Department of History
Augsburg College  
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454

Phone: 612-330-1199
e-mail: adamo@augsburg.edu

EDUCATION

Ph.D., 2000, M.A, 1996, History
The Ohio State University

L’Université Laval, 1997
(intensive French program in Quebec, Canada)

B.A., summa cum laude, 1994
The University at Albany—SUNY

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Associate Professor of History, Augsburg College (Fall 2007-)

Assistant Professor of History (tenure track), Augsburg College (Fall 2001-Spring 2007)

Visiting Assistant Professor of History, Kenyon College (Spring 2001)

Graduate Teaching Associate, Ohio State University (1994-2000)

Graphic Designer, free-lance (1984-88)

Clown, Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus, Zirkus Roncalli, Circo Nones, et al, USA, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland (1974-1984)

SCHOLARLY PUBLICATIONS

“Monks and Heretics: Using Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose as a Textbook in and Upper-level, Undergraduate History Seminar,” in Alison Ganze, ed., Postscript to the Middle Ages: Teaching Medieval Studies through Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose (Syracuse University Press, forthcoming).

“Secundum morem Cisterciensium: The Caulite Critique of Cistercian Practice,” Cîteaux: Commentarii cistercienses, 2004, t. 55, fasc. 3-4, pp. 201-229.

 “Medieval Connections: Active Learning and the Teaching of the Middle Ages,” Teaching History, 2005.

 “Confessions of a Rogue Pedagogue: Tagg’s Learning Paradigm in Action,” Proceedings of the Congress on Innovations in Teaching and Learning, 2005.
 
“The Manuscript Tradition and Origins of the Caulite Customary: an historiographic examination,” Revue Mabillon, n.s., t. 11 (=t. 72), 2000: 197-220.

“What is a Monk?  The Twelfth-Century ‘Crisis’ of Monasticism,” Exploring the European Past: Texts and Images, customizable reader for the Western Civilization survey developed by the History Department of The Ohio State University; published by Thomson Learning Custom Publishing, 2000.

“Burke, Peter, 1937—, British social and cultural historian.”  The Encyclopedia of Historians and Historical Writings, ed. K. Boyd, 2 vols, London and Chicago, 1999, 1: 152-154.

SCHOLARLY PRESENTATIONS

“Monks and Heretics: Using Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose as a Textbook in an Upper-level, Undergraduate History Seminar,” presented at the 41st International Congress on Medieval Studies, Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 2006.  

“The Sentinel’s Tale: A Chaucerian Forgery by a Post-Post-Chaucerian Forger,” presented under the auspices of the Societas Fontibus Historiae Medii Aevi Inveniendis, vulgo dicta "The Pseudo Society,” at the 41st International Congress on Medieval Studies, Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 2006.

“Medieval Connections: Teaching the Middle Ages to Undergraduates,” guest lecture to the Humanities Faculty at Auburn University, Auburn, GA, April 2006.

“Religion and Empire: From the Fertile Crescent to the French Kings to Today,” presentation given at the Religion in Life Series, Saint Michael’s Lutheran Church, Roseville, MN, October 2005.

“Confessions of a Rogue Pedagogue: Tagg’s Learning Paradigm in Action,” presented at the Congress on Innovations in Teaching and Learning, St. Olaf’s College, Richfield, MN, April 2005.    

“Medieval Connections: Teaching the Middle Ages to Undergraduates,” presented to the Medieval Research Group, Center for Medieval Studies, University of Minnesota, November 2004.

“The Abbot Removed: A Critique of Cistercian Authority in the Monastic Customary of the Caulite Order,” presented at the International Medieval Congress, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom, July 2003.

“Medievalism in Middle America: Graceland, the Holy Land, and the Pedagogy of Pilgrimage,” presented at the annual meeting of the Medieval Academy of America, Minneapolis, MN, April 2003.

“Monastic Economy in the Thirteenth Century: The Case of the Caulite Order,” presented at the 37th Annual Northern Great Plains History Conference, Minneapolis, MN, October 2002.

“Graceland / Holy Land: The Medievalism of a Modern Pilgrimage,” presented at the Twenty-Third Medieval Forum, Plymouth State College, Plymouth New Hampshire, April 2002.  This paper is cited in the bibliography of Linda Kay Davidson and David M. Gitlitz, Pilgrimage: An Encyclopedia (Santa Barbara: ABC-Clio, 2002).

“From eremus to ordo, the Formation of the Caulite Monastic Order,” presented at the Medieval Academy of America, in conjunction with the American Historical Association’s 115th annual meeting, Boston, MA, January 2001.

"Not by Rents Alone, the Caulite Economy in the Thirteenth Century," presented at the Ohio Medieval Colloquium, Oberlin College, November 2000.

“I’m Not a Teacher But I Play One on TV: Representations of the Teaching Profession in Film and Television,” Keynote Address presented at the Ohio State University campus-wide TA Orientation, September 2000.

