Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Job Skills, Tolerance, And Positive Interactions: The Gendered Experiences Of Appalachian Migrants, Kelli Brooke Alford

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The following study examines gendered learning experiences of a population of Appalachian migrants surveyed from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. The respondents who participated in the survey used for this study began their lives in Appalachia. These respondents then left Appalachia for various other areas in the country and even around the world only to ultimately return to the mountainous region later in their lives. To begin, theory will be introduced concerning the stratification of gender in the Appalachian economic landscape, as well as a theoretical framework placing Appalachian women in an interlocking web of oppression with other …

Happiness Around The World: The Paradox Of Happy Peasants And Miserable Millionaires, Carol Graham

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

For centuries the pursuit of happiness was the preserve of philosophers. More recently there is a burgeoning interest in the study of happiness in the social sciences. Can we really answer the question what makes people happy? Is it grounded in credible methods and data? Is there consistency in the determinants of happiness across countries and cultures? Are happiness levels innate to individuals or can policy and the environment make a difference? How is happiness affected by poverty and by progress? This presentation introduces a line of research which is both an attempt to understand the determinants of happiness and …

Fairness: Processes Are As Important As Outcomes, David Chan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

People are sensitive to the fairness of decisions made or the treatment they receive. Research in work contexts has shown that it is important for processes like personnel selection, performance appraisal and compensation to be perceived as fair, because fairness perceptions influence how people react to situations and their leaders. This also applies to public policy implementation and public engagement efforts.

Unmet Social Needs In Singapore: Singapore's Social Structures And Policies, And Their Impact On Six Vulnerable Communities, Braema Mathi, Sharifah Mohamed

Lien Centre for Social Innovation: Research

In line with Lien Centre’s vision to catalyse positive social change, this research was carried out to understand social gaps in Singapore and how our society’s ability to meet social needs can be enhanced. Despite basic social needs in Singapore being essentially met through direct government interventions and the contributions of non-governmental social service activities, there are today some vulnerable groups that remain or have become more prominent. This research project aims to identify some of these needs and the possible approaches to addressing them.

It is hoped that some of the recommendations of this report will be helpful for …

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 …

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 …

Migration Trends And Patterns In Jordon: The Human Rights Context, Mohamed Y. Olwan

Faculty Journal Articles

Jordan is a country of both immigration and emigration. It is a destination country for immigrant Arab workers,0F 1 foreign domestic workers, and migrant workers in Jordan's Qualified Zones (QIZs). Jordan has also witnessed considerable forced migration, primarily due to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and other conflicts. The country received Palestinian refugees after the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 and during the 1967 war, which resulted in Israeli occupation of the remaining parts of historical Palestine: the West Bank, from Jordan, and Gaza Strip, from Egypt. Jordan received a wave of Jordanians of Palestinian origin after the Iraqi …

Anti-Human Trafficking Policy In Israel: Success Story?, Noam Perry

Third Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 2011

Concern over human trafficking in Israel emerged in the late 1990s, following the massive wave of immigration from Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union. Within less than a decade, a full policy-making cycle was completed: the problem was framed by the media and NGOs; public awareness increased; policy prescriptions were proposed, adopted, and implemented; and finally, government officials announced that the problem has been successfully dealt with. Since then public interest in the issue dramatically decreased. Of particular interest is the role of the United States government in this process. While trafficking was first recognized as a …

Who Benefits From Early Childcare Subsidy Design In Ireland?, Bernie O'Donoghue Hynes, Noirin Hayes

Articles

Best Newcomer Article

The design of policy tools reveals underlying biases that are not easily identified in policy documents. A review of two early childhood education and care subsidies in Ireland aimed at different target populations exposes differential treatment of children, parents and service providers. It also demonstrates how in a split system ‘early education’ is prioritised over ‘childcare’. The designs serve to reinforce stereotypes that enable the powerful and advantaged to accrue benefits while those perceived to be less deserving are burdened through the maldistribution of resources.

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 …

Bai And Bilingual: Improving Academic Achievement Through Bilingual And Multicultural Education, Priscilla Hsu

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper aims to examine minority language policy and practice in China, particularly among the Bai minority in Yunnan Province. There are large discrepancies between what law stipulates and what occurs in practice. Based on a literature review and findings from my study, minority students in rural areas are at a comparative disadvantage with minority students in urban areas who have greater access to resources and better educational facilities. Offering bilingual and multicultural education is of greater importance to rural minority students in creating a culturally relative environment to improve academic achievement.

Assessment Of International Efforts To Protect The Rights Of Unaccompanied Minors, Kyla Gaines

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Children’s rights have been violated for centuries. These violations of children’s rights may include but are not limited to a child's access to education, adequate food or quality health care. Over the last few years there have been a rising number of prevalent issues that impact children, including trafficking, slave labor, and unaccompanied minors (UAM) migrating from their countries of origin to new host states in North America and Europe. The issue of unaccompanied minors migrating to Europe has been prevalent for years. "In most EU member states arrivals started during the 1990's. I'd say the issue became prevalent at …

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 …

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 …

Differentiating The Vulnerability Of Kothis And Hijras To Hiv/Aids: A Case Study Of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Poonam Daryani

