Politics and Social Change Commons^™

La Presencia De La Memoria Histórica Y Derechos Humanos En El Sistema Educativo: Una Comparación De Chile Y Argentina, Morgan Cowie-Haskell

Chile: Comparative Education and Social Change

Este estudio indaga la presencia y inclusión de memoria histórica y derechos humanos acerca de las últimas dictaduras dentro de los sistemas educativos en Argentina y Chile. Se discuten los sistemas educativos de cada país en sus contextos históricos, políticos, sociales y económicos. Luego, se une aquellos contextos con la incorporación y el valor de memoria y derechos humanos en la educación secundaria hoy en día. Se basa en fuentes académicas, las organizaciones derechos humanos, los sitios de memoria, los currículos de los Ministerios de Educación, y la contribución de opiniones profesionales tal como profesores, directores del colegios y trabajadores …

Idaho Sexual Orientation Policy Debates: Local Discourse, Megyn Rodriguez

McNair Scholars Research Journal

This study conducts a content analysis with the use of NVivo software of the local news outlet, Idaho Statesman, and its articles from 1999-2012. This research focuses on two specific sexual orientation policy debates: hate crime prevention and the Boise city ordinance. These issues highlight examples of framing. The findings from this analysis highlight how a media can play a supporting role for LGBTQ advocates through liberal and moderate frames by taking on an assimilationist approach to inclusion. This research adds to the literature on the role of newspapers in mediating public discussion and has larger impacts of how public …

Kittens And Nutella: Why Women Join Isis, Samantha K. Smith

What All Americans Should Know About Women in the Muslim World

On February 18, 2015 CNN published a reported stating that Western women were leaving their homes to join ISIS because of a social media campaign featuring pictures of kittens and Nutella. This reported propagated the notion that women who join jihadist organizations are brainwashed or feeble minded. The reality is not so simple. This paper explores the motives women may have for joining ISIS through comparison to the motivations that drove women to partake in other violent jihadist organizations' activities.

Somali Remittances Campaign, Ammar Mohammed

Capstone Collection

The world changed after 9/11, and so did the US banking regulations. One change was that it has become increasingly difficult for families and communities in Somalia to receive remittances from relatives and friends living in the United States. Those funds are essential to the livelihoods of 40% of the population, especially women and children. It further has a negative impact on the national economy of one of the world’s poorest countries. However, US banks has become increasingly willing to assume the costs of complying with the government’s Anti-Money Laundering and Combatting the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) regulations or to …

Child Marriage: Addressing The Challenges And Obstacles In The Post-2015 Agenda, Valeria Pelayo

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study explores the progress of child marriage eradication over the last forty years in order to identify the weak points of implementation as well as how these are being incorporated in the post-2015 agenda. An assessment of current rates by geographic region and several other demographic factors is included along with future projections for these affected areas. The shortcomings identified include a lack of program evaluation, negligence towards married children, a shortage of data on sub-national legislation efficacy, and minimal attention paid to child marriage in the context of slavery and human trafficking. The scope of the problem is …

Engaging Non-State Armed Groups (Nsags) In The ‘Fight’ Against Sexual And Gender-Based Violence In Eastern Congo (Drc), Mackenzie Kennedy

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

While the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has managed to achieve a greater level of stability more than a decade after finding itself at the center of “Africa’s World War,” the Eastern region of the country continues to face insecurity developments as poorly controlled domestic and foreign armed groups have undermined attempts to secure peace in the region since the end of the Rwandan genocide. Sexual violence has been used as a tool to humiliate, dominate, terrorize, displace, and control civilian populations. Despite much needed international attention towards assisting SGBV survivors, there remains a lack of effective preventative efforts …

American Conservatism: The Evolving Role Of Social Issues In American Politics, Justin Rostad

Political Science Theses and Capstones

In American society there are certain controversial issues that have been debated for the better part of the past century. Same-sex marriage, abortion, gun ownership laws, divorce laws, and the legalization of marijuana have all come under fire on the political stage. Yet the role of these issues in recent elections is far different than just a few election cycles ago. I analyze the role of social issues among different groups of conservatives to assess the continuing impact of them on their political behavior. To do so I have analyzed the GSS 2012 from the University of Chicago. I have …

