Sociology Commons^™

Planning Sustainable Food Hubs: Thinking Beyond Economic Viability To Democratize Local Food Access, Ashley Bahlkow

Capstone Collection

In light of an increasing awareness of the detrimental public health impacts of conventional food systems, the New Hampshire Endowment for Health (NHEH) funded a food hub feasibility study to develop a local food hub in the southeastern region of New Hampshire. The study centered on conceptualizing a food hub that would be both viable from a small business standpoint as well one that would increase access to local food, especially for marginalized communities in the city of Manchester--the major population center in the region.

The project work plan contained several activities for determining feasibility, which were completed over the …

The Use Of Agents In International Student Recruitment: International Education Professional’S Opinions, Emily M. Kirsch

Capstone Collection

The use of recruitment agents in international student recruitment is a controversial topic with divisive and differing opinions among international education and higher education professionals. This paper researches international educator’s opinions on the use of recruitment agents in international education and explores the idea of a framework to regulate their use. A survey was sent out to international educators across the United States. 119 respondents gave their opinions on the use of agents and provided a valuable snapshot of the current outlook on the ethics and necessity of the use of agents.

The Influence Of Peacejam’S Ambassadors Program On Youth In Relation To Their Future Career Choice, Community Involvement And Acceptance Of Diversity: A Qualitative Study Of Program Alumni From Four Affiliate Regions In The Us, Ashley Sicard

Capstone Collection

PeaceJam is a yearlong educational program for youth ranging from age 5 to 25 with a mission of creating the next generation of ‘Change Agents.’ Its curriculum focuses on the model of “Education, Inspiration and Action” with the intention of providing youth a comprehensive understanding of the complex problems of today and what is needed for them to gain the skills, knowledge and commitment to create positive change in themselves, their community, and the world in the future. Through previous research, the program has demonstrated success in achieving its short term and intermediate outcomes in the youth participants. However, no …

Environmental Sustainability, Cultural Awareness, And Personal Growth: A Short-Term Study Abroad Program Design For The University Of Colorado, Boulder, Jana K. Howlett

Capstone Collection

The University of Colorado (CU), as with many academic institutions in the United States, has seen a consistent increase in the number of students opting for short-term study abroad programs. A growing concern in the field of international education is whether it is possible for students to mature in cultural competence from such a short time spent abroad. In an initiative to deliberately increase students’ intercultural growth during short-term excursions, Global Seminar: Environmental Sustainability and Cross-Culture Contact in Costa Rica (GSCR) proposes a program that implements two new aspects to CU’s study abroad options: a course-linked program and an …

For Better Or For Worse: Gender And The Congo Basin Forests, Jennifer M. Bangoura

Capstone Collection

Abstract Gender is increasingly an element of program design in international development and education. Given its inherent significance in cultures around the world, gender shapes and molds the ways in which we perceive the roles and responsibilities of men and women. This study seeks to understand the intersection of gender and natural resource management in the Central Africa region. In this region, where tradition often guides the roles men and women play both at home and in the work place, it is critical to understand the role of gender and how accounting for it in project design can both support, …

Corporate Social Responsibility Enrichment Exchange Program, Deborah Waggoner

Capstone Collection

In this globalized age, international companies and organizations are working in more countries than ever before, and consumers and concerned citizens now have the opportunity and, perhaps even the responsibility, to better understand the environmental and social impacts of the companies and organizations with which they do business.

The concept that businesses and organizations need to be responsible to society for their direct and indirect impacts on people and the environment has become known as corporate social responsibility (CSR). As CSR continues to be a growing practice, companies seem to be approaching it from very different angles, depending upon their …

A Vision Of Capitalism, As It Was Meant To Be: A Social Purpose Business Plan For Foodshed Productions, August Miller

Capstone Collection

FoodShed Productions, a social enterprise is pursuing a mission: to raise the caring capacity of communities and resilience of our local environments through resident education in organic backyard farming. As a social enterprise, FoodShed Productions, a for-profit, earns its economic viability doing work more often associated with non-profits, measuring its worth by the social, environmental, and economic benefits of its operations. The communities in Boulder County, CO. are served by FoodShed Productions through a social process in which “We Build, We Coach, You Keep Growing,” toward the goal of self-reliance.

