Hudson's recent publications have focused on film in the digital era and the transnational cinema.

Dale Hudson, faculty fellow at NYUAD’s Film and New Media program says he was drawn to the university for its novel commitment to a transnational curriculum – which takes for granted unlike most other leading universities, the need to broaden the boundaries of what is counted as knowledge.

This along with the university’s success in attracting a student body from over 90 countries, Hudson says, makes for a place where assumptions about nearly everything are constantly questioned and where difference is valued and celebrated.

Rajyasri Rao spoke to Hudson and asked him to elaborate on the generous financial aid NYUAD offers all admitted students, the effect of having students and faculty from everywhere and the experience of living in Abu Dhabi.

Can you describe the application process – in what ways is it similar and distinct from applying to study at New York University, NY?

“Through a single application, students may apply to any of NYU’s campuses – New York, Abu Dhabi, and beginning this year, Shanghai.”

Through a single application, students may apply to any of NYU’s campuses – New York, Abu Dhabi, and beginning this year, Shanghai.

More information on applying to NYUAD is available at: here

Part of the admissions process includes a Candidates Weekend during which finalists are flown to Abu Dhabi for a weekend of sample classes, conversations with faculty and NYUAD leadership, and other activities.

More information is available at: click here

How international is the student community? What incentive if any does an international student get while being screened by the admissions committee?

“Part of the admissions process includes a Candidates Weekend during which finalists are flown to Abu Dhabi for a weekend of sample classes, conversations with faculty and NYUAD leadership and other activities.”

NYUAD students represent nearly 90 different countries—and this diversity is a foundational component of the educational experience.  The global diversity of students gets them—and us—to think about difference every day.  Assumptions need to be reconsidered constantly, and new forms of communication need to be developed.  The students that NYUAD attracts thrive in such an environment.  Many come from international schools, and many others have lived in several countries.  For others, the trip to Abu Dhabi for Candidates Weekend is their first trip away from home.

Does the admission procedure prioritize those students who come with some experience/training prior to seeking admission over novices?

“NYUAD students represent nearly 90 different countries—and this diversity is a foundational component of the educational experience.”

Students are admitted to the university, not to a particular major (they declare their major by the end of their second year).  Once admitted, students can study whatever they like, and we encourage them to explore new areas.  Our language of instruction is English, but most students speak two or three languages fluently.

How much is the tuition fee? Are there any scholarships or financial aid options available for international students?

“Every admitted student will also be automatically considered for merit-based fellowships.”

Admission is need-blind. Our webpage states very clearly that: "Every admitted student will also be automatically considered for merit-based fellowships. If you are admitted to NYU Abu Dhabi, our priority is to work with you and your family to make it possible for you to attend. Financial Support will ensure that the cost of attendance does not require you or your family to take on debt to support the cost of your education at NYU Abu Dhabi.” More information is available at: here.

What brought you to NYUAD?

“If you are admitted to NYU Abu Dhabi, our Office of Financial Support will ensure that the cost of attendance does not require you or your family to take on debt to support the cost of your education at NYU Abu Dhabi.”

My wife, Sheetal Majithia, who teaches Literature at NYUAD, and I were most attracted to NYUAD because of its vision. We both study globalization and culture, so the idea of a university predicated upon comparative examinations of the very foundations of knowledge seemed a perfect fit. 

We’ve both lived and studied in many places around the world and have family on multiple continents so Abu Dhabi itself was very attractive.  The institution and the city have exceeded our expectations. We have great students and colleagues, and there are great arts and film scenes in the UAE and MENASA. We have access to conversations and information about the world, so we think differently than we did a few years ago. It’s been an amazing experience thus far.

Can you tell us a little about what got you interested in the field of film studies in the first place and what single factor, if any, drove you to pursue it as a career?

“We both (my wife and I) study globalization and culture, so the idea of a university predicated upon comparative examinations of the very foundations of knowledge seemed a perfect fit.”

For my undergraduate degree, I double majored in International Relations and in Art so my thinking is shaped by interdisciplinary frameworks, as well as the intersections of theory and practice. I chose to focus on cinema and new media in graduate school because I was interested in ways that knowledge is produced across different disciplines and through different media. I studied at a liberal arts and science college that emphasized study abroad and had an engineering school, so our curriculum was remarkably close to the one we have at NYUAD.

My current research focuses on ways that digital technologies facilitate globalization by regulating the movement of information and people through virtual labour recruitment and border control, as well as ways that technologies can be jammed or hacked toward democratic potentials.

Are you trained in both the theory and craft of film making? If so, what made you choose to teach film studies and new media over say making films?

“Both the institution and the city have given us...access to conversations and information about the world, so we think differently than we did a few years ago.”

In addition to teaching and research, working in cinema and new media studies gives me the opportunity to program film series and curate new media exhibitions.  Part of NYUAD’s mission is community engagement, so I have been the lead programmer on three programs of public film series for the NYUAD Institute and Abu Dhabi Film Festival. “Summer Screenings” in summer 2011 focused on shorts and features from Pakistan, Turkey, and Egypt (click here) ; “Journeys in Film History” in spring 2012 focused on classical work by filmmakers such as Youssef Chahine, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Ozu Yasujiro, Satyajit Ray, and Sembène Ousmane (click here); and a new series this summer will focus on shorts and features from Egypt, India, Iran, and Morocco.

For the past seven years, I’ve also curated new media exhibitions for the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival (FLEFF), which is part of the Open Cinema Project with festivals and partners in Cuba, India, Indonesia, México, and elsewhere.