“How to Make the Past Sing and Dance: Powerpoint for History Teachers,” guest lecture presented at The Ohio History Teaching Institute, Goldberg Program for Excellence in Teaching, Department of History, Ohio State University, July 2000.
 
“Grinding to a Halt: the Role of Mills in the Caulite Order,” presented at the 35th International Congress on Medieval Studies, Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 2000.

“The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe(-ity),” Keynote Address presented at the Ohio State University campus-wide TA Orientation, September 1999.

“Note sur la fondation du Val-des-Choux,” guest lecture presented (in French) at the Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France, June 1999.

“Deus vult: Bernard of Clairvaux and the Discourse of the Second Crusade,” presented at The Military and Society, Graduate Student Conference, Ohio State University, May 1997.

“Lay Brothers in Two Monastic Orders: The Influence of Cistercian Texts on the Caulite Work Force,” presented at the Council of Graduate Students Conference, Ohio State University, May 1996.

NON-TRADITIONAL SCHOLARSHIP

Student research supervision: Brett Cease “From Mythos to Conquest: How Viking Legends Inspired Viking Exploits,” presented at the 41st International Congress on Medieval Studies, Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 2006.  

Student research supervision: Jake Thomas “Judas Iscariot: The Phenomenon, From Biblical Villain to Pop-Culture Icon,” presented at the Upper-Midwest Regional Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, Luther Seminary, April 2006.

Student research supervision: Eriks Dunens “Roger Bacon: The Magician Who Never Was,” Departmental Honors Project, May 2006.

“The History and Traditions of Valentine’s Day,” interview on Viewpoints, radio news show syndicated to 300 stations nationwide though MediaTracks, February 6-14, 2005.

Historical consultant to Kevin Kling, playwright commissioned by the Guthrie Theatre to write a play about the Fourth Crusade (AD 1204), Summer 2005.

Student research supervision: “Museums in Social and Historical Context.” This was a learning community—comprised of 12 students, sociology professor Lars Christiansen, and myself—that operated like a mini-seminar.  The goal of the Learning Community was to examine museums as cultural artifacts.  We engaged the (re-) presentation of culture in five museums, two of these in Chicago.  We read and discussed Steven Conn’s Museums and American Intellectual Life, 1876-1926, and invited professor Conn to campus for a lecture and discussion, Autumn, 2002.

Student research supervision: “Two Views of Theoderich’s Guide to the Holy Land;” student panel presented at the Twenty-Third Medieval Forum, Plymouth State College, Plymouth, New Hampshire;  Hope Moy, “From Fear to Respect: One Christian’s view of his Muslim Foe; ”Kat Ness, “The Penance of Pilgrimage,” Spring 2002.

Student research supervision: “The Trebuchet Project,” interdisciplinary research funded by the Departments of History, Mathematics, and Physics, as well as the Office of the Dean, Spring 2002.  

CAMPUS and COMMUNITY PRESENTATIONS

“On the Medieval Origins of the Modern College, Or Students Then and Now,” Keynote Speech, Opening Convocation, given as recipient of the Teaching Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teaching and Learning, September 2006.

"From Pratfall to Professor: My Life in the Circus and Academia," Keynote Speech, Sponsored by the Center for Faith and Learning and the Lilly Foundation, April 2006.

“The History of Mardi Gras,” Chapel Talk, February 2006.

“A Biblical Lesson on Espionage,” Chapel Talk, January 2006.

“The April Fool’s Ban: Whatever It Is, I’m Against It!” presentation to the Seminar Series of the Center for Teaching and Learning, April, 2005.

“It’s more than just a job, it’s vocation,” presentation to the Vocation Mentoring Group, sponsored by the Lilly Grant, April 2005.

“Petrarch in Historical Context,” guest lecture in Merilee Klemp’s History of Music class, (MUS 361), March 2005.

“Galileo in Historical Context,” guest lecture in Bob Groven’s Honor’ class, February 2005.

“Dreams and Visions,” Chapel Talk, February, 2005.

“What to Expect When You Travel to Greece,” presentation at South High School to students about to depart on a 10-day trip to Greece, February, 2005.

“The Virgin Mary: From the Middle Ages to Today,” guest lecture in Merilee Klemp’s Intro to Music class, (MUS 100), March 2004.

“Professor Wagstaff Explains Paraskevidekatriphobia,” presentation to the Seminar Series of the Center for Teaching and Learning, March 2004.

“The Vocationomitron,” Chapel Talk, February 2004.

“Catholics in the Reformation,” Chapel Talk, November 2003.

“Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella,” guest lecture in Merilee Klemp’s Music History class, (MUS 361), as preparation for student attendance of “The Road to Santiago” at the Southern Theatre.  This lecture was also given for members of the Augsburg community who attended the performance through an event sponsored by the Augsburg History Club, February, 2003.

