Kate M Kenski
- Professor, Communication
- Member of the Graduate Faculty
Contact
- (520) 621-1366
- Communication, Rm. 209
- Tucson, AZ 85721
- kkenski@arizona.edu
Biography
Dr. Kate Kenski (Ph.D. 2006, University of Pennsylvania) is a Professor in the Department of Communication and School of Government & Public Policy where she teaches political communication, public opinion, and research methods. Prior to teaching at the University of Arizona, she was a senior analyst at the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. She is co-author of The Obama Victory: How Media, Money, and Message Shaped the 2008 Election (2010, Oxford University Press), Capturing Campaign Dynamics: The National Annenberg Election Survey (2004, Oxford University Press), and Democracy Amid Crises: Polarization, Pandemic, Protests, & Persuasion (2023, Oxford University Press). She is co-editor of The Oxford Handbook of Political Communication with Kathleen Hall Jamieson (2017). Dr. Kenski has published over 70 book chapters, articles, and research notes in publications such as the American Behavioral Scientist, Communication Research, Human Communication Research, the International Journal of Public Opinion Research, the Journal of Applied Social Psychology, and Public Opinion Quarterly. Her current research focuses on social media and incivility, gender and politics, and presidential campaigns. She is the vice chair of the International Communication Association’s Political Communication Division.Degrees
- Ph.D. Communication
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- The Gender Gap in Political Knowledge: Do Women Know Less Than Men About Politics?
- M.A. Communication
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- The Framing of Networks News Coverage During the First Three Months of the Clinton-Lewinsky Scandal
- B.A. Rhetoric & Media Studies
- Willamette University, Salem, Arizona, United States
- Messages of Intolerance: An Examination of the OCA’s Gay Pride?
Awards
- OpEd - Thought Leadership Tucson Fellow
- Women's Foundation of Southern Arizona, Spring 2015
- Women's Foundation of Southern Arizona, Fall 2014
- Annenberg Public Policy Center Distinguished Research Fellow
- The Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Fall 2014
- The Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Spring 2014
Interests
No activities entered.
Courses
2024-25 Courses
-
Dissertation
COMM 920 (Spring 2025) -
Public Opinion + Comm
COMM 426 (Spring 2025) -
Research
COMM 900 (Spring 2025) -
Rsrch Methodologies II
COMM 571 (Spring 2025) -
Communication & Gender
COMM 413 (Winter 2024) -
Dissertation
COMM 920 (Fall 2024) -
Media & Politics In Amer
COMM 424 (Fall 2024) -
Research
COMM 900 (Fall 2024) -
Rsrch Methodologies I
COMM 561 (Fall 2024) -
Struggle for Presidency
COMM 410 (Fall 2024) -
Struggle for Presidency
POL 410 (Fall 2024)
2023-24 Courses
-
Dissertation
COMM 920 (Spring 2024) -
Public Opinion + Comm
COMM 426 (Spring 2024) -
Research
COMM 900 (Spring 2024) -
Rsrch Methodologies II
COMM 571 (Spring 2024) -
Dissertation
COMM 920 (Fall 2023) -
Media & Politics In Amer
COMM 424 (Fall 2023) -
Media & Politics In Amer
COMM 524 (Fall 2023) -
Research
COMM 900 (Fall 2023) -
Rsrch Methodologies I
COMM 561 (Fall 2023)
2022-23 Courses
-
Struggle for Presidency
COMM 410 (Summer I 2023) -
Struggle for Presidency
POL 410 (Summer I 2023) -
Dissertation
