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Causes and consequences of child marriage among Syrian refugee populations in Jordan: An investigation of perceptions.
Get PDFThis study examined the perceived causes of child marriage among Syrian refugee populations in Jordan and investigated its perceived consequences. Further, perceptions of mothers with school-aged children were compared to the opinions of children themselves. Through interviews with both target populations, along with an analysis of the responses of humanitarian activists and organizations to Jordan’s marriage law, the reality of child marriage within the country was ascertained. In conducting interviews, the data showed that many believed child marriage to be a normal occurrence in Syria, at least since the beginning of the war, with only two interviewees believing child marriage to also be normal in Jordan. Instead of attributing this as a purely cultural difference, many of the interviewees claimed dire financial circumstances, as well as a desire for overall security, to be the reasons why many marry early.
Over 700 million women around the world have been married before the age of 18 (UNICEF, 2014b). Jordan is no exception to this global issue: on a national level, child marriage occurs at a rate of 8%; however, almost one-third (32%) of marriages within the Syrian refugee population in Jordan are with a girl under the age of 18 (UNICEF, 2014a). In order to stop child marriage, refugee mothers advocated for increased education initiatives and raising awareness, while children proposed eradicating poverty. Many activists and legal organizations cited the need to close loopholes in the current law and create a system to foster greater accountability. Further, this study illustrated the need for increased attention to the long-term effects forced displacement and protracted conflicts can have on livelihoods
The Art of Peer Pressure: Social Desires as Incentives to Join Students Protests in Jordan
Get PDFCollective action and rational choice theory suggest that social movements suffer from a tragedy of the commons that incentivizes individuals against participation. The last several decades of increased youth-driven protests and demonstrations in the Middle East, however, suggest that these collective action barriers are being consistently overcome. I propose an addition to the rational choice basis of Olson’s collective action theory which incorporates social desires, and specifically peer pressure, as an observable individual incentive. Using a combination of interviews and vignette-style factorial surveys, I test this hypothesis to measure the effect of perceived peer pressure on the intention of students at the University of Jordan to participate in a hypothetical protest. Results indicate that knowledge of friends’ intention to participate creates an incentive unique from knowledge of the quantity of students attending. When University of Jordan students know they will have friends at a protest, their intended participation matches with their initial sympathy for the protest 20% more than scenarios in which they know that most or only a few students will attend. The greatest difference in sympathy and intended participation is observed when students are told very few people will attend. The results indicate that perceived peer pressure is not a strong enough incentive to convince students to join a protest that they do not sympathize with, and rather serves as an encouragement for students to act on their sympathies. Taken together, this data suggests that social desires offer some explanation for increasingly high participation rates of students and youth in the Middle East’s ongoing social movements
Church and State in Rwanda: Catholic Missiology and the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi
Get PDFDuring the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, over one million Tutsis were killed by the government of Rwanda and Hutu extremists. In this study, I address two questions: (1) did the Church, as an institution, offer a convincing counter-narrative to the dominant ideology of racialized ethnic identities of twentieth century European colonialism in the present-day nation-state of Rwanda? If it did not, why not? And, (2) what role, if any, did the Church, as an institution, play, in promoting a “social imagination” that valued religious identity, or truths, over the dominant European colonial ideology, and later the nationalistic narrative of the post-independent nation-state of Rwanda, that fostered genocide ideology?
In spring 2018, I conducted six participant interviews about the missiological practices of the Church prior to and during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Based on these accounts and other archival written resources, I constructed a general account of the pre-genocidal identity narrative present in the Church prior to and during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
I conclude that the Church, as an institution, could have done much more to offer a convincing counter-narrative to the dominant ideology of racialized ethnic identities of twentieth century European colonialism in the present-day nation-state of Rwanda. Moreover, the Church, as an institution, did very little to promote a “social imagination” that valued religious identity, or truths, over the dominant European colonial ideology, and later the nationalistic narrative of the post-independent nation-state of Rwanda. This study offers evidence that supports previous research that the Church, as an institution, was complicit in fostering genocide ideology insofar as it promoted and failed to counter the situational narrative of colonial and post-independent Rwandan Christian identity
The Poetics of Power The role of women’s writing in the Moroccan Education System
Get PDFWhile women have always been writing in Morocco a lack of access to education and sexist ideals have limited the ability of women to disseminate their stories. Now, after years of attempted reforms women are still fighting against a society that relegates them to enact traditional gender roles. While more women are receiving education in Morocco the messages that the State projects continue to be androcentric. As such, this paper examines the role of women’s writing and literature in the Moroccan education system. By putting it in the context of the women’s rights movement this paper strives to trace the position of women’s writing as a form of protest in Moroccan. This paper argues that women’s writing is critical to changing a sexist mentality as it teaches and demonstrates empathy and tolerance. Furthermore, through interviews with women Moroccan authors, educators and literary analyses of their work, it seeks to show how women’s literature subverts an internalized misogyny that helps perpetuate gender inequality
The Draw of Revolution: Returning to Tunisia
Get PDFHaving left Tunisia for different reasons, some expatriate Tunisians chose to leave their old lives behind and return to their home country when Tunisia began its democratic transition in 2011. This report focuses on the experiences and perspectives of three returning Tunisians. Understanding these individuals’ views provides a new framework for understanding the path that Tunisia’s democratic transition has taken over the past seven years. Comparing their perspectives on themes relating to their shared experiences reveals differences and similarities. Interviewees largely differ with regards to their lives before the revolution, their previous political activity, the details of their return, their current occupation and personal views of best way to contribute to the democratic transition, and their initial expectations. On the other hand, interviewees largely hold in common their motivations for returning, current feelings about the transition, feelings about the future of the transition, reasons for remaining in Tunisia after seven years, and feelings about the role of returning Tunisians in the transition discourse. Understanding their journeys also reveals the emotional pull of the Tunisian revolution on Tunisians living abroad, a pull that changed their lives
