Richter Research Abroad Student Scholarship Copyright (c) 2013 Occidental College All rights reserved. http://scholar.oxy.edu/rrap_student Recent documents in Richter Research Abroad Student Scholarship en-us Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:30:24 PST 3600 Form and Meaning: How Media's Representation Tells the Story of the Berlin Wall http://scholar.oxy.edu/rrap_student/7 http://scholar.oxy.edu/rrap_student/7 Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:10:12 PST When the Berlin Wall fell, the first reaction of the citizens of Berlin was to destroy the loathed barrier altogether. As early as 1991, the city of Berlin firmly rejected and questioned the idea of attributing monument status to the Wall. Why should they have to preserve the border fortifications which marked the city with a sad universal notoriety? Today the Wall is approached and interpreted from a wider perspective that includes a border landscape and a sociopolitical landscape. The Wall serves as a visual object that illustrates a pictorial phenomenon in the context of political communication. Although the 'Iron Curtain' is nothing but a concrete barrier its impact upon Berliners' lives and world politics inevitably prevents the monument from ever turning into an inconsequential barricade. The Wall stands as 'lieux de memorie' or 'icon objects of collective memory' – a memory crystallized at a particular historical moment that embodies a sense of continuity. This multimodal historical monument has so many variable connotations that it becomes the combination of the reconstruction of history as a part of the present and the historical representation of a culture.

]]> In Young Lee Podoconiosis: A Disease of the Voiceless http://scholar.oxy.edu/rrap_student/6 http://scholar.oxy.edu/rrap_student/6 Fri, 14 Dec 2012 10:40:12 PST Podoconiosis or “Podo” is a non-filarial form of foot elephantiasis that affects the poorest of the poor. It is caused by direct contact with the soil and therefore can be prevented by wearing shoes. It is primarily found in rural Ethiopia because of the extreme poverty and the high concentration of volcanic ash in the soil. Silica in this volcanic ash microscopically cuts the foot and eventually disrupts the lymph flow, resulting in lymphedema. Many people in the affected regions cannot afford shoes and many do not understand the importance of wearing them. The local people neglect education on the true cause of Podo because they hold strongly to their traditional beliefs that it is directly correlated with the persons favor with God. Tropical Health Alliance Foundation (THAF) is a foundation that funds clinics in Ethiopia to fight against Podo. THAF not only focuses on the education, treatment and prevention of Podo, but also financially supports the local clinics with fighting other health issues such as fistulas, uterus prolapses, cataracts, and polio. TOMS provides shoes to children at risk of Podo, however this does not serve as a solution but rather a temporary fix. To eradicate the disease awareness of the cause must be spread, a cultural importance must be placed upon wearing shoes and a constant supply of shoes must be provided.

]]> Joseph M. Maloney Jr Telemedicine's Effect in Delivering Healthcare to the Underserved http://scholar.oxy.edu/rrap_student/5 http://scholar.oxy.edu/rrap_student/5 Wed, 28 Nov 2012 10:50:09 PST By connecting patients with medical professionals through unconventional means, telemedicine programs make an attempt to bring healthcare to the underserved. The Cinterandes Foundation has constructed a program of mobile surgeries that provides patients with advanced healthcare who would otherwise not have access to any under normal circumstances. Given the prodigious nature of their work (with 18 years of operation throughout the entirety of Ecuador), a closer inspection of the potential benefits and drawbacks to their design was necessary in order to evaluate the quality of their care in this field. The foundation’s use of two different forms of telemedicine, mobile health and remote care, showed an improvement in the individual patient’s health through surgical operations, but no effect was found on the area’s public health. It is clear that for Cinterandes, their work will always be desirable, but whether or not it has a lasting impact has not been determined. In order to continue their work, or perhaps carry this model to different nations or areas, a conscious effort must be made to work on keeping patients out of the operating theater through preventative care.

]]> Dylan M. Griffiths The Buddha and The Cross: The Development of Buddhism in Ireland http://scholar.oxy.edu/rrap_student/4 http://scholar.oxy.edu/rrap_student/4 Mon, 05 Nov 2012 12:48:39 PST When one thinks of religion in Ireland, Christian, Celtic, and perhaps even Norman images are immediately brought to mind. Unlike many Asian countries (or the Bay Area of California for instance), Ireland is usually not associated with Buddhism. While comparatively speaking, Buddhism is a young religion in Ireland, it is developing rapidly and offering new religious, philosophical, and ethical alternatives to the country's religiously-disenchanted population, which has been long dominated by the rigorous institutionalization of the Catholic Church in the Republic of Ireland, and bloody conflicts between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. The understudied, yet significant success of Buddhism's development in Ireland is due to many diverse factors including (but not limited to): the similarities between Buddhism and Celtic mythology; Ireland's rich literary history of meditative authors; the political benefits of an Irish appropriation of Asian religious thought; the strong, often stifling control of the Catholic Church; the recent fall of the Celtic Tiger and Ireland’s Economic Structure; and the wider societal perceptions of Buddhism as a philosophy, not a religion.

