English Professor and Honors Program Director Heather Hayton has published a new scholarly book, A Companion to Medieval and Early Modern Siena. The book is co-edited with Santa Casciani, professor of Italian and Director of the Bishop M. Pilla Program at John Carroll University. It contains chapters from 13 prominent humanities and economics scholars from Europe, the U.K., and North America. 

A Companion to Medieval and Early Modern Siena is part of Brill Press’s series on European history and culture. It is inspired in part by Heather’s time leading two different study abroad semesters in the medieval city of Siena (Tuscany). Teaching students about medieval history, literature, and art in a UNESCO heritage site that remains much as it was 800 years ago is a magical experience, Heather says. Although the College no longer offers the Siena program, Heather says she hopes to one day soon take students back to Siena for a 3-week session to study the 1348 plague.