COMM 920 (Spring 2023) -
Presidential Lrdshp+Comm
COMM 422 (Spring 2023) -
Research
COMM 900 (Spring 2023) -
Rsrch Methodologies II
COMM 571 (Spring 2023) -
Thesis
COMM 910 (Spring 2023) -
Communication & Gender
COMM 413 (Winter 2022) -
Media & Politics In Amer
COMM 424 (Fall 2022) -
Public Opinion + Comm
COMM 426 (Fall 2022) -
Research
COMM 900 (Fall 2022) -
Struggle for Presidency
COMM 410 (Fall 2022) -
Struggle for Presidency
POL 410 (Fall 2022)
2021-22 Courses
-
Communication & Gender
COMM 413 (Spring 2022) -
Independent Study
COMM 399 (Spring 2022) -
Independent Study
COMM 499 (Spring 2022) -
Presidential Lrdshp+Comm
COMM 422 (Spring 2022) -
Research
COMM 900 (Spring 2022) -
Media & Politics In Amer
COMM 424 (Fall 2021) -
Research
COMM 900 (Fall 2021) -
Rsrch Methodologies I
COMM 561 (Fall 2021)
2020-21 Courses
-
Independent Study
COMM 599 (Spring 2021) -
Research
COMM 900 (Spring 2021) -
Communication & Gender
COMM 413 (Winter 2020) -
Research
COMM 900 (Fall 2020) -
Rsrch Methodologies I
COMM 561 (Fall 2020) -
Struggle for Presidency
COMM 410 (Fall 2020) -
Struggle for Presidency
POL 410 (Fall 2020)
2019-20 Courses
-
Communication & Gender
COMM 413 (Summer I 2020) -
Dissertation
COMM 920 (Spring 2020) -
Intro Communication Thry
COMM 300 (Spring 2020) -
Media & Politics In Amer
COMM 424 (Spring 2020) -
Research
COMM 900 (Spring 2020) -
Communication & Gender
COMM 413 (Fall 2019) -
Dissertation
COMM 920 (Fall 2019) -
Research
COMM 900 (Fall 2019) -
Struggle for Presidency
COMM 410 (Fall 2019) -
Struggle for Presidency
POL 410 (Fall 2019)
2018-19 Courses
-
Communication & Gender
COMM 413 (Summer I 2019) -
Dissertation
COMM 920 (Spring 2019) -
Independent Study
COMM 599 (Spring 2019) -
Intro Communication Thry
COMM 300 (Spring 2019) -
Public Opinion + Comm
COMM 426 (Spring 2019) -
Public Opinion + Comm
COMM 526 (Spring 2019) -
Dissertation
COMM 920 (Fall 2018) -
Rsrch Methodologies I
COMM 561 (Fall 2018)
2017-18 Courses
-
Communication & Gender
COMM 413 (Summer I 2018) -
Dissertation
COMM 920 (Spring 2018) -
Honors Thesis
COMM 498H (Spring 2018) -
Independent Study
COMM 699 (Spring 2018) -
Media & Politics In Amer
COMM 424 (Spring 2018) -
Research
COMM 900 (Spring 2018) -
Dissertation
COMM 920 (Fall 2017) -
Honors Thesis
COMM 498H (Fall 2017) -
Research
COMM 900 (Fall 2017) -
Rsrch Methodologies I
COMM 561 (Fall 2017) -
Rsrch Methodologies I
GERO 561 (Fall 2017)
2016-17 Courses
-
Comm + Public Relations
COMM 313 (Summer I 2017) -
Communication & Gender
COMM 413 (Spring 2017) -
Dissertation
COMM 920 (Spring 2017) -
Honors Thesis
PPEL 498H (Spring 2017) -
Independent Study
COMM 399 (Spring 2017) -
Political Comm
COMM 696P (Spring 2017) -
Communication & Gender
COMM 413 (Fall 2016) -
Dissertation
COMM 920 (Fall 2016) -
Honors Thesis
COMM 498H (Fall 2016) -
Rsrch Methodologies I
COMM 561 (Fall 2016)
2015-16 Courses
-
Communication & Gender
COMM 413-SA (Summer I 2016) -
Topics in Communication
COMM 496Z-SA (Summer I 2016) -
Argumentation
COMM 325 (Spring 2016) -
Dissertation
COMM 920 (Spring 2016) -
Independent Study
COMM 399 (Spring 2016) -
Struggle for Presidency
COMM 410 (Spring 2016) -
Struggle for Presidency
POL 410 (Spring 2016)
Scholarly Contributions
Chapters
- Kenski, H. C., & Kenski, K. M. (2014). Mitt Romney and the 2012 Republican nomination. In Studies of communication in the 2012 presidential campaign(pp 15-39). New York: Lexington Books.
