International and Area Studies Commons^™

El Comienzo De Un Cuento: Los Desafíos De Promover La Lectura Infantil En Cochabamba / The Beginning Of A Story: The Challenges Of Promoting Children's Reading In Cochabamba, Cecilia Caro

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

La promoción de la alfabetización en los niños y los adultos, se observa alrededor de todo el mundo. Organizaciones a niveles locales, nacionales e internacionales han surgido para combatir el problema del analfabetismo. Parece que aquí en Bolivia, también se han visto desafíos en crear una cultura de lectura en los niños, tanto dentro como fuera de la escuela. A través de entrevistas y mi propia experiencia como voluntaria en dos bibliotecas, este corto estudio explora el tema de la lectura y los niños en la ciudad boliviana de Cochabamba. Aunque no se ha visto mucha acción a nivel nacional …

Investigation De Regeneración Natural De Plantas Vasculares En La Reserva Madrigal Del Podocarpus / Investigation Of Natural Regeneration Of Vascular Plants In The Madrigal Reserve Of The Podocarpus, Sy Baker

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

En el Sur de Ecuador, hay una historia larga de incendio que está asociada con la historia de la agricultura y ganadería a causa de las técnicas de tala y quema para despejar áreas para campos y también quemaduras intencionales para fertilizar los suelos y mejorar productividad agrícola (Fernandez et al 2015). En los últimos días de Noviembre de 2016, un incendio quemó campos, la Reserva Madrigal de Podocarpus, y parte del Parque Nacional Podocarpus en Loja, Ecuador—el enfoque de este estudio. En este estudio: (1) se registraron las especies y distribución de plantas pioneras y sobrevivientes, (2) la se …

Definiendo La Concepción De La Salud Mental Y Espiritual: La Influencia De La Biomedicina Y La Religión Occidental En La Comunidad Mapuche De La Araucanía, Maya Salvio

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Research Question: In what ways has occidental religions and the biomedical health system influenced the conception of mental health in the Mapuche community in the Araucania?

Objectives: The general objective of this study is to identify the ways in which mental and spiritual health are conceptualized by the Mapuche community and identify the influences of occidental religion and biomedicine in Carahue and Saavedra. The specific objectives are to identify the conceptions of mental and spiritual health among the three predominant ideologies, characterize their perceptions of anxiety and depression (two occidental mental illnesses), identify the relationships between the three ideologies, and …

El Suma Qamaña: La Convivencia En Relación A La Salud Según La Gente Aymara De Arica, Codpa, Y Putre / El Suma Qamaña: Coexistence In Relation To Health According To The Aymara People Of Arica, Codpa, And Putre, Alison Ogawa

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Suma qamaña, comúnmente conocido como buen vivir o convivir bien, es un concepto andino relacionado con la manera en que la gente entiende la vida y conceptualiza la salud. Es un modelo de armonía en que se busca un equilibrio con todas las cosas, incluida la comunidad, la naturaleza, la espiritualidad, la familia, el cuerpo, y la mente. Esta investigación busca responder a la pregunta ¿Cómo se entiende y vive la salud en el marco del concepto del buen vivir de la gente aymara de Arica, Codpa, y Putre? También, intenta explicar el concepto del buen vivir o suma qamaña, …

Tierra En Revuelta: La Presencia De La Cosmovisión Indígena En Las Luchas De Resistencia En La Región De Qoyllurit’I \ Earth In Revolt: The Presence Of The Indigenous Worldview In The Struggles Of Resistance In The Region Of Qoyllurit'i, Maya Pace

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El Santuario del Señor de Qoyllurit’i ha sido un lugar sagrado desde la época pre-inca y hasta ahora es el sitio de una peregrinación grandísima cada año. En 2011 recibió el título de Patrimonio Inmaterial Cultural de UNESCO en reconocimiento de su importancia para el Perú. Es un ejemplo fuerte de la mezcla de catolicismo con la cosmovisión indígena—la peregrinación es para honorar este sitio de un milagro católico, pero la peregrinación también incorpora danzas tradicionales, la creencia indígena en la nieve sagrada y en los apus, y pagos a la tierra. Entonces las propuestas de concesiones mineras recientes han …

