Colin Agur is an Associate Professor at the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. His research explores emerging media, with interests in mobile communication, digital games, and the political economy of media. In addition to his book, Education and Social Media: Toward a Digital Future (2016, MIT Press), his work has appeared in journals such as: New Media & Society; Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication; Social Media + Society; Mobile Media & Communication; Media, Culture, & Society; Games & Culture; and Journalism. At the Institute for Advanced Study at the University of Minnesota, he served as Faculty Fellow and member of the Advisory Board. At the International Communication Association, he has served as Division Chair (Mobile Communication), member of the Board of Directors, and Chair of a Presidential Task Force. He also sits on the editorial board of New Media and Society. Since arriving at the University of Minnesota in 2016, he has taught JOUR 1501 (Digital Games & Society), JOUR 3551 (The Business of Digital Media), JOUR 3553 (Mobile Communication), and JOUR 8003 (Theories & Issues in Digital Media Studies).

Prof. Agur is an Affiliated Fellow at Yale Law School's Information Society Project and in 2016 was a Research Fellow at Columbia University's Tow Center for Digital Journalism. Previously he was a postdoctoral fellow in media and law at Yale Law School's Information Society Project.



He completed his PhD in Communications at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. His dissertation examined mobile phone networks in India, identifying intended and unanticipated consequences of the rapid network development that has taken place since the 1990s.

Educational Background & Specialties
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Educational Background

  • PhD: Communications, Columbia University, 2014
  • MPhil: Communications, Columbia University, 2013
  • MA: International Political Economy, University of Warwick, 2006
  • BA: Political Science, University of Alberta, 2002

Specialties

  • emerging media studies
  • mobile communication
  • political economy of media
  • digital games
  • digital education