- Kenski, K. (2014). The gender gap in presidential vote preference. In alieNATION: the divide & conquer election of 2012(pp 225-241). New York: Peter Lang Publishing.
Journals/Publications
- Bethard, S. J., Coe, K., Kenski, K. M., Kenski, K. M., Shmargad, Y., Harwood, J. T., & Rains, S. A. (2022). Engagement with partisan Russian troll tweets during the 2016 U.S. presidential election: a social identity perspective. Journal of Communication.
- Shmargad, Y., Kenski, K. M., Tsetsi, E., & Conway, B. A. (2022). Tipping the Twitter vs. news media scale? Conducting a third assessment of intermedia agenda-setting effects during the presidential primary. Journal of Political Marketing.
- Bethard, S. J., Kenski, K. M., Coe, K., Shmargad, Y., & Rains, S. A. (2021). Assessing the Russian Troll Efforts to Sow Discord on Twitter during the 2016 US Election. Human Communication Research.
- Rains, S. A., Kenski, K. M., Coe, K., & Shmargad, Y. (2021). Social Norms and the Dynamics of Online Incivility. Social Science Computer Review.
- Coe, K., Kenski, K., & Rains, S. A. (2014). Online and uncivil? Patterns and determinants of incivility in newspaper website comments. Journal of Communication, 64(4), 658-679.More infoDOI: 10.1111/jcom.12104
- Martey, R. M., Kenski, K., Folkestad, J., Feldman, L., Gordis, E., Shaw, A., Stromer-Galley, J., Clegg, B., Zhang, H., Kaufman, N., Rabkin, A. N., Shaikh, S., & Strzalkowski, T. (2014). Measuring game engagement: Multiple methods and construct complexity. Simulation & Gaming: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Theory, Practice and Research, 45(4-5), 528-547.More infoDOI: 10.1177/1046878114553575
- Romer, D., Pasek, J., Kenski, K., & Jamieson, K. H. (2006). America's Youth and Community Engagement How Use of Mass Media Is Related to Civic Activity and Political Awareness in 14- to 22-Year-Olds. Communication Research, 33(3), 115-135. doi:10.1177/0093650206287073More infoThis research examines the role of the mass media in young people's disengagement from politics. In a nationally representative telephone survey (N = 1,501), young people (ages 14 to 22) reported their habits for 12 different uses of mass media as well as awareness of current national politics and time spent in civic activities. Following Putnam's hypothesis about the beneficial effects of civic ties on political involvement, the authors predict and find that civic activity is positively associated with political awareness. Contrary to Putnam, they find that media use, whether information or entertainment oriented, facilitates civic engagement, whereas news media are especially effective in promoting political awareness. Although heavy use of media interferes with both political and civic engagement, the overall effect of media use is favorable for each outcome. The results are discussed in regard to the potentially greater use of the media to build community engagement in young people.
Presentations
- Rains, S. A., Kenski, K. M., Coe, K., & Shmargad, Y. (2019, Fall). Backing Off or Ramping Up? Community Feedback and the Dynamics of Online Incivility. Research Convening, National Institute for Civil Discourse.
- Clegg, B. A., Martey, R. M., Stromer-Galley, J., Kenski, K., Saulnier, T., Folkestad, J. E., McLaren, E., Shaw, A., Lewis, J. E., Patterson, J. D., & Strzalkowski, T. (2014, December). Game-based training to mitigate three forms of cognitive bias. Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference. Orlando, FL.More infoDecember 1-5, 2014
- Conway, B. A., Filer, C. R., & Kenski, K. (2014, November). Impression management on Twitter: How candidates and their campaigns post strategically. National Communication Association Annual Convention. Chicago, IL: National Communication Association.More infoNovember 20-23, 2014
