Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Women Who Surf In Morocco, Anna Esposito

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In 1960, the first wave of Europeans and Americans found their way to the now bustling Taghazout Bay. From Essaouira to Agadir, expatriates lived out of vans and/or inside the houses of the Amazigh villagers. Many of these expatriates made Morocco their home from upwards of ten to fifteen years, even giving birth to children in these rural villages. The American and Europeans shared with the locals and vice versa, bartering food, skills, athletics, language, and friendship. Naturally, as surfing became a popular pastime among hippies in the United States in the 1960s, the expatriates began to bring early models …

Water Injustice In Jendouba Governorate, Wilder Mccoy

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Water is a precious resource even in a tropical rainforest, and in a dry country like Tunisia it is essential. Located in the south central region of the Mediterranean Sea, Tunisia, like nearly every other Mediterranean country, faces a stark challenge in providing clean drinking water to its growing population. Compared to its neighbors, Tunisia, with a few minor exceptions, does a good job in meeting this goal. In the rural northwestern governorate of Jendouba, where most of the country’s surface water comes from, there is ironically a dire need for clean drinking water in the rural areas outside the …

Who Am I? The Relationship Between Cultural Identity And Globalization Within The Local And Global Intersections, Nir Aish

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The imminent phenomenon of globalization has been mainly explored in academia through the lens of economics and politics. Little attention has been given to the relationship between this phenomenon and culture, and yet the yield of this relationship could be tremendous as culture determines how individuals operate in our growing globalized world. This research project takes place in Bertoua, the capital of the East Region of the Republic of Cameroon. The country is located in Central Africa, and is often referred as “Africa in Miniature” due to its vast cultural and geological diversity. The focus of the study is on …

Colonización, Globalización, Descolonización: Cambiar La Forma En Que Los Bolivianos Piensan Sobre Cuestiones Lgbt / Colonization, Globalization, Decolonization: Changing The Way Bolivians Think About Lgbt Issues, Courtney Manning

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

La intención de este proyecto es obtener una imagen del mundo de las organizaciones homosexuales en Bolivia y ver cómo la popular corriente cultural de la descolonización influye en los objetivos, los métodos y las retóricas de los miembros. A través de varias entrevistas, analices de literatura y observaciones mientras asistía a reuniones LGBT, se refiere tanto al éxito hipotético y al uso poco frecuente de la retórica y las estrategias de descolonización en colectivos LGBT en Bolivia. Las razones de esta dicotomía radican principalmente en la eliminación casi completa de las prácticas homosexuales en Bolivia por parte de los …

Perspectives On Language From Street Produce Vendors In Cape Town: An Examination Of Education, Trading, And Development In The Informal Sector, Hannah Oldham

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Language is vital for the functioning of societies, from education to economic interactions. Language of education presents challenges in Africa due to colonial linguistic legacies and the diversity of indigenous African languages. While education trains learners for work in the formal economy, the South African formal cannot absorb all the available labor. The informal economy therefore provides vital work and income to millions of South Africans and immigrants. Language use in the informal sector was studied, including the education and work traders had before working as street produce vendors.

Six interviews were conducted: two near the Cape Town taxi rank, …

Perdiendo El Paraíso: Lo Que El Turismo Se Llevó De La Isla Isabela / Losing Paradise: What Tourism Took From Isabela Island, Dylan Souquet Moglen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Desde los años 60s las Islas Galápagos se han convertido en una importante atracción turística para el mundo. En los últimos 50 años han tenido un rápido crecimiento para transformarse, por medio del sector turístico, en un gran poder económico para el Ecuador. Pero, ¿cuáles han sido las fuerzas que impulsaron este crecimiento? y, lo que es más, ¿cómo ha afectado el crecimiento tan increíble a las comunidades locales de las islas? Este estudio se enfoca en explorar, tomando a la Isla Isabela como base, lo que ha ocasionado (y se ha llevado) el turismo aquí en Galápagos, usando en …