Although there are many rural and urban Buddhist organizations of varying schools developing rapidly and gaining new membership throughout the country even as these words are being written, the religion's youth, central tenants, and philosophical features require it to, in essence, "prove itself" to most of Irish society. Thus, Irish Buddhism, like Chinese Buddhism in the decades following its arrival from India, is in a constantly changing, formative stage of existence as it strives for religious and societal authentication.

]]> Elizabeth Rowen Women's Political Mobilization in Argentina Stemming from the Last Military Dictatorship http://scholar.oxy.edu/rrap_student/3 http://scholar.oxy.edu/rrap_student/3 Mon, 05 Nov 2012 12:48:38 PST I went to Buenos Aires in the summer of 2011 to research the effect of Las Madres de Plaza de Mayo on women in modern day politics. I became interested in how Las Madres used their roles as mothers to garner international attention toward their cause. However, upon arriving in Argentina, my research began to shift. Argentina has some of the highest levels of female involvement in politics in the world, and currently has a female President. I interviewed women involved in academia, journalism, social organizations and partisan politics in regards to their history and experiences as women in politics. As a result of the full research process, in this paper, I propose to examine how women in modern day politics see their strength of purpose and/or their agenda, coming out of their reaction to the last military dictatorship (1976 - 1982.) By examining the groups of women formed under the dictatorship, including Las Madres, political prisoners and women in exile I hope to discern not only how they sustained their political involvement through today, but also what substantive elements run through that involvement in terms of perspectives and policy positions. Methodologically, I did research through University coursework on the history of Argentina and on feminist theory, independent research in Argentina (original language newspapers, books) and, most importantly, I carried out fifteen interviews with relevant people. Throughout the research and in the paper, I operate under the assumption that there is in fact, an underlying link between the involvement of women that are currently in politics and the last military dictatorship (1976 – 1982). An important aspect of my interviews was to pull out what the linkage was, and how or if it has affected the political discourse in Argentina. I personally define feminism in a loose manner, referring to people or policies that are motivated explicitly on advancing women's rights, regardless of the manner in

which they are pursued. I found the definition of feminism in Argentina to vary quite greatly both from each other and from my own assumption.

]]> Fay Walker Traditional Ghanaian Dance and Its Role In Transcending Western Notions of Community http://scholar.oxy.edu/rrap_student/2 http://scholar.oxy.edu/rrap_student/2 Mon, 05 Nov 2012 12:48:36 PST The primary objective of this paper is to examine the function of traditional dance in Ghana and how it both reflects and preserves an experience of community that continues to elude the Western world. The role of dance within Ghana challenges the very core of the Western idea of a communal society. As such, a study of traditional Ghanaian dance and its role in community provokes a comparative analysis between the fundamental bases of African and Western societies. The intent of this research is first and foremost to shed light on the powerful social influence of the arts but this paper also offers its readers the chance to peel away the superficial layers of both African and Western societies in order to gain a deeper understanding of their communal structures.

]]> Davida Persaud The Role of Chieftaincy in Financial Inclusion: A Case Study of Eight Rural Communities in the Northern Region of Ghana http://scholar.oxy.edu/rrap_student/1 http://scholar.oxy.edu/rrap_student/1 Mon, 05 Nov 2012 12:48:35 PST Misunderstood customary political and social institutions can jeopardize attempts at introducing microfinance into rural villages. This paper examines how microfinance institutions approach the chieftaincy system in Ghana. Using insights from over 200 interviews across 8 communities and 10 microfinance institutions in the Northern Region, observations are made regarding the equity and efficiency of the private and public sector processes aimed to increase financial inclusion. The investigation’s findings suggest a number of recommendations for all key actors regarding the effective delivery of microfinance services. First, microfinance institutions must make a better effort of engaging the District Assembly to give credit to the local government structure and take advantage of its valuable platform, more clearly communicate their community selection criteria to prospective clients, and be wary of the cultural consequences of singling out women. In turn, traditional chiefs and elected Assemblymen, the official linkage between chieftaincy and the central government, need to practice due diligence with outside visitors, encourage internally led development projects to enhance community capacity and mobilize local residents and resources to demonstrate a self-help mentality. Finally, community members must also take responsibility as clients and the ultimate beneficiaries of microfinance delivery to keep their local leaders honest and proactive as well as being willing to contribute to community projects.

]]> Chris Suzdak