Ontology of Personhood in Ayurveda from the Perspective of Patients and Physicians in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh: An Independent Study
Get PDFScholars in western biomedicine describe the body as a physical entity distinct from mind and soul. However, the human body in Indian systems of medicine integrates the multiple natures of personhood and is both deeply physical and spiritual. This study demonstrates the unique view of personhood, being, health, and illness in Ayurveda through literature research and interviews with practitioners and patients. This study extends past a search for the ontology of personhood in Ayurveda and discusses the implications of this ontology on the way one views oneself and the world around him or her. Through this integrative approach, this study argues that the human body proposed in Ayurveda is fundamentally different from some other traditions of medicine, and because of this difference, the human body is treated differently and health is pursued in a unique manner
Tibetan Perceptions of LGBTQ
Get PDFThis project is aimed at understanding the perceptions of LGBTQ identities, people, and issues within the Tibetan exile community in Dharamsala, India. The project starts by contextualizing feminism in Tibetan spheres as well as Buddhist conceptions of gender and sexuality, as many Tibetans are practicing Buddhists. The focus then turns to the reactions to and experiences of queer Tibetans and how Tibetans talk about and conceptualize queerness. Finally, this project looks at the formation of various networks that have formed amongst a small community of out LGBTQ Tibetans. The main objective of this paper is to provide a context for LGBTQ politics in Tibetan spheres in addition to creating visibility for this community. It is important for a dialogue to begin on this topic but that can really only come from within Tibetan communities
Development of a Monitoring and Impact Evaluation Plan A Case Study on the Refugee Services Program of Islamic Relief USA
Get PDFThis Course Linked Capstone (CLC) paper is focused on the development of a monitoring and impact evaluation (M&IE) plan for a program of Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA). The program is titled IRUSA Refugee Service (IRRS). My analysis was based on M&E best practices laid out in a prominent textbook, RealWorld Evaluation, by Bamberger, M., Rugh, J., & Mabry, L. (2011). After initial analysis, I realized the program lacks a logical framework, a logic model, and an M&IE plan. I developed these components for the program. In addition, I navigated the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) constraints of the IRUSA, and the challenges of the IRRS program, and made recommendations. I utilized document analysis, observation, and interview methods for my research. After the data collection, analysis, and data interpretation, I found that IRUSA faces budget and data constraints. The data constraint is mostly because of the low technical capacity of the IRUSA grantees in project design and the M&E. Homogeneity of the program recipients, bureaucratic procedures, insufficient staff, and lack of a fixed office and a proper reporting mechanism are the major challenges of the IRRS program in North Carolina. I proposed recommendations for the challenges, too. The quality counseling and the reskilling and rental assistance are compelling supports to the refugee families. The findings of the latest evaluation corroborated my findings and indicated the positive impact of the program on the integration and self-sufficiency of the refugee families. I am pleased to be part of the program expansion and improvement
SHORT-TERM PROGRAM (RE-ENTRY WORKSHOP) FOR GRADUATE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS RETURNING FROM THE UNITED STATES TO KOSOVO
Get PDFThe proposed short-term program is designed to prepare Kosovo graduate students to transition from their academic studies in the United States to their home country Kosovo. The program design is informed by the need assessment based on consulting participants through a survey and extensive professional observations and experience of the author. It is meant to address the participants’ need to get structured support in planning and managing this significant life event, coming back to Kosovo, after one to two years away pursuing Master’s degrees in their chosen field of study, and reintegrating into their country and culture. The program is based on two levels of support, online and in-person workshops timed in a way that would best provide support and tools needed to manage the challenges of re-entry to Kosovo. The curriculum of the workshop is based on experiential learning principles combining theoretical background with practical tools needed for successful reintegration to the home country. This proposed program is designed as a low-cost addition to an existing program or future similar programs implemented by international education organizations
Outlander Abroad
No full textOutlander Abroad is a new summer, faculty-led study abroad program created specifically for the University of North Georgia and its students. It is the goal of Outlander Abroad to have ten student participants travel to Scotland, U.K. for the pilot term of Summer 2020. Outlander Abroad will focus on the history and culture of Scotland with a special emphasis on the history of Scottish warfare and its effect on society. The use of the popular, fiction series Outlanderwill be used as a case study and set the landscape both literally and figuratively for participants. Participants will need to have Sophomore credit standing at the time of program departure and a minimum GPA of 2.5. All students will be considered but a preference will be given to International Affairs, Strategic and Security Studies, and English majors.
The primary goal of Outlander Abroad is to provide a holistic, multi-disciplinary, cross-cultural experience abroad while gaining academic credit towards graduation. Participants will obtain these goals by participating in various faculty and student led lectures both in and out of the classroom, by attending various excursions and activities throughout Scotland, and partaking in various cultural and community immersion activities. Excursions and activities will directly integrate what participants are reading in the Outlander books and be presented in various methods in order to meet all participants’ learning needs and interests.
To ensure accessibility and feasibility, Outlander Abroad was designed to directly fall into the plans of studies for the above mentioned majors and be as cost effective as possible. The curriculum chosen for Outlander Abroad and the practicality of the logistics were intentional to keep costs at a minimum while providing participants with the greatest exposure to Scotland and all that it has to offer while obtaining the required credits abroad to graduate