Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Highlife In The Ghanaian Music Scene: A Historical And Socio-Political Perspective, Micah Motenko

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

I lived in the cities of Accra and Kumasi for a total of 30 days during the month of November, 2011. To achieve my research objectives, I used a combination of formal and informal interviews, participant observation, and non-participant observation. I interviewed 7 musicians and 1 professor/musician in Accra, as well as 1 musician, 1 CD shop owner, and 1 DJ in Kumasi, making a total of 11 interviews most of which I recorded. For my participant observation, I observed 4 concerts total in Accra, all consisting of a mixture of genres including Highlife and Gospel. I participated in 2 …

Is Lac Anony Reaching Its Tipping Point? A Comparative Case Study Of The Traditional Fishery At The Village Of Antsovela, Corinne Haynes

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Traditional fisheries are globally recognized as an important supplier of food resources. In fact, “small-scale fisheries provide over half the world’s wild-caught seafood” (Shester and Micheli, 2011). All around the southern tip of Madagascar, the traditional fishing industry acts as one of the most common livelihoods. The island nation contributes 120,000,000 tons of aquatic resources to the world supply each year, the majority of which is caught by traditional fishermen found in 1,250 rural villages all around the island. However, 80% of the catch is consumed locally, pinpointing the main goal of these traditional fishermen: to feed their families (RAZANOELISOA, …

How To Sever The Legs Of An Octopus: Tunisia’S Ongoing Revolution, Matthew Hammel

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Kasbah square is large and covered in barbwire. Military men stand on the inside of the fence cradling automatic rifles, joking, chatting, texting on their cell phones. Coming out from the bustle of the souks the square feels tranquil. It is September, seven months since the square became a temporary home to thousands of protestors who demanded the end of oppressive government in Tunisia. It was here that the Tunisian people solidified their revolution, refusing to be appeased by the flight of a figurehead while the tentacles of his regime remained.

Ben Ali ruled Tunisia for twenty-three years. During …

Street Food Policy In A Growing Economy: A Case Study Of Street Food Vendors In Hanoi’S Old Quarter, Alexandra J. Pill

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Street food vending is a global phenomenon present in both the developed and developing worlds and it is increasingly evident as countries continue to modernize, urbanize, and globalize. Street food policy is interdisciplinary in nature, incorporating economic, social, cultural, and health dimensions in order to account for urban planning, food safety, and tourism development. In Vietnam, street food is rampant, and in particular, in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, street food vendors can be spotted on every street at all times of the day. This study explores the role of street food vendors in Hanoi's Old Quarter from the vendor’s perspective. Complementing …

Morality, Mathematics, & Music Class: A Case Study Of A First Grade Vietnamese Classroom, Emma James

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For a Vietnamese child, first grade is their introductory gateway to society. It is the first time they will be working within a large group of people their own age, learning how to become an effective and contributing citizen to the community they’re within. Much of the first grade curriculum focuses on how students should behave not only in the classroom, but outside the school walls. This case study was conducted in the Le Loi Primary School in Hue, Vietnam. My goal was to uncover the main moral values instilled at the first grade level. For two weeks I observed …

The Perfect Storm: How Pro-Abortion Activists In The Netherlands Incite Social Change From International Waters, Julia Ellis‐Kahana

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project is a sociological ethnography of the Women on Waves foundation, founded in 1999 by Dr. Rebecca Gomperts. As an international non-profit organization, they employ a direct action method: sailing to countries where abortion is illegal and providing safe abortion access. Local women board the ship that then travels 12 miles to international waters, where Dutch law applies, and the abortion pill can be administered legally. Using a feminist perspective, I interviewed five of the women at the organization in addition to the ship’s captain in order to understand the ideological beliefs about the reproductive rights that have inspired …

La Derecha Contemporánea En Chile: Su Rol En El Movimiento Estudiantil, Alexandra Jane Bellows

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This investigation studies the political right in Chile and how they see their role within the student movement of 2011. One of the most relevant topics in current Chilean politics, the student movement has organized, over the course of the past nine months, a series of strikes, protests and demonstrations, rallying at certain times over 100,000 people. The students are demanding change to the structure of the higher education system, a system established during the 1980’s under the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet and largely influenced by the neoliberal model of Milton Freidman and the “Chicago boys.” This movement has …

Mecanismos De La Participación Política El Movimiento Para Reformar El Sistema De La Licencia Postnatal En Chile, Lucas Hernández

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This essay is intended to accomplish a systematic presentation of the postnatal debate that occurred in Chile from 2009-2011 with a specific focus on the role played by social organizations to organize and mobilize the political participation of the citizenry. The thought of an extension of post-natal leave was born in the 2009 election campaign where all candidates, including the current president Sebastian Piñera, advocated for an extension of this coverage. Sebastian Piñera, the first conservative president since the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, not only promised to make maternity leave longer and more flexible, he also pledged to remove obstacles …

