Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Schooling Silence: Sexual Harassment And Its Presence And Perception At Uganda’S Universities And Secondary Schools, Elena Mieszczanski

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Although reports indicate that a majority of students in Uganda are sexually abused while in school, sexual harassment and its impact on educational attainment is a rampant yet understudied problem (The Uganda National Strategic Plan on Violence Against Children in Schools, 2015). While harassment in schools by teachers and students is not the only factor leading to high dropout rates among students, the behavior of teachers and students in school, and the lack of discipline towards their actions is an internal contribution to this effect. This study aims to better understand the perceptions on what constitutes “sexual harassment” in Uganda …

Women’S Movement: Traveling Nepal, Shaelyn Mchugh

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Nepal is a country formed by the highest peaks in the world, numerous unique cultures and ethnicities, religious pilgrimage sites for both Buddhist and Hindus, and more festivals than days in the year. For Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2017, Nepal was deemed the world’s “Best Value Destination”. Tourism plays a vital role in Nepal’s economy, but its inds is heavily aimed towards the international market. Nepalis in the hospitality industry, scholars, and economists have argued that domestic tourism could be a key component for overall socioeconomic and cultural changes in their society1.

There has been a surge of domestic …

Poem As Space For Artistic Contestation: Finding Multiple Voices Of Female Writers Through Artistic Vocabularies, Edil Hassan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project is a creative piece that consists of ten poems and a critical analysis of artistic vocabularies utilized by women writers: Aicha Bassry, Furugh Farrukhzad, and Fatima Mernissi. I argue that their speaking together, especially through multiple voices, is a political act that can be privileged above normative discussions of art currently. This comes from the common worlds they build in their poetic and scholarly work, which despite differences in voice and vocabulary, centralize women. I define artistic vocabulary in this project as the transformation that takes place when image is translated into word. I explore this idea of …

Una Perspectiva Socio-Legal De La Ley 348: La Ley Para Garantizar A Las Mujeres Una Vida Libre De La Violencia / A Socio-Legal Perspective Of Law 348: The Law To Guarantee Women A Life Free Of Violence, Maya Anthony

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Bolivia es un país con leyes muy progresistas para enfrentar la lucha contra la violencia contra las mujeres, pero en al mismo tiempo Bolivia tiene los más altos niveles de la violencia doméstica en Latinoamérica. Esta investigación va a enfocarse en la ley 348 “para garantizar a las mujeres una vida libre de la violencia”. En este ensayo voy a explorar cómo la ley 348 que fue redactada para proteger a las mujeres del sistema patriarcal, que es un sistema enraizado en el abuso, imposición a la sumisión, e intimidación a la mujer y, “una estructura institucional que impone prácticas …

Hablo Por Mi Disidengia / I Speak For My Dissidence, Lars Eddie

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Si el proceso de este proyecto tuviera un tema, sería la evolución (¿o tal vez que yo estaba equivocado?). Estaba equivocado acerca de tantas cosas- supuestos que yo había hecho sobre Chile, sobre la gente con la que me reuniría, sobre cómo iría el proyecto. Sobre conceptos básicos en los que originalmente basé mi proyecto. Aprendí cosas que yo no sabía que no sabía.

Hablo por mi disidencia empezó en la intersección de dos de mis intereses, el manifestarse y el arte, y me trajó a través del feminismo, el colonialismo, la academia, las políticas del cuerpo, el clasismo, la …

El Género Y La Sexualidad Como Herramientas Coloniales: Lo Que Significa Ser Epupillan (Dos-Espíritu) En Contextos Mapuche / Gender And Sexuality As Colonial Tools: What It Means To Be Epupillan (Two-Spirit) In Mapuche Contexts, Sophia Knowlton-Latkin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Demuestro cómo la imposición de las normas europeas de género y sexualidad a los pueblos indígenas no es sólo un resultado de la colonización, sino más bien cómo se ha utilizado como herramienta de colonización, con atención específica de cómo se relaciona con ser un mapuche epupillan (dos-espíritu) viviendo en Chile. Sostengo que estas categorías de organización social mediante normas coaccionadas y impuestas de género y sexualidad han funcionado históricamente y actualmente para colonizar a los pueblos indígenas e incorporarlos al modelo capitalista del trabajo en Chile. Para lograr esto, no doy por hecho estas categorías de identidad, de género …

