2014 Lindback Lecture Professor Details Lessons from a Personal Greek Odyssey

During Christopher DiCapua's journey to Greece last year he felt ill at ease because there was much about the language and customs he still didn't know. That trip enabled him to experience the same type of vulnerability many students feel in college classrooms.

DiCapua, an associate professor of Spanish and International Studies program supervisor at the College, shared reflections on this personal journey during the 12th Annual Lindback Lecture titled "From Vulnerability to Connection: A Personal Greek Odyssey."

"I left Greece with much improved proficiency in Greek and a better understanding of myself through a connection to my Greek ancestry that I did not have before,” he said. “I met family that I didn't know existed and gained a new and clearer understanding of Greek culture that I could not have imagined possible."

As the 2013 recipient of the Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award, DiCapua was invited to give a lecture March 19 to the entire College Family. The lecture is considered one of the academic highlights of the year. The Lindback Award winner is announced each year during Commencement, and winners are never told of the honor in advance.

During his lecture, DiCapua wove together a story about how a personal journey enabled him to connect more deeply with his students. After all, he had only a partial grasp of Greek when he set out for Kotronas, a village in southern Greece, to visit his paternal grandmother’s ancestral home. As he explored the village he found himself often feeling out of place and ill at ease in expressing himself.

Yet he persisted, speaking imperfect Greek to all willing to talk with him. He was amazed when a café owner agreed to review the family tree, recognized several names and gave him directions to the home of a living relative who introduced him to others. DiCapua said if he had let his feelings of discomfort stop him, he would not have made this big discovery.

Likewise, students' response to vulnerability often can be the difference between academic success or failure, he noted. DiCapua cited the work of author Brené Brown, Ph.D., a research professor at the University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work who studies vulnerability, courage, worthiness and shame.

Brown's research indicates that acknowledgment of vulnerability and self-doubt often precedes the ability to overcome those feelings and achieve a greater connection to others. "The way one deals with self-doubt can mean the difference between success and stagnancy," DiCapua said.

With that in mind, DiCapua developed a questionnaire to encourage new foreign language students to face fears about the class work. "My approach helps students feel worthy and connected to me and others in the class," he said. "I am convinced that achieving a connection…keeps students in class. It gives them the motivation to keep going, to become better speakers of foreign languages."