Photo of Melanie smiling in front of flowers

Melanie Kohnen

Associate Professor of Rhetoric & Media Studies

JRH 368, MSC: 35
Office Hours:

Mon 4:30-5:15pm and Tues 3:30-4:30pm (click here to schedule an appointment)

Melanie E.S. Kohnen is a media scholar who investigates the contemporary media industry and its audiences. How do media industries and audiences negotiate diversity in film, television, and digital media? How do industry and audiences interact at events like San Diego Comic-Con? How can media scholars reimagine the tools and platforms they use to analyze film and TV? These questions characterize her research on media industries, audiences, and digital platforms.

Melanie publishes scholarship in conventional venues such as journals and anthologies, but is also invested in exploring innovative digital formats, including the video essay and the associated methodology of videographic criticism, and Storymaps, a digital multimedia storytelling platform.

For more information on Melanie’s research, teaching, and digital projects, visit her website at https://melanieeskohnen.com/

Academic Credentials

Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

      PhD, American Studies, May 2010

      MA, American Studies, 2002 

Heinrich-Heine-Universitat, Dusseldorf, Germany 

     Magister Artium (combined BA and MA), English Languages and Literatures with minor in Media Studies, 2001)

Teaching

  • Introduction to Rhetoric and Media Studies
  • Media Design and Criticism
  • Media Theory
  • Digital Media and Society
  • Queer Film and Television
  • Television and American Culture

Syllabi and sample assignments available at: https://melanieeskohnen.com/teaching/

Teaching (With) Videographic Criticism: 

Curious about video essays made by RHMS students? Visit the department’s Vimeo channel to see work from Media Theory, Media Design and Criticism, Television and American Culture and more!

Research

Recent Publications:

Learn more: /live/profiles/5858-melanie-kohnen