Ecological Succession On Neotropical Landslides: Comparing Successional Patterns Of Four Different Aged Landslides In The Cerro Candelaria Reserve, Nace Keifer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Abstract In an area that is vulnerable to frequent landslides due to steep montane slopes and heavy rain falls it is important to understand how the ecosystem regenerates after it has been disturbed. This study examined ecological succession patterns by comparing the vegetation on four different aged landslides and the unharmed forest within the Cerro Candelaria Reserve, located in a cloud forest ecosystem in central Ecuador. One meter soil profiles and 5x5 meter vegetation quadrats were used to observe and characterize the habitats on the four individual landslides and unharmed forest. At each location, soil color, texture, and structure were …

Hummingbird Foraging Preference: The Hierarchical Impacts Of Color, Position, And Concentration On Visitation Frequency, Erin O'Connor

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Hummingbirds are well adapted to efficiently locate high quality nectar sources, but relatively few studies have examined the mechanisms of that process under natural conditions in the field. This study investigates the visual signals that allow hummingbirds to do just that, as well as the external factors that limit their choices in foraging. More specifically, feeder color and nectar concentration were manipulated to determine the effect of those independent variables on visitation frequency. An initial experiment was conducted in order to explore color preference among the visiting species. Red, orange, and blue feeders were filled with nectar of equal concentrations …

Russia's Northern Rook: Nord Stream 2 On The European Energy Chessboard, David E. Wilson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline proposes to connect Germany to the world’s largest natural gas reserves in Russia, allowing the state-owned Russian energy behemoth Gazprom to double its export capacity through the ‘Northern Corridor’ transit route to Europe. This project has been the subject of sharp disapproval from Central and Eastern European countries, as well as the United States, which fear the prospect of increasing dependence on gas imports from a Russia perceived as politically aggressive and unreliable. This paper will identify the geopolitical and geoeconomic implications involved in the construction of Nord Stream 2 by adopting a geostrategic worldview …

From Kipat To Kathmandu: A Failed Integration Of Limbu People Into The Nepali State In Biblate, Ilam, Andrew Blunt

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In eastern Nepal, a territory historically known as Limbuwan, the Limbu people make up just under 400,000. Historically, this region and its people were accompanied by the practice of kipat, a system of land tenure and management as well as one of community and cultural governance. In 2021 (1964) the Land Act formally ended the practice of the kipat system and transferred all lands to the state held raikar form of tenure. With the end of the practice of kipat came the attempted integration of the Limbu people from their traditional governing systems into the burgeoning Nepali democracy. A combination …

Syrian Refugees’ Lived Experiences In Morocco, Hannah Chenok

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As the Syrian refugee crisis unfolds, those fleeing the country’s civil war are seeking refuge across the world. According to official numbers from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Syrians make up about 68% of Morocco’s documented refugee population. This ISP studies Syrian refugees’ lives in Morocco, using direct-quote, short-form narratives to highlight lived experiences. It begins with an in-depth analysis of the refugee policies in place here, and then features reflections from refugees themselves. It highlights how factors such as the amount of time spent here, refugee status, residency status, occupation, and cultural differences affect what Syrians think …

Convivendo Na Lagoa Do Mineiro: An Education In Living And Loving With, Daniela Aldrich

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

One of Brazil’s most pressing issues is unequitable land distribution and agrarian land reform. Movimento Sem Terra (MST) is at the forefront of this struggle and has redistributed land to approximately 1,250 families so far. As well as access and right to land ownership, MST addresses issues from youth development, to education, to ecology and more with the mission to create a more just and inclusive Brazil by training its future leaders. This vision includes moving away from the capitalist system that currently enables hierarchies of power to control Brazil at the expense of many of its citizens and natural …

