Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Phoenix Or Phantom: Residents And Sarajevo’S Post-War Changes, Katherine Marple-Cantrell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project looks at the changes that Sarajevo endured as a result of the war of the nineties and at how those changes affected residents’ relationships with the city, approaching the topic from an urban perspective. To answer these questions, I conducted historical and theoretical research on the city and conducted a series of ten interviews. Two of my interviews were factual interviews that augmented my knowledge of the city and it’s physical changes, and eight of the interviews were sociological interviews that helped me to understand residents’ experience of change in the city. This paper presents my findings by …

L’Augmentation Des Associations Dans « L’État Providence », Sara Haj-Hassan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project sought to study the increase in associations in relation to the disengagement of the state from the social sector. The researcher used both interviews and observational methods to analyze the reasons for this increase, and the importance the associations hold in the functioning of the state. Through direct participation and personal conversations with both association employees and service-users, the researcher was able to comprehend the multiple dimensions of the topic. The researcher then goes on to relate the existence of the associations to the fundamental French values.

The Path Of The Arrow: The Evolution Of Mongolian National Archery, Eric X. Brownstein

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Mongolian bow, once the cornerstone of the largest empire in the world, has gone through changes in almost every period of history. At present much of its past glory has been lost to people even in Mongolia and while it technically remains as one of Mongolia’s three national sports it is of much less prominence than the other two, wrestling and horseback racing. Archery has become detached from its strong history and the sport finds itself in danger of extinction. The reasons for this are complex but can often be attributed to various archery associations which are run in …

Beach Fales: Sustainable Eco-Tourism And Cultural Preservation In Samoa: A Case Study Of Beach Fales In Manase, Savai’I, Rachel Dolgin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For small island nations of the South Pacific, it is crucial that the tourism industry develops at a sustainable rate in order to prevent cultural and environmental degradation. Sustainable tourism has the potential for improving the income and living standards for local people. It can also revitalize local culture, customs and traditional crafts while playing a vital role in the preservation of the cultural heritage of a nation. Small beach fales are an example of sustainable tourism and cultural preservation at its best in Samoa. In this case study of beach fales in Manase, Savaii, the role and importance of …

Waste Management Education In Samoa: A Collection Of Case Studies On Present Issues, Kathy Feeney

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Despite the presence of environmental education and awareness programs, Samoa still faces many environmental problems today, especially in the area of waste management. With the influx of packaged goods into a society that had always lived off the land, Samoans have had to change their conception disposal of rubbish. In schools, students are learning about waste management, yet litter and improper disposal of waste continues to be an issue. In order to understand this dichotomy exists, surveys were conducted at eight secondary schools on ‘Upolu and Savai’i to determine what kinds of waste exist at different schools and how much …

Romancing Dahalo: The Social Environment Of Cattle Theft In Ihorombe, Madagascar, John Mcnair

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In 1990 a woman named Nancy, a Peace Corps worker in southern Madagascar, received a marriage proposal from a man she did not know. It was Easter Monday, a national holiday for the Malagasy, and the man had been drinking; his proposal included a dowry of a very substantial number of cattle, an animal of tremendous cultural and material wealth in this part of Madagascar. Nancy—not knowing the man—declined.

The man was what is known there as a dahalo, a cattle thief, and took this rejection as a serious blow, especially given the magnitude of his offer. It was known …

Institution Building In The Non-Profit Sector Working As A Fundraising Consultant At A Rehabilitation Center For Children With Disabilities In Lira, Uganda, Crystal Alburger

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The purpose of this study is to help a small non-profit organization in Lira, Uganda gain greater access to funding. First, I will discuss the importance of institution building in the non-profit sector. Then I will outline the participatory action research I did while working as a fundraising consultant for the Freidis Rehabilitation and Disable Center (FRDC). After this, I will discuss my findings and make a series of recommendations for the organization in the areas of public relations, marketing, and grant writing. Then I will conclude that there is a great need for consulting in the non-profit sector and …

Mivumba In Kampala: Tracking The History, Trade, And Perceptions Of A Global Commodity In Local Culture, Claire Walsh

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

One surprisingly unstudied and little documented aspect of the present-day African market system– almost impossible to ignore when one is walking the streets of Kampala and bombarded by its presence– is second-hand clothing. This study investigates the history, systems, and perceptions of the second-hand clothing market in Kampala, Uganda. Combining an ethnographic analysis with historical research, this paper details how a western commodity is changed, both in meaning and form, and interacted with on a local level– adding to anthropological literature that analyzes how local cultures interact, and not passively react, to globalization.

