Texas Tech University

Kent Wilkinson

Professor & Director, Harris Institute for Hispanic and International Communication
Journalism & Creative Media Industries

Email: kent.wilkinson@ttu.edu

Phone: +1.806.834.0199

Research: Health, Intercultural & international, Ethnic-oriented media, Creative media industries

Office:
 263A

Ph.D. University of Texas, Austin 1995
M.A. University of California, Berkeley 1991

Harris Institute for Hispanic and International Communication

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Photo Description

Biography

I am a third-generation teacher who feels very fortunate to work in a profession, and at a university, that keeps me challenged and engaged. My principal areas of interest are U.S. Hispanic/Latinx media and international communication. I have lived and worked in Latin American countries for three years (Mexico, Peru and Chile), and I regularly participate in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives on campus. I am a founding member of Civil Counterpoints, a campus conversation series aiming to stimulate thoughtful and respectful dialogue on volatile contemporary issues among members of the Texas Tech community.

Research

My research focuses on international communication, Hispanic/Latinx-oriented media in the U.S., and Hispanic health communication. I study how language, culture and economics interact in national, regional and global media markets; a current book project examines how language difference is managed in electronic media, past and present. I am a member of the Lubbock Scapes Collective, a cross-disciplinary research and creativity group that endeavors to understand and conceptualize Lubbock, the South Plains and the Permian Basin regions in new ways. I have been collaborating with colleagues in Mexico and Chile to understand the uses and gratifications young adults derive from their smartphones. In 2016 I published a book that examines the historical development of Spanish-language television in the U.S. from the early 1960s to 2013.

Methodologies

  • Thematic Analysis
  • Focus Group Interviews
  • Survey
  • Archival Research

Research Areas

  • Health communication
  • Intercultural & international communication
  • Ethnic-oriented media
  • Creative media industries

Publications

  • Wilkinson, K.T. & Benavides Almarza, C. (2020). Magazines in Spanish and Portuguese America. In Miglena Sternadori & Tim Holmes (Eds). Handbook of Magazine Studies. (pp. 403-416). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell.
  • Wilkinson, K. T. (2019). From radio stations to television networks: The evolution of Spanish-language broadcasting in the U.S. In K. B. Coronado and E. Rodríguez Kight (Eds.) Latinx voices: Hispanics in media in the U.S. (pp. 144-161) New York: Routledge.
  • Wilkinson, K. T. (2016). Spanish-language television in the United States: Fifty years of development. New York: Routledge. (Routledge Research in Cultural and Media Studies series).  http://url.ie/z2dh
  • Wilkinson, K. T. & Saldaña, M. (2018). Texas Millennials and their smartphones: A uses and gratifications study. Journal of Cultural Marketing Strategy, 3(1), 31-42
  • Heuman, A. N., Scholl, J. C. & Wilkinson, K. T. (2013). Rural Hispanic populations at risk in developing diabetes: Sociocultural and familial challenges in promoting a healthy diet. Health Communication, 28 (3), 260-273.

Teaching Focus

My teaching interests include international communication, ethnic-oriented media and popular culture. Courses I have taught at Texas Tech:

GRADUATE
Administration of Communications Media
Seminar in International Communication
Seminar in Mass Communication Theory
Special Topics in Electronic Media: Ethnic-Oriented Media
Special Topics in Electronic Media: Popular Culture: Imagery, Industry, Technology
Strategic Communication in a Global Environment (online)

UNDERGRADUATE
International Electronic Media
Ethnicity, Race, Gender in Media
Hispanic Media
Media Theories and Society
Rock and Roll Media
Special Problems in Mass Communications: Spanish Media (study abroad course)

Leadership & Awards

  • Director, Thomas Jay Harris Institute for Hispanic and International Communication
  • Editor, International Journal of Hispanic Media
  • Fulbright Fellow, Universidad de los Andes in Santiago, Chile 2016
  • Texas Tech Teaching Academy 2010; President's Excellence in Teaching Award 2009
  • College of Mass Communication Outstanding Research Award 2009 
  • College of Mass Communications Billy I. Ross Faculty Achievement Award 2008
  • Founding graduate adviser for M.A. in Communication at UTSA
  • External Fellow for Dartmouth College Humanities Institute, 2000

International Journal of Hispanic Media
Kent Wilkinson's Chile Fulbright Blog