“Sanarnos Para Sanar El Mundo”: Un Estudio De Mujeres Activistas Contra El Extractivismo Y Los Poderes Curativos De Terapia Social / "Heal Us To Heal The World": A Study Of Women Activists Against Extractivism And Healing Powers Of Social Therapy, Alisha Kendrick-Pradhan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

En el mes de noviembre, trabajé con Fundación GAMMA y yo estudié el vínculo entre el activismo ecofeminista y la terapia social. La Fundación GAMMA ofrece talleres de terapia social a activistas de los derechos de las mujeres, muchos de los cuales luchan contra el extractivismo en sus comunidades. Existe un vínculo entre las cuestiones de derechos de las mujeres y la explotación del medio ambiente, que constituye la base de la teoría ecofeminista. En la práctica, muchas de las mujeres que asisten a estos talleres son víctimas tanto de la discriminación de género y también de las problemas de …

What Does It Mean To Respect One’S Mother? A Narrative Approach Exploring Maternal Respect Through The Perspectives Of Zulu Mothers And Their Children, Sarah Robertson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper attempts to synthesize both background research and interview content on respect, specifically respect for mothers from their children in Cato Manor. Cato Manor is populated with largely single-mother, matriarchal households of Zulu identifying people.

I conducted eight interviews with four mothers and their children, with the “children” ranging in age from 19 to 29. I requested that my participants share as many stories with me as possible in order to help me write my findings in a narrative approach. I asked about a variety of topics, including what respect is in general, what it means to respect one’s …

"Prescribed To Fuck Off": Examining The Role Of Heterosexual White Men In South Africa From The Perspective Of Seven Students At The University Of Cape Town, Meagan Murray

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Movements towards racial and gender equality in South Africa are experiencing growth because of the increasingly urgent need to rectify the inequalities of apartheid. These movements have destabilized notions of white hegemonic masculinity by creating a dissonance between the socially-constructed privileges that white men are entitled to and their perceived limited access to advancement. The primary responses to this “crisis” have materialized in the construction of male organizations aimed at either redeveloping masculinity or defending male privilege, as well as a desire to distance oneself from the stereotypical male identity. All reactions bear significant weight on the future of South …

“Archival Of The Fittest: The Role Of Archives In Constructing Public Memory Of Queer History”, Brooks Hosfeld

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

IHLIA LGBT Heritage, an LGBTI-specific archive housed in Amsterdam, is moving beyond traditionally-introverted roles of an archive by putting on an exhibit about the past 40 years of LGBT activism in the Netherlands. The archive alone contributes to public awareness of queer history, and the exhibit, With Pride, gives a heightened platform for select gay narratives from the collections. The subjects on display, as well as the goals and decisions that selected them, reflect which narratives are included in historical memory and deemed palatable to the public.

"Les Droits Ne Sont Pas Respectés": A Study Of The Effectiveness Of The Moroccan Law In Protecting The Human Rights Of Sub-Saharan Female Migrants, Meghan Gragg

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper aims to determine to what extent Moroccan law is protecting female Sub-Saharan migrants against human rights abuses and in the process, it attempts to determine what the Moroccan government needs to do differently to protect this population. Female migrant women from Sub-Saharan Africa are a population that suffers human rights abuses because of their dual positionality as both women and Sub-Saharan migrants: both of which are discriminated populations in Morocco. The research was carried out by communicating with lawyers and non-governmental organization (N.G.O.) team members who work with women to determine the common legal and social problems affecting …

Women’S Divorce Rights In Jordan: Legal Rights And Cultural Challenges, Helen David

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research aims to examine women’s divorce rights in Jordan examining the topic both through their legal rights as well as through the cultural challenges and stigma that divorced women face. The research is focused specifically on the rights of Muslim women, who have to file for divorce through the Shari’a court system, in Jordan that are Jordanian nationals. The literature used in the research provides background insight into Jordan’s tribal system, family law in Jordan, and psychological theories that relate to group therapy and self-efficacy in divorced women. The researcher hypothesizes that despite the many socio-economic and legal reasons …

