Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

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 …

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 …

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. …

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.

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 …

Contradictions Between Party And Man: Student Perceptions Of Julius Malema, Annie Elise Shapiro

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In many democratic nations around the world, a large degree of opinions exist in terms of the political parties and leaders. In South Africa, though, for the past 17 years since the end of Apartheid, the same party has ruled the national government, the ANC. In the most recent provincial elections, however, the citizens of the Western Cape voted to elect the DA to represent them. This study, therefore, seeks to explore the views of university students in the Cape Town area, which is the biggest city in the Western Cape, of politics in South Africa. More specifically, this paper …

Portraits Of The Land: Environmentalism And Contemporary Art In Mongolia, Sarah Morgan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Environmental concerns are globally relevant, but in Mongolia they hold special importance. Not only does Mongolia contain an unusual amount of pristine wilderness, but Mongolian history and culture are also deeply rooted in a close bond with the land. Now, increased development and globalization are placing new pressures on environmental systems. In response to these pressures, Mongolians artists are joining a national (and global) conversation about the interactions between art, environment, cultural heritage, and activism.

This study explores the sources of inspiration and motivation for these artists. Through this research, I hope to bring to light the role of the …

El Agua O El Oro: La Lucha Por Quimsacocha, Laura Moulton

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El 2 de octubre, del 2011, en la comunidad de Victoria del Portete, los usuarios del Sistema Comunitario de Agua de Tarqui y Victoria del Portete participaron en una consulta popular para decidir si están de acuerdo o no con el proyecto minero de oro de Quimsacocha. A través de esta consulta, se dio a conocer la voluntad de la gente. De los 1.047 votos, 958 se pronunciaron “No” a la minería a gran escala, siendo el 92,38% del total. “Con la consulta, dijimos no al oro, si al agua,”[1] dijo Fanny Paute, habitante de Tarqui. Para la gente …

The Influence Of Family Structure On Women’S Role In Agriculture In Two Distinct Societies Of Southwest China, Audrey Boochever

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

A popular idiom in China is nángēngnǚzhì: men plow, women weave. This ubiquitous saying reflects traditional gender roles in agriculture throughout Chinese history, how men traditionally were in charge of the land, while women took care of tasks within the home, such as making clothes for the family. The cloth used to weave usually came from cotton.[1] In this regard, both men and women have always had roles to play in agriculture in China, but from different facets.

While recognizing that women and men have played different roles in Chinese agriculture, my field study examines the role of …

Assessing Mental Health Care For Iraqi Refugees In Jordan Looking To New Solutions For The Future, Hannah B. Egan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Across the globe citizens flee their native countries in search of newfound safety and stability. These people are known as refugees. Since 2003 refugees from Iraq have entered Jordan in search of a better life. Unfortunately, the terrors that Iraqi refugees escape do not disappear after crossing country lines. These memories cause serious mental health conditions for Iraqi refugees. Such conditions are intensified by the living environment in Jordan where Iraqis are not granted legal status. While some refugees are wealthy and others are resettled to the United States or Europe, the majority remain “stuck” in Jordan.

This study seeks …

Coming Home: Considering Sustainable Human Development In Jordan’S Palestinian Refugee Camps After The Conflict, Jordan Young

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The study explores the views of Palestinian refugee camp residents in Jordan on the long-term provision of health and education services in the camps and their status as residents of the Hashemite Kingdom, contrasting these views with the policies and future plans of the Jordanian government. Special attention is given to the Right of Return discussed in UNGA Resolution 194 and the possibility that many refugees would willingly choose to remain in Jordan if given the option of returning. The study asks how Jordan and the refugees it hosts would be affected by a possible solution to the broader Israeli- …

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 …

A New Face In The Crowd: An Examination On The Social Integration Of Children With Disabilities, Christen Maguire

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Historically in India people with disabilities have been pushed to the side and have not been given the attention which they need and deserve. As a result this population has become extremely marginalized and has not been included in making decisions with the rest of society. The main reason why this has become such a marginalized group is because of a negative stigma which has been associated with mental disabilities. Slowly this stigma is beginning to change, but it still affects the way people view and act towards the disabled. The integration of people with disabilities into the rest of …

The Continuously Changing Self: The Story Of Surinamese Creole Migration To The Netherlands, Jenise Ogle

