2022 (expected)
Ph.D., Sociology, University of Notre Dame
Dissertation: "Seeking the Good Life: The Moral Development of Young People in America"
Committee: Christian Smith (chair), Terence McDonnell, Kraig Beyerlein, Erika Summers-Effler
Exam Fields: Religion (with distinction), Culture
2018
M.A., Sociology, University of Notre Dame
Committee: Christian Smith (chair), Omar Lizardo, Terence McDonnell
2016
M.Div., Princeton Theological Seminary
2013
B.A., Religious Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Minor: Social and Economic Justice
2009
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
Morality, Culture, Religion, Politics, Cognition, Emotion, Life Course, Emerging Adulthood, Family, Theory
Smith, Christian, Bridget Ritz, and Michael Rotolo. 2020. Religious Parenting: Transmitting Faith and Values in Contemporary America. Princeton: Princeton University Press. (equal authorship)
Rotolo, Michael. 2021 (Forthcoming). "Culture Beneath Discourse: A Conceptual Model for Analyzing Nondeclarative Cultural Knowledge." American Journal of Cultural Sociology.
Rotolo, Michael. 2021. "Moral Religiosities: How Morality Structures Religious Understandings during the Transition to Adulthood." Sociology of Religion 82(1):63-84.
Rotolo, Michael. 2020. "Religion Imagined: The Conceptual Substructures of American Religious Understandings." Sociological Forum 35(1):167-188.
Rotolo, Michael. “Fight-or-Flight for America: The Development of Christian Nationalist Ideology during the Transition to Adulthood.” (Under Review)
Rotolo, Michael. “The Perceptual Bases of Morality and Politics: A Tripartite Model of Political Orientation.” (Working Draft)
Rotolo, Michael. "Speaking of Purity: The Sanctity Moral Foundation in Discourse." (Draft in Progress)
Rotolo, Michael. "The Inspirations of Aspirations: The Shaping of Future Aims and Dreams during the Transition to Adulthood." (Analyzing Data)
Rotolo, Michael. “America’s Moral Compass: Seeking the Good Life in the 21st Century.” (Book Manuscript in Progress)
Michael Rotolo. 2021, April 7. “Fear and Anger: Christian Nationalism among Young Adults,” on Center for Congregations Podcast.
Michael Rotolo. 2020, April 8. “Could the Coronavirus be Good for the Church?” on Red Letter Christians.
Michael Rotolo. 2019, December 21. “Image Schemas: The Physics of Cultural Knowledge?” on Culture, Cognition, and Action (CultureCog) Blog.
2016-present
Research Analyst
The National Study of Youth and Religion
2017-2020
Project Director of the Engaging Young Adults Initiative, $62,679
Lilly Endowment Inc.; Sunnyside Presbyterian Church
2016-2019
Research Assistant with Christian Smith
The Intergenerational Religious Transmission Project
2016-2019
Research Assistant with Christian Smith
Global Religion Research Initiative
October 2016
"Religion and Society in Chile," Religion Research Exploration in Santiago, Chile
Fall 2021
Teaching Assistant with Christian Smith
SOC 10002: Understanding Societies, University of Notre Dame
Spring 2020
Instructor of Record
SOC 20002: Understanding Societies, University of Notre Dame
2019-2020
Research Mentorship/Collaboration with Undergraduate Student
Raechel Kiesel, “The Moral Dictionaries of American Young People: A Longitudinal Examination of Moral Foundations”
Fall 2018
Teaching Assistant with Christian Smith
SOC 30900: Sociological Theory, University of Notre Dame
Summer 2018
"Effective and Engaging Teaching in the Social Sciences and Humanities" Teaching Workshop, University of Notre Dame
Summer 2014
ESL Teacher, Student.Go, Kanazawa, Japan
Summer 2012
ESL Teacher, Refuge & Hope International, Kampala, Uganda
August 8, 2021 — “Author Meets Critic Session for Religious Parenting: Transmitting Faith and Values in Contemporary America,” Virtual Annual Meeting of the Association for the Sociology of Religion.
August 8, 2021 — “Becoming an Extremely Liberal Millennial: Far-Left Ideological Development during the Transition to Adulthood,” American Sociological Association Virtual Annual Meeting.
October 23, 2020 — “Fight-or-Flight for America: Becoming a Christian Nationalist during the Transition to Adulthood,” Society for the Scientific Study of Religion Annual Meeting, originally scheduled for Pittsburgh, PA.
August 8, 2020 — "Culture Beneath Discourse: Theorizing the Properties and Relationships of Cognitive Cultural Entities," American Sociological Association Virtual Annual Meeting, originally scheduled for San Francisco, CA.
August 2020 — “Fight-or-Flight for America: Becoming a Christian Nationalist during the Transition to Adulthood,” 82st Annual Meeting of the Association for the Sociology of Religion, originally scheduled for San Francisco, CA.
October 25, 2019 — "America’s Four Religiosities: How Moral Orientations Structure Religious Practice During the Transition to Adulthood," Society for the Scientific Study of Religion Annual Meeting, St. Louis, MO.