Economic Empowerment And Hiv Prevention Among Young Women And Girls In Kenya: Lessons From The Study Of Economic Empowerment Programs, Samantha Van Putten

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

One of the major issues facing Kenya is HIV/AIDS. With recognition by the global community that providing women with economic opportunities can help both those who are HIV positive, as well as in prevention for those who are not infected, programs combining microfinance and HIV education have started to emerge. While women in these programs 3 3 have shown preliminary signs of success, young girls did not respond as well in part due to lack of interest in the particular programs themselves. As such, this study examines two economic empowerment programs for girls and young mothers at the non-governmental organization …

La Integración De Gimnasios Al Aire Libre Y El Desarrollo Local, Emily Feenstra

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Esta investigación pretende explicar el inicio y desarrollo de gimnasios al aire libre en Chile a través del estudio de dos comunas en la Región Metropolitana: Providencia y San Ramón. En un área de poca investigación académica y poco conocimiento del gobierno, se intenta ofrecer una documentación y además un análisis de la instalación, uso, y efectos de los gimnasios al aire libre. Primero, ofrecer información de la gestión de instalación de las máquinas de dos comunas. Después plantea patrones generales sobre el uso de las máquinas, quiénes las usan, cuándo, y con qué hábitos. Finalmente, ofrecer algunas teorías sobre …

The Deep Roots Of Vietnamese Tea: Culture, Production And Prospects For Development, Robert Wenner

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Vietnam is at a critical stage in its development. If policy is properly managed the country’s future is incredibly bright as the middle class grows and standards of living continue to rise throughout the country. Agriculture will play a key role in future development as nearly 70 percent of the population participates directly in agricultural work. Each crop that is produced and exported in Vietnam will play a different and integral part in development as the face of agriculture changes with Vietnam’s increased global presence. This research looks specifically at tea production in Vietnam through the lens of agricultural development. …

De La Fragmentación A La Unidad: Familias Transnacionales Cochabambinas Y Las Relaciones A Larga Distancia A Consecuencia De La Migración A Los Estados Unidos, Maya Jacob

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In this project I studied the effects of migration on family relationships and pre-existing power structures when Bolivians migrate from Cochabamba to the United States. To investigate this topic I interviewed families of migrants, both those who had left for the U.S. and those who stayed behind in Cochabamba. I complemented this field study by interviewing professors of sociology (from the Universidad Católica in Cochabamba and the Universidad Mayor de San Simón) who specialize in themes of external migration. By learning about the relations within nuclear families and with other migrants in the U.S., the interviews afforded me a greater …

Infectious Disease As A Security Threat, With Particular Application To The Migration Context, Marielena Faria

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper analyzes the threat infectious diseases impose on global security, specifically in the migration context. Infectious diseases can threaten security through a variety of areas, and this paper aims to identify the global spread of infectious diseases through migration, international crises, humanitarian emergencies, HIV/AIDS, and emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. This paper explores global health, security, and migration in an attempt to determine if combining these three areas can be meaningful. Generally, studies approach only two of the three areas to examine a topic, but this paper will assess and point out when combining all three fields is relevant. …

Social Support For Young Carers An Analysis Of The Available Social Support For Children Caring For Aids-Sick And Other-Sick Caregivers In Emoyeni, South Africa., Flannery Mcardle

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The dual epidemics of HIV/AIDS and non-communicable diseases in South Africa are the principal drivers of the worsening orphan epidemic in South Africa. As orphanhood is often far from a singular event but rather one preceded by months or even years of the parent or guardian’s declining health, many children will become the primary caregivers for a sick or dying adult. This study explores the lives of the young carers, specifically, the social support available for these children and how the support available for children caring for AIDS-sick caregivers may differ from that available for children caring for an adult …

Moms Behind Bars: Motherhood In Eshowe Correctional Center, Indiana Gowland

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Motherhood represents a integral part of human life. In South Africa particularly, mothers are primarily responsible for caring for their families, often with little or no help from a male partner. But what happens to the notion of motherhood when women find themselves separated from their children or raising children in a restrictive and harsh environment? This study looks at the construction of motherhood within Eshowe Correctional Facility for Women. I conducted research as an attachment to Phoenix Zululand, an organization that provides rehabilitation services to inmates in the prisons of Zululand. For two weeks, I lead Phoenix's program “Starting …

