Research Interests:
State Violence, Racial & Ethnic Violence, Political Violence, Mass Violence, Genocide/Politicide/Ethnocide, War Crimes, Hate Crimes, Critical Theory, Qualitative Methodology
Education:
Ph.D., Criminology & Justice Studies: Terrorism & Security Studies, University of Massachusetts Lowell, 2024
M.A., Criminal Justice, Wichita State, 2019
B.A., Criminal Justice and History, University of Memphis, 2017
Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman is an assistant professor of criminology. Her research broadly examines state violence (which ranges from genocide to war crimes to police brutality), racial/ethnic violence and political violence through a critical lens. She has done fieldwork in Suriname, South America, where she interviewed supporters and opposers of the former dictator in order to understand how a history of colonization can impact support for violent state leaders.
Her current work is centered on police brutality and hate crimes.
Her teaching focuses on encouraging students to recognize inequalities in the criminal justice system and consider strategies for reducing them. She is currently teaching Race, Class, Gender and the Criminal Legal System at DePaul University.