Karl Patrick R. Mendoza
Associate Professor
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Karl Patrick R. Mendoza
Associate Professor
Karl Patrick R. Mendoza, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor at the Department of Communication Research, Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), and Vice-Chair of the Emerging Scholars Network (ESN) within the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR). His research examines trust, power, and political communication in the Global South, with a focus on governance, media discourse, and legitimacy.
Dr. Mendoza’s present work explores how governance is imagined, performed, and contested through media, political spectacle, and everyday interactions. His Ph.D. thesis, completed at the University of Canterbury under the UC Doctoral Scholarship for Students with Disabilities and awarded the Judith Ensor Prize, investigated the construction of “trust cultures” in news production and reception, using the Dengvaxia vaccine scandal in the Philippines as a case study. His broader research trajectory continues to engage with mediated political trust, governance imaginaries, and the role of communication in shaping public legitimacy.
Dr. Mendoza’s present work explores how governance is imagined, performed, and contested through media, political spectacle, and everyday interactions. His Ph.D. thesis, completed at the University of Canterbury under the UC Doctoral Scholarship for Students with Disabilities and awarded the Judith Ensor Prize, investigated the construction of “trust cultures” in news production and reception, using the Dengvaxia vaccine scandal in the Philippines as a case study. His broader research trajectory continues to engage with mediated political trust, governance imaginaries, and the role of communication in shaping public legitimacy.
He currently leads the Tiwala at Pagsunod (TaP) Project (2025–2029), a PUP-funded study on how tiwala (trust) and pagsunod (submission) are constructed and experienced in Pasig, Naga, and Davao. His research agenda is structured around four interrelated themes: (1) Mediated Political Trust and Governance Imaginaries, (2) Political Communication, Performance, and Spectacle, (3) Citizens, Trust, and Everyday Political Engagement, and (4) Communication for Social and Political Change.
Dr. Mendoza is also the founder of the Media, Discourse, and Society Research Group (MDSRG) within the PhD in Communication Program at PUP, which fosters interdisciplinary inquiry into the intersections of media, governance, and public discourse. Beyond research, he is committed to mentoring students and advancing discussions on media ethics, political legitimacy, and governance studies. He has developed an emerging interest in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), particularly in the teaching of qualitative research methods.
Now based in Pasay City, Dr. Mendoza actively bridges research, policy, and public engagement, shaping critical discussions on trust, media, and political culture in the Philippines and beyond.
Dr. Mendoza is also the founder of the Media, Discourse, and Society Research Group (MDSRG) within the PhD in Communication Program at PUP, which fosters interdisciplinary inquiry into the intersections of media, governance, and public discourse. Beyond research, he is committed to mentoring students and advancing discussions on media ethics, political legitimacy, and governance studies. He has developed an emerging interest in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), particularly in the teaching of qualitative research methods.
Now based in Pasay City, Dr. Mendoza actively bridges research, policy, and public engagement, shaping critical discussions on trust, media, and political culture in the Philippines and beyond.