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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.  

Bio/Expertise

I am a Fulbrighter.  As an American, I have 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 (including community workshops, guest lectures and conference participation) 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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Academic CV

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Resume

 

Other Key Credentials: ​

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 Academic Specialization​

 

I can give discipline specific guidance in Media Studies and Communication.  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 can also 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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​U.S. Fulbright Scholar Peer Reviewing Experience

 

​I served three times as an official peer reviewer for the U.S. Fulbright Scholar program in Media Studies/Communications (I recuse myself from official Fulbright review of your application within this field avoiding any conflict of interest).  I will serve on the fall 2025 peer review committee.  I served via Zoom in 2024 and in Washington D.C. (in person) in 2018 with experts in my field.   

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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.  The peer review process is very detailed, thus reinforcing the prestige of the Fulbright Scholar program.  Each application is deeply vetted and debated on its merits (or lack of).  These insights deeply inform my workshops and application reviewing practices.    

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Other Fulbright Reviewing/Mentoring Experience ​

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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 mission) giving critical feedback on their Fulbright applications.  Two professors have since 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 my review because they lacked proper application guidance beforehand. ​

 

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

 

As a Fulbright Scholar in Romania (2023-2024) I conducted a teacher training and facilitated an online teaching support group for English Teaching Assistants (ETA).  I offer a Teaching Excellence/Best Practices workshop (via Zoom) specifically for ETAs going abroad to better prepare them for the classroom.  I trained ETAs stationed around Europe at a workshop on media literacy teaching skills in Cluj-Napoca, Romania at Babes-Boylai University fall 2023.   

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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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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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