Aashish Kumar
Professor of Radio, Television, Film | Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY, UNITED STATES
Prof. Kumar is a social action scholar and a documentary filmmaker.
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Biography
Professor Kumar has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in documentary, advocacy videos, immersive/interactive media, and television studies in the Radio/TV/Film Dept. He is also an award-winning documentary filmmaker and social action scholar whose work turns a spotlight on issues such as emerging democracies, social stigmas, globalization, migration, civic engagement, and grassroots advocacy. His films have been shown in domestic and international film festivals, used in grassroots community advocacy, and distributed to academic institutions. Most recently he was awarded a Fulbright Specialist grant to spend five weeks developing curriculum and creating a blueprint for an immersive media laboratory at the Mass Communication Research Center, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi, India’s premier graduate institution in film/television, animation, and journalism. This is Prof. Kumar’s third Fulbright Award – he has been a recipient of an earlier Fulbright Specialist award to Durban, South Africa (2016) and of a Fulbright Senior Scholar award to Hyderabad, India (2008).
Industry Expertise (5)
Motion Pictures and Film
Media Production
Media - Broadcast
Education/Learning
Non-Profit/Charitable
Areas of Expertise (4)
Filmmaking
democratic discourse
Civic Engagement
grassroots advocacy
Accomplishments (2)
Fulbright Specialist (professional)
2016-02-01
Prof. Kumar was selected to be a Fulbright Specialist in communications and journalism at Durban University of Technology (DUT) in South Africa. He worked with students and faculty at DUT’s arts and design school to develop a community media project and a model for a high-school documentary workshop. This was his second Fulbright award.
Fulbright Scholar (professional)
2008-09-01
As a Fulbright Scholar, Prof. Kumar taught a documentary production course to students in the MA Communication program at the University of Hyderabad. He also did research for a documentary on reverse migration and global cities.
Education (3)
Brooklyn College, City University of New York: MFA, Television Production 1994
Indiana State University: MS, Radio/Television/Film 1992
Delhi University: BA/MA, Sociology 1990
Links (3)
Languages (1)
- Hindi
Media Appearances (4)
Gandhian ideal of self-reliance evident in all media today
Press Trust of India online
2016-08-20
Prof. Kumar delivered the 8th annual Mahatma Gandhi Media Lecture at the Durban University of Technology. He focused on "Gandhi's Charkha: Self Reliance and Modern Media" and noted that Gandhian ideals of self-reliance and autonomy are being implemented all over the globe by individuals and organisations through various media projects. Kumar noted: "Journalism for Gandhi was a way for the Indian community to represent its grievances to the South African government, to share the lived experiences of the Indian diaspora, but also to turn inward and speak about the ills prevalent within the Indian community."
Day of Dialogue: Fake News & Democracy
News@Hofstra online
2017-10-24
“The attacks on free press in recent times are unprecedented in modern American history, especially since they emerge from the highest office in the country,” said Aashish Kumar, the Center for Civic Engagement’s director for civic literacy and on-campus events and a television professor in the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication. “Day of Dialogue gives Hofstra students, faculty, staff and community members a chance to join the ongoing discussion about how categories of fact and opinion are fast giving way to complete fabrication.”
Prof. Aashish Kumar Wins Second Fulbright Award
News@Hofstra online
2016-02-22
“The Fulbright Specialist award has its own distinction since it is co-sponsored by the host institution, and to be accepted by my peers in an international higher education context is truly exciting,” Kumar said. “I am thrilled to have this collaborative and cross-cultural opportunity where I will be working with students from complex ethnic and racial histories.”
Film by Prof. Aashish Kumar Selected for Paris Festival
News@Hofstra online
2015-01-29
“Software from Hard Rocks,” a film by Associate Professor Aashish Kumar of the Department of Radio, Television, Film, has been chosen as an official selection of the 2015 Ethnografilm Festival in Paris, France. The festival, which takes place from April 8-12, highlights non-fiction filmmaking that promotes an examination of cultures and social issues.
Research Grants (1)
Grant for Community Media Project
Long Island Community Foundation $25,000
2014-02-01
Prof. Kumar's $25,000 grant from the Long Island Community Foundation supported a media project that helped community-based organizations with their communication needs.
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