The Perceived Mental Health Effects Of China’S One-Child Policy, Avery Rasmussen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study looked at the perceived impacts of China’s 30 year One-Child Policy (OCP). Previous studies suggested the OCP affected Chinese culture and society in a number of ways, however no studies (to the knowledge of the principal investigator) had looked at perceptions of the effects of the OCP on anxiety levels and other mental health issues of students in China. This study sought to fill the aforementioned knowledge gap and aimed to determine perceptions about the mental health effects of the OCP on students. Specifically, this study endeavored to gain a better understanding of perceptions of the effects of …

Tibetan Women’S Experiences With Childbirth: A Comparative Study Of Present-Day Shangri-La And Previous Studies In Tibetan Communities, Billie Dunn-Mcmartin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

What are the experiences of Tibetan women living in and around Shangri-La with pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood? In order to explore this topic, one must first understand the context in which this topic exists: Tibetan Buddhism and culture. This paper gives a short background on women and the female body in Tibetan Buddhism, the Tibetan Medical system, and the current accessibility and regulation of hospitals, before entering into the topic of Tibetan women’s experiences with childbirth. The experiences and traditional practices of childbirth are important, as birth is universally significant as well as particularly religiously significant in Tibetan Buddhism, and …

Olas De Cambio: Violencia Política Y Desplazamiento Durante La Guerra Interna En El Perú (1980-2000), Sarah Benewith

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Esta investigación responde al problema de las aproximadamente 600,000 personas que fueron desplazadas internamente entre 1980 y 2000 como resultado de la violencia política ocurrida entre el Estado Peruano y grupos insurgentes como Sendero Luminoso. Específicamente, investigo la relación entre violencia política y desplazamiento interno, así como la naturaleza de las experiencias personales de los desplazados. Como enfoque secundario, examino cómo la identidad juega un papel en las experiencias de los desplazados. Desarrollando la investigación en Cusco y Lima, utilizo una combinación de revisión de archivos, observación directa y entrevistas. Las entrevistas, de indígenas desplazados de Apurímac durante la Guerra …

The Shifting Roles Of Dai Maas: An Intersection Of Healthcare And Female Empowerment In Rural Udaipur, Julie Morel

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs), known as dais in an Indian context, have historically served as women’s primary caregivers throughout their pregnancies and during childbirth in rural regions where access to formal healthcare institutions is nearly impossible. With a heavy reliance on traditional knowledge passed down through generations, dais have aided with home deliveries for millennia. Approximately 15 years ago, however, groups such as WHO, UNICEF, World Bank, and the UN began addressing India’s high maternal mortality rate (MMR), thereby instigating the discouragement of home deliveries in favor of the encouragement of institutional deliveries. Infrastructural changes were established to improve accessibility …

Asean And The South China Sea: Approaches To Resolving The Conflict, Jennifer Jie Li

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In recent years, tensions have escalated between actors in the South China Sea, one of which is the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the region’s primary intergovernmental organization. The purpose of this report is to determine the effectiveness of ASEAN in resolving the South China Sea disputes and to clarify how geopolitical factors have impacted the organization’s actions. Through an analysis of evolving maritime claims and the current state of affairs, this paper suggests that ASEAN must be involved in any attempt to resolve the conflict peacefully. Acknowledging the importance of the diplomatic channels that ASEAN has created to …

Managing Health In All The Helpers: A Survey Of Mental Health Services For Humanitarian Aid Workers, Erin Mercado

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Humanitarianism has been a long-standing principle of helping those in need. However, the work of providing such assistance is not an easy feat. Humanitarian work is mentally taxing because of the high daily demands of the job as well as the potential for exposure to direct and secondary traumatization. These mental health risks can manifest into the mental health disorders if the stressors of the job are not well managed by individual aid workers and by the humanitarian organizations. The most common mental health disorders experienced by aid workers are depression, anxiety, burnout, and PTSD. Research into mental health and …

An Abbreviated Leap: The Geopolitical And Geoeconomic Significance Of The China – Pakistan Economic Corridor To The New Silk Road, Emma Nichols