“So What Are You?:” Nepali Third Gender Women’S Identities And Experiences Through The Lens Of Human Rights Development Discourse, Amit Gerstein

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Nepal is the site of many national and international human rights development measures focused on the country’s gender and sexual minorities (SGM). Given the significant impact those development efforts have on SGM and Nepali society, national and international development actors need to understand the identities and experiences of the populations they attempt to help. Performed in Kathmandu and Bharatpur, this study attempts to understand the identities used by third gender women and if those identities are reflected in development discourse. Furthermore, this research seeks to understand the life experiences of these women and the discriminations they face, a reflection on …

Lgbti+ Language And Understandings In Nepal: Creating Spaces And Forging Identities, Patrick Sonnenberg

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The 1990 Nepali Constitution opened up opportunities for many forms of activism, and identity groups thus began solidifying to advocate for social change and justice (Karki 2012). After the Nepali Supreme Court ruling in 2007, Nepal became one of the first countries to offer a third gender category “Other,” becoming a leader for human rights in South Asia and the world (Mahato 2017). As Coyle and Boyce (2013) point out, there is little research on LGBTI individuals in Nepal. Furthermore, they advocate for more research and closer work with gender and sexual minority individuals in Nepal.

This research attempts to …

Imagining Intersectional Anti-Rape Messaging At An Organization In Cape Town, South Africa: Visible And Invisible Subjects, Maslen Bode Ward

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Less than one month ago, South Africa held the first ever Summit on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide to assess the most effective ways to approach solving the country’s high rates of gender-based violence. My study aims to consider anti-rape messaging and advocacy under an intersectional framework, using one organization in Cape Town as a case study. I examine how anti-rape messaging in South Africa has failed to consider intersectional identities in their imagined conceptions of survivors and perpetrators. I explore the potential for intersectional anti-rape messaging and the role of race, class, gender, culture, and language in the distribution, audience, …

Violencia Obstétrica: Los Derechos De Autonomía Reproductiva, Tratamiento Justo Y Accesibilidad En El Ámbito De La Salud Maternal En San Carlos, Salta / Obstetric Violence: The Rights To Reproductive Autonomy, Fair Treatment, And Accessibility Of Maternal Health Services In San Carlos, Salta, Emily Gleason

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In Argentina, there exists a national legislature (Ley N° 25.929 and 26.485) that is intended to ensure women’s rights to maternal and reproductive healthcare services free from obstetric violence; that is, the right to autonomy, fair treatment, and accessibility of maternal healthcare services. Women have the inherent right to receive fair and equitable maternal healthcare and receive humanized births, or partos humanizados. Despite the existence of these laws, however, there is still a rampant amount of obstetric violence that women in Argentina experience. Their rights to autonomous, accessible, and just maternal health services are often ignored or outright denied. …

(Dis)Locations: Dutch Disabled Lgbtq+ Subjects And Queer Social Space, Sarah Cavar

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The purpose of this research was to determine the architectural and social accessibility of “queer spaces” in the Netherlands. Via a series of personal interviews with LGBTQ+ disabled Dutch individuals, lived experiences inside and outside queer spaces were discussed in the con-text of their respective disabilities and other identities. Some sub-questions that were addressed include: the definitions of “access" and of “queer space,” how architectural and social access bar-riers compare with and influence one another, and the present and future possibilities for queer spaces of increased accessibility. In concluding the research, the author distinguishes “queer spaces” from LGBTQ+ spaces, reflecting …

El Empoderamiento De La Mujer Migrante: Una Historia De Vida Que Ilustra Este Aprendizaje En La Asociación De Mujeres Unidas, Migrantes Y Refugiadas En Argentina (Amumra) / The Empowerment Of Migrant Women: A Life Story That Illustrates This Learning In The Association Of United Women, Migrants And Refugees In Argentina (Amumra), Jonathan Urrea-Espinoza

