle habitat in Central America, the Darien province of Panama. These eagles may have the longest postfledging juvenile dependency of any raptor, though juvenile behavior during this period is poorly studied. This study monitored an 11-month-old juvenile for 7 days at a nest near the indigenous community of Pijibasal in order to study behavior and diet. Researchers recorded the juvenile’s location and behavior, studied prey remains …

Evaluating A Squirrel Monkey Troop In Natural Rehabilitation: An Assessment Of Population And Behavior Of Saimiri Sciureus In Preparation For Relocation From Sumak Allpa To Yasuní National Park, Bria Riggs

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Natural rehabilitation and translocation of primate species provide the opportunity for recovery of individuals and repopulation of species in the wild. However, there are few successful examples of primate translocation around the world, and no successful cases in Ecuador. This study assesses the population and overall behavioral activity of a troop of Saimiri sciureus on Sumak Allpa Island, Orellana, Ecuador from November 6^th to November 27^th, 2016. This specific troop, referred to as the Yasuní troop, is scheduled to be translocated from Sumak Allpa to Yasuní National Park in March or April of 2017, and would be …

The Influence Of Raja Ravi Varma’S Mythological Subjects In Popular Art, Rachel Cooksey

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper will examine the aesthetic qualities that Raja Ravi Varma helped to introduce to mythological paintings and then to popular devotional prints with the Ravi Varma Press, as well as the influence of the aesthetic to other areas of visual culture in India. Prior to the 1993 retrospective exhibition in New Delhi on Raja Ravi Varma, little was known about his impact on the calendar prints of today. By tracing the rise of academic realism in late 19^th and early 20^th century India and Ravi Varma’s role within it, I gained a clearer understanding of the degree …

Los Nuevos Actores Políticos De La Izquierda Chilena Y El Cambio Al Sistema Político, Henry Manning

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Chile's political system is in a state of flux. Between 2011 and 2013, student protests and other movements spread across the nation, enflaming latent resentment of the political institutions and demanding that the government respond to society's problems. But despite this nearly unanimous public mandate, the political coalitions that control Chile have done little to temper the harsh neoliberal system, opting instead to go on serving the business and elite interests that profit from the country's extreme inequality. In this context of dramatic disaffection with the powers that be, a group of new political actors have emerged from the student …

Conservation As Mutualism: A Case Study Of Thulo Syafru, Jennifer S. Brady

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study examined the opinions, perceptions, and knowledge of residents of Thulo Syafru, a small village in the buffer zone of Langtang National Park, Nepal, regarding conservation efforts spearheaded by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and the World Wide Fund for Nature. 26 community members were interviewed along with key figures in community leadership and the two aforementioned organizations. Thulo Syafru is an essential location for red panda conservation, leading to many conservation efforts being focused in the area. Overall, people expressed very positive opinions regarding red pandas and their protection, positive attitudes about conservation, and appreciation …

A Preliminary Study Of Intergenerational Differences In Masxha Regarding Practice And Attitudes Towards Zulu Traditions During Pregnancy And Birth, Momoko Oyama

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In the Zulu culture, several traditions and rituals are practiced during a woman’s pregnancy and perinatal period. However, as urbanization spreads and western influences strengthen, these rituals risk being lost. This project aims to capture existing knowledge of these traditions and to assess the intergenerational changes in practice and attitudes towards practicing the rituals.

Information on Zulu traditions practiced during a woman’s pregnancy and perinatal period was collected through two interviews and a focus group consisting of three elderly women in Masxha, a Black township in KwaZulu-Natal. Following the interviews and focus group, 32 Masxha residents were recruited to complete …

Reef Fish And Coral Assemblages On Hospital Point And Near Bastimentos Island, Panama, Elaine Shen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Because worldwide declines coral reef health are of major concern, studying coral reefs through the lens of conservation efforts at local scales is essential for determining and monitoring effective policy measures. In the Bocas del Toro Archipelago, there are conflicts of interest between exploitative rapid tourism development, overfishing practices, and national efforts to conserve the local marine biodiversity. Coral and reef fish species abundance richness, diversity, evenness, and similarity were measured to see how coral and reef fish assemblages changed between protected and unprotected areas. A total of 329 fish and 322.5 square meters of benthos were analyzed using underwater …

