Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

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

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

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

Illusion Or Ununderstood Reality: Spiritual Or Psychic Healing And Protection In Southern Madagascar, Henri Lucien Sandifer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Far from the hospital room and its doctor, the medicine and philosophies of Lakazy and its Ombiasa pertain to a domain largely untouched by western logic and science. Their practices appear to be effective and unique enough to have survived the advent of compelling new theological and scientific belief systems and the vastly different perspectives on community health and stability which these systems have brought to Madagascar. The prime examples of these new arrivals are Christianity and modern medicine, respectively. Within and without their sacred space, the mission of the true Ombiasa is to support their community and for this …

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

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

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

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

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

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

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

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

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

The Following Sea: Cultural Perceptions And Knowledge On Traditional Sailing In Sāmoa, Connor Olin Ventling

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Traditional Polynesian voyaging techniques, which rely solely on the surrounding natural environment, have been undergoing a revival in the past 50 years. This study examines the Aiga Folau o Sāmoa, or the Sāmoa Voyaging Society, a modern entity which accurately undertakes traditional sailings around the world, and the cultural perceptions and knowledge on traditional voyaging lore and techniques in Sāmoa. Research efforts included primary interviews, visits, participant observation, as well as secondary sources. The study investigated not only how traditional sailing techniques enabled a watercraft to be navigated accurately over the open sea but also current cultural knowledge and perceptions …

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

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

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

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

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

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

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

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

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

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

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

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

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

The Abstract Text: Adinkra Symbolism As A Narrative In Drawing, Sherae Rimpsey

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Objectives:

i. Discuss the history of Adinkra textiles and its processes.

ii. Establish the origin and significance of Adinkra symbols.

iii. Situate the Adinkra symbols within Abstraction and examine its narrative potential as a non-discursive mode of communication in drawing.

iv. Create iconography to be in dialog with Adinkra symbols as part of a constructed narrative.

Methodology: I utilized the three key principles of methodological research – participation, observation, and interview in order to have direct experience with Adinkra cloth processes. I felt that this was necessary in order to effectively make sense of and analyze Adinkra symbols. I interviewed …

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

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

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

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

Illuminating Rlung: The Vital Energy Of Tibetan Medicine, Alma Rominger

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

According to Tibetan Medicine, rlung is one of the three principal energies of the human body; rlung can be translated loosely as “wind” because its predominate element is air. It is responsible for all movement internal and external to the body, from the circulation of blood to the movement of limbs. rLung is the “vehicle” of consciousness, the force which holds and moves the mind. According to the rGyud-bZhi, the traditional Tibetan medical text, rlung is the beginning and end of disease because of its pervasive nature and its close relationship with the mind; it has the power to spread …

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

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

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

Desde Basura, Una Cultura: El Sitio Samarina, La Libertad, Ecuador, Alexandra Friedl

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Por tres semanas, rellenas de polvo, sudor y más polvo, yo tuve la oportunidad de investigar la arqueología de la Península de Santa Elena y más específicamente, la cultura Guangala (500 a.C. – 800 d.C.) a través de la excavación del sitio Samarina (OGSE-46).1 El sitio Samarina está en el cantón de La Libertad en la provincia de Santa Elena en la costa suroeste de Ecuador (Figura 1). El proyecto empezó en el 2006 y continúa hasta hoy bajo el control de la Universidad Estatal Península de Santa Elena (UPSE). La península de Santa Elena tiene un expediente arqueológico que …

Luxury’S Last Frontier: An Analysis Of Hanoi Residents’ Perceptions Of The Luxury Market In Vietnam, Rachel Schuh

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

One consequence of Vietnam’s rapid economic development in recent decades is the booming luxury market in Hanoi. Although few Vietnamese consumers can afford luxury goods, luxury consumption is highly visible in Hanoi. Luxury shopping centers continue to open throughout the city, and fancy cars are a common sight on city streets. Luxury consumers often influence trends in the wider marketplace, but luxury good consumption can also be a divisive issue. In addition, luxury consumers in developing countries, even more so than those in developed countries, are often believed to be motivated by status concerns. Thus, the phenomenon economists call conspicuous …

Hiv/Aids In Yunnan Province: A Study Of Stigma And Support, Sofia Haile

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

I conducted a qualitative study on the ability of peer-HIV-support groups in Kunming, China to lessen the effects stigma. There is a lack of quantitative studies of stigma in Yunnan, and no studies that address the ability of Kunming peer-groups to lessen the effects of stigma. Over the course of one month, I collected data via questionnaire, individual interviews, group interviews, and scholarly research. My study had sixteen participants (five female sex workers, seven former intravenous drug users, and four men who have sex with men).

My scholarly research revealed that peer-groups are an effective way to: disseminate knowledge to …

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

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

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

Como El Hijo De Nadie: Internal Divisions And The Struggle For Attention In Bocana De Paiwas, Alina Rosenfeld

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Paiwas is a municipality located at the intersection of the Región Autónomo de Atlántico del Sur (RAAS),1 the Región Autónomo de Atlántico del Norte (RAAN),2 and the Pacific National half of Nicaragua. The autonomous regions are part of Nicaragua, but have their own regional government, control over their natural resources, and are dedicated to preserving indigenous culture, language, and traditions. Just as it is physically, Paiwas is an intersection between the regional autonomous government and the various levels of government on the Pacific side of the country: all governing entities in some way play a role in the development and …

Preventative Care And Culture, Anna Wagman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

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

Adapting & Appropriating Art From Afar: Negotiating A Global Identity Through Popular Culture, A Study Of Salsa In The Senegalese Context, Elizabeth Bockenfeld

