Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Small Town Drug Problem: The Socio-Economy Of Malindi’S Heroin-Using Population, Greg St. Arnold

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Research was conducted in Malindi focusing on the social and economic characteristics of heroin-users. A survey of users’ ages, employment, education level, future ambitions, family status, and attitudes towards rehabilitation was undertaken with the assistance of The Omari Project, a local non-governmental organization specializing in rehabilitation services. The findings reveal a community mired in the throes of poverty and unemployment, which exacerbates the community’s drug problem. Recommendations are offered suggesting how best to meet the economic and social challenges presented by the heroin-using community.

The Road To Recovery: Economic And Social Development In Srebrenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Erinn Lachner

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Srebrenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina is recreating itself. This municipality, located in the Republic of Srpska, is the setting of the 1995 genocide, which murdered 8,000 Muslim men and boys. Destroyed by the war, this municipality is rebuilding its economy, infrastructure and civil society from scratch. Srebrenica has made a large amount of progress in the past ten years, with the help of international and local donors. These donors have contributed millions of dollars to the effort. However, Srebrenica still faces many obstacles, namely, high unemployment, lack of physical infrastructure and poor attention to social welfare. While slow, progress is made everyday in …

History And Society: Fact, Fiction And Reform In The Serbian Education System, Valerie Ullrich

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

History instruction is a means of disseminating political and cultural “truth” in societies all over the world. History occupies only a small space in the educational schemes that socialize and politicize children to their societies, but it could be argued that it plays a disproportionate role in these processes. In societies with contentious historical records and/or histories of conflict, it is particularly important to examine the role that history instruction does in fact play, as it can have positive or disastrous consequences over the long term. Serbian society provides one example of the potential effects of incomplete, politically influenced historical …

The Super Market: Examining The Bangladesh Market As A Model For Local Economic Development, Sally K. Smyth

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

No abstract provided.

Maternity, Sexuality, And Capability: An Exploration Of The Aesthetics Of The Rural Moroccan Female Body, Carlye Warren

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper provides an intimate look at the rural female body and its nuances – aesthetics, self-perception, sexuality, maternity, and purity. Based on this research conducted in the rural village of Loutichina, it seems apparent that almost unrealistic demands are traditionally made on the rural female body, most noticeably the demands of reproduction and physical labor. Local perceptions and attitudes towards maternity and sexuality are also explored, as is the way in which the rural female body undergoes basic biological changes and cycles and is simultaneously affected by surrounding social and cultural pressures. Ethically, I was confronted with issues of …

The Role Of Malagasy Women In Community Development: Analyzing The Potential For The Creation Of A Women’S Association For Alternative Livelihoods In Ifaty, Amanda Fencl

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Integrated Conservation and development projects (ICDPs) have increased in number worldwide as conservation organizations have to come to terms with the importance of involving and addressing the needs of local human populations to order to achieve their conservation goals. Madagascar’s unique biodiversity, environmental degradation, and plaguing poverty has made ICDPs crucial in achieving national goals of tripling the area of natural heritage conserved and poverty reduction through socially, economically, and ecologically sustainable development. In order to understand how such sustainable development can be achieved, it is essential to spend time enhancing one’s understanding of the local mentality and worldview. On …

El Movimiento De Mujeres Y El Estado Nicaragüense: La Lucha Por La Autonomía, Sarah Moberg

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El Movimiento de Mujeres ha sido un movimiento social vital, diverso e influyente en la historia de Nicaragua, comenzando a mediados del siglo veinte. Ha tenido tres etapas en su evolución, bajo las tres diferentes estructuras del Estado: la dictadura Somocista, el gobierno Sandinista, y los gobiernos neoliberales. Durante las tres etapas, el Movimiento tuvo cambios en sus agendas, sus debates, su membresía y su forma de organización. La relación con el Estado es un gran factor en el rumbo de un movimiento social. Ha influido en las estrategias políticas y las formas de participación, las cuales también han influido …

Abortion: The Reality For Women Of Praia Grande, Anna Tawse

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Under Brazilian law, abortions are prohibited in all cases except for pregnancies resulting from rape or sexual violence and pregnancies which present possible death or harm to the mother. Upon a closer look, however, it is obvious that regardless of the illegality, Brazilian women are getting abortions. In light of this, I conducted a research project to uncover more about the reality that Brazilian women, specifically located in Praia Grande (a small community on Ilha de Mare off the coast of Salvador), face given the simultaneous existence of the two situations listed above (which I refer to as the “abortion …

The Needs Of The Marginalized; Documenting A Crisis Defined As Such By The Catadores De Lixo Of Jangurussú, Jane Hudson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Catadore de lixo is a general term used by Brazilians to refer to those people who work with garbage. It encompasses those who work (and often live) in open landfills and scavenge for salvageable goods to consume, use, or sell; those who work in the street collecting garbage; those who collect only recyclables; and those who work within associations, companies, or cooperatives that sort, sell, and/or recycle refuse. Such a cooperative and the catadores who comprise is the focus of my research.

