Austin Cooper received a 2015-16 U.S. Fulbright Student grant to study the history of the Hôpital Franco-Musulman, opened in 1935 in Bobigny, a northern suburb of Paris, France. Entitled “Health and Community: The Social History of Paris’ Hôpital Franco-Musulman,” his project seeks to examine how immigration from North Africa altered the fabric of twentieth-century French society through the lens of medical practice in the nation’s most cosmopolitan region. Austin will conduct archival research and collaborate with scholars at the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne to elaborate the role that the Hôpital Franco-Musulman played in the Muslim communities of Greater Paris. A native of Cary, NC, and a member of the UNC Class of 2014, Austin holds a B.A. with Honors in Comparative Literature and French.
Graduating senior Abby Dennison has received a 2015-2016 Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to work in a local high school in Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône, a suburb of Paris in the Académie of Versailles. Fulbright teaching assistants facilitate English language instruction and serve as cultural ambassadors for the United States. Grantees support underprivileged populations in high-priority education areas, where most students face personal and academic challenges. As such, contact with a native English speaker is often a significant advantage in the classroom. Abby is excited to promote intercultural exchange with French students from diverse multicultural backgrounds! Her interest in the Fulbright program stemmed from her experiences studying abroad with UNC in Montpellier, where she had the opportunity to volunteer in foreign language classes at a private middle school. A native of Chapel Hill, she will be graduating this May with a B.A. in French and English Literature and a minor in Social and Economic Justice.