Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

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 …

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 …

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 …

Populist Radical Right Parties And The Securitization Of Migration In France, Ashley Middleton

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research paper addresses the interrelationship between the securitization of migration and the influence of the French populist radical right party, Front National (FN), in promoting anti-migrant claims. By analysing how political actors have played a role in applying security terms to migration in Europe, the paper addresses the different types of socio-political factors that have influenced the anti-migrant sentiment in France. The paper also aims to summarize the role of the media in securitizing migration. Furthermore, the analysis continues with an exploration of French security policy with regard to migration to better understand how FN has benefitted from a …

The Case For State-Led Trade Policies In Economic And Human Development, Prahlad Krishnan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper aims to examine the difference in effectiveness on development of least developed countries (LDCs) such as Uganda that opposing trade positions have. Specifically, the paper will look at development state economic policies versus neoliberal policies in both regional and global trade to determine how they both effect development as defined by the Human Development Paradigm and the Neoliberal (Economic) Paradigm.

Research for this paper came from a practicum-based internship with Southern and Eastern Africa Trade Information and Negotiations Institute Uganda (SEATINI). The internship provided guidance for independent research and allowed for participant observation. Information was also gathered through …

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 …

Exploring Access To Portable Water And Sanitation Practices In A Post-Conflict Environment: The Case Of Gulu District, Northern Uganda, Peyton Going

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Over the course of 30 days of fieldwork in October and November of 2016, data was collected through interviews conducted with local government officials, researchers and academics, and village community members of Gulu District.

The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which agencies have improved water and sanitation in the region. The case study of Gulu utilized in-depth interviews with key informants, focus groups, and observations, and sought to determine who the local stakeholders in water and sanitation are, the water sources and sanitation facilities available and their uses, the perception local people have about their …

Migrant Education In Morocco: Cross-Cultural Competence Favored Over Integrative Reform. An Analysis Of The Moroccan Government’S Migrant Integration Efforts Through Education., Ella Schoenen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In 2014 the Ministry in Charge of Moroccans Abroad and Migration Affairs, adopted the National Policy of Immigration and Asylum detailing efforts to realize an adaptive education system, sensitive to migrant education and inclusive of teaching and learning strategies directed towards children of foreign heritage. As migrant networks grow more and more fortified, and people all over the world experience improved mobility, destination countries are finding multicultural and inclusive education systems integral to the wellbeing of its new residents, and the tolerance of its native citizens. Based on the national strategy for immigration and asylum put forth by the Ministry …

For A Public-Private Partnership To Achieve Migrant Health Equality In Morocco: A Cross-Analysis Of Integration Policies And Migrant Peer Educator Programs, Victoria Anders

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Since the Moroccan Ministry in Charge of Moroccans Living Abroad and Migration Affairs (MRE) released its National Strategy on Immigration and Asylum in December 2014, MRE has put forth various policies and action plans to improve migrant integration in Morocco, including the need for their integration into the national healthcare system. Before that, most of the needs of the growing migrant population in Morocco were provided for by civil society and non-governmental organizations, who worked with severely underserved and isolated migrants often fearful and distrusting of the government and authorities. To overcome this resentment, these organizations had to develop community …

Human Rights Education: A Tool For The Cultivation Of National Human Rights Culture In Morocco, Page Benoit

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Human rights have been taught in Morocco for twenty years. Since the process of Moroccan transitional justice, the aim of this human rights education has been to promote a national human rights culture. This research is a cross-comparison between how human rights education; for the purpose of creating a human rights aware society, is presented and enacted by the the Moroccan government and how it is presented and enacted by non-governmental bodies in a post transitional justice moment of history. The study was conducted through a qualitative data method. It includes interviews with the Inter-Ministerial Delegation of Human Rights and …

Violating Of Individual Privacy: Moroccan Perceptions Of The Ban Of Voip Services, Tyler Delhees

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

On January 6, 2016, the Moroccan telecommunications regulatory agency, the ANRT, announced a ban onVoice Over Internet Protocol(VoIP) calling services such as Skype, WhatsApp, and Viber. The ban triggered sweeping opposition among the Moroccan public, opening discussion of digital rights, censorship, and Internet governance. Considering liberal democratic rights in the 2011 Moroccan Constitution and a history of censorship, this study analyzes the official justification of the ANRT alongside additional explanations involving business interests and the security services. The purpose of this study is to gauge the perceptions of Moroccans on the decision of the ANRT and provide a holistic explanation. …

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 …

Queer Connections: Social Media As A Versatile Tool Of The Marginalized Moroccan Lgbt, Savannah Vickery

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper examines the role of social media in the Moroccan LGBT sphere. It draws on personal narratives from LGBT men and women as well as activists in order to establish the various ways that social media is employed in the interests of the individual, the community, and the activist. While social media has been a tool to expand the LGBT community around the world, it is specifically and unusually useful in Morocco where there is considerable censorship of incoming and outgoing media. Additionally, many public displays of resistance are considered to be counter productive to the pro-LGBT movement because …