Continuing Efforts To Alleviate "Orange Pain" An Internship With The Da Nang Association Of Victims Of Agent Orange/Dioxin, Loan Heilner

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This year marked the 55th anniversary of Vietnam’s Agent Orange Disaster. Decades after the end of the war, Vietnamese people are still largely being affected by the remnants of the United States’ Agent Orange herbicide sprays. Dioxin chemical has now been confirmed detrimental to human and environmental well-being, but unfortunately it still remains in high concentrations in certain areas of Vietnam. Dioxin chemical is passed on through genetics to new generations, but one of the leading causes of dioxin-related health defects today are due to environmental residue. In Da Nang, Agent Orange was stored and loaded at the local airbase …

Powerful Words: An Exploration Of Linguistic Hierarchy In Moroccan Hospitals, Ellelan Degife

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Morocco is a country of distinct diversity, which exists as a result of the settling of multiple peoples and European colonization. As a result of this diversity, many languages are employed in different settings and spaces, and of these languages, French represents remnants of colonialism and continual elitism in the country. One of the spheres that French commands in Moroccan society is medicine, which creates a dichotomy between the educated health care providers and the underprivileged patients in public hospitals. The aim of this paper is to explore the effect of French on the doctor-patient relationship in urban, public Moroccan …

Water Resource Change And Management: Implications Of Climate Change And Water Resource Management For Pastoral Herders In Bayan Ulgii, Rachel Ryan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Mongolia is the 8th most vulnerable country in the world to climate change. The water regime of Mongolia is therefore experiencing intensive change with significant effects in the availability, distribution, and security of water resources. The implications of this change are exacerbated when aligned with poor water resource management, an issue that is prevalent as water regime change challenges current water management systems. These implications specifically affect the vulnerable rural population of Mongolian herders who maintain the practice of nomadic pastoralism. In the western province of Bayan Ulgii, the change in the numerous glaciers and other water resources that are …

Estigma Y Discriminación Hacia Hombres Que Tienen Sexo Con Otros Hombres (Hsh) Y Mujeres Trans: El Impacto En La Vulnerabilidad Y Riesgo Frente Al Vih/Sida / Stigma And Discrimination Against Men Who Have Sex With Men (Msm) And Transgender Women: The Impact On Vulnerability And Risk Of Hiv / Aids, Alessandra Scher

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Research Question – How does stigma and discrimination toward men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women affect their vulnerability toward HIV/AIDS?

Background – Although there has been progress over the years on improving attitudes towards, and knowledge about, sexual diversity, LGBT persons continue to be harshly discriminated against and stigmatized. The conservative and machista nature of Chilean society, as well as a lack of information about sexual diversity, perpetuates this treatment and marginalization of those who do not conform to the social expectations surrounding sexual relations and strict gender norms, specifically homosexual men and other MSM, as …

Shelo Yigamer L’Olam: La Construcción De Identidades Compuestas En La Comunidad Judía De Iquitos, Perú / Shelo Yigamer L'Olam: The Construction Of Composite Identities In The Jewish Community Of Iquitos, Peru, Beatrice Waterhouse

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este informe trata de la comunidad judía en Iquitos, Loreto, Perú, y como compara al marco estándar de la identidad judía como diseñado por Simon Herman (1977) y Altman, Fine, Ritter, Inman, y Howard (2010). A través de observación a primera mano y entrevistas con una muestra de participantes en la comunidad organizada, analiza varias facetas de la identidad judía: etnia, religión, relaciones con la comunidad no-judía, nacionalidad, y sentimientos sobre el Estado de Israel. Este estudio de caso encuentra que la comunidad de Iquitos generalmente sigue ese marco con algunas diferencias claves, especialmente con referencia a la prominencia de …