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The objective of this analysis is to reveal the geopolitical and geoeconomic significance of the China – Pakistan Economic Corridor of the Belt and Road Initiative to its major stakeholders; Pakistan and China. In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled one of the most ambitious international infrastructure plans in modern history. The plan, in its earliest stages, is currently underway with its first portion, the China – Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Through careful preliminary analysis of the greater Belt and Road Initiative, the China – Pakistan Economic Corridor, and history of Sino-Pak relations, the motivations of the collaborating nations are …

Evaluating Frameworks For Multilateral Investor-State Dispute Settlement, Danielle Rosenthal

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Utilizing both empirical studies of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) regimes and the accounts of both public and private practitioners of these processes, this study aims to inform public policymakers, multinational corporation leadership, and academic researchers on some of the key issues to consider when developing a multilateral friendly ISDS regime. By analyzing the procedural and functional details of both traditional arbitration (via the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law) and investment dispute courts (via those proposed in the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and the EU Canada Comprehensive Economic and …

Language, Race, And Integration: A Comparative Exploration Of The Sub-Saharan Migrant Experience In Morocco, Madeline Davison

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper uses a qualitative approach to explain the divide between local and migrant populations in the Moroccan context. This divide is primarily influenced by “feelings of otherness” and is triggered first and foremost by differences in physical appearance—easily identifiable differences upon first impression. Though inspired by a nearly instantaneous arrangement, this divide is fueled further by an inconsistency of language usage between groups. Because there is a wide variety of migrant experiences in this context, it is important to identify some of the differences between these lived experiences. Upon observation, the question, “What are the fundamental differences between migrants’ …

“Porque Soy Madre”: Un Análisis Del Rol De La Maternidad En La Organización “Multisectorial Contra La Violencia Institucional” En Rosario, Santa Fe / “Because I’M A Mother”: An Analysis Of The Role Of Maternity In The Organization “Multisectorial Against Institutional Violence” In Rosario, Santa Fe, Daisy Jones

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

It is difficult to talk about social movements in Argentina without discussing the significant impact of “Las Madres de Plaza de Mayo.” “Las Madres,” which began as an activist organization of mothers of “los desaparecidos” or the “disappeared” during the military dictatorship of 1976-1983, is politically influential in Argentina to this day. Through demonstrations, marches, and other campaigns, Las Madres de Plaza de Mayo and its work have shaped the way that the whole world understands human rights violations during the dictatorship. Apart from their work to visibilize instances of state terrorism, Las Madres has created a precedent that allows …

Las Consejerías Estatales Y No Estatales Para Las Mujeres Víctimas De Violencia De Género: Un Estudio De Caso De La Asociación Civil Corriente La Colectiva / The State And Non-State Councils For Women Victims Of Gender Violence: A Case Study Of La Asociación Civil Corriente La Colectiva., Elizabeth Millar

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

La violencia de género existe en todas las dimensiones de la vida, como el trabajo, el hogar, la atención médica, y situaciones afines. Las mujeres que han experimentado la violencia merecen conocer y comprender sus derechos. La ley ha cambiado para reconocer más derechos, pero todavía el estado no está cumpliendo su rol de proveedor de servicios. Por eso, las consejerías no estatales, como la de la Colectiva, desempeñan un papel importante en compensar donde el estado está faltando a través de servicios legales para los casos específicos y educativos sobre sus derechos. Este ensayo reflexiona sobre el funcionamiento de …

Public Transportation In The Middle East: A Study On The Sustainability And Efficacy Of Taxis In Amman And The Future Of Public Transportation, Henry Nieberg

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research aims to explore the current public transportation status in the city of Amman, Jordan. Many Middle Eastern cities in the Levant are under critical urban transformations. This is due to both the increasing investment in infrastructure from countries located mostly in the Gulf States and through the mass destruction and neglect from internal conflicts. Amman is the only city in the Levant Region that is growing, and with a population of roughly 4 million, there is no adequate public transportation system in the city. This research includes a review of literature in urban studies and transportation, drawing on …

