Community-Based Research Commons^™

Les Oubliés De L’Histoire: Perceptions Of Harkis And Community Awareness, Lauren Gilbert

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

“Harki” is derived from the Arabic word “Harka,” meaning movement. This term is used to denote not only the original approximately 200,000 Algerian Arab and Berber Muslims, who militarily supported the French Army during the Algerian war for independence between 1954 and 1962, but also their families and descendants.[1] Especially during the war with Algeria and immediately following, they were often referred to as francais-musulmans, francais-musulmans repatries, or repatries d’origine nord africaine, thus avoiding the topic of conflict with the colony. This support took a range of forms, not always military; for example, the “Groupes d’auto defense (GAD) was …

Drug Sentencing Policy Discourse Of Fortaleza, Nick Sundback

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Drug sentencing is a pressing issue in Brazil. With the context of high and increasing rates of crime and drug use, overcrowded prisons, and high rates of recidivism both in terms of prison and drug addiction, attitudes of individuals towards drug sentencing policy are worthy of observation and examination.

The objective of this monograph is to examine discourse by informants, five individuals who interact with sections of society most affected by drug sentencing, namely drug users. This monograph will consider pluralistic observations on, and evaluations of, drug sentencing practices, implementation of drug sentencing, an overview of the broader debate over …

Motivating Factors For Young Adults In The Brattleboro Area To Start In Organic Agriculture For Their Career, Tomokazu Utsugi

Capstone Collection

Despite a worldwide push for the conversion of conventional agriculture to organic agriculture, organic farming itself is not a very popular vocational choice for young people. Brattleboro, one of the towns in Vermont, is no exception. Although several local organizations are promoting local agriculture and food security, in reality, not many young people in Brattleboro want to choose organic agriculture as their career.

With a total of 17 in-depth qualitative interviews with young adults in the Brattleboro area, this inquiry sought to identify a range of factors that would motivate them to choose organic agriculture as their career. The results …

Planning And Designing A Sustainable Volunteer Based Organization: The Putney Food Shelf, Annik Yvette Paul

Capstone Collection

There are many reasons why issues of food insecurity and hunger exist. Individuals, families, and households have various barriers to food security, often facing more than one at a time. Barriers include limited fixed incomes, minimum wage not equaling a livable wage, unemployment and underemployment, poverty, lack of personal transportation and/or access to public transportation, limited access to shopping areas (food deserts), and health and medical issues.

Considering the current statistics listed below, combined with the ever-increasing cost of food, more households will be struggling to meet their basic nutritional needs. Food insecurity and hunger is a problem faced by …

Designing A Complete Community Center: Responsive Design In A Rural Setting, Sheryl Tubbs

Capstone Collection

It is a common sight to see community centers in use in various parts of the world. They have fulfilled a variety of roles in many communities for a number of years. This project’s focus is on the design of community center for a rural town. The main research question in this research asks, “What type of community center does this area need?” The sub questions also help to establish the kind of community center that is needed and wanted.

A review of current literature shows no specific way to build a community center or what to include. However there …

Vietnam To Việt Kiều And Back: An In‐Depth Look At The Relationship Between Overseas Vietnamese And Vietnamese In Ho Chi Minh City, Minh Le

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This independent study project explores the relationship between overseas Vietnamese and local Vietnamese in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). The primary research methods included surveys, interviews, an experiment, and personal observations. The survey provided general knowledge on what Vietnamese people in HCMC thought about overseas Vietnamese. This survey was given to 200 participants in various locations in District 1, Thu Duc District, and District 9. The interviewees included university students, war veterans, Vietnamese with relatives in a foreign country, Vietnamese who tried leaving but could not, and overseas Vietnamese. The experiment was to see vendors’ treatment of overseas Vietnamese. It …

‘Boys Boys’ Talk, ‘Girls Girls’ Talk: Gendered Approaches And Strategies Towards Modern Contraceptive Use In Urban Kumasi, Yasmin Boakye

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Objective: The objectives of this project were three-fold:

1. How do men and women in the urban area of Kumasi come to understand the major forms of contraception available in Ghana?

2.Are there significant differences in the ways that men and women come to understand contraceptive methods, and are these differences influenced by region, religious affiliation, age, and socioeconomic level?

3. How are these understandings either reinforced, shifted, or broken down by the Ghanaian government’s reproductive health efforts, the work of NGO’s focused on family planning, religious beliefs, and social relationships?