Un Nuevo Fenómeno En Un Mundo De Tradición: Percepciones Del Cambio Climático En La Isla De Taquile / 99/5000 A New Phenomenon In A World Of Tradition: Perceptions Of Climate Change On The Island Of Taquile, Daniel Meagher

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El cambio climático amenaza el estilo de vida tradicional de los agricultores de subsistencia de los Andes. Este trabajo resume y analiza las percepciones del cambio climático de los Taquileños, una comunidad de 2.500 campesinos indígenas de subsistencia que viven en la isla de Taquile en el Lago Titicaca. Esta comunidad no está aislada del mundo exterior, y hay una fuerte presencia de la iglesia cristiana y el turismo.

Los datos fueron recolectados a través de entrevistas y observación participante entre las fechas del 2 de noviembre al 15 de noviembre, 2016. Las veinte entrevistas contienen las perspectivas de siete …

Live And Dead Coral Cover On Three Reefs And Public Perceptions Of Degradation Around Almirante Bay, Bocas Del Toro, Phoebe Thompson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Almirante Bay is a lagoonal body of water off the western Caribbean coast of Panama. The islands within the bay are popular tourist destinations, drawing visitors from around the world to explore beaches and coral reefs. However, the reefs in Almirante Bay are continually exposed to both natural and anthropogenic stressors, such as temperature inversions, boat pollution, sedimentation from dredging, and chemical runoff from coastal banana plantations. Because the economy of the area is heavily dependent on tourism, this creates an interesting dynamic in that the main source of income (tourism) could be detrimental to a main attraction of the …

The Road Into The Future Of Health Care: The Importance Of Addressing Access To Health Facilities In Transportation Infrastructure Investment Decisions, Nicola (Nikki) Van Den Heever

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Background: One school of thought argues that transportation infrastructure is not an ultimate end goal of development and therefore shouldn’t be addressed within development funding decisions while the other argues that transportation infrastructure is the crucial foundation from which all development efforts are based and therefore needs to be addressed within development funding decisions. Within this framework, there is a lack of academic and other research addressing how physical access to health care for pregnant women can better be addressed when making decisions regarding funding of transportation infrastructure projects.

Purpose: To demonstrate the importance of considering access to health care …

Illuminating Infertility: An Exploration Of The Socioreligious Implications Of Infertility In Bali, Michaela Schwartz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In this paper, I will examine infertility in Bali in a socioreligious context. I will use background research and interviews with infertile women and couples to draw connections between the customs, rituals, and traditions of Bali and the way people experience infertility. I hope to illuminate how Balinese religion and social structures affect the lived experiences of couples who cannot have children, both positively, negatively, and neutrally. Overall, my study aims to generate better understanding of the specificity of life in Bali for those who are unable to have children.

Developing Nations And Disadvantaged Populations: How The 2009 H1n1 Influenza Pandemic Exacerbated Disparities And Inequities, Rebecca Lebeaux

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, although not as deadly or long lasting as initially projected, demonstrated that the world was and is ill prepared to handle a mass pandemic. As the first pandemic of the twenty-first century, the pandemic revealed global health insecurities and asymmetrical disease burdens for disadvantaged individuals and countries. This paper will analyze why both developing countries and disadvantaged individuals suffered disproportionately from the pandemic. Using the framework of structural violence, this paper will investigate how socioeconomic and political disparities encountered before and during the pandemic caused differential health, societal, political, and economic outcomes. These preexisting disparities …

Consecuencias De La Dictadura: La Salud Mental Transgeneracional En Hijos De Detenidos Desaparecidos / Consequences Of The Dictatorship: Transgenerational Mental Health In Children Of Disappeared Detainees, Catherine Sillari

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Research Question: What are the trends seen in the mental health of the children of the people who were “disappeared” by the Pinochet dictatorship?

Objectives: The general objective of this study is to look for trends in the mental health of children of disappeared people. The specific objectives are to understand the particular stresses that come with disappearances versus other types of deaths, to gage the general opinion of the government’s system of reparation, and to identify common coping methods.

Background: Between the years of 1973-1990, Chile was under the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. During this time, major …