Discourses Of Psychiatry And Culture: The Interface Between Western And Traditional Medicine In The Treatment Of Mental Illness, Madeline Molot

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Mental illness is a burden of disease that, in many countries, is neglected; South Africa is no exception. There are many reasons for this, including but not limited to a lack of specialized mental health personnel in primary care settings, a budget that favors South Africa’s communicable disease epidemic, and a continued stigma around mental illness. Whenever discussing the healthcare system in South Africa, however, it is important to note another parallel system of care, one with little to no budget or regulation: that of traditional healing. It is estimated that over 70% of South Africans have at some point …

Music As The Guide On The Pathway To Empowerment And Wellbeing. A Narrative On An Arts-Based Holistic Health Solution., Sabine Adler

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study explored music as the guide on the pathway to empowerment and wellbeing at a nonprofit organization called Durban Music School. Using narrative inquiry, I have collected stories from different people involved with Durban Music school as well my own observations and reflections. Through finding empowerment through music myself, I was able to add in my personal experiences to compliment the experience of others. Using informal interviews and conversations, direct observations, journaling, and playing guitar as a method of inner reflection, I looked to explore through stories how underprivileged individuals have found empowerment through their musical journey. Out of …

Twisting The Tap: Water Scarcity And Conflict In The Euphrates-Tigris River Basin, Samantha Glass

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Is water a target or an instrument of violence? Is it an amplifier of conflict or a means for cooperation, a source of growth or a force of destruction? The purpose of this report is to determine how threats of water shortage and the lack of a trans-boundary management plan has prompted states in the Euphrates-Tigris River Basin to leverage the shared resource as a political weapon to preserve national interests and ascertain regional authority. The scope of this report examines the domestic policies, economic objectives, and foreign-policy interests that compose Turkey, Syria, and Iraq’s national stakes in the trans-boundary …

Digital Diplomacy And Its Effect On International Relations, Bridget Verrekia

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Digital technology has undoubtedly shaped the way in which the modern world works, going so far as to create a new form of diplomacy known as digital diplomacy. This paper seeks to explore the evolving nature of digital diplomacy and determine its effect on international relations. Four in-person interviews and 20 academic sources were used in order to assess the advantages and challenges that digital diplomacy presents. Acknowledging the way in which diplomats have been able to utilize social media to further the interests of their nations, this paper argues that digital diplomacy is a positive tool that can be …

Picture This: The Role Of Digital Storytelling In Motivating Donations Towards Refugee Relief, Mitra Lebuhn

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

It is often assumed that powerful photographs and film footage have the ability to move viewers in the developed population to action. Frank Fournier, the photographer who captured the face of 13-year-old Omayra Sanchez in her last hours of life, as she stood trapped in a pool of muddy water and debris, said, “I believe the photo helped raise money from around the world in aid and helped highlight the irresponsibility and lack of courage of the country's leaders (BBC, 2005).” His statement encompasses the common perspective that imagery can motivate donations, but there is a lack in data regarding …

Where Ethnography Breaks Down: The Ethics, Miscommunications, And Failures Of My Independent Study Project, Natasha Shannon

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper will communicate a thick description and self-reflective critique of the research methods I used while conducting short-term ethnographic fieldwork at an NGO (non-governmental organization) in Rabat, Morocco. The research initially sought to answer the following question: How does the culture of a Moroccan NGO interact with the culture of its target client populations, and how does this impact the power dynamics of the NGO’s services? However, the ethical dilemmas of the research caused the question to shift to the following: What went wrong over the course of this short-term ethnography, and why? This paper will address my initial …

The Writing On The Walls: Street Art As A Site Of Participation In Discourse And A Platform For Voice In The Moroccan Public Sphere, Natalie Johnson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Street art is a form of mass communication and a platform for public discourse (Chaffee, 1993, p. 4). Public discourse in the Moroccan context is undergoing a process of limited liberalization, characterized by the hybrid regime’s allowance of a greater plurality of voices to legitimately participate in public discourse while still maintaining surveillance and control over who participates and how they participate (Desrues, 2013). Through qualitative research methods, this study analyzes how individual actors and the Moroccan hybrid regime use street art in the Rabat-Casablanca urban space to participate in public discourse and how street art is related to the …