Methodology: During the 30 day long research period I …

Conocimientos Y Conductas Sexuales En Trabajadores Migrantes (Arica, Chile), Anna Conley

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Background: The HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to be prevalent and to expand in Chile, as in many other regions of Latin America and around the world. Furthermore, it continues to concentrate in distinct, vulnerable populations. Migrant workers represent one such vulnerable population. The HIV/AIDS epidemic disproportionately impacts migrant workers because of the social, economic, and psychological factors that are involved in both migratory behaviors and disease construction.

Aim: This study identified sexual health knowledge and sexual health behavior in the migrant laborer population of Arica, Chile. More specifically, it identified risk factors for HIV/AIDS and explored possible strategies for a preventative …

The Social And Economic Impact Of Mpesa On The Lives Of Women In The Fishing Industry On Lake Victoria, Danielle White

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study will examine the social and economic impact of the mobile banking system, MPESA, in the lives of women in the fishing industry on Lake Victoria in Kenya. The study aims to discover what MPESA is being used for and how its use is affecting the lives of its female users. It will not only study the immediate impact on women, but also the impact on the interactions with their families and communities, as well as the fishing industry. The study aims to determine whether or not MPESA is beneficial to these women and if it is, how the …

“Primero, La Verdad”: Un Análisis Sobre Los Procesos De Construcción Identitaria De Los Jóvenes De Villa Tranquila / “First, The Truth”: An Analysis Of The Processes Of Identity Construction For The Youth Of Villa Tranquila, Courtney Weintraub

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Informal housing settlements in the suburbs of the City of Buenos Aires and their residents, hereby referred to in this report as villas and villeros, respectively, have historically been stigmatized for reasons real and arbitrary. The inundation of negative imagery about the villero population, as propagated by the mainstream society and its apparatuses—the government and the media, among others—often has grave consequences for the collective consciousness of the villeros themselves. My hypothesis in carrying out this investigation is that the control hegemonic society has over the labeling and identification of marginalized populations obscures the latter’s ability to form a …

Discourses Around Social Welfare Grants As Antipoverty Policy: Effectiveness And The Potential For Reform, Sarah Maniates

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In a South Africa where many still live in poverty, the government has chosen an extensive system of social grants as one of the primary methods by which it attempts to reduce this poverty. Research has generated substantial quantitative evidence that the system is successful, but there has been little analysis of public opinion around this costly policy, its effectiveness, and the need for its reform. This study explores discourses around the grants, both within government and among everyday people, in order to gain insight into such opinions. This insight is important in a South Africa that is now democratic, …

The First Generation Community: What Does It Mean To Be A Youth Member?, Elissa M. Gallup

Capstone Collection

This paper examines the impact of being part of the First Generation community on the youth members. The context of Springfield, Massachusetts and the culture of First Generation are explained. The role of The Performance Project, the nonprofit through which First Generation operates, is also described, as it pertains to the context. A literature review, with other youth programs’ methodologies and findings of analyzing impacts in their programs, has been included.

Following months of work with First Generation and the literature research, qualitative interviews were crafted and conducted with members of the group. These anonymous interviews allow some insight into …

Addressing The Learning Needs At Occupy Dc, Andrew J. Batcher

Capstone Collection

The purpose of this paper is to examine how learning can help the Occupy movement in Washington DC. It explores three questions. What are the learning needs of the movement? What educational content can help meet those needs? And how can education be practiced in a way that most effectively addresses the learning needs within the real world circumstances of the movement? Research methods include participant observation, surveys, interviews, focus groups, literature review, and primary document review. Data was coded into 11 outcome oriented learning needs and 3 educational orientations which are geared towards meeting those needs. This paper is …

La Etnia Y Las Cesáreas En Los Partos En El Hospital Público De Arica, Chile, Marisa Westbrook

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The principal objective of this project was to explore the relationship between ethnicity and the causes for Caesarean section in the regional public hospital in Arica, Chile. All births recorded in the maternity register (n=907) were analyzed over a 4-month period in 2011. The regional public hospital had a 27% caesarean section rate, higher than the WHO-recommended 15%. Last names were analyzed and deemed to be either of Aymara descent (n=275) or of European descent (n=632) based on criteria used from CONADI, the National Corporation for Indigenous Development. The overall rate of Caesarean section did not differ between Aymara and …

Constructing Cidadania: Shifting Visions Of Citizenship In The Mst Settlement Assentamento 25 De Maio In Ceará, Brazil, Alexis Victoria Cruzzavala