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The following study is essentially an attempt to explore cross-cultural exchange and the resulting (re)creation of different forms of cultural expression. In its broadest sense it aims to explore the quotidian, cultural sides of globalization. It takes for its focus the re-appropriation of salsa music in Dakar, Senegal. Through interviews and participant observation in a number of salsa venues, I explore the various meanings Senegalese salseros put into salsa music and dance. Senegalese salsa is rooted in a very concrete historical background, while also holding meaning for the present. In short, the appropriation of salsa into the Senegalese context serves …

You, Me And Society: Political Theatre And Its Impacts, Holden Taylor

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For a period of one month I researched three distinct categories of political theatre: Theatre of Witness, Theatre of the Oppressed and more traditional theatre –wherein the audience and performers are clearly defined and separated. I was interested in getting an in-depth look at various forms of theatre and their potential effects on both producers and consumers of the art form. To conduct my research I interviewed eight individuals involved in the theatric world, participated in a theatre workshop, studied a variety of theatric literature and attended three politically charged theatre productions. I discovered a litany of things from my …

Viendo De Camino A Casa: La Construcción De La Identidad Transnacional En La Comunidad Libanesa De Buenos Aires = Looking Homeward: The Construction Of Transnational Identity In The Lebanese Community Of Buenos Aires, Lindsay Miller

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

At the end of the 19^th century through World War I, around three million immigrants entered Argentina. The vast majority left behind homes in Italy and Spain; however, a significant minority population arrived from Greater Syria, specifically from present-day Syria and Lebanon. Today, the descendents of these Syrian-Lebanese migrants make up the third largest community in Argentina. Despite the significant presence of the community, the Syrian-Lebanese community has been largely absent from scholarly work on Argentine ethnic groups.

The objective of this study is to explore the relationship that the descendents of Lebanese immigrants, living in Buenos Aires, have …

Gagner La Vie: Examining Return Preparedness And Resource Mobilization Among Moroccan Immigrants To France Who Return To Live Permanently In Agadir, Morocco, Karolina Michelle Dos Santos

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

If Moroccan immigrants are so in tune to their home culture and home happenings, under what conditions do they stay in France facing the problems of unemployment and homelessness? This study focuses on the return migration of Moroccans from the Sousse region; specifically Agadir and the surrounding Tiznit areas, who left Morocco during the decade of 1960 and who have permanently returned to live in Morocco. The study was conducted by using the snowball sampling technique to conduct semi-structured interviews of Moroccan return migrants in AitMelloul, a neighborhood of Agadir. My findings suggest that the return migrants from the Sousse …

Stories Of The Stars: The History And Folklore Of Tibetan Ethnoastronomy, Mara Johnson-Groh

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Traditionally, the night sky played an important role in the lives of Tibetans. Stars and constellations were used in navigation and in telling time. Folklore and proverbs surround these constellations and there are myths about the moon and planets as well. However, many of the stories that can be found today either originate in or are influenced by Indian culture. With the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet, came Vedic texts on astrology, which had a profound impact on the culture of ethnoastronomy in the region. Adapted Vedic astrology, merged with practices from China, eventually replaced traditional ethnoastronomy. Because of the …

Evolving Stages: Duty And Fate In The Construction Of Tibetan Tradition, Divya Chandramouli

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In this paper, I discuss themes of preservation, adaptation, and the construction of tradition in the context of Tibetan performing arts. I chose to explore these issues by looking specifically at a play composed by His Holiness the current Karmapa, based on the life of Milarepa, one of the most revered yogis of Tibetan Buddhism. This play is unique in the sense that many of its aspects stem directly from traditional Tibetan opera, or lhamo, yet the ways in which it was presented and the reasons why it was presented this way diverge considerably from “tradition.” I conducted my research …

Fa’Amatala Lau Tala: Samoan Pregnancy And Childbirth Narratives, Elsa Kendall

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Pregnancy is, for each individual woman, situated in a particular historical, social, and cultural understanding of her own body; the experience cannot be divorced from these components that inform what is deemed unhealthy or inappropriate. Most social research regarding pregnancy and childbirth focuses on economic and political implications. This study explored personal narratives of Samoan women’s experience with pregnancy and childbirth to shed light on cultural aspects of events. Seven women were interviewed as key informants using informal, unstructured interviews to better understand these topics, and are presented as a compilation of stories of the most intimate parts of their …

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

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

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

From Exquisite To Extinct: Linguistic Human Rights In The Tibetan Diaspora || Tibetan Pragmatics, Standardization Ethics And Obligatory Bilingualism, Camille Zora Inge

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This work documents a sample of the rich qualities of Tibetan language and discusses how Buddhism is embedded and woven throughout its character. From translation compounds revealing the deeper meaning of Lord Buddha to morpho-­‐ syntactic implications of the emptiness of the self, Tibetan offers a window into an insider’s understanding of Buddhist philosophy. With such a vibrant linguistic story, Tibetan language ought to be respected and upheld, taught and treasured. But, the Chinese occupation in Tibet has resulted in a physical and cultural degradation of Tibetan culture. One of the least tangible yet most affective oppressions has been upon …

“Papa, Should I Tell You What I Think Of This Exhibition, I Would Cry.” An Analysis Of Visitor Impression Books At The Bosnian Historical Museum In Sarajevo, Amanda Lawnicki

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Visitor impression book are often overlooked objects in museums. However, a study of these books can provide insight into a whole range of topics regarding museum and/or memory studies, especially in consideration of the larger socio-political climate. By nature, the books are both intensely personal and inherently collective – as they constitute an assembly of personal emotions and evaluations of the exhibit. This allows us to examine the books on a microscopic, individual level and in a global context.

My research involved an examination of the visitor impression books at the Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and focused on …