Adam Kotsko

[Interested parties might also read my attempt at a narrative CV written shortly after my dissertation defense.]

Education
Ph.D., 2009, Chicago Theological Seminary; Theology, Ethics, and the Human Sciences.

• Dissertation: “Atonement and Ontology” (accepted “with distinction”) (description link)
• Committee: Theodore W. Jennings, Jr. (advisor), Laurel C. Schneider, Bo Myung Seo
• Exam areas (all “high pass”): Patristic and Medieval Theology; 20th Century Theology; Major Figures—Kierkegaard, Barth, and Bonhoeffer; Philosophy of Religion; Methodology—Deconstruction; Theories of Community

M.A., 2005, Chicago Theological Seminary; Religious Studies.

• Thesis: “‘Literature in Secret: An Impossible Filiation’ by Jacques Derrida: Translation and Commentary” (accepted “with distinction”). (translation link)

B.A., 2002, Olivet Nazarene University; English.

• Summa cum laude with departmental honors.
• One semester at Oxford University with the Oxford Honours Programme.

Books
Awkwardness: An Essay (New York and London: O Books, forthcoming).

Žižek and Theology (New York and London: Continuum/T&T Clark, 2008). (publisher link; Amazon link)

Journal Articles
“Gift and Communio: The Holy Spirit in Augustine’s De Trinitate,” Scottish Journal of Theology (forthcoming).

“‘That They Might Have Ontology’: Radical Orthodoxy and the New Debate,” Political Theology 10.1 (January 2009): 115-124. (abstract link)

“On Agamben’s Use of Benjamin’s ‘Critique of Violence,’” Telos 145 (Winter 2008): 119-129. (excerpt link)

“The Failed Divine Performative: Reading Judith Butler’s Critique of Theology with Anselm’s On the Fall of the Devil,” Journal of Religion 88.2 (2008): 209–225. (link)

“Politics and Perversion: Situating Žižek’s Paul,” Journal for Cultural and Religious Theory 9.2 (2008): 43-52. (link)

“The Sermon on Mount Moriah: Faith and the Secret in The Gift of Death,” Heythrop Journal 49.1 (2008): 44-61. (abstract link)

“Objective Spirit and Continuity in the Theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.” Philosophy and Theology 17.1-2 (2005): 17-31. (link)

Book Chapter
“Beyond Theology and Secularism: On Agamben’s Messianic Nihilism,” in After the Postsecular and the Postmodern: New Essays in Continental Philosophy of Religion, ed. Anthony Paul Smith and Daniel Whistler (Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Press, forthcoming).

Translation
Giorgio Agamben, The Sacrament of Language: Archeology of the Oath (in progress; under contract with Stanford University Press).

Scholarly Reviews
Review of Slavoj Žižek and John Milbank, The Monstrosity of Christ: Paradox or Dialectic (Cambridge: MIT Press, 2009), Political Theology (forthcoming).

“Žižek’s Flawed ‘Magnum Opus.’” (Review of Slavoj Žižek, The Parallax View.) Journal for Cultural and Religious Theory 8.1 (2006): 90-97. (link)

“Already, Not Yet.” (Review of Jean-Luc Nancy, Déclosion : Déconstruction du christianisme, 1.) Journal for Cultural and Religious Theory 6.3 (2005): 87-95. (link)

Books reviewed for Reviews in Religion and Theology (author page link):

• Linda Trinkaus Zagzebski, Philosophy of Religion: An Historical Introduction.
• John A. McGuckin (ed.), The SCM Press A-Z of Origen.
• Vítor Westhelle, The Scandalous God: The Use and Abuse of the Cross.
• Stephen N. Williams, The Shadow of the Antichrist: Nietzsche’s Critique of Christianity.

Other Publications
“A Defense of the Lecture,” Inside Higher Ed, November 20, 2009. (link)

“‘You’re Not Don Draper’: Looking Back on Mad Men Season 2,” PopMatters, August 14, 2009. (link)

“The Ethics of Dr. Gregory House,” PopMatters, April 23, 2009. (link)

“A Skeptic’s Take on Academic Blogging,” Inside Higher Ed, November 1, 2007. (link)

“Don’t Be Afraid of Committees,” Inside Higher Ed, May 21, 2007. (link)

“Žižek’s Refusal.” (Review of Slavoj Žižek, The Parallax View.) In These Times, May 2006. (link)

Conference Presentations
“Displacing the Devil: Anselm, the Patristic Heritage, and Political Theology.” International Medieval Congress, Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 2010.