The topic of this CLC is a Social Purpose Business …

Youth Violence Prevention Programming In Medellín, Colombia: Five Recommendations, Timothy Pracher

Capstone Collection

This paper presents five evidence-based recommendations for youth violence prevention programming in Medellín, Colombia. The recommendations are based on youth psycho-social needs and prior violence prevention program analyses. Recommendations will suggest that arts and sports activities could be effective programming tools. Historical and contextual information about Colombia's guerrilla war and gang violence in Medellín will be used to demonstrate the importance of youth empowerment programs and explain why a violence prevention program should be implemented in Medellín. The recommendations contained in this paper could be useful for anyone seeking to develop a youth program, especially a youth empowerment program in …

Playing For Peace: Building Relationships Between Ugandan And Refugee Youth Through Football3 At Soccer Without Borders Uganda, Jean-Christophe Moran

Capstone Collection

This paper describes and analyzes a soccer tournament for Ugandan and refugee youth based on the principles and practices of football3, an established methodology for using soccer as a means of dialogue and resolution of conflict across differences. The goal of this tournament to was build relationships between Ugandan and refugee youth at Soccer Without Borders Uganda. This tournament was held in 2013 in Kampala under the auspices of Soccer Without Borders Uganda and involved training of staff. The implementation of football3 demonstrated that this methodology could have a positive impact on uniting refugee and Ugandan youth while providing participants …

The Primacy Of Context: An Exploration Into The Causes Of Food Insecurity In Kitere, Kenya., William O. Aludo

Capstone Collection

The purpose of this study was to explore the specific reasons why households in Kitere village, Kenya experience persistent food insecurity every year while the region enjoys the advantage of two planting/harvest seasons in a year. Kitere village lies within the lakeside region of Nyanza Province in Kenya, generally considered to be one of the more agriculturally productive parts of the country. The Participatory Rural Appraisal method was employed to gather qualitative data on the causes of food insecurity in Kitere village. The data sources were focus groups and a self-administered, one-time survey of random and non-random samples of key …

Access Abroad: A Design In Equitable Access To Education Abroad, Matthew Zielsdorf

Capstone Collection

Access Abroad is an innovative short-term, faculty-led education abroad design that increases accessible, transformative study abroad programming and enhances academic and intercultural program quality for students enrolled in the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) at The College of New Jersey. The unique design of Access Abroad harnesses key institutional and financial resources at the college to allow 12 EOF undergraduate students to study in La Paz, Bolivia for four weeks in May 2015 with a faculty leader from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. The curriculum will foster student exploration of culture, identity, and community and contribute to the development …

Reexamining Cultural Orientation Provided To Newly Arrived Refugees, Sara E. Matchulat

Capstone Collection

The provision of cultural orientation is one of many services required by the contract between resettlement agencies and the federal agencies overseeing refugee resettlement, the Cooperative Agreement. This paper explores World Relief in Moline, Illinois as a case study for how small resettlement agencies can provide meaningful and memorable cultural orientations. In order to accomplish this goal, this research utilizes the Empowerment Theory to explore how recently resettled refugees’ perceptions can be taken into consideration as orientation materials are examined. Research sought to compare Cooperative Agreement requirements to current orientation materials, interviewed service providers and recently resettled refugees, and utilized …

"Fighting Against Ourselves, Why History Continues To Repeat Itself?", Rysheema J. Dixon

Capstone Collection

My capstone will focus on how self-mobilization among Blacks and Indians can affect change in the United States and India to build a stronger sense of community and improve their rights to education. This paper outlines multiple approaches to fighting against oppressors, combating ethnic to ethnic conflicts and obtaining educational rights. Many cultures have difficulty teaching and learning from one another and it inhibits them from fighting for their rights as citizens. Indians in India and Black Americans have similar background stories in reference to slavery and the caste system but live in two different realities. Identity also plays an …

L’Association "Alliances Et Cultures Nord" : Son Rôle En France Et Mon Rôle Avec Elle, Carolyn Raithel

France: Language, Community and Social Change

Alliances et Cultures est une association dans le quartier Nord en Toulouse. Elle sert du centre social et elle offre beaucoup de programmes différents pour tous les âges et leurs besoins. J’y ai travaillé avec un programme spécifique qui s’appelle « Contrat local d’accompagnement à la scolarité », ou « CLAS » en acronyme. C’est un programme national dont il y en a aux plusieurs centres sociaux en France. Ce programme a le slogan « pour apprendre autrement ! » et il donne une opportunité qui est rare en France aux enfants de recevoir l’aide individuelle à la scolarité au …

Illusion Or Ununderstood Reality: Spiritual Or Psychic Healing And Protection In Southern Madagascar, Henri Lucien Sandifer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Far from the hospital room and its doctor, the medicine and philosophies of Lakazy and its Ombiasa pertain to a domain largely untouched by western logic and science. Their practices appear to be effective and unique enough to have survived the advent of compelling new theological and scientific belief systems and the vastly different perspectives on community health and stability which these systems have brought to Madagascar. The prime examples of these new arrivals are Christianity and modern medicine, respectively. Within and without their sacred space, the mission of the true Ombiasa is to support their community and for this …

