Professor Tompkins teaches courses in media and cultural studies, and his scholarly work focuses on how corporatized media systems (film, TV, sports, PR) operate within a broader framework of political interests and power relations. His research has appeared in leading scholarly journals including Cinema Journal, Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, Journal of Popular Music Studies, Journal of Sport and Social Issues, New Review of Film and Television Studies, Popular Communication: The International Journal of Media and Culture, and Television & New Media.