8411 research outputs found
Sort by
Sin derecho a respirar: una investigación audiovisual sobre los efectos de los agronegocios en el cordon industrial del rio Paraná / Without the Right to Breathe: An Audiovisual Investigation About the Effects of Agro-Business in the Industrial Belt of the Parana River
No full textThe purpose of this investigation is to explore the effects of agro-business and the presence of industry along the Paraná River in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. The growth of the soy industry in Argentina has changed the industrial landscape, resulting in significant negative consequences for the residents of the industrial belt in Santa Fe. We explored these consequences through interviews with residents about how their daily lives have been affected by the presence of industry and brought these interviews together in a short documentary. The documentary begins by explaining the problem, how it began and what policies allowed these industries to develop, and how it has negatively affected the health and daily life of the communities
Mitigating Constraints in Resource Access: The Design and Delivery of a Sustainable Livelihood and Human Rights Project in Big Babanki, Cameroon
No full textDevelopment practice has received significant attention recently due to a consistent rise in poverty levels. Debates question discernments on defining development, strategies in identifying community challenges, actions and interventions to create long term impact and donor perception that sets the pace for establishing policy framework towards tackling poverty in developing countries. The Theories and Practices in Sustainable Development (TPSD) course introduced within the Sustainable Development Master degree program at SIT re-examines these aspects as part of efforts made by the international community to introduce actions and aid modalities that reflect bilateral cooperation, genuine sharing, equity in rights, empowerment and participation. This course recommends the Sustainable Livelihoods and Human Rights (SL&HR) framework as a major aid modality that recognizes the natural state of poor communities and specific existing opportunities that can be explored to improve on conditions.
This project therefore explores the relevance of the SL&HR Framework in identifying constraining factors and developing specific mitigating possibilities of access to resources in a developing country. Based on the researchers experience in coordinating consortium development programs across donors and beneficiaries and understanding the state of poverty in the global south, the project has designed two specific intervention models recommended by target beneficiaries and established an organizational framework to ensure effective implementation and lasting impact
Reflection on an Intercultural Communication Workshop for Japanese Executives: Doing Business with U.S. Americans
Get PDFVérité en deçà des Pyrénées, erreur au-delà
(There are truths on this side of the Pyrenees that are falsehoods on the other)
Blaise Pascal (Moran, Harris & Moran, 2007, p. 2).
This paper is a reflection on an intercultural communication workshop developed for sixteen upper-level Japanese executives who work with their U.S. American counterparts in a U.S.A.-based global corporation. This training session was only one part of a much larger training program initiative which was carried out in five countries in Asia as well as in several locations across the U.S.A. Throughout my paper, I will apply the stages of the experiential learning cycle to their corresponding phases of the entire workshop process. To start with, I will take a look at how I first learned about the experiential learning cycle and describe how I utilized this tool to reflect on the training experience. Then, I will explain the background and events that served as a catalyst for this training initiative. Subsequently, I will detail the content of the workshop. Next, I will give some reflective observations about what happened during the training, specifically on the participants\u27 analyses and suggestions concerning a critical incident scenario which they worked on together in small groups at the end of the training. After making these observations, I will combine the information presented by the groups about the critical incident with my prior knowledge to generate some hypotheses as to why the participants reacted to and analyzed the critical incident in the way that they did. Finally, I will use the data obtained during the workshop to suggest ideas for future trainings
Western Farmers’ Markets in Kathmandu: Vendor Perspectives
Get PDFThis study seeks to understand Western farmers’ markets (FMs) in Kathmandu by understanding vendors’ motivations for attending FMs; and further, their perspectives on the purpose and potential for expansion of FMs in Kathmandu’s food economy. In the US and Europe, FMs are often seen in the literature as a component of a social movement (SM) called the ‘alternative food movement’ (AFM) concerned with environmental sustainability and social justice within the processes of food production and consumption (Isenhour 2012). FMs, a type of direct market that offer face-to-face interaction between producers and consumers, are a site for the transmission of values related to the AFM, which grew out of a particular cultural context, having arisen in response to global-industrial agriculture. Nepal’s vastly different culture and relatively localized food economy make the transposition of Western farmers’ markets and their discourse of sustainability and social justice onto a Nepali context illogical; understanding vendors’ motivations for attendance, values related to food production, and beliefs about FMs in general will give insight into the role of FMs in this different, distinctly Nepali context
