Kristina Sessa received her A.B. in Religion from Princeton University (1992) and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Ancient and Medieval History from the University of California at Berkeley (2003). Her research focuses on the history of late antique religions and society (ca. 300-700 CE), especially on the intersection between classical Roman culture and early Christianity. She recently edited a special volume of the Journal of Early Christian Studies on Christianity and the domestic sphere, and is presently writing a book on the relationship between the aristocratic household and the emergence of episcopal authority in the late antique city of Rome.
Before arriving at OSU in 2007, Professor Sessa taught for three years in the Department of History at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, CA. She has received various grants and awards, and has been a fellow at both the American Academy in Rome (2001-2002) and the Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America at Columbia University (2006-2007).