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The social movement known as Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST) was founded in 1984 with the intent of agrarian reform in a newly democratic Brazil. The movement arrived in Northeastern Brazil in the late 1980s and successfully organized a group of landless workers in the interior of Ceará on May 25, 1989 to create the first settlement the state had seen. The citizens of Assentamento 25 de Maio, as the settlement was later named, have undergone a unique social transition from circumstances closely resembling forced servitude and latifúndio to liberation. This transition affected the men and women who …

Alliances Et Cultures: Cap Nord, Stacey Fitzpatrick

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

En essence, Alliance et Culture est un endroit où les gens peuvent rencontre et apprennent comment de vivre ensemble. Cette association, officiellement crée en 1987, avait la mission de répondre à problèmes d'intégration sociale par des actions collectives, et le développement d’une vie social dans les quartiers. Pour réaliser cet objectif ils offrent des activités et services ouvrent à tout le monde comme l’accompagnement à la scolarité, les ateliers, les cours d’alphabétisation et de Français, et les ludothèques et plus. Il y a trois centres en Toulouse dans diffèrent lieux qui contribuent aux les gens dans les quartiers des Mirail, …

Homelessness: A New Culture Of Poverty In The Streets Of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Lindsay Lanteri

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El problema de las personas que viven en situación de calle no es un fenómeno nuevo en la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (CABA) ni en las otras grandes urbes de América Latina. Sin embargo, se torna necesario explorar las características que este problema va configurando en relación a la “nueva cultura de la pobreza” instaurada en el país y los vínculos entre sus componentes intergeneracionales y crónicos. Con un enfoque localizado en la CABA este ensayo investiga cómo el problema ha evolucionado durante las tres últimas décadas y además provee al lector un análisis en profundidad a través de …

Endangered Heritage And Emergent Ogogo: A Case Study Of The “Ulwazi Programme”, Emily Kwong

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Kwesukesukela, or “a long time ago,” there was a beautiful woman who lived by the ocean with her husband and two small children. The woman’s name was Mazanendaba. Although she lived a life full of happiness, Mazanendaba came to realize with time that something important was missing: there were no stories. No stories for mothers and grandmothers to tell their children. No stories to inspire joy and ease sorrow. No stories to enrich the mind and nurture the soul. Determined to find stories in a world without any, Mazanendaba left her beloved home in search of a new story to …

Food Is Life: The Impact Of A Changing Food Industry On The Role Of Women In The Home, Diana Lay

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper looks at how growing food insecurity in Ghana, and Cape Coast in particular, is changing the role of women in the community. It examines government agricultural policy and its influence on urban communities, including Cape Coast. It seeks to understand the factors that women take into account when they prepare meals for their families and ways in which women are adapting to increasing prices of food and imported ingredients available in the markets. The research incorporated is based on the personal experiences of the author, interviews, and secondary sources. It looks at power dynamics within the community, as …

Perceptions Of Access To Education: Inclusion And Exclusion For Non-Karen Refugees In Mae La Camp, Matthew Gross

Capstone Collection

Mae La refugee camp on the Thai/Burma border is the largest of the seven “Karen” refugee camps in the area and is considered the center of education for refugees. Continued fighting inside Burma between the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) and the ethnic armies as well as the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis in 2008 have greatly altered the demographics in Mae La refugee camp. Perceptions of Access to Education: Inclusion and Exclusion for Non-Karen Refugees in Mae La Camp attempts to understand, through qualitative data, how non-Karen speaking refugees perceive their access to education. Is education in Mae …

Developing The Sacred: Local & Global Bikas In The Nepali Bhotkhola, Clayton Andrew Roger Hawkins Lewis

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The purpose of this paper is to study the effects of bikas on community and culture. Research was conducted from 9-30 November 2010 in the Bhotia village Chyamtang in the Sankhuwasabha district of Northeastern Nepal. The forms of development observed at the site are separated into local bikas and global bikas, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Research focused on a two-year old development project initiated by The Mountain Institute (TMI) using medicinal plant cultivation and community participation. Methods for studying Bhotia culture and development took the form of interviews with local healers, religious figures, farmers, and TMI …

Ngo’S: The Voice Of The People: The Relationship Between Government And Civil Society In A Samoan “Democracy”, Dani Karnoff

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project examined the meaning of civil society, both in its true form as well as in the Samoan context, the roles of civil society, and whether civil society is used as a modem to converse with the Samoan government on behalf of the people. The purpose of this study was to formulate a more complete understanding of the term “civil society”, how civil society works within the Samoan Democracy, and the relationship between civil society and government. Research for this study was completed through interviews, surveys, secondary research, and field based observations. The interviewees for this study were either …