Tomando En Cuenta: Perspectivas Sobre Las Tomas Del Movimiento Estudiantil Chileno / Taking Into Consideration: Perspectives On The Tomas Of The Chilean Student Movement, María Navarro-Gutiérrez

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Hoy día, actores en el movimiento estudiantil de Chile utilizan varias formas de protesta para comunicar sus deseos e ideas. Entre ellos, la toma de la escuela chilena, durante la cual los estudiantes “ocupan” a su escuela por un periodo de tiempo, se ha convertido en una de las formas de protesta más comunes y emblemáticas del movimiento. Muchas tomas ofrecen un espacio seguro, fuera de las calles, donde los estudiantes pueden instigar un dialogo entre ellos y la administración sobre sus preocupaciones. Sin embargo, aunque las tomas seguidas producen resultados positivos para ambos lados, acusaciones de la pérdida de …

Multi-Sector Analysis Of The Progress And Challenges Of Soil-Transmitted Helminth Eradication In Rural Udaipur, Jessica Ellis

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

India is home to 240 million children currently at risk of Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis, which is spread via unclean water, soil, and food, and causes acute pain and malnutrition. While acknowledging the research debates over WASH and mass drug administration, this study seeks to identify the systemic multidisciplinary issues affecting STH elimination efforts in rural Udaipur. Twenty-three interviews were conducted in villages, government departments, NGOs, and medical sectors to identify the challenges within each approach to deworming, and their experiences with multi-sectoral collaboration. The most recurring issues across disciplines were need for invested local leadership, increase in health literacy of adults, …

Access Is Not Enough: Family Planning In Dar Es Salaam, Claire Burrus

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Population growth is a large problem, both globally and at local levels. The global population is growing at an unsustainable rate, particularly in developing nations. Tanzania, as a developing nation, is one of the fastest growing countries in the world, and as a result, faces many hardships related to high population. The Tanzanian government, non-governmental organizations, and private institutions have made attempts to address these concerns by encouraging family planning. Even so, the national population continues to rise. Many social and cultural factors have contributed to this phenomenon. This study was performed in the Women’s Clinic at Sanitas Hospital in …

“Always A Double-Edged Sword”: How Women And Health Care Providers Navigate Issues Of Contraception In Differing Senegalese Communities, Angelina Strohbach

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper examines how women and health care providers in two distinct Senegalese settings—Dakar and Mouit, a village located within the Gandiol region-- navigate contraception as both a social and medical good. Contraception is an invaluable tool in terms of advancing women’s right to reproductive health, but major discrepancies in its usage exist across a variety of social lines in Senegal, including level of education, marital status, occupation, age, and living in a rural versus urban setting. What socially constructed thought processes and lived experiences contribute to these discrepancies? In a cultural context heavily based upon tradition and Islamic faith, …

Is Faith Truly The Reason For Our Security? A Study On The Extent To Which Islam Influences Jordanian National Security, Shynelle Kissi

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

After witnessing years of coups, war, and overall civil unrest in the Middle East, it comes as no surprise that there are many competing explanations for why this is. Much to the disbelief of the researcher, the average American’s theory for this was that the heavy influence of Islamic teachings in lawmaking prevented the successful implementation of democratic processes and overall peace in the region. However, Jordan appears to have evaded all forms of chaos, and remain peaceful despite also being a Muslim country. Why? Has Jordan escaped turmoil because unlike its neighbors it does not use Islam in its …

Self-Perceptions Of Disability And Impairment In An Indian Prosthetic Population Using Jaipur Foot Technology, Litany Esguerra

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Twenty-nine first time and repeat prosthetic users were interviewed over a period of three weeks to determine how they perceived their own disability at Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti, or Jaipur Foot, located in Jaipur, India. The questions delineated different aspects of people’s disabilities and impairment, and asked a multitude of questions regarding social, economic, political, and other contexts, influenced by the conceptual framework of the International Classification of Functioning (ICF). The study analyzed all of the factors as specified by the questionnaire and found that many varying trends over all types of prosthetic users. The study also used the …

Emergency Medical Services And Public Policy In Durban, Kwazulu-Natal, John Buyske

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project seeks to explore the realities of the emergency medical system in the Durban area, particularly relative to government policy. It contextualizes its findings within the literature on public policy. Data for the project was collected via nine in-depth interviews with various professionals working in the field of emergency medical services, as well as a survey of fourteen citizens conducted in the peri-urban township of Cato Manor. This data was analyzed using qualitative methods. While every participant had different views and a different perspective on emergency services, some recurring themes and trends became evident, allowing for conclusions to be …

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 …

Dealing With Migratory Trauma: Mental Health Stressors And Coping Mechanisms Among Sub-Saharan Migrants In Rabat, Morocco, Dominique Defreece

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Interviews, surveys, and participant observation was used to study the mental health of Sub-Saharan migrants residing in Rabat, Morocco. These data collection methods were used to explore the various experiences migrants had pre-migration, during their migration journey, and post-migration. The migrants portrayed many negative, traumatic, and painful experiences. These experiences have caused a significant amount of pressure on the mental psyche of the migrants, manifesting itself in many physical and psychological problems. One common problem was a sense of disillusionment or lack of control over their bodies and situations. However, many of them do not seek the help of mental …

