Faculty Directory

Susan Bennett, Ph.D.

Bennett is driven by social justice. Her research interests include multicultural education, culturally responsive teaching, diversity and literacy. Whether working with college students or incarcerated youth, Bennett integrates creative arts into her lessons, drawing on music, visual art and drama to better communicate with her pupils.

During her career, Bennett has taught kindergarteners on a Navajo reservation, at-risk youth in correctional institutions and high-achieving college students. She teaches at the graduate and undergraduate levels at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus. Her undergraduate courses include lessons on literacy, literature, social studies and special education. Aspiring teachers in her graduate courses learn theories, research and best practices for effective teaching, including strategies for reading comprehension.

Bennett and other USF faculty recently partnered with the Florida Department of Corrections to work with prisoners on improving their literacy rates and mental health. In 2018, she received a Special Recognition for Teaching Award from the College of Education.