The emergence of the large second-hand clothing …

The Exchange At Halesi: A Sacred Place And A Societal Context, Ethan Gohen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Halesi is a small, but growing village located in the Khotang District of Eastern Nepal. In many ways it is rather normal. As is typical in this area of Nepal, its inhabitants are mainly Rai Hindus, although there is a substantial community of other Hindu castes as well. Less typically, there is a small, but very important Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in Halesi. The reason for this monastery is even less typical still. In the rocky terrain around Halesi there are many caves. But in the central rocky, tree covered hillock of Halesi bazaar there is one cave of particular importance. …

On Est Ensemble: A Participatory Study Of The Jembe Tradition As Preserved By The Griots Of West Africa, Joel Rowe

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In this study, I examine how a culture’s values are reflected in a specific pedagogical process through participant observation; in essence, I endeavor to examine first-hand the anthropology of pedagogy. The jembe, in truth, is comparable to a window into both the teaching model of a Senegalese master drummer and the cultural values reflected in his pedagogical method. In learning to play the parts of seven jembe rhythms with fluidity and recording their cultural significances, I discover the elements of criticism and sacrifice deeply inlaid in the tradition of this instrument. Relative to the communal setting of the griot family …

Diary Of The Hijab, Monica Ek

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

To understand the position the veil has within modern society and examine the perspective of women. It is also to understand and know the reasons for wearing and not wearing the hijab and the opinions of women about it. To study the respect issues associated with hijab, by actively wearing and not wearing; expectations and treatment on the streets. Interviews, observations and participant observations were methods to study.

Acceso Limitado A Educacion Y Los Efectos En La Experiencia Familiar Por Los Jovenes Aymaras Traslado, Adaptación Social Y La Identidad En Arica, Kate Mooney

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This work, completed during the month of May 2008, characterizes the experience of rural Aymara families and the experiences of their children, who migrate from their pueblos in the Andean high plains to the city of Arica in the first region of Chile for educational reasons. The study consists primarily of qualitative analysis of interviews with youth who currently reside in Arica while studying, their caretakers in the city, their mothers in the pueblos and directors of educational organizations in both Putre and Arica. Principally, the study seeks to understand the perceptions of the city held by rural youth, their …

¨En Este País No Se Habla Con La Verdad¨: Investigando La Falta De Educación Sexual En El Ecuador¨, Laney Rupp

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

No abstract provided.

An Assessment Of Subsidy Removal Effects On And Future Sustainability For Livestock Sector Of In The Northern Jordanian Badia, Christopher Jetter

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study investigates the rationale behind the 2007 removal of the fodder subsidy in Jordan and the effects this had on livestock owners in the Northern Badia. Furthermore, it examines possible solutions for improving the efficiency of the sector as well as its sustainability. The government’s decision to lift the subsidy was due to the pressure of rising world cereal prices on the national budget deficit. Owners in the Northern Badia as a result had to sell off around half of their flock. Consequently, there has been a rise in disease among livestock as well as higher prices for consumers. …

Concentración Urbana: El Papel De La Competición, Jason Peuquet

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In the year 1996 economists Paul Krugman and Livas Alizondo published a study addressing the correlation between the degree to which a country’s economy is open to foreign pressures and competition and the degree to which the country experiences the phenomenon of urban concentration. However, in 2003 another economist, Olga Alonso-Villar published another study that presents evidence against Krugman and Elizondo’s argument. This study states that after an extended period of time, during which an economy has been closed to foreign pressures and competition, such as Chile and other Latin American countries during the era of import substitution industrialization, when …

The Current State Of Populations Of Diadema Antillarum On Isla Colón In Bocas Del Toro, Panamá, 25 Years After Mass Mortality, Leah T. Ritz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In January 1983, the worst recorded die-off of any marine animal hit the Caribbean beginning near the mouth of the Panama Canal and eventually wiping out nearly 99% of one of the most important herbivores in coral reef communities, Diadema antillarum—the long-spined sea urchin or Diadema. No populations of Diadema in the Western Atlantic are known to have escaped the drastic population declines. The loss of Diadema throughout the Western Atlantic has had long-lasting impacts on the structure and composition of many types of communities including coral reefs, mangrove roots, sea grass beds, and sand flats. Though the mortality was …