The Economic Legacies Of Lingering Colonialism: A Case Study In Identity And Multiculturalism In Northern Morocco And The Spanish Enclaves, Jeremy Vale

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Founded in ancient times, the twin Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla combined comprise just 11.8 square miles and have fewer than 200,000 inhabitants. Despite their rather insignificant sizes, they are important because they serve as the only land borders between the European Union and the African continent, generating a host of complicated questions. This research explores the role of smuggling as a form of micro-economy and identity. Through interviews of Moroccans with ties to smuggling as well as interviews with residents of Ceuta, this case study begins to examine the role smuggling plays in the debates about the sovereignty …

The Tribulations Of Moroccan Child Laborers: A Forced Existence And Loss Of Innocence, David Wien-Kandil

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The principal focus of this research paper is to analyze the prevalence and status of child laborin the Kingdom of Morocco and reflectupon the compounding conditions perpetuatingitsuse in the labor market, especially pertaining to the domestic sphere.Despite several regulationsoutlawing its practice, the use of child labor is common across many industries but working conditionsfound in the domestic sectors are particularly severe. Consequently,the primary subjects of this study are concentratedaroundchildrenemployed within the household as maids known as “petite bonne” or little maids[1]. Many of these child maidssuffer physical, verbal, sexual andpsychological abuses by their employers. Additionally, they are sometimes …

Queer And Shear Moroccan Societal Norms Impact On Queer Women, Catherine Pendry

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper examines how Moroccan societal norms and values hinder the recognition of queer women. Within this paper, family dynamics, language, and perceptions of homosexuality are discussed in order to highlight the lack of recognition that queer women receive in Morocco. Social norms in Morocco draw upon the conservative and traditional values, therefore queer women face societal persecution because they stray from the heteronormative culture and exist in a resilient patriarchal system. I will draw upon six personal interviews from queer women as they share their experiences and how they operate within their Moroccan families and Moroccan social norms. Throughout …

Identificando Los Limites Del Acceso A La Salud Reproductiva: Un Análisis Sobre Las Experiencias Vividas Por Las Mujeres Guaraníes Con Los Servicios De La Salud Reproductiva En La Villa 31 De Buenos Aires, Amelia Mitchell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In order to serve the ‘public’, public health services must be accessible to everyone, without discrimination based on race, gender, social class, or geographic location, among other facets of identity. Reproductive health services, in particular, are a key service that must be adequately supplied in order to guarantee the health and wellbeing of a population. Reproductive healthcare not only allows individuals to decide if and when they wish to have a child, it also contributes to cancer prevention and the detrimental effects of sexually transmitted diseases. This investigation examines the experiences of Guaraní women that live within “Villa 31” of …

La Continuidad De Los Juicios Con El Nuevo Gobierno: El 2 X 1 / The Continuity Of The Judgments With The New Government: The 2 X 1, Julie Olesky

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

La presente investigación se enfoca en los juicios actuales a los responsablesde la última dictadura cívico-militar en Argentina y en una dilucidación en torno al respaldo o falta de apoyo hacia estos procesos por parte de la gestión del presidente Mauricio Macri. A partir de visitas a la ESMA, la asistencia a un juicio, hasta entrevistas con defensores de derechos humanos y profesores y estudiantes de sociología y derecho, se indaga acerca de la importancia y el significado de la justicia en Argentina, cómo opera la justicia, cómo se combate la impunidad, y cómo luchan los organismos de derechos humanos …

Life In Purple: An Exploration Of Moroccan Lgbt+ Identity And Migration, Olivia Leone Nicholas

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Currently, homosexuality is criminalized in Morocco under the Moroccan Penal Code Article 489 and most Moroccans view homosexuality as haram, prohibited by god. The LGBT+ community faces religious, legal and social pressures and persecution. Still, LGBT+ people continue to fight for their right to exist in Morocco and activists are working to protect members of the community from legal prosecution as well as form safe spaces for their community. At the same time, many members of the LGBT+ community in Morocco must emigrate to live their lives both honestly and safely. This paper aims to explore the current circumstances …

