PEOPLE: KEVIN R. KEMPER
Kevin R. Kemper Office - Marshall 331
Telephone - 621-9680
E-mail - krkemper@email.arizona.edu
Assistant professor Kevin R. Kemper joined the faculty in fall 2005 to teach Law of the Press, among other courses. His primary focus is First Amendment scholarship and advocacy. He has worked in communications for more than 20 years, including time as a reporter, newspaper owner and publisher, and a freelance writer for various publications.
In spring 2006, Kemper completed his dissertation for a Ph.D. in journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia. The title is, "William Apess, Elias Boudinot, and Samuel Cornish: Native Americans and African-Americans looking for freedom of expression, representation, and rhetorical sovereignty during the age of Jackson." Kemper also completed a juris doctorate at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law in May 2007. He attended UA James E. Rogers College of Law as a visiting student to complete the final year of his coursework. He is working towards law licenses in Arizona and California.
His research has two major tracks. First, Kemper examines the meaning of the First Amendment during the age of Jackson in the United States. Secondly, he studies the laws of government speech across the world and how they affect minority groups.
Also, Kemper's research and consulting interests include looking for sustainable business models for news organizations.
Kemper taught reporting and media ethics at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism as a graduate instructor. He also served as chair of the journalism department at Eastern Oklahoma State College in Wilburton, where he taught numerous journalism and mass communications courses. He has taught speech and other communication courses as an adjunct at various other schools.
Kemper earned a bachelor of arts in speech communication with a minor in mass communication with honors and academic achievement from East Central University in Ada, Okla., and a master's degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of Oklahoma. His master's thesis was, "What motivates and influences media practitioners of religious organizations in Oklahoma: a qualitative study."