Growing Up Gay In A “Tolerant” Society, John Frank

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study attempts to understand the lives of young homosexuals living in the Netherlands. Eight homosexual adolescents were interviewed and their responses were analyzed to find out more about growing up in a society known for its tolerant and progressive legislation. The research found that although it is better than most countries, there are still some problems for gays in the Netherlands. It is not uncommon for gay Dutch adolescents to face discrimination and harassment. These young people were quite nervous about coming out and their experiences doing so were not always positive. Parents in the Netherlands were not always …

Present-Tense Tradition: The Conflict Over Commodification In Sauraha, Nepal, William Litton

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In one broad stroke, this is a study of 'modern man's' loss of 'nature' and 'tradition,' and the bizarre things he does to reclaim and reinvent them. My study takes place in the town of Sauraha, situated just by the entrance into Nepal's Royal Chitwan National Park, where, in the past 30 years, the tourist industry has expanded significantly. The industry offers consumers a unique commodity: the chance to re-commune with and marvel at 'true nature and tradition,' both inside the park proper, which boasts rhinos and tigers and bears (oh my!), and, of particular interest to me, in the …

Fighting The Man: A Case Study Of The Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign, Allison Grill

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study looks to develop an understanding of how marginalized communities throughout South Africa are bettering their own lives. A number of them have mobilized, some in larger numbers than others, to form a wide range of social movement organizations in the country. This paper uses one such movement, the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign, as a case study to examine how social movements have developed in post-apartheid South Africa. This paper will look at strategies utilized, obstacles faced and some of the people behind the Anti-Eviction Campaign to better understand its role in the mobilization and empowerment of local communities. …

A Culture Seen Through Cuisine: Traditional Zanzibari Recipes, Lizzie Resta

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Zanzibari cuisine was studied through the collecting of traditional and typical recipes. Along with the ingredients and cooking methods, further information about Zanzibari culinary traditions was gathered, such as historical origins of certain dishes, their special religious and ceremonial uses, as well as any superstitions or beliefs surrounding particular foods. All of this information was then compiled into a cookbook.

Como Mujer…Yo Decido: El Derecho De Salud Sexual Y Reproductiva En Mujeres Aymara De Putre, Chile, Alice Manos

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The human right to sexual and reproductive health, as defined at the International United Nations Conference on Population and Development (Cairo, 1994), continues to be a pending issue in Chile. The sexual and reproductive health of indigenous women emerges as a crucial issue within this field due to Chile’s history of cultural ignorance and a dictatorial healthcare system. Studies of women’s sexual and reproductive healthcare within indigenous communities in Chile have focused on the Cosmo vision and traditional medicine of the Aymara due to their distinct concepts of reproduction, gender roles, and family planning. Studies conducted by Maria Soledad Pérez …

La Religión Y Los Discursos Del Progreso En El Valle Del Colca, Eric Hirsch

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

A TRAVÉS DE las provincias, los campos, y las regiones rurales del Perú andino, se observa pueblos campesinos sin número, en que cada una está sujeta a una red compleja de discursos. Vemos, como resultado de estos discursos, un proceso dinámico de la construcción de identidades individuas y comunitarias. En este proyecto, enfocando en las varias formas de la religión andina con y como expresión de múltiples tipos de historia, orgullo, sistemas sociales, fabricas de valor y de moralidad, y como una parte integral de la construcción de identidad cultural y política en niveles locales y estatales, examinaremos la confluencia …

Give Life Without Losing Life: The Casa Materna Of Matagalpa And The Struggle To Prevent Maternal Death, Lily Emiko Friedman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Maternal mortality has a face. It is the health indicator with the greatest disparity between the developed and developing worlds, disproportionately affecting poor women with low levels of education, high levels of fertility, and inadequate access to health services. It is the health inequality that most clearly shows how poor health outcomes continue to be directly linked to poverty and socioeconomic disadvantage, while the right to safe pregnancy and motherhood comes with economic privilege. As it occupies such a critical position in community health, maternal mortality has been widely studied and the target of countless health interventions aimed at its …

Fortaleza’S Feminisms: Searching For Feminist Theory In The Centro De Referência Da Mulher And The Delegacia De Defesa Da Mulher, Paige Sweet