Solid Waste Management Of Disposable Diaper Sanitation And The Connection To Environmental Awareness For Women In Zanzibar, Micalea Leaska

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project examined the solid waste management of disposable diapers in three locations, Stone Town, Mangapwani and Vikokotoni, within Zanzibar, Tanzania. Its methods included field observations of the solid waste disposal system in Zanzibar and interviews with women about their rationales for buying and using disposable diapers. For one of the first times, the data collected during this project will further assist to educate women about the benefits of cloth diapers and the negative effects disposable diapers create for Zanzibari families and the environment. This study has observed one of the most growing concerns regarding excess solid waste contributing to …

Continuous Care In Complex Contexts: Access To Health Services For Noncommunicable Diseases Among Syrian Refugee Women In Jordanian Host Communities, Jennifer Ostrowski

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study examines how, when and where Syrian refugee women living in a host community in central Jordan access health services related to noncommunicable diseases. Noncommunicable diseases are the leading cause of death and disability worldwide, but can be effectively managed through timely treatment. Examining access to care for these diseases in the context of humanitarian emergencies, such as war and displacement, is particularly important because they require continuous care, which may be interrupted during emergencies, and because they can cause acute complications, which may be exacerbated by emergencies (WHO, 2016).

Previous studies indicate a high burden of NCDs among …

The Transgender Community In Bangalore: Health Issues And Factors Negatively Affecting Outcomes, Zayahary Ortiz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Despite their long history in India, transgenders continue being pushed aside depriving them of their basic needs, human rights, and their right to health. The present study aims to discuss the current health issues and factors affecting the health outcomes of the transgender community. This was accomplished through an investigation of social, economical, and political exclusions and behavioral patterns impacting and affecting health outcomes in the transgender (TG) community. The study was completed in Bangalore, Karnataka under the guidance of Swatantra, a rights-based organization seeking to empower the transgender working-class through the access to rights, education, employment, family acceptance, and …

Use Of Cycling Paths Along The Morogoro Brt Line, Ford Sanger

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As the urban population continues to increase rapidly in Dar es Salaam it will become increasingly important to find sustainable means of urban transportation. With planned infrastructure improvements in the city to help alleviate traffic congestion, bicycles, which represent a largely underutilized form of urban transportation, have the potential to play a large role in the future of the city. Through background research, direct observations, community surveys, and interviews, both formal and informal, this study sought to understand the impact of the recent addition of bike lanes along the first phase of the Dar Bus Rapid Transit line. It was …

Maternal Healthcare In Eastern Uganda: The Three Delays, Mothers Making Empowered Choices, And Combatting Maternal Mortality, Emma Gier

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Maternal and child health has been noted as an international concern and issue. While access to maternal healthcare has improved in Uganda since 2000, maternal mortality rates have remained high in the country as of 2015. However, maternal and child healthcare are inherently important in promoting sustainable and positive development. For that reason, I have explored maternal healthcare in Uganda’s Eastern region, specifically in Mbale Town and surrounding rural areas including Kween and Manafwa districts. Specifically I have looked at what factors influence women’s decision to give birth in a health centre or hospital, versus at home. I have also …

Self Sufficiency In Refugees, Sarah Zayed

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Syrian refugee crisis has taken the world by storm as it is not only a Jordanian issue or a Middle Eastern issue but rather it is a humanitarian crisis. The intent of this research is to study Syrian refugees living in Jordan whom are living outside of refugee camps and their level of self-sufficiency. A few ideas the researcher has kept in mind throughout this study are: Are refugees working in the same fields as they did in Syria? Does Jordan really invest in these workers? What is the Syrian point of view? What is the Jordanian government point …

Goals Of Aid Organizations And Perspectives Of Employees: Urban Integration Of Syrian Refugees In Jordan, Alysha Alloway

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research aims to explore the perspectives of aid workers in Amman among various aid organizations, both local and international, and how aid workers feel the country should move forward from both a policy and social standpoint regarding urban integration of Syrian refugees. This research includes a review of literature in urban studies and sociology of economics, drawing on absorption theory and the concept of parallel structures of services to contextualize the argument that the role of urban refugees in urbanization and urban economic development should be considered within the systems of relief in place in Jordan, and it is …

Exploration Of The State Of Mental Healthcare Services For Youth In Nairobi, Rashiidah Richardson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper is formative research concerning the state of mental health care for youth in Nairobi, Kenya. Using a mixed methods design, the objectives of this study were to identify the most prevalent mental health concerns among youth in Kenya, to explore the availability and acceptability of youth friendly mental health care services, and to explore the quality of and challenges to providing youth friendly mental health care services. Results indicate that substance abuse, conduct disorder, and family conflict may be among the most pressing mental health concerns for young people. Furthermore, while young people may be willing to seek …