Christina Cappy

Christina Cappy

Christina Cappy

Instructor, Anthropology
Credentials
Joint Ph.D. in Anthropology and Educational Policy Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison
M.A. in Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
M.A. in Educational Policy Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison
B.A. in International Studies and Anthropology, Emory University
Biography

Christina Cappy is an instructor of anthropology at Oregon State University – Cascades and Central Oregon Community College. Since starting at OSU-Cascades in 2017, she has designed and taught a range of courses in the fields of cultural and linguistic anthropology, as well as mentored honors students. She previously acted at the part-time faculty representative on the Faculty Senate at COCC and currently serves as the associated faculty representative on Academic Faculty Council at OSU-Cascades.

Cappy received two masters and a joint Ph.D. in anthropology and educational policy studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focuses on language, culture and education in South Africa. She received a Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship to conduct research in low-income South African high schools where she examined how education shapes a sense of belonging and morality. 

In 2019 Cappy founded Bend Language Institute, a collaboration of higher education and K-12 teachers that offers small group classes and private lessons in several different languages. Through BLI’s classes, organizational partnerships, and community events, she seeks to foster multicultural perspectives and cross-cultural understanding in our Central Oregon community. Cappy serves as the director and Italian teacher at the institute.

Cappy uses research to inform a student-centered approach to teaching in her university classes and at the institute. She recognizes that learning happens when students can drive their own trajectory and examine their own interests through course content and pedagogical practices. Beyond teaching, Cappy enjoys playing outside in every way that Bend has to offer from backpacking and backcountry skiing to mountain biking. She has traveled extensively around the world and worked with nonprofits in South Africa, India and the United States.

Courses Taught at OSU
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Comparative Cultures
Language in the USA
Peoples of the World – Africa
Language, Culture and Society
Global Conflicts
Anthropology of International Development
Anthropology, Health, and Environment

Selected Publications 
Cappy, Christina. 2019. “Righteous Paths: Performing Morality in South African Morning Assemblies.” Anthropological Quarterly 92 (3): 845-876.

Cappy, Christina. 2016. “Shifting the Future? Teachers as Agents of Social Change in South African Secondary Schools.” Education as Change 20 (3): 119-140.

Cappy, Christina. 2016. “The Role of Philanthropic Foundations in Shaping South African Colonial Educational Policy in the Early Twentieth Century.” In Empire and Education in Africa: The Shaping of a Comparative Perspective, edited by Peter Kallaway and Rebecca Swartz, 129-154. New York: Peter Lang Publishing.

Stambach, Amy and Christina Cappy. 2012. “What We See, What Is Missing, and What Has Fallen Away: The 2011 Comparative Education Review Bibliography.” Comparative Education Review 56 (3): 534-546.

Popular Articles
Cappy, Christina. 2022. “Am I Too Old to Learn a Language?” Bend Language Institute, September 17. Available Online

Cappy, Christina. 2021. “How Effective Are Language Apps?” Bend Language Institute, February 2. Available Online

Selected Presentations
Cappy, Christina. 2018, March 6. Models of Mentoring Undergraduates: The Potentials and Pitfalls of Graduate Student Mentors at a Large State University. Panelist. Critical Questions in Education Conference, Portland, OR, United States.

Cappy, Christina. 2016, March 9. Learning Values in South African Life Orientation and English Classes. Panelist. Comparative and International Education Society Conference, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Cappy, Christina. 2015, November 21. Making Family: The Morality of Reciprocity in South African Schools. Panelist. American Anthropological Association Conference, Denver, CO, United States.

Cappy, Christina. 2014, September 19. South African Youth’ Experiences of Social Cohesion through Schooling: Preliminary Insights. Invited Presentation. University of KwaZulu-Natal School of Education Plenary Series, Edgewood, KZN, South Africa.