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The present study aims to begin the process of differentiation between the various subpopulations that fall under the agenda of interventions targeted at Males who have Sex with Males (MSM). This separation is accomplished though an investigation of the sociocultural factors and behavioral patterns impacting the vulnerability of MSM and transgender (TG) 5 communities to HIV/AIDS. Specifically, the situation of kothi and hijra populations are compared in order to understand how the differences in their cultural practices and lifestyles create unique sexual health needs. The study was completed in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh under the guidance of Bharosa Trust and MAAN …

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 …

El Rol Y El Simbolismo De Las Tomas Dentro Del Movimiento Estudiantil De 2011, Shara Guarnaccia

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este estudio de campo investiga las tomas del movimiento estudiantil de 2011 en Chile en profundidad. Es un momento importante en la historia chilena, tal como un ejemplo ilustrativo de la relación entre la educación y el cambio social. La investigación se realiza a través de observación participativa en siete tomas en Santiago, Chile que siguen en toma después de seis meses movilizados. También, utiliza entrevistas con estudiantes en las tomas para averiguar sus opiniones acerca del movimiento y su participación en la toma. Los resultados muestran que los alumnos secundarios movilizados son un grupo extraordinario que tiene una conciencia …

The Rise Of The Last Woman: An Analysis Of Women’S Independence In 21st Century Rajasthan, Anita C. Foster

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Research assembled around women’s accessibility and accountability is most essential when considering possibilities for future development. Understanding that women of any society make grand impacts on their family and surrounding community, women’s stories must be tracked as primary considerations of the development needs and changes of any society. This research focused on 21^st century educated Rajasthani women’s aspirations, challenges and development goals. The study revealed that “the new woman” in the 21^st century is taking a new stance on self-identity and women’s independence. Conditioned with multi-facet complexities, these independent mothers and daughters are claiming their right to literacy …

Passing The Test: The Transgender Self, Society And Femininity, Allison Bischoff

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research explores the complex relationships between transgender women and their bodies, their intimate relationships, their identities, and the pressure to pass. I begin by defining the term transgender, as well as discuss the history of transgender issues in the Netherlands. Several works by both Dutch and non-Dutch authors that focus on the transgender identity are reviewed and related to this study. The theories postulated by Julia Serrano, Matthew Sycamore Bernstein, Linda Nicholson and Judith Butler are critical to the analysis of personal interviews conducted by the researcher with five Dutch transgender women. Through these interviews several themes arise, including …

La Reproducción De Desigualdad De Género En Los Liceos, Rebecca R. Miller

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper looks at how gender norms and thus gender inequality is reproduced in public schools in Valparaiso, Chile. In 2009 a study conducted by the United Nations Development Program found that 62% of Chileans, both male and female, “are opposed to full equality between the sexes” (Estrada 1). While the women’s participation rate in the paid labor fore has risen to 49% it is still behind other countries in Latin America (Estrada 1). While the country currently faces a 7.1% unemployment rate and roughly 11.5% percent live below the poverty line, women have a unemployment rate of 8.6 while …

Reproductive Health Education In The Kibera Slum: Developing A Slum-Specific Curriculum, Susanna Schneider Banks

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The principal objective of this Independent Study Project is to make recommendations for a slum-specific reproductive health curriculum to be used in primary schools that serve the Kibera Slum in Nairobi, Kenya. In order to obtain data and form a credible basis for the recommendations, interviews were conducted with teachers, focus groups were facilitated with students, and questionnaires were distributed to parents. Additionally, observations were made about the current state of reproductive health education at each school. Data was collected at Kibera School for Girls, a private school in Kibera, and Olympic Primary School, a public school at the edge …

Cap Centre : L’Epicerie Sociale, Ana De Pina

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Contrairement à autres study abroad programs, « The School of International Training (SIT) » donne les étudiants Américains une opportunité de découvrir la culture Française, d’apprendre la langue Française, et de s’intègre dans la société Française. Pendant notre séjour en France, nous avons fait de bénévolat dans une association que correspond à nos études aux États-Unis. Aux États-Unis j’étudie la sante publique. Je suis très intéressé pour l’administration des hôpitaux et autres institutions de santé et la relation entre la sécurité sociale et la bonne santé. Donc, pendant trois mois j’ai travaillé au CAP Centre, une épicerie sociale qui aide …

Le Centre D’Alliances Et Cultures, Esther Wittenberg

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

L’esprit de accueillance était déjà au bâtiment de centre avant d’il était officiellement le centre d’Alliances et Cultures. La structure était construite aux même temps des autres maisons qui sont dans le même quartier. Il était un projet du HLM, le Habitation à Loyer Modéré, qui construit des maisons pour les familles. Les familles sont locataires et ils paient un loyer modeste. Il était ouvert en 1982 comme un bâtiment où les familles pouvaient rencontre des autres familles au même quartier. Petit à petit, ils ont crée un microsociété, et ont gagné une rassurance de solidarité. Eventuellement, les familles ont …

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 …

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 …

The Hui Migrant Laborers’ Urban Experience And Implications For The Development Of Civil Society In China, Billy Yates

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Recent unrest in China by migrant laborers’ increasing labor militancy, as well as unrest caused by Islamic groups in China ranging from separatist movements to backlash from discrimination have been the focus of the Chinese government’ attempts to main stability within the PRC. In the largest country in the world, rapid changes as the result of economic liberalization and the introduction of global capitalism have had drastic impacts on society, from increasing inequality to the introduction of Western media and ideas. Unrest has been accompanied by developments in civil society as Islamic institutions chafing under Chinese regulations become places of …

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 …

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 …