Melanie Finney

Professor of Communication

Melanie K. Finney, Ph.D., The University of Iowa, 1996, has been at DePauw University since 1994. She teaches in the Department of Communication and Theatre and her courses examine the social construction of personal and social identities across a variety of contexts, as well as intercultural communication, and gender, race, class and culture. Her primary research interests are how individuals and institutions cope with grief and loss, and the construction of identity following traumatic or transformative events.

Currently, Melanie is researching the continuing issues in Northern Ireland's quest for long-term peace. Her initial work has focused on how various communities remember the past, in particular by examining public art and memorials in Northern Ireland. Future projects include examination of sites of remembrance during the Troubles, the changing rhetoric of key politicians, and the significance of cultural identity markers for both communities.