Benjamin Birkinbine, Ph. D
Assistant Professor
Office: Sage 3483
Email: birkinbineb@uwosh.edu
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Benjamin Birkinbine joined the Department of Journalism in 2023. He holds a Ph.D. in Media Studies from the University of Oregon, an M.A. in Media Theory & Research from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and a B.A. in Communication from UW Green Bay. Prior to coming to UW Oshkosh, Birkinbine was Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno. In 2022, he was awarded a U.S. Fulbright Scholarship for which he lived and conducted research in Brazil. He also serves as Vice-Chair of the Political Economy Section of the International Association for Media and Communication Research, a global professional association of media and communication researchers that is affiliated with UNESCO.
His research is rooted in the political economy of communication tradition, with a specific focus on free and open-source software and the digital commons. Recently, he has been applying network analysis techniques to the study of concentration in global media industries. He is the author of Incorporating the Digital Commons (Univ. of Westminster Press, 2020) and co-editor of Global Media Giants (Routledge, 2017) as well as the book series under the same name. His research has been published in Media, Culture & Society, the International Journal of Communication, and The Political Economy of Communication among others.
Birkinbine comes to the Department of Journalism with more than ten years of university teaching experience. He was awarded the Nevada Semenza Christian Teaching Award in 2018 by the Reynolds School of Journalism for his teaching excellence, and he was nominated for multiple university-wide teaching awards. He regularly teaches First Amendment law as well as introductory journalism and media courses among others.
He is thrilled to be back in his home state of Wisconsin, which brings him closer to family and friends. During his time as a student at UW Green Bay, he served as Editor of the Opinion section of The Fourth Estate, and he looks forward to educating the next generation of student journalists.