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study attempts to focus on the issue of how violence against women is combated in Brazil through interviewing the women who work at the Delegacia de Defesa da Mulher and the Centro de Referência da Mulher. I attempt to compare and contrast the policies and procedures of these two institutions, as well as the opinions of the women who work there, to understand how they reflect and/or resist feminist theory values. As the basis of this analysis, I am using feminist domestic violence theory, which states that the cause of domestic violence is rooted in sexism and patriarchal power …

Calidad Química Y Microbiológica Del Agua Y Acceso Al Recurso Agua En La Comunidad De Solöng, Territorio Naso-Teribe, Bocas Del Toro, Shira Wrightman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study evaluated the water quality and accessibility of water resources in the community of Solöng located in the Naso-Teribe territory of the province of Bocas Del Toro. The seven chemical parameters of nitrate, phosphate, pH, alkalinity, total hardness, turbidity and dissolved oxygen were used to assess the safety of drinking water and the health of aquatic ecosystems utilized by the residents of Solöng. A microbiological assessment which included tests for total coliform bacteria and the fecal coliform strain group of Escherichia coli were conducted as well. Chemical tests were performed in a total of 15 spigots, 7 streams, 2 …

The Stories Of Juruti Velho, David Mittelman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper presents a collection of stories from the communities of the Juruti Velho region of the municipality of Juruti, Pará, Brazil. The inhabitants of this region represent just one group affected by the current mining undertaking by the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa). Following some important background information on ribeirinhos populations, Amazonian development, and Alcoa’s history of displacing communities, the study presents the past, present and potential future of these communities in their own words. Stories were collected in loosely structured interviews and transcribed, in order to capture what is important to the community members’ sense of identity and …

Global Advertising And Its Implications On The Concept Of Spatial Identity: A Case Study Of Urban Billboard Advertising In Tunis, Kristen Hackett

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Tunisia is a country that has a very distinct and unique culture and collective identity that was shaped by their equally specific and unique history. With these facts in mind this, I was very shocked to see that the advertisements utilized in the city of Tunis to appeal to the Tunisian public, are very similar, if not that same to those of the United States and all around the world. At first, I was under the impression that manufacturers and advertising agencies played into spatial identities, such as those sovereign to demarcated nations or cultures, and that their advertisements would …

Yupanchis: La Matemática Inca Y Su Incorporación A La Clase, Yonit Bousany

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este diálogo tuve con una estudiante de quinto grado de la escuela intercultural-bilingüe Wiñaypaq, a quien veía cada día luchando con la matemática. Sus respuestas señalan bastante sobre su experiencia escolar, especialmente porque, desafortunadamente, la mayoría de experiencias de niños quechua-hablantes en clases de matemática son indeseables en el Perú. Por una variedad de razones, niños peruanos quechua-hablantes raras veces suceden en alcanzar un nivel avanzado en el aprendizaje de las Matemáticas. Podemos atribuir este hecho a variables sociológicos, políticos, lingüísticos y/o económicos, pero no, como es una opinión popular, a una falta de una fuerte base de conceptos matemáticos …

Revitalizing The Human Spirit Together: A Case Study Of Movimento De Saúde Mental Comunitária Do Bom Jardim In Bom Jardim, Fortaleza, Ceará, Ana Bonilla

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

My research will delve into the workings of the community of Bom Jardim in Fortaleza, Ceará, in their endeavors for positive mental and physical community development through the tactics of their base organization Movimento de Saúde Mental Comunitária do Bom Jardim (MSMCBJ). Specifically I am looking at the Terapia Comunitária (community therapy) program, one of the many branches of MSMCBJ, and how through their projects do they fulfill their goal of organizing a community from the roots to blossom into a healthier and more vibrant one. I will also look into how this model is sustainable and why this method …

Surfistas For Change: Building New Identity And Community In Poor Brazilian Communities Through Sport And Education, Stephanie Miller

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The purpose of my research was to test the hypothesis that sports can be a preventative method for youth risk behaviors such as gang membership. My hypothesis was that sports could provide some of the same benefits as gang membership and other risk behaviors, but in a more healthy and productive way. To test this thesis, I spent three weeks researching the work of ARCA, the Associaçao Recreativa e Esportiva para Crianças e Adolescentes in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. While I studied all the projects of ARCA, I focused my research on their Escola do Surf, in the poor beach community …