Areas of specialization: late ancient Mediterranean religions; dress and performativity; history of medicine, health, and healing
Prof. Upson-Saia offers specialized courses on the ancient Roman world, including: Magic, Miracle, and Medicine in Antiquity; "Good" Sex: History of Sexual Ethics; Death, Dying, and the Afterlife in the Ancient Mediterranean World; and Humans and the Environment in Antiquity. With Prof. Morrissey (Philosophy) and Prof. Lehr (Economics), she team-teaches the Health & Humanity FYS course. She has also led the Turkey: Then & Now program, which pairs a semester long course with a short-term field study in Turkey (ancient Asia Minor).
Her early research focused on religious dress and performativity in late antiquity. On this topic, she published two books: (Routledge, 2011) and (Routledge, 2014).
More recently, her research focus has turned to medicine and healing in late antiquity. Prof. Upson-Saia co-founded the international working group (pronounced "remedy," an acronym for Religion, Medicine, Disability, and Health in late antiquity), a group of 350+ scholars who collaborate on scholarly projects. She is a series editor for the (Routledge Press). Her latest book was published with University of California press in 2023 and is already receiving !
Interested in Prof. Upson-Saia's research? You can listen to the BBC podcast, You're Dead to Me, in which she was the guest scholar.