Strand leader, “If I ran the zoo.”  Conducted six, cross-campus brainstorming workshops on the philosophy of teaching” sponsored by the Center for Professional Development, Autumn 2002.

“Could Arnold Schwarzenegger Play Christ in the Movie?” Chapel Talk, November 2002.

“The real history of Antony and Cleopatra,” guest lecture in Martha Johnson’s Theatre History and Criticism class, (THR 361), as part of a discussion of Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, which the students had recently viewed at the Guthrie Theatre, March, 2002.

“Consanguinity and the construction of the medieval European family,” guest lecture in Matt Haines Mathematics for the Liberal Arts class (MAT 131), as part of a discussion on how family relations are constructed mathematically, February, 2002.

“How to get to grad school and what to do when you get there,” guest lecture and discussion in Don Gustafson’s history seminar (HIS 495), December 2001.

“A Jewish Janitor Debates the Pope,” Chapel Talk, November 2001.

FELLOWSHIPS, GRANTS, AND RESEARCH AWARDS

Instructional Course Design Grant, Center for Teaching and Learning, Augsburg College, Summer 2007

Fellow, Center for Teaching and Learning, Augsburg College, 2003-05    

Ohio Academy of History Dissertation Award, 2001, for "New Monks, Old Habits: The Formation of the Caulite Monsatic Order, 1193-1305"

Presidential Dissertation Fellowship, Ohio State University, 2000-2001    
        
Bourse Chateaubriand Sciences Humaines1998-99
(research fellowship awarded by the French government)

Graduate School/College of Humanities Research Fellowship, Ohio State University, 1998

Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies Research Grant, Ohio State University, 1997

Office of International Studies Research Grant, Ohio State University, 1997

Ruth Higgins Research Grant, Ohio State University, 1997

Elaine S. and John C. Rule Research Grant, Ohio State University, 1997

Graduate Student Alumni Research Award, Ohio State University, 1996

TEACHING AWARDS

Teaching Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teaching and Learning, presented by the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Office of the Provost, Augsburg College, 2006

Clio Award for Outstanding Teaching in History, awarded by the Zeta Chapter of the Phi Alpha Theta Honorary in History, Ohio State University, 2000

Teaching Technology Fellow, The Ohio History Teaching Institute, Goldberg Program for Excellence in Teaching, Department of History, Ohio State University (declined to accept Presidential Dissertation Fellowship), 2000

Provost's Teaching Fellowship, Ohio State University (5 awarded annually on a campus of circa 2400 graduate teaching associates), 1997

Graduate Associate Teaching Award, Ohio State University (10 awarded annually on a campus of circa 2400 graduate teaching associates), 1997

COURSE TAUGHT

HIS 101: Introduction to Western Culture

HIS 280: The History Workshop
HIS 360: The Ancient Near East
HIS 361: Hellenistic Greece and Rome
HIS 369: Early and High Middle Ages
HIS 370: Late Middle Ages to 1648
HIS 374: The Medieval Crusades
HIS 378: The Medieval Church
HIS 440: Monks and Heretics
HIS 480: Asceticism: Senior Seminar in History
HIS 440: Travel in the Ancient World (travel seminar in Greece and Turkey)
HIS 440: Religious Life in Medieval France (travel seminar in France)

SERVICE TO THE COLLEGE
    

Director of Medieval Studies, Fall 2007-

Coordinator of Medieval Studies, Fall 2005-Spring 2007

Faculty Advisor, Griffin Honors House, Fall 2005-

Faculty Advisor, Goliard Society of Medievalists, Fall 2005-

Chief Writer, Committee for the Inauguration of Paul C. Pribbenow as the 11th President of Augsburg College, Fall 2006

Member, Honors Council, Fall 2005-

Member, Faculty Senate, Fall 2003-Spring 2005

Member, Admissions Committee, Fall 2005-Spring 2007

Member, Faculty Development Committee, Fall 2005-Spring 2007  

Member, History Department Faculty Search Committee, Fall 2004-Spring 2005    

Member, Honors Program Transition Team, Fall 2004-Spring 2005

Mentor, Center for Faith and Learning Vocation Program, Fall 20o3-Spring 2005

Faculty Advisor, Augsburg History Society (History Club), Fall 2001-Spring 2005

Member, Zyzzogeton Academic Fair Committee, Spring 2005

Member, Convocation Committee, Fall 2002-Spring 2004

Member, Mission Committee, Fall 2002-Spring 2003
   

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

Member, Program Committee, Annual Meeting of the Medieval Academy of America, 2002-2003

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS AND HONOR SOCIETIES

American Historical Association
Medieval Academy of America
American Catholic Historical Association
Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society
Phi Beta Kappa

LANGUAGES COMPETENCIES
        

Fluent: French, German
Read: Latin, Old French, Middle High German, Middle English

EXPERIENCE ABROAD

France, Ireland, 2006
Greece, Turkey, 2005
Greece, England, 2003
France, 1998-99
West Germany, West Berlin, France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, 1977-82