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper is the result of a month long study on how the process of migration affects the sense of Self of middle-classed Creole Surinamese migrant women who first migrated to the Netherlands in the 1960’s or 1970’s. All data was obtained from semi-structured oral history interviews analyzed with a historical and theoretical framework focusing on the influence of colonialism upon the three steps of the migration process: before migration, migration, and after migration. It is concluded that colonialism and its legacies have conferred, reconfigured and dismantled migrant women’s sense of Self throughout the entire migration process. Recommendations for future …

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 …

Puerto Disperso: La Existencia O No De La Comunidad Y El Espacio No-Heteronormativa En Valparaíso, Chile, Rebecca Raymond-Kolker

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The social and political reality of contemporary Chile continues to be characterized by hegemonic social conservatism and restrictive and often violent government. Within this context, studies of sexuality and deviations from normative sexuality in Chile have historically focused on certain identity groups—namely gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual/gender populations—in relation to this conservative context. Previous work on specifically lesbian and gay individuals focus on the relationship between identity formation and social realities. Gay and lesbian studies in Chile are often based in Santiago; as the capital and the largest metropolitan area, the 15th Region is the site of the most GLBT …

Seaweed Farmer Education: Is It Enough To Sustain The Industry? Analyzing The Status Of Stakeholder Investment In Muungoni And Jambiani, Unguja, Erika Davis

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Since Filipino researchers arrived in Zanzibar to determine the potential for cultivation of seaweed more than 20 years ago, the islands' coastal communities have relied on the resource as a main or alternative source of income. When the companies started investing at the industry’s onset, trained personnel offered farmers' education on proper farming techniques for Spinosum (Eucheuma denticulatum) and Cottonii (Kappaphycus spp.) by establishing demonstrative (demo) farms and holding seminars. Today, informal training involves experienced farmers teaching the newcomers their techniques. While demo farms remain in some villages, companies offer no extension services based on the belief that the farmers …

Autism In Kenya: A Social, Educational And Political Perspective, Ariana Riccio

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Autism is a widely misunderstood developmental disability that is generally diagnosed in early childhood and has been the recent subject of much media and medical attention in developed nations worldwide. While there has been a noted improvement in diagnostic and therapeutic options for children and their families in developing nations, the attention placed on disability, particularly on autism, is considered underdeveloped and inadequate. This paper will attempt to address the current framework surrounding autism in the area of Nairobi, Kenya and discuss the social attitudes, diagnostic practices, educational opportunities, and government intervention programs available in the area. Given the lack …

Oduvek (Since The Beginning): Roma Narratives Of Continuous Discrimination And Perspectives On Identity, Marginalization, And Assimilation In Niš, Serbia, Erin Humphries

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Previous research into Roma memory studies and narratives has found a strong focus on the present and a tendency to ‘obliterate’ the past. This paper explores Roma perceptions of discrimination in Niš, Serbia and its continuity throughout history. Findings suggest that although a majority of participants did recognize a continuity of discrimination, agreeing that Roma had always been discriminated against, when asked about specific time periods in Serbia, such as Yugoslavia and the 1990’s, most interviewees acknowledged these as time periods of equality. The present situation is also discussed in relation to the state of discrimination, the role of the …

Sherpa Inc. The Cultural Commoditization Of The Sherpa Identity, Melissa Mittelman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study examines the ways the Sherpa identity has been commoditized for a Western audience, the Sherpa responses to such a process and the repercussions it creates when understanding Sherpa cultural “authenticity.” Located in Kathmandu and the Solukhumbu district of Nepal, the findings were acquired through interviews with various members of the Sherpa community, discourse analysis and observation. This research concludes that the Sherpa community views their cultural commoditization as both a source of discredit and honor, creating difficulty in rationalizing how it both de-authenticates and re-asserts their Sherpa culture.

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 …

White-Washed: The “Conservation” Of The Physical And Metaphysical States Of Ghanaian Slave Castle-Dungeons And Forts, Britney D. Ghee

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The methodology for this qualitative research is heavily reliant upon personal observation, photographic documentation, secondary source analysis, and interviews. It i was crucial to also develop personal observation through other sources like journals and museum professionals. By visiting and thoroughly investigating Cape Coast Castle, St. George’s Castle (referred to as Elmina Castle), Fort Victoria, Fort St. Jago, and the English Fort in Komenda, observations that deal with preservation tactics for the buildings and for memorializing slave castles and forts in Ghana can be addressed. Certainly these case studies are all located in the Central Region, but the differences and variety …

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 …

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 …

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, …