Sustainability, language are the focus of study abroad in the French Alps 

As a student who had never traveled abroad, AJ Stewart wasn’t sure what to expect when he and his fellow UIC classmates arrived in Grenoble, France, known as the capital of the French Alps. 

A second-year student majoring in urban studies in the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs, Stewart is one of 14 students taking part this summer in the first faculty-led study abroad program sponsored by the French department in several decades. 

The Kentucky native chose the program to learn how cities outside the United States operate and serve their residents. At Grenoble in southeastern France, he’s learning how social structures in other countries support their communities. The focus of the program is sustainability; in 2022, Grenoble was named the “green capital” of Europe.  

“By far the best part of the trip is seeing the efforts the community goes through to help one another,” Stewart said. “A myriad of social programs and assistance for the residents of Grenoble has allowed this city to be a window into what we could have in the U.S.” 

The program, EcoVenture: French Language, Culture, and Sustainability in Grenoble, is the brainchild of Jessica Hoselton, senior lecturer and assistant coordinator in the Department of French and Francophone Studies who also earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at UIC. 

Hoselton dreamed of having a faculty-led study abroad program in the French department in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and worked with UIC’s Study Abroad Office to make it happen and appeal to a broad range of students. The students taking part in the trip, led by Hoselton, are from urban studies, English, health sciences, Black studies and history, among others. 

“We wanted to give the students an opportunity to immerse themselves in the language as well but be open to students that don’t even have any French yet,” said Hoselton. “We needed to provide something that really captured a broad interest and pulled people in from a wide variety of disciplines.” 

That something was sustainability, and Hoselton reached out to organizations in France to devise the course content.  

The UIC group arrived on June 25 and will be in France until July 28. While there, they will visit Paris, of course. But their field of operations is focused on Grenoble, a city in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region at the foot of the mountains between the Drac and Isère rivers.  

As one of Europe’s greenest cities, Grenoble has overcome significant hurdles that impacted its environmental health that are studied in the course, said Hoselton. The goal of the program is to investigate how it achieved its sustainability objectives.  

“The city itself, like its city hall, had to go through some rigorous trials and programs in order to earn that title,” said Hoselton. 

The group is also scheduled to take part in experiential learning activities: touring a farm, a local company focused on sustainable practices and an eco-neighborhood. They’ll also participate in a service-learning activity and take a zero-waste French cooking class. 

The trip will culminate in a project the students develop that ties their personal interests with what they’ve learned on the trip. Hoselton is working with the Office of Planning, Sustainability and Project Management to possibly showcase the work on campus. 

“The idea is to go there, learn and come back with something, no matter how small or tangible, that we could introduce at UIC or in the local community,” Hoselton said. 

In addition, students take a four-week intensive French language course at the local university. The students are placed at different levels based on their language proficiency. 

Destiny Lewis, a UIC senior and integrated health studies major in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, decided to participate in the program to improve her French speaking ability. 

“Class is going well. It’s immersive and interactive, which makes learning more fun,” said Lewis. “It’s been helpful to hear native speakers and use what I learn right away outside the classroom.” 

She’s also been able to experience the culture firsthand. She’s been enjoying the food and the slower pace of daily life, walking and getting around using public transportation like the locals.  

“One of the best parts for me has been the view,” Lewis said. “Whether I’m walking through the city, looking out over the mountains, or just sitting at a café, everything looks like a scene from a postcard. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”