My objective for spending three weeks in the homes and community of the catadoras de lixo was to …

Concientious Cinema: Senegalese Cineastes As Preservers Of Cultural Identity And Promoters Of Social Change, Paula Fortner

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Senegalese cinema was born with a conscience. From its earliest days, Senegalese films have been marked by tendencies to preserve cultural identity and promote social change. Using background research, film screenings, discussions, and interviews, this study categories these trends into a movement of “Conscientious Cinema,” and identifies the development of both of these objectives. This study first traces the trend of cultural identity preservation from the films of the founding generation to their evolution in the projects of young filmmakers today, and similarly explores the development of the trend of social-change promotion from between these generations. In the analysis, I …

The State Of “Differently Abled” People In The Western Cape, South Africa, Joshua Wade Paul

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project is a look into whether the current legislation and resources provided allow for the equality that is promised in the new constitution. I looked at legislation and community NGOs in order to establish what is being done in order to assure that people with disabilities have equal access to resources, including education, transportation, employment, healthcare, public awareness, and human resource development. In order to investigate these questions I worked with the Cape Mental Health Society and the Fountain House; I conducted interviews and observations looking at the community facilities of care. These community groups also provided insight into …

Towards Delivery And Dignity: Community Struggle From Kennedy Road, Jacob Bryant

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Since 1994, a number of new community-based movements have risen in protest of the economic policies of South Africa’s new, African-led government. Among these is a movement of shack-dwellers in Durban that began at Kennedy Road with a defiant protest that recalled the protests of the “first struggle,” that against apartheid. The movement has embodied many of the characteristics of its predecessor in the United Democratic Front, including its democratic organization, consultative culture, songs and tactics. But the extent to which these similarities are conscious or connected is unclear, for the movement has created much culture of its own. This …

Good Morning, Africa! (Dreams And Identity In Morocco), Chantal James

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This is an exploration of identity using dreams in the Moroccan context. I formally spoke to around twenty-five Moroccans for my research and spoke briefly or casually about the subject of dreams with many more, almost everyone I became friendly with. I give no personal information about the people who spoke to me without their consent, and I give all credit where it’s due, I hope. I set out from Rabat on the 10:30 train to Marrakesh, to spend my three weeks there. I kept a copy of Dreams, a collected works of Jung, by my side. I kept copious …

“Oh Uncle Pema!” The Role Of Musical Agency In The Creation Of A Modern Tibetan Identity, Tracy Ellwanger

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

“Aku Pema,” a widely popular song in both Tibet and exile, is a useful vehicle for camparing the agency of Tibetan musicians and audiences, as they interact with dominating cultures (Chinese, Hindi, and Western) and official paradigms (espoused by the Chinese government and the Tibetan government-in-exile). After examining the role and implications of “Aku Pema” as a “political” song in both locales, I will look at notions of modernity and tradition, especially in the context of the growing sinocization of Tibetan culture in Tibet and the resulting exile views of pure versus impure Tibetan music.

At the heart of this …

The Role Of Tibetan Buddhism And Culture In Sustainable Development (A Case Study Of Yubeng Village), Frazer Lanier

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

During a lecture by Li Bo, of CBIK (the Center for Biodiversity and Indigenous Knowledge a Chinese NGO), I was given a glimpse into the role that culture plays within poverty alleviation and environmental conservation. While poverty alleviation aims to develop community economies, this goal is usually seen as being in conflict with environmental conservation because it requires the use of environmental resources. This is a common misperception. According to Gou Jing’s article Gateway between Culture and Nature， “man’s touch bestows nature with culture” (Guo Jing 12). The interaction between nature and humans is the foundation for culture and the …

El Papel Homosexual Del Cine De Pedro Almodóvar Durante La Movida Madrileña = The Role Of Homosexuality In The Films Of Pedro Almodóvar During The Movida, Spencer Silverthorne

