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Sky’s the Limit for Journalism Students

Sky’s the Limit for Journalism Students

Professor Aashish Kumar, the charismatic international academic and documentary filmmaker, who is also a second-time Fulbright awardee, has temporarily made DUT his home-base for six weeks.

Prof Kumar is an Associate Professor in the L. Herbert School of Communication, Hofstra University, New York, who has been in higher education for more than 20 years. He is an award-winning filmmaker who has done numerous documentaries such as the 2009 film The Community I Serve which called for the humane treatment of those with mental health illnesses by law enforcement. His other film, Software from Hard Rocks, is a documentary that follows the life of “reverse migrants”- Indian high-technology workers whose jobs were moved to India from the United States. he documentary was an official selection of the 2015 Ethnografilm Festival in Paris.

As a second time Fulbright academic specialist, Prof Kumar expressed his jubilation upon being given such an honour. “I feel privileged to have a job that allows me to avail myself of international educational and collaborative opportunities such as the Fulbright. While it is no doubt a heady feeling to have two of them, it quickly gives way to a sense of awe at being in a city like Durban, and it certainly opens doors to meeting people from all walks of life during my visit,” he said.

He believes having such passionate academics at DUT Journalism enhances the students’ learning experience. “I am doing a series of workshops with DUT lecturer Maud Blose’s second year journalism students who are producing mini-portrait documentaries. In addition, I am working with third year interns who will be producing a community media project in conjunction with a local NGO Advice Desk for the Abused. This project couldn’t have happened without the involvement of Prof Anthony Collins who is engaged in gender violence research and serves on the board of Advice Desk.

The Journalism Programme is lucky to have academics that are invested in students to the degree that I have witnessed. I also hope that my years of teaching in the US and making documentaries and advocacy films can lend a different dimension to how students think about journalism, community reporting and being advocates for democratic freedoms that are afforded through a robust and conscientious media industry,” he added.
Imparting his advice to students, Prof Kumar said students needed to be prepared to do many things, but stay centered in what interests them and what they are passionate about.

In addition to working with the Journalism department, Prof Kumar in conjunction with DUT Journalism and the Gandhi Development Trust will hold the 8th annual Mahatma Gandhi Media Lecture at DUT City Campus on Thursday, 18 August 2016. “I am already working with Crispin Hempson of ICON on potential areas in which my University can learn from the experience of South African conflict resolution strategies and peace building in a post-apartheid world. Hofstra has recently founded a Peace Institute, and as a co-director of the Center for Civic Engagement which will house the Peace Institute, I am excited to be able to partner with ICON and its amazing context of Gandhian peace building activism and Mandela’s non-violent struggle against apartheid,” he said excitedly.

– Waheeda Peters

Pictured: Academic and documentary filmmaker, Professor Aashish Kumar, a second-time Fulbright awardee, addressing Journalism students about film-making.

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