Strengthening Democracy By Increasing Youth Political Knowledge And Engagement, Laura Langer

Political Science Theses and Capstones

Even though the United States had historically high voter turnout in 2008 and 2012, there remains troubling patterns pertaining to political engagement and knowledge among its least educated youth. The literature and theory suggests that if the United States educational systems increase the amount of civic education courses, extracurricular activity, and youth volunteering opportunities in high schools, especially among the most disadvantaged youth, it will lead to an increase in political knowledge and engagement. I test this idea with data from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) post-2012 election youth survey. The CIRCLE data …

Witnesses To Revolution, Colleen Cassingham

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

My documentary follows two families 4 years after the Tunisian Revolution. All members in the Daly family from Sidi Bouzid participated in the revolution, and the Laroussi family in La Goulette had two brothers martyred on January 14^th, 2011. The film explores the effects of the revolution – emotional, economic, and social – on all the various family members. As we get glimpses into the daily life of two main characters, we see that reactions to the revolution are diverse, although the notion of the ‘Tunisian exception’ is held up to scrutiny by the overwhelmingly negative reactions to …

The Effect Of Women In Government On Government Effectiveness, Abigail L. Tootell

Student Publications

A critical factor of gender and development is the political empowerment of women. Beyond this equality, however, what are the effects of women in government? This paper investigates these effects by examining the relationship between the percentage of women in parliament and overall government effectiveness. The research strongly supports the theory that women are more effective political leaders than their male counterparts.

Las Tomas En Liceos Emblemáticos: Herramientas Para Cambio Social, Daniel Mendoza

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

La investigación está basada en una característica importante de las movilizaciones estudiantiles en Santiago, Chile que son las tomas, o los encierres voluntarios. Las tomas son usadas por los estudiantes para atraer atención a un tema y para hacer demandas a la administración o al gobierno. El trabajo investigó el significado de las tomas en el contexto de cuatro liceos emblemáticos en Santiago, y como los estudiantes se organizan para realizar estas tomas. También se investigó el rol del arte y música de Hip Hop en las tomas de liceos y movilizaciones estudiantiles. La investigación encontró que las tomas en …

Marginalidad Y Oportunidad: El Caso Del Vergel Alto Y Las Políticas Habitacionales En Chile, Ellie Driscoll

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This investigation explores the relative success of Chilean housing policy in addressing and resolving the country’s urban slums. The investigation is grounded in the theory of marginality in Latin America, a theory that argues that the development and industrialization of Latin America in relation to the global north concentrated power in a small but dominant upper class and created social, political and most importantly economic systems that perpetuate the internal and external domination of the region. These relationships result in the permanent conditions of urban underdevelopment and social, political, and economic marginalization present in Chilean slums.

Over the last seventy …

“Seguimos Siendo Indígenas” Una Investigación Sobre El Discurso De Los Derechos Y Necesidades De La Comunidad Shipiba De Cantagallo Como Pueblo Indígena En El Contexto Urbano De Lima., Janet Sanchez

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

A través de un método etnográfico basado en entrevistas formales e informales y observaciones tomados durante dos semanas en la Comunidad ShipiboKonibo de Cantagallo, este informe examina cómo esta comunidad expresa sus derechos y necesidades como pueblo indígena en el contexto urbano de Lima. Este estudio fue ejecutado durante un tiempo de conflicto entre la comunidad y la Municipalidad de Lima, que bajo el cargo de Luis Castañeda, canceló la reubicación de la Comunidad ShipoKonibo que está siendo desplazado por la construcción del Vía Parque Rímac. Los resultados demuestran que los Shipibos de Cantagallo luchan por ser tratados como iguales …

Women’S Work In A Rural Village: Realities, Motivations, And Satisfaction, Sierra Larson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

