Dr. Sonali Kudva

B.A., B.C.J., Fergusson College, University of Pune; M.A., M.A., Ph.D., Kent State University

Bio:

Dr. Sonali Kudva is an Assistant Professor of Communication and Media within the Communication, Composition and Rhetoric Division at Methodist University. A dedicated educator and mentor, she is committed to fostering a student-centered learning environment that emphasizes critical thinking, media literacy, and practical application. Dr. Kudva’s courses are designed to prepare students for the challenges of modern communication and media professions.

Dr. Kudva’s research agenda focuses on digital media use and its cultural impacts, including social media dynamics, misinformation, and information behavior. Her work also examines how disinformation campaigns shape public perception, reflecting her expertise in tackling complex global issues with both cultural sensitivity and technical insight. Her doctoral dissertation explored Indian cinema through the lens of the Natyashastra, analyzing how traditional performance frameworks influence contemporary Bollywood narratives. Her scholarly work has been published in leading journals such as Telematics and Informatics and Scientometrics, contributing to global conversations about technology’s role in shaping human interaction.

Throughout her career, Dr. Kudva has worked on initiatives that support student success and make education more accessible to learners from all backgrounds. She seeks to create opportunities for students to thrive academically and professionally by connecting classroom learning with real-world applications.

Dr. Kudva’s current academic interests extend to the role of artificial intelligence in communication practices. She explores how emerging technologies can be responsibly integrated into research and teaching to enhance learning outcomes and prepare students for evolving challenges in their fields.

Prior to academia, Dr. Kudva worked as a journalist and editor for organizations such as The Times of India. She was the first recipient of a student fellowship from the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting for an independent multimedia project documenting water access challenges in rural India. These professional experiences inform her teaching by bridging theoretical concepts with practical insights.

Dr. Kudva is actively engaged in her field through mentoring undergraduate and graduate students, presenting at international conferences like the Association for Educators in Journalism and Mass Communication, and serving on editorial boards such as Communication Teacher. She is the co-editor for the AEJMC Journal of Communication Technology.

Outside of her professional pursuits, she enjoys exploring interdisciplinary projects that connect technology, culture, and communication. She is also an avid fan of Korean dramas and Bollywood storytelling, which she views as fascinating case studies in narrative structure and cultural representation.

Some of her notable publications are:

1. Zhang, M., Zhang, K., Zhang, Y., & Kudva, S. (2024). What makes citizens participate in government data governance? A study based on Behavioral Reasoning Theory. Telematics and Informatics, 102198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2024.102198
2. Yan, W., Wen, X., Zhang, Y., Kudva, S., & Liu, Q. (2023). The dynamics of Q&A in academic social networking sites: Insights from participants, interaction network, response time, and discipline differences. Scientometrics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-022-04624-y
3. Ye, X., Du, J., Gong, X., Na, S., Li, W., & Kudva, S. (2021). Geospatial and semantic mapping platform for massive COVID-19 scientific publication search. Journal of Geovisualization and Spatial Analysis, 5(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41651-021-00073-y
4. Zhang, Y., & Kudva, S. (2014). E-books versus print books: Readers’ choices and preferences across contexts. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 65(8), 1695–1706. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.23076