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

When I first arrived in Spain, I wanted to conduct my Independent Study Project on the relationship between machismo and homosexuality, and how these lifestyles were represented in the arts throughout Spanish history. Ideally, I would have liked to study the foundation of machismo, and how it was realized and enforced upon the Spanish people and culture, especially during the regime of Francisco Franco. Then, I would have liked to contrast that movement with the portrayal and the image of the homosexuality community, exhibiting how that broke such a traditionalist belief system. The reason why this subject fascinated me was …

Gender Based Violence In Jordan: Domestic Violence And Honor Crimes, Danielle M. Becknell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper analyzes the social, psychological, religious, and legal interactions of gender-based violence that manifest themselves within the Jordanian society in various ways. Honor crimes are the ultimate manifestation of this phenomenon in this culture, and as such cannot be separated from the society, gender-relations, or violence against women. Interviews with specialist within the field allow for a more in depth exploration of the topic.

Coral Reef Tourism And Conservation In Bocas Del Toro: An Analysis Of Ecotourism And Its Tour Guide-Based Components, Rebecca Kayes

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Tourism of the coral reefs in Bocas del Toro is an important economic activity but also potentially harmful to the environment, creating an ecologically and economically unsustainable situation and doubts that the region engages in “ecotourism.” Coral reef tourism was analyzed with a specific emphasis on tours, tour guides, tourist motivations, tourist education and conservation-related activities. Research methods included participant observation in the tourism world in Bocas, interviews with guides, tourists and community members, and a tourist survey. Though local popular opinion disagrees, data collected shows tourism in Bocas does not emphasize reefs or reef conservation, a potentially catastrophic situation …

La Participación De La Juventud En El Desarrollo Comunitario: Un Estudio En La Organización Juvenil De Cantera, Ciudad Sandino, Surya Karla

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Cuando pensamos en las formas de exclusión, discriminación y opresión que existen en la sociedad, usualmente pensamos en términos de clase, género o raza. Muchas veces, se nos olvida pensar en otro sector enorme de la población oprimida: los jóvenes, adolescentes y niños. El poder en la sociedad puede ser concentrado en personas ricas, blancas y masculinas, pero significativamente también en las personas adultas. En una entrevista con Aura Lila Ulloa, Directora de la organización CANTERA, respecto al enfoque de este proyecto, me informó:

… “Vivimos, desgraciadamente, en una sociedad adultista. Dejar de ser una sociedad adultista y dar espacio …

De Maíz Vivo” La Siembra De Maíz En La Sierra Norte De Oaxaca, Holly Kingsbury

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Cuando uno se acerca al pueblo de Guelatao de Juárez en la Sierra Norte de Oaxaca, México, al pasar el Río Grande se puede ver donde el huracán Stan destruyó muchas milpas. No obstante, es probable que esas milpas, y otras que se ve en el camino, estuvieran abandonadas mucho antes de que el huracán las tocó. En la Sierra Norte y en todo México, esas milpas representaron y todavía representan la vida y alimentación básica de los mexicanos: el maíz. El estadounidense común piensa que el maíz existe en una forma: lo que vemos sembrado en miles de hectáreas …

Evangelization And Religious Conflict In Chiapas: In Search Of Common Ground, Katie Jones

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The religious conflict in Chiapas can hardly be called religious; politics, poverty, and indigenous identity issues are a few of the many factors that have shaped the cultural climate here, and have contributed to the violence and tensions. The deeply divided communities, thousands of people displaced from their towns, and the gruesome murders of the past 40 years have all been attributed to the Catholic-Protestant rivalry. But the reality of political power struggles, US and Mexican government involvement, economic need, and the influence of indigenous community organizing/uprising are all informing the current religious climate. The culture wars are as much …

El Servicio Militar Obligatorio En El Marco De La Democracia, Meagan Michelle Elliott

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper is the culmination of a month spent conducting interviews and researching the ways in which the armed forces and the civilian population of Chile relate to one another through the obligation of one year of military service for all 18 year-old males. Referencing Chilean history since the end of World War II, this paper overviews the arguments of progressive groups which constitute the movement against obligatory military service and discusses how they have come to understand the armed forces in the context of democracy.