According to a United Nations report published in 2004, the remaining key challenge to women’s empowerment and gender equality is “women’s indifference to their own empowerment." [1] Initially I was interested in conducting my fieldwork on the state of women’s satisfaction with women’s rights and gender equality in Indonesia, as well as limits to greater equality. Before beginning my study, I spent time considering this declaration about women’s indifference as a potential barrier to greater empowerment and equality, as well as the biases inherent in the statement. I decided to not focus directly on women’s satisfaction with gender equality, since …

“I’Ve Taken My Own Power”: Insights Into Women’S Empowerment And Its Effectiveness In Different Ngos In Cape Town, Molly Willeford

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The research outlined in this study examines different views on women’s empowerment in Cape Town, South Africa. Although a new Constitution and a new democracy promises equal opportunities for men and women, vast inequalities can still be seen throughout most of the country, with the city of Cape Town being no exception. There are numerous non-government organizations in Cape Town, most working towards what they call “the empowerment of South African women.” But what does empowerment mean for the workers and volunteers within these NGOs? The three participants in this study all belong to different organizations in the Cape Town …

The F Word: An Analysis Of The Perceptions And Performance Of Feminisms Amongst Five Black, Xhosa Women Living In Langa, Victoria Chigozie Akah

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This independent study project analyzes the perceptions and practice of feminisms amongst female township residents through a small-scale research project that involved interviewing a group of five women living in Langa as well as research on the development of feminist thought on the African continent and in South Africa. Some might say that the South African constitution is decidedly feminist with Section 9 of its constitution guaranteeing equality for all, regardless of gender or sex. Despite the development of feminist thought in South Africa, especially in “the Academy”, articles often hint at the skepticism feminism receives in Black, female spaces …

A “Universal Value”? Perceptions Of Democracy Across Race Among Young Voters In Durban, Sa, Svati Pazhyanur

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study seeks to explore perceptions of democracy among young voting age South Africans, and how they vary across racial communities. While perceptions of democracy encompass a broad range of topics, this study focuses on the more tangible aspects of youth engagement with democracy. This study questions what democracy means to young South Africans, how it plays out in daily life, how successful its implementation in South Africa has been, and what it would ideally look like in the future. Because youth engagement with these discussions will significantly affect democracy’s trajectory in the future, it is essential to understand young …

The Industrial Impact On Wetlands In Jinja And The Nexus Of Industry, Wetlands, And Community (A Rights-Based Sustainable Development Approach), Ranger Ruffins

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Uganda is a beautiful country filled with an extensive amount of natural resources, one of the most profound being wetlands. It is said that these wetlands are a crucial source of food and water for almost 3 million people (NEMA, 2012 and Oguttu et.al, 2008). They also provide many more invaluable socioeconomic benefits for the country. As Uganda experiences increasing development as well as a rapidly increasing population, the wetlands become increasingly necessary, at the same time they become increasingly threatened. It is written in the 1995 Ugandan constitution that Ugandan policy is aimed at ensuring sustainable development for the …

Youth Narratives Of The Conflict In Northern Uganda, Ellen Eichelberger

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Narratives are an essential method of communication that create windows into human experiences. Narratives are also responsible for generating the societies in which they are told, or are shaped indelibly by the societies generated by more powerful narratives. In a post-conflict environment where society has been destroyed by decades of violence, the power of narratives to influence society is heightened. Such a postconflict environment is that of northern Uganda, as it emerges from the violence of the war between the LRA and the UPDF. Due to the heightened powers of narratives, it is necessary to give attention to what those …

Tipping Point: A Study Of Tourism And Development In Cizhong, Collin Bradley

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Over the past few decades, development in rural areas of China has been increasing rapidly due in large part to the growth of tourism throughout the country. My project analyzes this phenomenon using Cizhong, a Tibetan Catholic village in northwestern Yunnan, as a case study. Since 2006, the popularity of Cizhong as a tourist destination has grown slowly. However, thanks to recent government policies enacted to increase tourism and development in the area, this village is on the verge of experiencing extremely rapid growth. Over the course of three weeks, extensive participant observation was combined with nearly a dozen informal …