Migration, Vulnerability And Xenophobia: Central African Refugee And Asylum Seekers’ Access To Health Services In Durban, South Africa, Cathy Kaplan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In 1998, South Africa passed historic legislation that bridged international conventions on refugees and asylum seekers with the protections and rights defined in the South African Constitution and Bill of Rights. The 1998 refugees act defined specific rights that refugees and asylum seekers are entitled in South Africa, the most important of which include the provision of legal and immigration documentation, employment, adequate housing, and health and social services. When asylum seekers arrive in Durban, many are in the need of immediate health services as a result of long journeys, pre-existing conditions, pregnancy, or illnesses contracted in refugee camps throughout …

A Berber In Agadir: Exploring The Urban/Rural Shift In Amazigh Identity, Thiago Lima

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Arab Spring has seen North African and Middle Eastern youth organizing against the status quo and challenging what they perceive as political, economic, and social injustices. In Morocco, while the Arab Spring may not have been as substantial as in neighboring countries, demonstrations are still occurring nearly everyday in major cities like Rabat as individuals protest issues including government transparency, high unemployment, and, for specific interest of this paper, the marginalization of the Amazigh people. The Amazigh, also popularly referred to as Berbers in most Western academia and literature, are regarded as the original inhabitants of Morocco and the …

R-E-S-P-E-C-T Expectations, Perceptions, And Influences On Moroccan Etiquette, Christina Ermilio

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Why do humans naturally create distinctions? How do we establish these distinctions between ourselves? What marks us as an individual within a particular group? In this project, I consider how etiquette is defined in Morocco and how it relates to the work of certain theorists and sociologists such as Pierre Bourdieu. Primarily, this project focuses on expectations of behavior, perceptions of the ‘other,’ and influences on the definition of good behavior in Morocco. In addition to observations in public spaces and more specifically at universities, I interviewed University students from Ibn Tofail in Kenitra and from Mohammed V in Rabat, …

The Revolutionary Art: Street Art Before And After The Tunisian Revolution, Nicholas Korody

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Art and revolution have always commingled. Often, periods of social upheaval are also periods of profound artistic experimentation. For example, the Bolshevik revolution encouraged constructivism and the daring new forms of the Russian avante-garde. Additionally, art is often used as a mechanism to incite people into action. The Cuban revolution, Chinese revolution, and Russian revolution all created unique and highly influential political propaganda.

During the Arab Spring, the series of mass protests and government-overthrows that erupted in early 2011 across North Africa and the Middle East, little was reported in the media of the cultural changes that existed. These countries …

Women’S Organizations In Tunisia: Transforming Feminist Discourse In A Transitioning State, Caitlin Mulrine

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

On October 23^rd, Tunisians voted in their first democratic election in the state’s history with much at stake after overthrowing the 23 year reigning dictator. As the era of Ben-Ali politics and social policy unraveled, Tunisians began to develop their own sophisticated political discourse as they collaborated to decide the direction of their state. Within this discourse, there emerged a sharp divide within the population, masked by Ben-Ali’s suppressive politics, over the issue of religion. Islamists, organized under Al-Nahda and other independent parties, stood in opposition to secularists who aimed to maintain a separation between religion and state. …

La Calidad Y Accesibilidad Del Agua Potable Rural Chile: Arica – Parinacota, Eileen Kapples

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The World Health Organization (WHO) affirms that clean drinking water is an essential resource and deems it a basic human right. The principle objective of this investigation is to study the quality and accessibility of drinking water in rural Chile, in the northern most region, XV Arica – Parinacota. Specific objectives include the investigation of the functioning and management of water services, determining the percentages of populations who do not have access to water services, and conducting analyses of the physical-chemical and bacteriological content of the water. The study was completed through interviews, observation, and visits to water systems and …

The Development, Use And Cultural Context Of M-Pesa In Costal Kenya, Micah S. Berman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Launched in early 2007 by Safaricom, Kenya’s leading mobile service provider, the M-PESA mobile money transfer service has met with unparalleled consumer adoption and rapidly revolutionized money transfer throughout Kenya. Seen as the “mobile money success story,” the service allows users to transfer money to any other mobile phone user in the country instantly using even the most basic mobile telephones, and has become a model for the development of similar systems around the globe. The result of one month of full-time archival research and field work, this study presents a history of the development and acceptance of M-PESA by …

Conflicting Perspectives, Contentious Problems A Case Study Of Kwale International Sugar Co. Ltd. In Msambweni District, Jayme Tsutsuse

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper presents a report of the findings from a four-week study on the varying perspectives towards Kwale International Sugar Co. Ltd. which have brought about problems concerning land, development, and politics. It discusses findings fromliterary sources and field work, including correspondence, interviews, forums, and focus group discussions with government representatives, company managers, and community members. It highlights where recorded information is inconsistent, making it difficult for the people and company to coexist. Additionally, it describes how the community’s grievances developed and critiques the various actors and actions that are responsible. Lastly, it provides recommendations to a way forward towards …

