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When you are introduced to people who emit exceptionally bright rays of inspiration, you can’t help but want to learn more about these individuals. Celia Caputi, Ph.D, a professor of Florida State University’s English department, is one of these rare people. Her spirit and passion for the subject she teaches is contagious and is immediately reflected by her students’ participation in class. I had the opportunity to take a stroll through campus with Professor Caputi in order to get to know her a little better, to gain insight into what her job consists of on a daily basis and to find out why she was drawn to the subject of Women in Literature.
With a double major in Literature and Journalism from American University, a master’s degree from Boston College and a doctorate degree in English from Brandeis University, Caputi is a Long Island native who has adopted the Florida lifestyle and has been teaching at FSU for over 10 years. “11 years now,” she corrects herself and laughs nostalgically at how much time has passed. Professor Caputi has always focused her career path on becoming a professor for the purpose of utilizing the summers off to work on her own creative writing, although she says, “It tends to be more academic than creative.”
The subjects that Professor Caputi has had the opportunity to teach include “a great deal of Renaissance literature, courses in Shakespeare and Women in Literature.” As we make our way across Landis Green in pursuit of the parking lot, Caputi remarks that she tends to choose topics with a primarily “feminist lens.” She goes further to say, “First and foremost I am a feminist,” and when presented with the opportunity to teach and write about women, in all sincerity, she says, “That is where my heart is.”
That sincerity and passion for the topics she teaches is exactly what excites her classroom of students. Her class discussions on various texts and plays are a constant buzz of chatter and diverse ideas and opinions. When asked what tactics she uses to keep her students engaged, she enthusiastically responds by saying, “Discussion, discussion, discussion!” In Professor Caputi’s perspective, “Learning is interactive.” By far, the best part of our interview is when she explains why her teaching is based on interaction. “If it’s me just telling them what to think, that’s not going to work, because I’m dealing with adults who have their own backgrounds and opinions and areas of interest. People will come to an understanding of the way the texts work that might be more in line with what I believe (or might not), but the important part is that they’re engaging and interacting with the texts and with each other in the classroom setting.”Â
Aside from her professional life, Caputi tells us that she lives on the water and is an avid kayaker in her leisure time (which is slim considering she is currently working vigorously to publish three separate articles)! If you’re looking for a class to fill your schedule next semester, you should definitely consider Professor Caputi’s Women in Literature lecture class. Professor Caputi proves to be not only a fun and incredibly knowledgeable woman, but also someone who understands different perspectives and is open-minded to the opinions and thoughts that are spoken in her classes.