Michael L. Kent, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
University of Oklahoma
Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication

Office Location: 3510B Gaylord Hall.

Address: Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, 395 W. Lindsey, Norman, OK 73019–4201

Telephone: (405) 325–7346.

Office Hours: T/Th 10–Noon, and by appointment

Kent joined the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication fall, 2007. In spring 2006, Kent spent the semester in Riga, Latvia on a Fulbright Scholarship. Kent conducts research on Mediated communication, Dialogue, and Webbed communication. Kent received his Doctorate from Purdue University, his Master's from the University of Oregon, and his Bachelor's from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Selected Publications

Kent, M. L., (under contract). A critical approach to public relations writing. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Kent, M. L. (in press, 2009). What is a Public Relations “Crisis?” Refocusing Crisis Research. In W. T. Coombs, & S. J. Holladay (Eds.), Handbook of crisis communication, (pp. x-y). Oxford, England: Blackwell.

Kent, M. L. (in press, 2009). Public relations and technology. In W. T. Coombs, & B. Sowa (Eds.), Case studies in public relations management, (pp. x–y). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Veil, S. R., & Kent, M. L. (2008). Issues Management and Inoculation: Tylenol's Responsible Dosing Advertising. Public Relations Review 34(4), 399–402.

Kent, M. L., Taylor, M. & Stratton, M. (2008). The Flexible Syllabus. The community college journalist (GIFT 2008 Summer Edition), 36(2), 26–28.

Kent, M. L., (2008). Critical analysis of blogging in public relations. Public Relations review 34(1), 32–40.

Kent, M. L., Taylor, M., & McAllister-Spooner, S. M. (2008). Research in dialogic theory and public relations. In R. R. Mathur (Ed.), Public relations: An ethics engagement. New Delhi, India: Icfai University Press.

Taylor, M., & Kent, M. L. (2007). A taxonomy of crisis response on the Internet. Public Relations Review 33(2), 140–146.

Kent, M. L., & Taylor, M. (2007). Beyond “excellence” in international public relations research: An examination of generic theory in Bosnian public relations. Public Relations Review 33(1), 10–20.

Taylor, M., & Kent, M. L. (2007). Issue management and policy justification in Malaysia. In J. L. Courtright & P. M. Smudde (Eds.), Power and public relations, (pp. 126–149). Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.

Taylor, M., & Kent, M. L. (2006). Nation building: Public relations theory and practice. In V. Hazelton & C. Botan (Eds.), Public relations theory II, (pp. 341–359). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

Kent, M. L., Harrison, T. R., & Taylor, M. (2006). A critique of Internet polls as symbolic representation and pseudo-events. Communication Studies 57(3), 299–315.

Kent, M. L., Taylor, M., & Turcilo, L. (2006). Public relations by newly privatized businesses in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Public Relations Review 32(1), 10–17.

Kent, M. L. (2005). Conducing Better Research: Google Scholar and the Future of Search Technology. Public Relations Quarterly 50(4), 35–40.

Kent, M. L., & Taylor, M. (2005). Taking your public relations experience from the boardroom into the classroom. Public Relations Quarterly 50(1), 13–18.

Taylor, M., & Kent, M. L. (2004). Congressional Web sites and their potential for public dialogue. Atlantic Journal of Communication 12(2), 59–76.

Kent, M. L. & Taylor, M., (2003). The intercultural travel memo. The Communication Teacher 17(3), 13–15.

Kent, M. L., & Taylor, M., (2003). Maximizing media relations: A Web site checklist. Public Relations Quarterly 48.(1), 14–18.

Kent, M. L., Taylor, M., & White, W. (2003). The relationship between Web site design and organizational responsiveness to stakeholders. Public Relations Review 29(1), 66–77.

Kent, M. L. & Taylor, M. (2002). Toward a dialogic theory of public relations. Public Relations Review 28(1), 21–37.

Kent, M. L. (2001). Managerial rhetoric and the metaphor of the World Wide Web. Critical Studies in Media Communication 18(3), 359–375.

Taylor, M., Kent, M. L. & White, W. (2001). How activist organizations are using the Internet to build relationships Public Relations Review 27(3), 263–284.

Kent, M. L. (2001). Essential tips for searching the web. Public Relations Quarterly 46(1), 4–7.

Kent, M. L. (2001). Teaching mediated public relations. Public Relations Review 27(1), 59–71.

Kent, M. L. (2000). Getting the most from your search engine. The Communication Teacher 15(1), 4–7.

Taylor, M., & Kent, M. L. (2000). Media transitions in Bosnia: From propagandistic past to uncertain future. Gazette 65(5), 355–371.

Kent, M. L. (1999). How to evaluate Web site validity and reliability. The Communication Teacher 13(4), 4–7.

Taylor, M. & Kent, M. L. (1999). Challenging assumptions of international public relations: When government is the most important public. Public Relations Review 25(2), 131–144 (lead article).

Kent, M. L. & Taylor, M. (1999). When public relations becomes government relations. Public Relations Quarterly 44(3), 18–22.

Kent, M. L. (1998–1999). Does your web site attract or repel customers? Three tests of web site effectiveness. Public Relations Quarterly 43(4), 31–33.

Kent, M. L., & Taylor, M. (1998). Building dialogic relationships through the World Wide Web. Public Relations Review 24(3), 321–334.

Kent, M. L., (1997). Dissertation: The rhetoric of eulogies: A generic critique of classic and contemporary funeral oratory. Purdue University, West Lafayette Indiana. Advisor: Ralph Webb.