Alliances Et Cultures: Cap Nord, Stacey Fitzpatrick

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

En essence, Alliance et Culture est un endroit où les gens peuvent rencontre et apprennent comment de vivre ensemble. Cette association, officiellement crée en 1987, avait la mission de répondre à problèmes d'intégration sociale par des actions collectives, et le développement d’une vie social dans les quartiers. Pour réaliser cet objectif ils offrent des activités et services ouvrent à tout le monde comme l’accompagnement à la scolarité, les ateliers, les cours d’alphabétisation et de Français, et les ludothèques et plus. Il y a trois centres en Toulouse dans diffèrent lieux qui contribuent aux les gens dans les quartiers des Mirail, …

Sem Terrinhas No More: The Place Of Second Generation Mst Settlers In The Agrarian Reform Movement Sem Terrinhas Não Mais: A Posição Da Segunda Geração Dos Assentados Do Mst No Movimento De Reforma Agrária, Lorraine Keeler

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

After 28 years of fighting for agrarian reform, social justice, and sustainable agriculture, Brazil’s Landless Worker’s Movement (MST) is facing new challenge, one of which is how to retain maturing sem terrinhas, children of land recipients, in the rural settlements and in the movement. The southern region of the Amazonian state of Pará, where this study takes place, is a violent area badly in need of agrarian reform and sustainable development. At the same time, it has some of the highest levels of rural youth outmigration yet virtually no literature on the MST youth there. Through interviews conducted with youth …

The Role Of Information In Enabling Community Response To Mining Threats In Palmares Ii, Christine Gerbode

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The case of Palmares II is examined to understand the role that knowledge (or misinformation/lack thereof) of specific geologic interests and rights of surface communities plays in enabling those communities to respond to the possibility of mining on their land. Palmares II is an MST settlement located near the Carajás mining complex in southern Pará. Currently, a number of companies are authorized or requesting permission to conduct research for mineral ores such as gold, copper, manganese, diamond, and nickel within the borders of the settlement; it is therefore potentially possible that this community will face mining interest on their land …

La Relación Entre El Gobierno De La Ciudad De Buenos Aires Y Un Grupo De Cartoneros Organizados, El Ceibo - La Necesidad De Una Alianza De Esfuerzos The Relationship Between The Government Of The City Of Buenos Aires And An Organized Group Of Cartoneros, El Ceibo - The Need For An Alliance, Ketter Weissman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The process of separating and selling recyclable materials in the city of Buenos Aires provides income and livelihood for a large group of outcasted workers. This method of recycling in the Capital Federal city of Argentina involves much more than governmental departments and waste management systems. “Cartoneros” are those who rummage through the city’s trash collecting renewable goods from the disposable.

For decades, the work of cartoneros has been disregarded and cast-aside, labeled as work for the poor or unprivileged. However, the work of these collectors accounts for more than half of the city’s recycling. The government’s minimalist system of …

A Field Study Of Consociationalism In The Northern Ireland Assembly: A Moderating Influence Or Threat To Democracy?, Ellen Louise Noble

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper is the outcome of a month-long exploratory study on whether consociationalism has a moderating influence on politics in Northern Ireland. I analyzed the impact of consociationalism on policymaking, party platforms and voter choice to determine if it strengthens and enlarges the middle ground or bifurcates the political community into two extreme and conflicting political agendas. Data was obtained through a literature study and eight interviews with academics as well as political representatives and advisors. This research tested two competing theories of consociationalism: David Horowitz’s theory of consociationalism as a centrifugal force and John McGarry’s and Brendand O’Leary’s theory …

Still Separate And Still Unequal: Community Relations’ Policy In Post-Conflict Northern Ireland, Wilma Metcalf

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Community relations‟ policy is the only reconciliation policy in Northern Ireland. With this being said, this paper is an exploration of community relations‟ policy in Northern Ireland and its efficacy in terms of Contact Theory, identity, and education. I begin by describing my methodology, challenges of doing the fieldwork, and overview of sources used. Then, I define the issue the policies are meant to address: Northern Ireland‟s segregated society. Then, I present a description of the approaches, both political and organizational, to address segregation and improve community relations. Here, I look at the Northern Ireland Act (1998), Sharing over Separation, …

Hchouma Alik!: A Look At The Evolution Of Hchouma In Contemporary Moroccan Society, Eden Dotan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In this paper, I intend to first explain the Moroccan concept of hchouma, or shame, and explore how it has evolved from past to present generations. I will then examine Moroccan television by looking at how it, too, has evolved, and what its impact is on various people’s ideas of hchouma. I will demonstrate that there has been a devaluation of the word hchouma over the generations, and will discuss the implications of that devaluation. I will conclude by arguing that although hchouma may hold less importance today than it once did, it is not, as some of …