Le Cap Centre, Lauren Rowse

France: Language, Community and Social Change

Le CAP Centre est une épicerie sociale qui donne l’aide financière pour l’alimentation. Elle permet aux personnes qui ont des difficultés passagères au niveau financier de faire des économies pour réaliser leur « projet de vie ». Projet de vie est un terme utilisé pour décrire un soutien qui permet aux gens d’économiser pour qu’ils puissent faire des choses normales et habituelles de la vie quotidienne. « Normales et habituelles » : à définir dans le contexte culturel français C’est aussi l’idée que tout le monde devrait avoir l’opportunité de participer dans une vie sociale car beaucoup des bénéficiaires des …

There Are No Fat People In The Netherlands: Embodied Identities, Hypervisibility, And The Contextual Relevancy Of Fatness, Jean Ochterski

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research is the product of a month long exploratory study on fatness in the Netherlands and how it intersects with other marginalized identities, including race, class, and queerness. The primary question it answers is the ways in which hypervisibility of fat bodies interplays with the silences surrounding size as an axis of identity. The research removes fatness from solely conversations in the public health field and re-situates it in a feminist, academic framework. Data was obtained through oral history interviews with seven self identified fat people currently living the Netherlands. The results show that childhood, dieting practices, standards of …

Una Primavera Incierta: El Momento De La Política Educativa En Chile, Alexandria Sadler

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El estudio trata de la oportunidad presente para el movimiento estudiantil Chileno en un momento de incertidumbre política. En palabras más específicas, la investigación enfoca en el movimiento estudiantil en el contexto de las elecciones de la Federación Estudiantil de la Universidad de Chile y de la elección presidencial de Chile del año 2013 que resultaron en cambios del poder. La investigación examina el desarrollo del movimiento estudiantil en el contexto de las instituciones políticas en inestabilidad y explora la oportunidad para el movimiento estudiantil de no solo luchar por educación gratuita y fin al lucro, sino que la deconstrucción …

Luxury’S Last Frontier: An Analysis Of Hanoi Residents’ Perceptions Of The Luxury Market In Vietnam, Rachel Schuh

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

One consequence of Vietnam’s rapid economic development in recent decades is the booming luxury market in Hanoi. Although few Vietnamese consumers can afford luxury goods, luxury consumption is highly visible in Hanoi. Luxury shopping centers continue to open throughout the city, and fancy cars are a common sight on city streets. Luxury consumers often influence trends in the wider marketplace, but luxury good consumption can also be a divisive issue. In addition, luxury consumers in developing countries, even more so than those in developed countries, are often believed to be motivated by status concerns. Thus, the phenomenon economists call conspicuous …

Como El Hijo De Nadie: Internal Divisions And The Struggle For Attention In Bocana De Paiwas, Alina Rosenfeld

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Paiwas is a municipality located at the intersection of the Región Autónomo de Atlántico del Sur (RAAS),1 the Región Autónomo de Atlántico del Norte (RAAN),2 and the Pacific National half of Nicaragua. The autonomous regions are part of Nicaragua, but have their own regional government, control over their natural resources, and are dedicated to preserving indigenous culture, language, and traditions. Just as it is physically, Paiwas is an intersection between the regional autonomous government and the various levels of government on the Pacific side of the country: all governing entities in some way play a role in the development and …

The Modern Opinions Regarding Polygamy Of Married Men And Women In Dakar, Hannah Fried-Tanzer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Polygamy is the practice in which a man takes multiple wives. While it is no longer legal in certain countries, it is still allowed both legally and religiously in Senegal, and is still practiced today. Traveling to Senegal from the United States, one might find that the opinions toward the practice vary by country. This study was conducted for three purposes. The first purpose was to define polygamy in a Senegalese context and discover how married men and women in Dakar regard the practice. The second was to determine whether these opinions vary based on gender, length of marriage, ethnicity, …

Traditional Woodcarving In Elmina: The Creation Of A Fishing Canoe, Bjorn Olsen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

1. Objectives: My objectives for this project were three fold:

• To learn the process of carving the dugout canoe base through both observation and participation.
• To investigate the cultural importance of the fishing canoe in Elmina.
• To investigate the trade of canoe carving within the context of the Elmina community.