“Todas Las Comunidades Tenemos Solo Un Espíritu:” Un Análisis Del Reciente Surgimiento En Activismo Político Y Social De Las Mujeres Indígenas De La Argentina Y El Discurso Sobre Si Existe Un “Feminismo Indígena.” / “All Of The Communities We Have One Spirit:” An Analysis Of The Recent Rise Of Political And Social Activism Of Indigenous Women In Argentina And The Discussion Of Whether An “Indigenous Feminism” Exists., Larissa Peltola

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

En el siguiente trabajo, intento de presentar e identificar cuál es, en mi opinión, el movimiento social más reciente en la Argentina y estudiar el activismo de las mujeres Argentinas nativas, de comunidades indígenas y pueblos originarios[1] y las formas en que se encuentran participando en este movimiento social. El primer objetivo de este ensayo es identificar brevemente la manera en que las mujeres de estas comunidades han sido históricamente excluidas de las posiciones tradicionales de poder y las diversas formas de discriminación basadas en la raza, el género y el estatus socioeconómico. En segundo lugar, examinaré las formas …

Una Aproximación Al Proceso De Construcción De La Identidad Cultural Coreano-Argentina En La Ciudad De Buenos Aires / An Approach To The Korean-Argentine Ethnic And Cultural Identity In The City Of Buenos Aires, Hyeree Ellis

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Korean migration to Argentina is still fairly new, with the first migrants having arrived in the 1960s. However, the population of Koreans in Argentina has created a collective society large enough to be named its own Barrio. The purpose of this research is to investigate the construction of ethnic identity among Korean-Argentines living in the city of Buenos Aires in Argentina. In this process, the investigation considers the relationship between discrimination and ethnic-identity formation, as well as the importance of the knowledge and practice of heritage language, customs, and rituals in the familiar world in order to maintain ethnic-identity. Furthermore, …

Distribution, Diversity, And Den Locations Of Canidae And Hyaenidae Species Across Habitat Type At Enashiva Nature Refuge, Grace Bullington

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Due to the importance of top-trophic level predators have on their environment including regulating prey species and influencing ecosystem biodiversity, it is important to monitor top-trophic level predators to understand how they shape their ecosystem. While top-trophic level predators can benefit the ecosystem, they can also cause problems for surrounding human settlements like predation on livestock. Species in the Canidae and Hyaenidae families occupy the top-trophic level and can influence their ecosystem and cause human-wildlife conflict.

This study looked at the distribution, diversity, and den locations of Canidae and Hyaenidae species at Enashiva Nature Refuge over the course of 21 …

The Role Of Ngos As Intermediaries: Negotiating The Space Between Donors And Community Members, Mara Horn

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

South Africa is considered one of the most unequal countries in the world, even after the fall of the apartheid government in 1994. In order to address the disparities present within the country and the inability of the government to meet the needs of the disadvantaged, NGOs emerged as a possible solution and development alternative. This study aims to understand how NGOs currently operating in Durban, South Africa negotiate their role as intermediaries between donors and community members. Focusing on the perspectives of experts who work for justice-oriented NGOs, each participant’s understanding of their organization’s intermediary position is explored: what …

Syrian Refugee Women In Jordan: Family Planning Preferences And Barriers In A Host Community, Hilary Smith

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The aims of this pilot study were to research and analyze the availability of birth control and family planning resources among Syrian refugee women at a reproductive age. This study took place in the host community of Karak, Jordan. Syrian women are a vulnerable population based solely on their gender. But being refugee women makes them more vulnerable and sometimes, their needs do not get met. This study is important because it will look into reproductive health aspects for this vulnerable population to ensure that there is satisfaction among women about their own health. This cross-sectional study sought to answer …

Nit Nitay Garabame: Analyzing Mental Illness And Art Therapy Within Dakar’S Atelier D’Ex-Pression Artistique, Alaina Orr

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As mental health issues are usually given low priority in countries of sub-Saharan Africa, including Senegal, mental illness continues to be an emerging topic of discourse (Rand 2015). In Dakar, the practice of art therapy has been used for decades to provide those living with mental illness or going through trauma with a method for selfexpression when words fail to articulate their situations or mental states. Situated within Hôpital Fann’s psychiatric hospital, Clinique Moussa Diop, is an art therapy workshop known as l’Atelier d’EX-PRESSION Artistique1, which provides the space, structure, and material for persons with mental illness to work with …

