Peter Bobkowski

Associate Professor
Primary office:
785-864-7634
Stauffer-Flint Hall
Room 209A

CV

Peter Bobkowski joined the KU faculty in 2011. His research focuses on the developmental role of media among adolescents and emerging adults. He is interested in individuals’ motivations to produce social media content and on the effects of this practice for identity and wellbeing. The domains he has studied include politics, religion and sexual health.

Bobkowski is also active in scholastic (high school) journalism research and service. In a project supported by the Spencer Foundation, he recently examined civic engagement among high school journalists in greater Kansas City and Wichita. He sits on the Board of Directors of the National Scholastic Press Association.

Bobkowski teaches Infomania: Information Management, and mass communication theory and research methods courses in the school’s graduate programs. 

Academic Degrees

  • Ph.D. (2010) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • M.A. (2006) University of Houston
  • B.A. (1999) University of Alberta

Awards

  • Pioneer Award, National Scholastic Press Association, 2015
  • Promising Professor (Second Place), Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, 2014
  • Gold Key, Columbia Scholastic Press Association, 2012
  • Outstanding Graduating Ph.D. Student, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2010

Teaching Interests

  • Information management
  • Reporting
  • Writing
  • Research methods
  • Mass communication theory
  • Professional ethics

Research

Professor Bobkowski's research focuses on the developmental role of media among adolescents and emerging adults. He is especially interested in the sharing of information via social media pertaining to politics, religion, and sexual health. He also examines the relationship between journalism education and civic engagement.

Research Interests

  • Media and adolescents
  • Media and health
  • Social media
  • Media and religion
  • Scholastic media

Selected Publications

Bobkowski, P. S., & Belmas, G. I. (n.d.). Mixed message media: Girls' voices and civic engagement in student journalism. Girlhood Studies, 10(1), 89-106. DOI://dx.doi.org/10.3167/ghs.2017.100107 http://hdl.handle.net/1808/23715

Bobkowski, P. S, & Belmas, G. I (n.d.). Mixed message media: Girls' voices and civic engagement in student journalism. Girlhood Studies.

Peters, J. W, Belmas, G. I, & Bobkowski, P. S (2017). A paper shield? Whether state privilege protections apply to student journalists . Fordham Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment Law Journal, 27(4), 763-801. http://www.fordhamiplj.org/publications/paper-shield-whether-state-privilege-protections-apply-student-journalistsjonathan-peters-genelle-belmas%E2%80%A0-piotr-bobkowski%E2%80%A1-article/

Bobkowski, P. S, Cavanah, S., & Miller, P. R (2017). Who are the “journalism kids?”: Academic predictors of journalism participation in secondary schools. Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, 72(1), 68-82. DOI:10.1177/1077695815622770 https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/handle/1808/22439

Bobkowski, P. S, & Miller, P. R. (2016). Civic implications of secondary school journalism: Associations with voting propensity and community volunteering. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 93(3), 530-550. DOI:10.1177/1077699016628821 http://hdl.handle.net/1808/21410

Bobkowski, P. S, Shafer, A., & Ortiz, R. R (2016). Sexual intensity of adolescents' online self-presentations: Joint contribution of identity, media consumption, and extraversion. Computers in Human Behavior, 58, 64-74. DOI:10.1016/j.chb.2015.12.009 http://hdl.handle.net/1808/22440

Bobkowski, P. S., & Shafer, A. (2015). Sexual media and American youth. In S. M. Coupet & E. Marrus (Eds.), Children, sexuality, and the law (pp. 108-132). New York, NY: New York University Press.

Bobkowski, P. S (2015). Sharing the news: Effects of informational utility and opinion leadership on online news sharing . Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 92(2), 320-345. DOI:10.1177/1077699015573194 http://hdl.handle.net/1808/22441

Miller, P. R., Bobkowski, P. S., Maliniak, D., & Rapoport, R. B. (2015). Talking politics on Facebook: Network centrality and political discussion practices in social media. Political Research Quarterly, 68(2), 377-391. DOI:10.1177/1065912915580135 http://hdl.handle.net/1808/22559

Bobkowski, P. S., & Shafer, A. (2014). The digital bridge to adulthood. In J. F. Nussbaum (Ed.), The handbook of lifespan communication (pp. 159-176). New York, NY: Peter Lang.

Bobkowski, P. S., & Smith, J. E. (2013). Social media divide: Characteristics of emerging adults who do not use social network websites. Media Culture and Society, 35(6), 771-781. DOI:10.1177/0163443713491517 http://hdl.handle.net/1808/22442

Bobkowski, P. (2012). Faith in the digital age: Emerging adults' faith mosaics and media practices. In C. Barry & M. Abo-Zena (Eds.), Emerging adults' religiousness and spirituality (pp. 93-108). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199959181.003.0006

Shafer, A., Bobkowski, P. S., & Brown, J. D. (2012). Sexual media practice: How adolescents select, engage with, and are affected by sexual media. In K. E. Dill (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Media Psychology (pp. 223–251). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. DOI:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195398809.013.0013

Bobkowski, P. S., Brown, J. D., & Neffa, D. R. (2012). "Hit me up and we can get down:" U.S. youths' risk behaviors and sexual self-disclosure in MySpace profiles. Journal of Children and Mass Media, 6, 119-134. DOI:10.1080/17482798.2011.633412 http://hdl.handle.net/1808/22443

Bobkowski, P. S., Goodman, M., & Bowen, C. P. (2012). Student media in U.S. secondary schools: Associations with school demographic characteristics. Journalism and Mass Communication Educator, 67, 252–266. DOI:10.1177/1077695812444699 http://hdl.handle.net/1808/22444

Bobkowski, P. Szymon, & Pearce, L. D. (2011). Baring their souls in online profiles or not: Religious self-disclosure in social media. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 50, 744-762. DOI:10.1111/j.1468-5906.2011.01597.x http://hdl.handle.net/1808/22438

Brown, J. D., & Bobkowski, P. S. (2011). Older and newer media: Patterns of use and effects on adolescents' health and well-being. Journal for Research on Adolescence , 21, 95-113. DOI:10.1111/j.1532-7795.2010.00717.x

Bobkowski, P. S., & Kalyanaraman, S. (2010). Effects of online Christian self-disclosure on impression formation. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 49, 456-476. DOI:10.1111/j.1468-5906.2010.01522.x http://hdl.handle.net/1808/22437

Bobkowski, P. S. (2009). Adolescent religiosity and selective exposure to television. Journal of Media and Religion, 8, 55-70. DOI:10.1080/15348420802670942 http://hdl.handle.net/1808/22436

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