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

La inmigración es un tema que se discute constantemente en todo el mundo, por ejemplo, sobre quién es considerado un ciudadano, si una persona puede ser ilegal, cómo reforzar las fronteras de una nación, etc. Argentina, como un país atractivo para muchos en Sudamérica no es ninguna excepción. Aunque tiene leyes migratorias que consideran que todas las personas tienen ciertos derechos, hoy en día está retrocediendo. En el mes de mayo, yo hice una pasantía en la Asociación de Mujeres Unidas, Migrantes y Refugiadas en Argentina (AMUMRA), en donde investigué las oportunidades y dificultades de ser migrante en la Argentina …

La Intersección Del Afecto Y El Empleo: Los Impactos Del Género Y Migración En Las Relaciones Laborales De Empleadas Domésticas Paraguayas En Argentina / The Intersection Of Affect And Employment: A Gender And Migration Perspective On The Complexities Of The Labor Relationships Of Paraguayan Domestic Workers In Argentina, Emily Gray

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este informe analiza las complejidades y los matices de la relación entre las empleadas domésticas paraguayas y sus empleadoras argentinas, con un enfoque específico en las consecuencias emocionales y financieras que esta relación puede tener en las dos mujeres. Esta relación laboral es única y compleja porque tiende a ser más afectiva y familiar que una típica relación empleadora-empleada, dado que el lugar de trabajo de la empleada es el hogar de su empleadora. Si bien la cercanía de su relación tiene claros beneficios, esta intimidad también puede crear grandes ambigüedades con respecto a los límites del acuerdo laboral que …

Terrorist Radicalization And International Security: A Crisis Of Masculinity And Gender, Moiz Rehan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This interdisciplinary ISP expands the traditional field of IR and security studies through a feminist and gendered perspective and has three aims: 1) to explore and assess the role that gender plays in creating and reproducing power relations among men and women at the level of international institutions; 2) to demonstrate that women play a wide variety of roles in conflict zones and peace building; and 3) to emphasize that terrorist organizations utilize the power relations constructed through gender and hegemonic masculinity to radicalize young men and women and to explore the relationship between hypermasculine state and terrorist masculinity. The …

Sans-Papiers, Sans-Santé: A Study Of Undocumented Migrant Women’S Access To Reproductive And Obstetric Health Care In Switzerland, Sarah Kinch

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In recent years, Switzerland has seen increasing numbers of foreign-born residents, making it one of the many countries affected by the European Migrant Crisis. Of these newly-settled migrants, many live in the country illegally, otherwise known as undocumented migrants or “Sans-Papiers.” While Switzerland grants its Sans-Papiers population a right to health, thus making medical insurance and care legal for the undocumented community, many still see increased adverse health outcomes among the population. As more than half of the Sans-Papiers living in Switzerland are female, women are therefore increasingly at risk for worse reproductive and obstetric health. This study sought to …

Women In Parliament: A Study Of Issue-Specific Female Coalition Building In Morocco, Lura Morton

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Currently, 81 out of 395 members of the House of Representatives, Morocco’s lower chamber of Parliament, are women. In other words, roughly 20.5% of the representatives are women. For comparison's sake, the world average is 23.8%.1 Morocco is near the world average in terms of representation, but what does female representation accomplish? Are the women in parliament effective at representing Moroccan women, their rights, and their concerns? This paper explores the concept of female parliamentarians as substantive representatives of female citizens. Specifically, this paper examines if female members of parliament (MPs) form coalitions around issues that are specific to women, …

Take A Seat: A Critical Analysis Of The Evolving Role Of Women In Morocco’S Parliamentary Parties, Grayson Rost

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As is the case in many countries, Morocco’s legislative body is largely male-dominated in terms of both representation and political influence. Despite the adoption of gender and youth quotas within Parliament, female politicians are frequently disadvantaged by discriminatory perceptions of the capabilities and roles of women in public life. Political women face obstacles during campaigns, elections, and in office unparalleled by the challenges facing men. Even in the face of adversity, however, many women have achieved and maintained remarkable political success and influence. Today, numerous non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society groups, and individuals are becoming increasingly involved in the process …

The Poetics Of Power The Role Of Women’S Writing In The Moroccan Education System, Eli Makovetsky

