Dr. Uma Shankar Pandey
Understanding communication.
Keeping the human in view.
I study how meaning takes shape in human communication—and what this reveals about consciousness, learning and AI. My work brings Indian theories of language into contemporary communication research, with lectures and open resources that carry these ideas into practice.
Associate Professor & Head · Journalism & Mass CommunicationSurendranath College for Women · University of Calcutta · Kolkata
- Editorial work
- Editor-in-Chief, Media Watch
SAGE Publications - Research community
- Co-Chair, Digital Divide Working Group
IAMCR · 2025–2029 - Journalistic experience
- Former Senior Journalist
The Asian Age, Kolkata
USP Classroom
Build a stronger study. Read media more closely. These two collections connect the practice of research with the theories we use to understand communication.
Research Methods
Turn a question into a study you can defend. Work through research approaches, ethnography and content analysis, with explanations and questions that connect methodological choices to evidence.
Begin with research methodologyMedia and
Communication Theory
Trace how media shape meaning, how audiences use them and how institutions organise cultural life. Compare explanations, examine their assumptions and apply the concepts to the media around you.
Start with news framingMeaning is where
communication begins.
The Ubiquitous Sphoṭa–Pratibhā Model is my framework for consciousness-centred communication. It examines how an expression becomes meaningful to someone, and how that understanding returns to shape expression, judgment and action.
- Sphoṭa
- An expression encountered as a linguistic whole.
- Pratibhā
- The import of that whole apprehended by a participant.
Recent writing.
The semiotics of communication
Communication, medium, signs and language · Book chapter · Springer
The measure of nearness: Media and the ethics of proper distance
Editorial · Media Watch, 17(3) · SAGE
Synthesizing Nyaya rhetoric and Sphota linguistic approaches
An Indian communication framework · Journal article · World of Media
Watch. Understand.
Put the ideas to work.
Indian Knowledge System Explained: Why It Matters Now
From logic and language to science, consciousness and the arts: a broad introduction to Indian knowledge traditions and their contemporary relevance.
Watch the lectureIndian Knowledge Systems
Follow traditions of inquiry through language, logic, consciousness and their place in contemporary life.
Explore the collection 02 / Media & societyCommunication Theory
Examine how media frame events, shape attention and influence the ways we understand one another.
Explore the collection 03 / Questions & evidenceResearch Methods
Build a sound study, choose appropriate methods and turn careful analysis into a defensible argument.
Explore the collectionPractical tutorials & more topics
Resources for the work ahead.
Prepare a lesson, practise an analysis, find a colleague or follow a reading. Start with the material you need.
Media & communication faculty database
Find faculty members across institutions in India.
Free online resources
Open tools and useful links for teaching and research.
Jamovi datasets
Practise statistical analysis with data for hands-on learning.
Readings
Follow ideas and arguments in media and communication.
Downloads
Material to support coursework, teaching and inquiry.
Data visualisation
Examine how charts and visual stories communicate evidence.
Bring the news into the classroom: examine the framing, trace the sources and ask what the evidence supports.
Read news headlinesLet’s continue the conversation.
For research conversations, lectures, workshops or suggestions for this resource collection, get in touch.
Contact meWhich philosophy speaks to you?
The USP Quiz opens a conversation about Indian philosophical perspectives, how you think and what you value.
Take the USP Quiz