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 Specialist

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.

Fulbright Scholar

Hofstra University's primary mission is to provide a quality education to its students in an environment that encourages, nurtures, and supports learning. At Hofstra, new ideas take shape through collaboration, engagement, and interaction. Hofstra students create their success with small classes and dedicated faculty, alongside a beautiful campus, plus all the opportunities of New York City within easy reach.

Our faculty are Fulbright Scholars, Emmy Award winners, successful entrepreneurs, groundbreaking scientists, pioneering educators, best-selling authors, and C-suite business executives. They are contributing to significant advances in bio-medical engineering, researching new ways to bring technology into the classroom, leading disaster response and conflict resolution efforts across the globe, and inspiring students to use their talents to serve the community.

Hofstra University

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).

Filmmaking

democratic discourse

Civic Engagement

grassroots advocacy

Hindi

Hofstra University Faculty Profile

Scholars, Mentors, Teachers: Aashish Kumar

Center for Civic Engagement

Gandhian ideal of self-reliance evident in all media today

Day of Dialogue: Fake News & Democracy

Prof. Aashish Kumar Wins Second Fulbright Award

Film by Prof. Aashish Kumar Selected for Paris Festival

Days after a gunman killed 17 people in parkland, fla., sandy phillips, who advocates for gun restrictions, was encouraged by how openly student survivors wanted to discuss the shooting and push measures to try to prevent similar incidents. that's not the case in santa fe.

2 school shootings, 2 different gun debates: unlike parkland, santa fe response is more muted

The May 18th school shooting that killed 10 people in Santa Fe, Texas comes just three months after a gunman opened fire and killed 17 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. While the Florida shooting galvanized its students into activists for stricter gun control and sparked a national movement, teens in Texas have been less willing to point the finger at guns as the cause of mass violence. They argue that those who want to do harm will find ways around gun laws, and instead say issues such as school security and mental health issues should be examined. 

The stark differences in their response reflect how the gun control debate has deeply divided the country.  Will students across the nation who marched under the banner of #NeverAgain and spoke out against the National Rifle Association be able to sustain their movement?  Will it have any impact on NRA-supporting politicians in the November mid-elections? Can student activism advance an agenda that adults have been unable to achieve? 

Hofstra has experts who can help you put this movement, as well as the gun control debate behind it, into political and social context:

•	Aashish Kumar, co-director of Hofstra’s Center for Civic Engagement, can discuss how student activism is crucial to the active citizenship that is at the heart of any thriving democracy.

•	Tomeka Robinson, associate professor of rhetoric and director of Hofstra’s speech and debate team, can address the role of rhetoric and public advocacy in swaying public opinion and shaping policy.

•	Alan Singer, professor in the School of Education and expert on social issues in public education, can discuss the measures proposed to improve school safety, including the president’s suggestion to arm school teachers. Professor Singer was also a high school teacher for 15 years.

•	Constitutional law professor Eric Freedman can discuss the gun control debate as it relates to the Second Amendment. 



Student Activism and the Gun Control Debate 

Grant for Community Media Project

Professor of Radio, Television, Film

Associate Professor Aashish Kumar talks Day of Dialogue in advance of the day's panels, workshops and presentations. #HofDialogue

Day of Dialogue: HU Office Hours with Aashish Kumar

Aashish Kumar, an associate Professor of Radio, Television, Film at Hofstra University, discusses his experience as a Fulbright Scholar in Hyderabad in India.

Aashish Kumar: Fulbright in Hyderabad, India

Opening moments of my documentary on Hyderabad, globalization and our sense of place.

Aashish Kumar's documentary, "Software from Hard Rocks"

Students are now spending class time fighting zombies and flipping through coloring books, thanks to a new class that lets them explore the art and science of virtual reality storytelling. A collaboration between the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication and the Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science, the course brings together students from diverse majors to create digital storytelling projects using the latest in virtual reality and 360-degree video technology.

Virtual Reality in the Classroom

Aashish Kumar, an associate Professor of Radio, Television, Film at Hofstra University, discusses his background in Sociology and how it affects his filmmaking and teaching.

Aashish Kumar on Sociology and Media

This clip shows a report that documented a sharp spike in bias-related crimes against Arabs and South-Asian Americans in the wake of September 11.

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