Cristiana Conti-Easton

Adjunct Professor of Humanities

Biography

Cristiana is completing her Ph.D. in History at York University (Toronto, Canada), specializing in Biblical Prophecy. She holds an MA in History (2012) and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Advanced Hebrew and Jewish Studies (2016) from York. She served as a Research Associate at the Israel and Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies, also York (2019-2020). Cristiana’s academic training is in ancient history, with a particular focus on the history and culture of the ancient Near East and ancient Israel, especially Canaan during the Iron Age. She is trained in Biblical Hebrew, Imperial Aramaic, and Akkadian, and is highly skilled in biblical exegesis. Her publications include a co-authored article in the forthcoming Cambridge Handbook of Historical Biblical Exegesis (edited by Stanley Porter and David Fuller) and another article titled “Understanding the Image of the Cup of God’s Wrath in Jeremiah 25 in Light of the Mesopotamian Anti-Witchcraft Tradition,” forthcoming in the Journal for the Study of the Old Testament. Cristiana also contributes to the editorial team of Estudios Orientales – Monografías RIIPOA and has experience translating academic volumes in the field of Religious Studies from Italian to English for the Urbaniana University Press in Rome. Cristiana has also participated in an excavation project as part of the joint Italian-Nepalese Mission of the Italian Institute for Africa and the Orient (ISIAO). This project focused on the Gotihâwa Stupa in the Kapilvastu District of Terai, Nepal, from 1998 to 2001. Additionally, Cristiana served as a trench supervisor and artifact drawing specialist in various archaeological excavations. From 2007 to 2009, she contributed to projects with the American Institute for Roman Culture (AIRC) in Rome, Italy. In 2009, she collaborated with the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum of Jerusalem at Mount Nebo, Jordan.

 

Teaching Philosophy

In my teaching at ACC, I prioritize direct engagement with primary sources. From the earliest attestations of epic literature in ancient Mesopotamia with the Gilgamesh saga to Machiavelli’s political treatise, The Prince, during the Italian Renaissance, my courses are designed to help students understand the cultures, history, and perspectives that have shaped our world by reflecting critically on these transformative texts. My teaching approach integrates a combination of interactive lectures, class discussions, and scaffolded research projects. For instance, in my HUMA 1301 and 1302 courses, students have the opportunity to create a podcast aimed at engagement with the wider public. They produce a 15-minute podcast on a topic which not only connects the academic world with the public but also helps them to practice turning complex ideas into engaging, accessible content.

 

Areas of Interest

Ancient History

History of the Ancient Near East

Ancient Israel

Biblical Studies

Comparative Literature

Comparative Religion

 

Courses Taught at ACC

HUMA 1301: Prehistory to Renaissance

HUMA 1301: Great Questions Seminar

HUMA 1302: Renaissance to Present

PHIL 1304: Introduction to Comparative Religion

 

Courses Taught Elsewhere

HIST 3110: Ancient Israel in its ancient Near Eastern context from the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1550-1200 BCE) through the Iron Age (ca. 1200-539 BCE) (York University).

HUMA 1870: The Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and the Arts (York University).

HUMA 1110: Greek and Biblical Traditions (York University).

HUMA 1860: The Nature of Religion (York University).

RELS 150: Introduction to the Bible (guest lecture on the Book of Jeremiah; University of Pennsylvania).