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

While women have always been writing in Morocco a lack of access to education and sexist ideals have limited the ability of women to disseminate their stories. Now, after years of attempted reforms women are still fighting against a society that relegates them to enact traditional gender roles. While more women are receiving education in Morocco the messages that the State projects continue to be androcentric. As such, this paper examines the role of women’s writing and literature in the Moroccan education system. By putting it in the context of the women’s rights movement this paper strives to trace the …

The Women Of Dho Tarap: Gender Roles, Challenges, And Change In Dolpo, Nepal, Luke Testa

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

By collecting and examining first first-hand accounts of women and men from Dho Tarap, this report illustrates the many challenges that women report facing throughout their lives in Dolpo, offers a conceptual framework for understanding the significance of gender, and highlights women’s thoughts on change. The difficulties that women face appear to be due to cultural concepts that suggest that women are less capable than men, social norms that provide various learning and growth opportunities to men but not to women, and customs that result in women experiencing discriminate treatment in the home and community. Through an analysis of the …

Tibetan Perceptions Of Lgbtq, Lauren Champagne

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project is aimed at understanding the perceptions of LGBTQ identities, people, and issues within the Tibetan exile community in Dharamsala, India. The project starts by contextualizing feminism in Tibetan spheres as well as Buddhist conceptions of gender and sexuality, as many Tibetans are practicing Buddhists. The focus then turns to the reactions to and experiences of queer Tibetans and how Tibetans talk about and conceptualize queerness. Finally, this project looks at the formation of various networks that have formed amongst a small community of out LGBTQ Tibetans. The main objective of this paper is to provide a context for …

Growing A Garden Of Healthy Masculinities: Combating Homophobia In The Imagine Project Workshops, Mia Lloyd

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This qualitative research study examines how peer educators can combat homophobia within the Imagine Project workshops. The Imagine Project is a three country initiative which aims to engage young men to work against sexual violence and sexual harassment through peer education. Combating homophobia is not stated as an official goal of the Imagine Project, and consequently it has not received that much attention within the workshop curriculum and preparation. A literature review and six interviews were conducted to gather information about homophobia, it’s role within the Imagine Project workshops, and how it can be combated in that context. Relevant literature …

The Personal As The Political: The Everyday Resistance Of Lgbtq+ Woc In The Netherlands, Sofia Del Valle

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Netherlands is often a country characterized by tolerance and inclusion, especially in regards to sexual diversity. Having legalized same sex marriage in 2001, one of the first in the world to do so, the Netherlands has secured its spot on the map as one of the top “gay friendly” countries. However, upon further examination, we find that tolerance within the Netherlands is not all that it seems. Many scholars and activists argue that Dutch tolerance, rather than a strive for LGBTQ+ equality, is a guise to perpetuate racism and xenophobic political agendas. Such a debate necessitates an understanding of …

Imagining Intimacy Beyond Boundaries: 'Born-Frees' Conceptions Of Race And Relationships In South Africa, Reilly Torres

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Though South Africans are no longer legislatively governed by the color of their skin, race remains salient in the way individuals make meaning of themselves and the world around them. Previous scholarship suggests that citizens of the ‘Rainbow Nation’ still see race as a fixed category of difference, making socialization between races fraught and relatively rare (Finchilescu et al. 2007). This study seeks to explore how born-frees understand race in South Africa’s shifting socio-political terrain through the lens of intimate interracial relationships—a form of cross-racial contact complicated by histories of sexual stigma and constraint. Conversations with 17 ‘born-frees’ across the …

Espacios De Poder: Percepciones De La Representación Política De Las Mujeres En Tapacarí, Cochabamba Y La Paz / Spaces Of Power: Perceptions Of The Political Representation Of Women In Tapacarí, Cochabamba And La Paz, Margaret Mischka

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Bolivia es un país con una larga y sólida historia de participación de las mujeres en la política. A lo largo del período colonial, la república, las dictaduras y en la política del partidos gobernante, las mujeres, a menudo, liderizan en una variedad de cuestiones. Los movimientos organizados de mujeres en una variedad de contextos han sido acreditados en muchos de los cambios progresivos en el país. Ahora, constituyendo las mujeres, más del 50% de la legislatura nacional y con muchas leyes destinadas a mejorar las vidas de las mujeres, la situación de la representación de las mujeres en la …