Análisis Del Desarrollo Sustentable En La Industria Del Salmón En Chile, Theresa Mohin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The focus of this independent study project is sustainable development, in the context of the Chilean salmon industry. The project centers on the environmental impacts of the salmon business, from its introduction as a fledgling industry in the eighties, to its arrival as one of the most important exporting markets in the Chilean economy. The discussion focuses on the economic history of the salmon industry, its environmental consequences, and the role of the government in environmental regulation, to discover whether or not current environmental programs in place are in fact sustainable. I conclude that while the efforts of the Chilean …

Facing Reality: The Story Of Icaro Amorim, Nicole Vengrove

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The harsh struggles and lack of basic necessities, which plague many low-income neighborhoods in Northeastern Brazil negatively impact children’s physical and emotional development. My research follows a 16 year-old boy, Icaro Amorim, who lives in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Fortaleza, Ceara, located in the Northeastern region of Brazil. Despite his hard life where food is never a guarantee, Icaro possesses a social awareness that motivates him to improve the life of his family and his community. This social consciousness is played out in Casa de Cultura, a project which Icaro and his peers started in their community of …

Arte Y Pobreza: Integración Social A Través De Movimientos Culturales, Betsy Mccormick

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This aim of this paper is to explore the relationship between artistic and cultural movements as a means of integration for socially excluded populations in Buenos Aires following the economic crisis of 2001. Art in a traditional sense, that is, art found in museums, is most frequently an expression of the dominant classes and is an object of contemplation rather than a form of intervention with the social reality of the masses. Two prominent and “opposing” theories are presented as a possible framework for understanding the relation between art and the societies that produce it: Liberalism and Marxism. The specific …

La Migración Por Obligación: Los Movimientos Migratorios De Los Mapuche, Rebecca Jones

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project seeks to explore connections between the neoliberal economic model with the migratory patterns of the mapuche, an indiginous people group in Chile. Since the imposition of neoliberalism the mapuche have been forced to migrate from the country to urban centers in order to survive. Chile has taken control over the majority of mapuche land, forcing an economy of subsistence agriculture on the pueblo. Thus, the youth vacate their communities, migrating to the cities to try and provide a future for their families. In so doing, the influences of the dominant culture permeate nearly every aspect of their lives. …

Facilitating Public Participation In The Eastern Cape Province: A Case Study Of The Centre For Governance In Africa, Paul D. Lemaistre

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Decreasing amounts of public participation threaten to undermine the legitimacy of democracy in South Africa. Numerous surveys, academic resources and Internet and print media indicate general trends among the citizenry that a disconnection and dissatisfaction towards government is prevalent. As a result, the South African public has extremely low levels of public participation for a nation with such a politically charged past. It has become the objective of many civil society organizations to help with the delivery of vital developmental goals, including democracy advocacy, on behalf of the citizens. This paper seeks to examine the efforts of a single NGO, …

Remember Ruben? L’Histoire De Ruben Um Nyobé À Travers La Société Camerounaise, Katelyn Knox

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Aujourd’hui la société camerounaise est caractérisée par un sentiment de tribalisme que l’on peut voir dans plusieurs domaines. Pour combattre ce sentiment tribal (voire fraternel) l’on doit cultiver une mentalité plutôt nationaliste dans la société plus élargie. Pour créer cette mentalité, quelques intellectuels ont suggéré qu’il faut regardé le passé de ce pays, surtout chercher à cultiver cette mentalité en utilisant l’esprit des « grands nationalistes », ceux qui ont combattu pour l’indépendance avant les années 1960 et au-delà. Cette étude se focalise sur le père du nationalisme au Cameroun : Ruben Um Nyobé. Elle montre son taux de connaissance …

An Oasis In Byron Shire: Factors In The Progress And Success Of A Local Greens Party, Adam N. Smith

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Greens in Byron Shire on the North Coast of New South Wales gained four of ten seats on the Shire Council including the mayoral position in 2004, giving them a strong voice in the direction of the Shire. This degree of local success is incredibly rare for the Australian Greens or for any third party, and thus, the example of the Byron Greens is a significant case for anyone involved with local politics in Byron or anyone who is involved with third parties, specifically with the Greens. This study sets out to determine the factors in the success of …

Melbourne’S Community Gardens: Harvesting More Than Just Vegetables, Dana E. Kennedy

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Research on community gardens is an increasingly important area of study. As the percentage of the global population living in cities continues to climb, community gardens have the ability to reach increasing numbers of people. Previous research has shown that these spaces allocated for the growing of vegetables, flowers, fruit and/or herbs, produce many outcomes reaching beyond their members and into the surrounding environment. Studies indicate that this localized method of food production is able to reduce food costs for those involved, serve as an educational tool and provide a platform for community building, socialization, neighborhood renewal, and environmental remediation. …