Jabal Al-Weibdeh: A Counter-Memory Of Amman A Case Study In The Resistance Of Memory, Gwendolyn Dilworth

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The neighborhood of Jabal al-Weibdeh is one of Amman’s most historic neighborhoods, founded in the 1930s atop one of Amman’s seven original hills. Using previous research on the construction of Jordanian national identity and the marginalization of Ammani identity, this paper aims to serve as a case study of the relationship between Amman and hegemonic discourses of Jordanian identity in Weibdeh. Through interviews with Jordanians who are connected to Weibdeh, this study examines the presence of collective memory and Ammani identity in Weibdeh. This paper argues that Weibdeh’s collective memory acts as an explicit counter-memory to Hashemite constructions of national …

Staring Down Street Harassment: Women’S Perspectives Of Street Harassment In Tunisia, Aliya Jessa

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Women are the targets of street harassment perpetrated by men every day, particularly in communal spaces such as streets and public transportation. In Tunis, young women must alter their dress and behavior in order to comfortably and navigate public spaces; however, despite these measures, their access to space is still far more limited than men’s access to public space. I interviewed four women in their 20s from the greater Tunis area on their experiences of public street harassment. The women indicated that street harassment is merely one manifestation of a greater gender issue in the country. Although street harassment may …

Linguistic Imperialism In Jordan: The Impact Of English Education Curriculum On Cultural Behaviors Of Secondary Students In Amman, Haley Chatwin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study explores the questions of how culturally inclusive curriculum effects the cultural behaviors of secondary students in Amman, Jordan, and how culturally inclusive curriculum effects the attitudes that these students have towards the English language itself. The researcher hypothesized that culturally inclusive curriculum mitigated the dilution of students cultural identities, and effected the students attitudes towards the English language. This study is significant, as English is taught at every school in Jordan, and Jordan has a long history of occupation by an English-speaking country. The researcher conducted the study using the data collection tools of semi-structured interviews, participant observation, …

Vrai: The Culture Of Knockoff Goods In Morocco Their Social Value, Utility, And Context In Contemporary Rabat, Peter Nyberg

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Fashion has long been an aspect of culture through which people identify, and it serves as a marker for class, nationality, and various other social statuses. With the continued democratization of culture via the internet and its various outlets, such as social media, fashion culture and the divide between high couture and mass-produced clothing, as noted by Bourdieu, is becoming less distinct. In the context of Rabat, Morocco, this has partially played out in the consumption of knockoff goods by the youth, a part of a larger individuation[1] process that includes a “westernization”of dress and a slow departure from …

Tourism And Representation: Digital Expressions And Implications Of Orientalism, Lily P. Ayau

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As the tourism industry in Morocco expands, so does Morocco’s online presence. Digital representations of Morocco are often written by and geared toward Westerners; these are often projections of an imagined Morocco, one that is informed by Orientalist conceptions of the Arab/Islamic countries. This study aims to analyze a selection of online articles about touring Morocco in an effort to determine how the underlying Orientalist attitudes in these pieces fit into a larger narrative of exploitation and Western dominance.

Aiding Neocolonialism? Moroccan Ngos, International Actors, And Questions Of Autonomy In Human Rights Advocacy, Neha Patel

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As development studies have challenged the traditional narrative of Western “humanitarian work” developing the Global South, concerns have been raised about the shifting roles of NGOs as they are incentivized to depoliticize and professionalize in a market dominated by foreign aid. Given the legacy of colonialism and the emergence of systems of domination such as the non-profit industrial complex, NGOs have been explored as a potential avenue of neocolonialism. Based on background research, general observations and interviews with representatives of local non-governmental organizations based in Rabat, this project examines how local organizations advocating for their communities view their relationships with …