This summer, the School of Modern Languages joined with 11 Atlanta Public Schools teachers to embark upon a four-week research project at the West African Research Center in Dakar, Senegal.

Funded by a Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad grant obtained by Michael Wiedorn and Christophe Ippolito, Wiedorn traveled with the selected teachers and a representative of the Georgia Tech Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC) to study the Wolof language and Senegalese culture.

The project, “Senegalese Curriculum Development for Georgia,” sought to develop curriculum at the high school and university levels in addition to creating exchanges and collaborations among educators and their surrounding communities in Senegal and Atlanta. Participants took part in courses in Wolof, the most widely-spoken local language aside from French in Dakar, and African cultural studies. The project provided opportunities to study Wolof and Senegalese culture unavailable in the city of Atlanta, which is host to the country’s second-largest Senegalese population.

This project used the Georgia Intern Fellowships for Teachers (GIFT) program for pre-departure and follow-up programs as well as the connections already in place thanks to the School of Modern Languages French in Dakar study abroad program and Georgia Tech’s relationship with Atlanta Public Schools.

The project is supported by the School of Modern Languages and the Ivan Allen College Office of the Dean.

The contents of this article were developed in part under a grant from the Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad (GPA), U.S. Department of Education. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.