“Patristic Perspectives on the Cross: A Reinterpretation.” American Academy of Religion, Montreal, November 2009. (link)

“The Pre-History of Jean-Luc Nancy’s Deconstruction of Christianity.” American Academy of Religion, Chicago, November 2008. (link)

Panelist for “Hegemony, Gospel, & Empty Signifier: Theological and Philosophical Responses to Populist Reason.” American Academy of Religion, Chicago, November 2008.

“Philosophical Reading Beyond Paul: Jean-Luc Nancy on the Epistle of James.” Society of Biblical Literature, San Diego, November 2007. (link)

Panelist for “The Internet, Publishing, and the Future of Literature.” Association of Literary Scholars and Critics Annual Meeting, Chicago, October 2007.

“Singular Plural Catholic Spirit: John Wesley with Jean-Luc Nancy.” Wesleyan Theological Society Annual Meeting, Bourbonnais, Ill., March 2007. (link)

Panelist for “Critical Responses to Theology and the Political: The New Debate (Duke, 2005).” American Academy of Religion, Washington, D.C., November 2006.

“Politics and Perversion: Situating Žižek’s Paul.” Society of Biblical Literature, Washington, D.C., November 2006.

“Repeating Wesley.” Wesleyan Theological Society Annual Meeting, Seattle, March 2005.

“Slavoj Žižek’s Materialist Trinitarianism.” Annual Villanova Graduate Student Philosophy Conference on “Philosophy and Psychoanalysis,” Philadelphia, March 2003.

Employment
Kalamazoo College; Visiting Assistant Professor of Religion, 2009-2010

• Classes taught: Liberation Theology, Classical Christian Thought
• Classes planned: Medieval Christian Thought, Feminist Theologies, New Testament

Chicago Theological Seminary; Teaching Assistant, 2006-2008

• Classes assisted: History of Christian Thought, Systematic Theology, Constructive Theology, Public Theology (online course)

Fellowships and Awards
Research assistantship, Chicago Theological Seminary, 2006-2009
Ph.D. Fellowship, Chicago Theological Seminary, 2005-2009
Full-tuition scholarship, Olivet Nazarene University 1998-2002

Service
Referee for the journal Political Theology
Student Liaison to the American Academy of Religion, 2006-2008
Student Representative Positions at Chicago Theological Seminary:

• Search Committee for New Testament Faculty Position, 2006-2007
• Academic and Student Affairs Committee (Board of Trustees), 2006-2007
• Academic Council, 2005-2007

Professional Associations
American Academy of Religion
Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy

Research Languages
Reading and translation: French, German, Italian, Latin, Greek

References

• Theodore W. Jennings, Jr. Professor of Biblical and Constructive Theology. Chicago Theological Seminary. (tjennings@ctschicago.edu)
• Laurel C. Schneider. Associate Professor of Theology, Ethics, and Culture. Chicago Theological Seminary. (lschneider@ctschicago.edu)
• Bo Myung Seo. Associate Professor of Theology and Cultural Criticism. Chicago Theological Seminary. (bseo@ctschicago.edu)
• JoAnne Terrell. Associate Professor of Ethics and Theology. Chicago Theological Seminary. (jterrell@ctschicago.edu)
• W. Dow Edgerton. Professor of Ministry. Chicago Theological Seminary. (dedgerton@ctschicago.edu)
• Slavoj Žižek. Researcher in Social Sciences. University of Ljubljana, Slovenia (szizek@yahoo.com)
• Michael Naas. Professor of Philosophy. DePaul University. (mnaas@depaul.edu)
• Eric L. Santner. Professor of Modern German Studies. University of Chicago. (esantner@uchicago.edu)
• Craig Keen. Professor of Theology and Philosophy. Azusa Pacific University. (ckeen@apu.edu)

updated November 20, 2009