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Dr. David Gracon presenting a media literacy workshop for Fulbright English Teaching Assistants (ETA) in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.  Babes-Bolyai University.   October 2023.  

David's Bio/Expertise

I am a Fulbrighter.  I earned two U.S. Fulbright Scholar grants (9 months each).  I served in Ukraine (2016-2017) at Precarpathian National University in Ivano-Frankivsk and Romania (2023-2024) at Transilvania University of Brasov with university teaching projects with the mission of providing critical media literacy education under the umbrella of Media Studies/Communication.  

 

In October 2024 I served a month-long Specialist grant in Mongolia assisting the journalistic NGO Nest in Ulaanbaatar with organizational consulting, media literacy/leadership training and various public talks/workshops. ​These rich experiences give me considerable expertise with the Fulbright organization; deep experience implementing projects abroad, and the nuances required for writing an impeccably strong application. ​

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​​I served four times as an official peer reviewer for the U.S. Fulbright Scholar program in Media Studies/Communications with experts in my field.  I serve again in fall 2026.

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Having formal peer reviewing experience is vital as I know which applications clear this review stage of review and why.  I clearly know why some applications do not proceed and why.  I am deeply aware of the application peer review criteria, the dynamics of the committees, and the vigorous vetting process by which Fulbright applications pass or fail.  

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As a Fulbright Scholar in Romania and Ukraine, I worked directly with local students and academics pro bono (as part of my service) giving critical feedback on their Fulbright applications.  Two professors received Fulbright Scholar grants to the U.S.  One with U.C. Berkeley the other with Penn State University with my guidance. 

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I formally reviewed applications for Ukraine and Romania and their IIE (Institute for International Education) boards for those wishing to conduct projects in the U.S.  I found numerous applications had significant structural problems and did not pass review because they lacked proper application guidance. ​

 

As a former faculty member at Gonzaga University (2019-2023), I formally mentored undergraduate students with their Fulbright research grant applications and conducted mock interviews (with considerable feedback).     

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I have assisted countless friends, students, colleagues and academics regarding the Fulbright program in terms of the application process, experiences living abroad, and various nuances of the grant types. 

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Other Key Credentials: ​

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 Academic Specialization​

 

My specialties include media studies, critical media literacy, mass communication, visual communication, digital media production (video and documentary), alternative media, film studies, documentary film, cultural studies, critical theory, political economy of media, new media and qualitative research methods (interviewing, ethnography, visual ethnography).  I serve journalism projects.  ​I also have backgrounds in sociology and leadership studies (servant leadership). 

 

If your field is outside media studies/communication, I can still vet your work with considerable feedback on the grammar/spelling, structure, organization, feasibility, intercultural competence, benefits to your home and host institution, and overall completeness of your application.​​​​​

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If you would like to know more about by background, please feel free to get in touch via email davidgracon@gmail.com  

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-Dr. David Gracon

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