August 12, 2019 — "Religion and Ultimate Concerns During the Transition to Adulthood: The Role of Values in Forming Religious Outlooks," 81st Annual Meeting of the Association for the Sociology of Religion, New York, NY.
October 28, 2018 — "Imagining Religion: The Unconscious Substructures of American Religious Understandings," Society for the Scientific Study of Religion Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, NV.
August 13, 2018 — “Imagining Religion: An Image Schematic Approach to Cultural Cognition,” American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA.
October 27, 2017 — “Preparation for the Journey: The Role of Experience in Parent’s Religious Transmission Approaches,” Harvard Divinity School Ways of Knowing Graduate Conference on Religion, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.
October 13, 2017 — “Measuring Religiousness: Conventional Measures vs. Self-Evaluation From Adolescence to Young Adulthood,” Society for the Scientific Study of Religion Annual Meeting, Washington, DC.
May 16, 2021 — “Division and Dialogue in U.S. Politics,” Series Speaker, Cathedral of Saint James, South Bend, IN.
March 17, 2021 — “Religious Engagement among Young People in America,” Workshop Leader, Center for Congregations, Live Webinar.
February 24, 2021 — “Religious Engagement among Young People in America,” Workshop Leader, Center for Congregations, Live Webinar.
October 9, 2020 — “Religious Parenting: Transmitting Faith and Values in Contemporary America,” Book Discussion, Notre Dame Research and Analysis in the Sociology of Religion (RASR) Workshop, Notre Dame, IN.
March 5, 2020 — “Accompanying Young Adults,” Panelist, Lilly Engaging Young Adults Statewide Commencement Gathering, Indianapolis, IN.
February 5, 2020 — “Seeking the Good Life: The Moral Development of Young People in America,” Program Speaker, The South Bend Rotary Club, South Bend, IN.
February 2, 2020 — “The Subtext of Religious Parenting,” Book Talk, Sunnyside Presbyterian Church, South Bend, IN.
December 24, 2018 — “Holy Family,” A Reflection on My Research Pertaining to Present-Day Religion and Young People, First Baptist Church, Henderson, NC.
January 28, 2018 — “The Sacredness of Stories,” Lecture on Young Adults and Religion, Sunnyside Presbyterian Church, South Bend, IN
April 23, 2017 — “How We Are Similar and Why We Are Different: A Sociological Approach to Understanding Each Other.” Lecture on Personhood, Sunnyside Presbyterian Church, South Bend, IN.
2021
Co-Organizer, ASA Sociology of Culture Section Roundtables Session, American Sociological Association Annual Meeting
2020-2021
Student Representative, American Sociological Association Section on Altruism, Morality, and Social Solidarity
2019-2021
Student Research Grants Committee, Society for the Scientific Study of Religion
Oct. 10, 2019
Grad Student Representative, “What’s Grad School Really Like: The Scoop from Grad Students,” Undergraduate Career Services, University of Notre Dame
Oct. 2, 2019
Panelist, “Preparing a Grad School Application,” Undergraduate Career Services, University of Notre Dame
2018-2019
Graduate Studies Committee, Department of Sociology, University of Notre Dame
Spring 2017
Organizer, “Philosophical Bases of Social Theory” Graduate 1-Credit Course, University of Notre Dame
2015-2016
Senior Class Representative, Student Government Association, Princeton Theological Seminary
2014-2015
Deacon (RA) of Brown Hall, Princeton Theological Seminary
2014-2015
Campus Host, Princeton Theological Seminary
2013-2014
Junior Class Representative, Student Government Association, Princeton Theological Seminary
2013-2014
Housing and Residential Life Committee Member, Princeton Theological Seminary
2013-2014
Navigating the Waters Diversity Initiative Team Member, Princeton Theological Seminary
Ad Hoc Reviewer: American Sociological Review, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Sociology
2020-2021
Nominating Committee Member, Sunnyside Presbyterian Church, South Bend, IN
2019-2020
Worship Committee Chair, Sunnyside Presbyterian Church, South Bend, IN
2017-2020
Ruling Elder, Sunnyside Presbyterian Church, South Bend, IN
2017-2019
Worship Committee Member, Sunnyside Presbyterian Church, South Bend, IN
2012-2013
Minority Refugee Liaison, Refugee Community Partnership, Chapel Hill, NC
2011-2012
Men’s Shelter Creative Writing Teacher, Orange County Literary Council, Chapel Hill, NC
2015-2016
Student Intern, First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia
2014-2015
Student Intern, The Brick Presbyterian Church in the City of New York
Summer 2014
English Teacher and Field Worker, Student.Go, Kanazawa, Japan
Summer 2013
Student Intern, First Baptist Church of Henderson, NC
Summer 2012
English Teacher and Field Worker, Refuge & Hope International, Kampala, Uganda
Summer 2011
Community Organizer and Field Worker, Together for Hope, Helena, AR
American Sociological Association
Association for the Sociology of Religion
Society for the Scientific Study of Religion