Casey Woodling, a lecturer of philosophy at Coastal Carolina University, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to teach humanities courses at the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar. He will also conduct research on the history of philosophy in Madagascar and on how the general worldview of the Malagasy (people of Madagascar) relates to happiness and the good life. The grant, announced recently by the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, will extend from November 2016 to July 2017.

Woodling joins 16 other current CCU faculty members and 12 retired faculty who have also received Fulbright awards.

"There are few written resources about the history of philosophy in Madagascar, so I am eager to learn more about the oral tradition from counterparts in Madagascar," said Woodling, who served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Madagascar from 2007 to 2009 with his wife, Emily Woodling. They were both English teachers in the rural village of Ambatofinandrahana. "I'm looking forward to teaching and sharing ideas with Malagasy students again, and to sharing about my experiences and knowledge of Malagasy culture with the CCU community."

Woodling, who earned a master's degree and a doctoral degree in philosophy from the University of Florida, is one of approximately 1,100 U.S. faculty and professionals who will travel abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program in 2016-2017. The program is administered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars, a division of the Institute of International Education.

"The Fulbright Scholar awards are the result of a very competitive process, and we are delighted to see many Coastal Carolina University faculty members among the award winners," said Darla Domke-Damonte, associate provost for global initiatives for CCU. "Over the last six years, six CCU professors have received this award to work in Austria, Turkey, the Czech Republic and now Madagascar."

For more information about global initiatives at CCU, contact Domke-Damonte at 843-349-2129 or ddamonte@coastal.edu.

About the Fulbright Program: The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments, host institutions, corporations, and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support. The program operates in more than 155 countries worldwide. The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program is administered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars, a division of the Institute of International Education. For further information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, visit the website at Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs or contact Elaine Clayton, 202-632-6445 or email ECA-Press@state.gov.