Hurdles to Health: An Exploration of the Social Determinants that Affect Attitudes toward HPV Vaccination in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Get PDFIn 2014, the Brazilian government began supplying free, preventative human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines for girls between the ages of 9 and 13. This public health campaign has the potential to greatly reduce the high HPV infection rate in Brazil, but without targeted education and information to supplement this medical intervention the program is predicted to have a smaller impact. This study aims to assess how well information about the HPV vaccine is currently reaching young Brazilian girls and their families. Data was gathered by interviewing professionals who work in STD education, women’s issues, and healthcare advocacy, as well as one mother of a young girl. By speaking to this array of people a clearer picture of some of the major stumbling blocks that impede the realization of the government’s 80% HPV vaccination goal developed. The current national healthcare campaign is highly focused on cancer-prevention, which provides a good incentive for many Brazilian families to vaccinate their daughters, but does not account for the relationship between HPV and sex. This study categorizes and explores some of the other social determinants, or factors, that contribute to a family’s decision to vaccinate and, therefore, the overall future sexual health of Brazil
Patagonia Con Poder: El Éxito de la Oposición frente el Proyecto HidroAysén
No full textThis investigation analyzes the movement in opposition to the HidroAysén project in Southern Chile that is often referred to as and uses the slogan “Patagonia Sin Represas” (Patagonia Without Dams). The investigation is framed through collective action theory, the study of what incentives and other factors create the conditions for mobilization and group action. In the context of social movements it is usually argued that there needs to be a better cost-benefit scenario for each actor to be involved than there is to not be involved in the movement. Immediately following return of democracy to Chile in the 1990’s social movements were small and unsuccessful as the state looked to maintain stability. In addition, the environmental movement has been historically week as the model of development has prioritized economic growth over the protection of the environment. Both of those things suddenly changed in May of 2011 as thousands poured into the streets to protest the potential construction of dams in Patagonia. This investigation studies how this mobilization and the events before and after helped to form what has been the most successful environmental movement in the history of the country. It will analyze the factors that differentiate the opposition to the HidroAysén project to other social and environmental movements and allowed it to mobilize an unprecedented number of organizations and ordinary people against not only the project, but the Chilean model of development and governance
English Writing in the Micronesian Context
Get PDFHow and what do students in EN 220, Writing for Teachers class, think when they write? This paper examines students\u27 understanding of the differences between oral and written discourse, students\u27 thought processes and how the processes correlate to their writing. The data were collected through actual classroom observations, surveys and two essays one written before the class and one at the end of the semester. How and what Micronesian students think links to how and what they write. Understanding how and what students think can help teachers in the Micronesian context develop and implement preventive teaching strategies for students to keep their mistakes from becoming errors
Witnesses to Revolution
Get PDFMy 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 14th, 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 consequences of the revolution over the past four years
Climate Change and Sustainable Agricultural Practices Program in Northern Vietnam: An Approach to Evaluation
Get PDFClimate change is the biggest challenge to human beings. Among other Southeast Asia countries, Vietnam is considered to be one of the countries that has the most affected by climate change. Climate change is threatening the food security and agricultural development of Vietnam as well as affecting the country’s economy. Climate Change and Sustainable Agricultural Practices Program in Northern Vietnam: An Approach to Evaluation provides a brief review of the “Climate Change and Ethnic Minorities in Northern Vietnam” Project (CEMI), which is implemented by Agricultural Development Denmark Asia in collaboration with People and Nature Reconciliation in Dien Bien, Lai Chau and Son La provinces. The research focuses on the climate change problem in Vietnam; identifies some unsustainable agricultural practices that the ethnic farmers use and the sustainable practices that exist. From there, the paper will include the Term of Reference (TOR), which is a planning tool for Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) for the project. The TOR will include the project description of CEMI, stakeholders mapping and their participation level in the project, the theory of change of the project as well as the logical framework, the budget timeline, and approaches that are used to evaluate the project and data collection plan. This capstone paper is a course – linked paper that ties the research and M&E concepts together; how M&E has been applied to climate change indicators and some approaches that practitioners can use for the purpose of M&E
Huggies, high-fives, and huismannen: Exploring the masculinity and everyday experiences of Dutch stay-at-home fathers
Get PDFThis qualitative research study explores Dutch stay-at-home fathers, or “huismannen,” and their everyday experiences with their role and their own masculinity. There has been much research conducted on stay-at-home fathers within other countries and cultures, but the current research significantly lacks the perspective and voices of those within the Dutch culture. To gather these voices, oral history interviews were conducted with five Dutch huismannen, and the collected data were analyzed using gender theory focused on masculinity and current relevant literature. This analysis led to the conclusion that Dutch stay-at-home fathers create and conform to a complicit masculine identity. It was also concluded that two characteristics of this complicit masculine identity, independence and societal membership, are threatened by stay-at-home fatherhood, but by participating in masculine engagements, these fathers managed to protect and maintain their independence, societal membership, and thus, their masculinity. Recommendations for future research conducted on this topic first includes a replication study with a larger sample size, and then includes a focus on generational differences and exploring the children and partner’s views of huismannen