A Study Of Defensive Mechanisms Employed By Two Species Of Nudibranchs Using Toxicity And Unpalatability Analyses, Sean Youn

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Nudibranchs are marine invertebrates that have developed an intriguing defense mechanism, including warning coloration and the use of chemicals accumulated through their sponge diet. The goal of this study was to determine whether the strength of chemical defenses differs between dietary and accumulated secondary metabolites for two species: Glossodoris vespa and Ceratosoma brevicaudatum. First, NMR spectroscopy was used to not only identify specific compounds in the mantle (outer covering) and the viscera (gut) but also to analyze the possibility of nudibranch species transporting more toxic compounds for defensive purposes. Next, toxicity (brine shrimp) and palatability (Palaemon shrimp) assays were used …

Estudio Acerca Del Apoyo Educacional Y Laboral Para Alumnos En Situación De Discapacidad Intelectual: El Caso De Cinco Instituciones De Educación Especial En Santiago, Viña Del Mar Y San Antonio / Study On Educational And Work Support For Students In Situations Of Intellectual Disability: The Case Of Five Special Education Institutions In Santiago, Viña Del Mar And San Antonio, Sophia Gomez

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Research Question: How effective are special education organizations and programs in helping students with intellectual disabilities with job pursuits, education, and independence?

Objectives: The general objective of this study is to describe the support that students with intellectual disabilities receive from the special education system and how this support promotes autonomy. The specific objectives are to investigate the teachers’ roles, discover the level of autonomy students have, and identify how the education system supports labor insertion.

Antecedents: Historically, job placement has been difficult for people with disabilities. Many people are misinformed regarding their true abilities. There also exists an ignorance …

Making It Work: Supporting Contemporary Artists In Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Michael Curran

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Following the country’s political transition to democracy in the 1990s, a generation of Mongolian artists constructed an art movement rooted in the issues of the new society: transitional national identity, corrupt political and economic systems, and a growingly complex relationship with nature. The liberalization of the economy, however, hasn’t nurtured sustainable creative resources or helped artists reach domestic or international markets, pressuring them to find alternative ways to create livelihoods out of their craft. This study considers how emerging multidisciplinary artists sustain themselves through both formal and informal means, and the motivations behind their creative lifestyles.

Central to the study …

Developing Nations And Disadvantaged Populations: How The 2009 H1n1 Influenza Pandemic Exacerbated Disparities And Inequities, Rebecca Lebeaux

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, although not as deadly or long lasting as initially projected, demonstrated that the world was and is ill prepared to handle a mass pandemic. As the first pandemic of the twenty-first century, the pandemic revealed global health insecurities and asymmetrical disease burdens for disadvantaged individuals and countries. This paper will analyze why both developing countries and disadvantaged individuals suffered disproportionately from the pandemic. Using the framework of structural violence, this paper will investigate how socioeconomic and political disparities encountered before and during the pandemic caused differential health, societal, political, and economic outcomes. These preexisting disparities …

Do Africans Support English Football Teams And Neglect Local African Teams: An Interrogation Of Eight Black African Men In Cape Town, Eddie Mungai

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project unravels the various reasons why black African men have such a strong attachment to English football teams belonging to the English Premier League. It works to find the answer to the hypothesis, which states that black African men exhibit greater fan support for English football teams and neglect the support of the local African teams.

Eight black African men from East, West, Southern, and Central Africa, describe the manifestation of their soccer fandom for the English team they support as well as their favorite local African club team. Based on the observations gathered through participant observations and interviews, …

Continuous Care In Complex Contexts: Access To Health Services For Noncommunicable Diseases Among Syrian Refugee Women In Jordanian Host Communities, Jennifer Ostrowski

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study examines how, when and where Syrian refugee women living in a host community in central Jordan access health services related to noncommunicable diseases. Noncommunicable diseases are the leading cause of death and disability worldwide, but can be effectively managed through timely treatment. Examining access to care for these diseases in the context of humanitarian emergencies, such as war and displacement, is particularly important because they require continuous care, which may be interrupted during emergencies, and because they can cause acute complications, which may be exacerbated by emergencies (WHO, 2016).

Previous studies indicate a high burden of NCDs among …