1. Methodology: My methodology includes observation, participation and interview. I spent a month researching canoe carving in Cape Coast and Elmina, Ghana, while keeping my research focused mainly on the Elmina community. I apprenticed and worked for a week with three carvers from Prampram who were in Elmina to complete …

El Legado Colonial En El Turismo Comunitario : El Caso De Valle De Elicura, Fatma Shuaipi

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Cultural or community-based tourism has grown exponentially in the last decade. This article seeks to, from a post-colonial theory perspective, analyze the process of developing community-based tourism in indigenous communities, identify the conditions that allow for the reproduction of colonial elements in this activity, and explore the elements that guarantee a higher degree of autonomy in the community to generate new decolonization processes. The hypothesis argues that community-based tourism carries both a colonial legacy and elements that allow for a process of decolonization or the creation of a new consciousness in relation to such colonial legacy. The article presents the …

Acquário Ceará: The Future Of Tourism In Fortaleza, Elizabeth Duffield

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In 2014, Fortaleza will put on display for the entire world to see as it is one of the Brazilian cities hosting the World Cup. In preparation for such a massive event and a staggering amount attention, the state of Ceará and the Secretary of Tourism embarked on a plan to develop tourism in Ceará and the capital city, Fortaleza, into a modern tourism destination. One project in progress, Acquário Ceará, will be largest aquarium in Latin America and the third largest aquarium in the world. Situated right on the coastline of Praia de Iracema in Fortaleza, the aquarium is …

Land Law, Land Rights, And Land Reform In Vietnam: A Deeper Look Into “Land Grabbing” For Public And Private Development, Kaitlin Hansen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As Vietnam continues to search for its ideal balance between Communist control and a market-led economy, land rights emerge at the forefront of the discussion concerning the tension between traditional Socialist ideals of people-owned and state managed property versus neoliberal ideals of private property rights. The purpose of this study is twofold. First, this study will explore the legal relationship between the Vietnamese state and individuals in regards to land ownership, land management, and land use rights, explaining how this relationship has changed over time with subsequent land laws. Going further, this study will focus on the 2013 land law …

Blood, Self-Sufficiency, And The Government Dime, Elijah Ober

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project begins with an examination of the blacksmith trade in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, based upon the observation and limited apprenticeship of the author.

It then examines the caste system in Spiti. Th9is system more intense in certain regions than others, but throughout the region the Zoks, the metal-smith caste, are second from the bottom. This has two main effects on the caste. First, caste is keeping zoks who remain in the village in the lower class. Secondly, the fact that their historical profession is the symbol of their caste, combined with the fact that their Scheduled Caste Status makes …

A Village National: The Transformative Potential Of Fortifying The Preexisting Structures Of An Organic Nepal, Alexandra Sarazen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Nepal is in the midst of a severe food deficit as well as in the process of recovering from a 10 year civil war. Today, nearly 80 percent of the population works in the agricultural sector which accounts for 38 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. Recent declines in agricultural production have depressed rural economies, increased widespread hunger and catalyzed an influx of urban migration from outside of Kathmandu. Within its total population of 29 million people, 55% earn less than $1.25 a day, 29% of children under 5 years of age are underweight, and 41% of the same demographic …

How Far Would You Go With Him?: Interethnic Romantic And Sexual Encounters And Relations Among Men In The Dutch Context, Dillon C. Harvey

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This report seeks to explore the experiences and complications men face romantically and sexually when ethnicity and race are used as focus lenses to reflect upon the participants' past interpersonal interactions. The interviews and analyses within this article reflect the ways in which Dutch ethnic/racial norms and stereotypes shape attraction and desire, and how men who pursue other men romantically and/or sexually negotiate with said external constructions of identity. Research in this paper provides the reader with insight into race relations on an intimate level through the participants' personal narratives, revealing the complexity of Dutch race relations on the most …

Bas D’Immeubles, Emma Benjamin

France: Language, Community and Social Change

Bas D’immeubles est une association loi 1901 à but non lucratif, qui fait des activités et de l’intégration pour les familles de Reynerie. Aux banlieues de Toulouse, France, l’association est située en bas d’un HLM, un Habitation à Louer Modéré. Ces grands bâtiments qui aujourd’hui constituent les banlieues comme Reynerie et Bellefontaine, comprennent pour la plupart des immigrés de l’Afrique du Nord. Les associations comme Bas D’immeubles étaient mise en place pour intégrer les gens du quartier ; les adultes de la première génération, et leurs enfants de la deuxième ou troisième génération qui sont nés en France. Pendant mon …

Beyond Ramaluk: Towards A More Inclusive View Of Identity In The Tibetan Diaspora, Shani Shih

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper is an investigation of identity in the Tibetan diaspora in India, informed by the oral histories and narratives of Tibetan diasporic youth living in the capital city of Delhi. By documenting, comparing, and analyzing the experiences of Tibetan youth growing up in India (both Indian-born and Tibetan-born), and attempting to understand their varying notions of Tibetan identity, as well as perspectives on its role in their community, it seeks to answer the following: Why and how do dominant notions of Tibetan identity and/or “Tibetanness” become dominant? What are the unintended consequences of affirming these notions of Tibetan identity …