Contribution to Foreword

Today I have contributed to the Foreword of the forthcoming collective monograph Animal Umwelts in a changing world – Semiotic studies of human-animal relations (Tartu University Press, to be published Spring 2016).

Special issue of Zeitschrift für Semiotik on biosemiotic ethics to appear December 2016

Some days ago, we got the final go-ahead for a special issue of Zeitschrift für Semiotik on biosemiotic ethics. The special issue, which will according to plans appear December 2016, will be guest-edited by me, Jonathan Beever and Yogi Hendlin.

This implies that I will be involved as an editor in no less than two books and a special issue to be published in 2016, in collaboration with publishers in Germany, Estonia and the US.

See also:

Invited to guest-edit SI of Zeitschrift für Semiotik on biosemiotic ethics

In 2nd place for job as Head of Department

On Monday it surfaced that the appointments committee of the University of Agder´s Faculty of Humanities and Education Friday last week decided to offer the job as Head of Department for Department of Religion, Philosophy and History to Hans Hodne, who had been nominated in 2nd place. In the same email announcement, sent to faculty members, it was stated that if Hodne declined to take the job, it would be offered to me.

See also:

Nominated in 3rd place for UiA Head of Department position

Job interview at University of Agder

Two UiA Head of Department job applications

Wolf and sheep paper planned for Special Issue of Pakistan Journal of Historical Studies

I have agreed to contribute to Pakistan Journal of Historical Studies (published by Indiana University Press) 1(2), a forthcoming special issue on “Emotions, Humans and Animals". Work title for my paper, which is due June 1st, is "A brief history of the cultural semiotic of wolves and sheep».

No UiA teaching

I have been asked to step in to teach a course in Spring 2016 in Examen Facultatum (general version) at University of Agder, but have declined, since I already have lots of obligations (related to my job as Associate professor at University of Stavanger).

95 home exam papers graded

Today I finished grading 95 home exam papers in Examen Philosophicum at University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies.

Peer-review for Anthropocene Review

This autumn I have peer-reviewed a paper for The Anthropocene Review, published by SAGE.

Commentary given; cognitive semiotics symposium attended

On Thursday December 17th I presented my commentary "Biosemiotisk synvinkel på CCS" [Biosemiotic perspective on Center for Cognitive Semiotics] during the symposium "Hur människan blev ett så annorlunda djur" [How the human species became such a different animal] at Lund University, or more specifically at the Pufendorf institute. I also took part in the concluding discussions.

The symposium was attended by some 30 people.

External members of board of UiS announced

The names of the external board members appointed to the board of University of Stavanger for the period 2016-2019 have been announced. None of my nominations are among them.

See also: 

Uis received 33 proposals for external board members, including my 2

External UiS board members proposed

No UiS trip today

Today I had planned being at the University of Stavanger. But I stayed working from home, since it turns out I only have to move from one office to another by February 1st.

Minding Animals Norway mentioned in Norwegian parliament debate on fur farming

On December 8th, Minding Animals Norway was mentioned in a debate in the Norwegian parliament, by our previous board member Une Aina Bastholm (Green Party of Norway). The debate concerned animal welfare/the living conditions of fur animals. Bastholm pointed out that Minding Animals Norway, "an academic network", is among the organizations and institutions opposing fur farming. Bastholm´s parliament speech is available here (in Norwegian).

Minding Animals mentioned on Fritt Ord webpage, re Norwegian Animal Ethics Conference

Minding Animals Norway is mentioned in the news article "Bevilgninger i oktober 2015 (søknader om kr 100 000 eller mindre)" [Applications for 100.000 NOK or less], in relation to the organizing of the Norwegian Animal Ethics Conference 2015, which got 30.000 NOK in funding from the Fritt Ord foundation.

EMP151 Steering Committee meeting attended; grant to be prolonged

Today I attended the Steering committee meeting for the Estonian-Norwegian research project "Animals in changing environments: Cultural mediation and semiotic analysis" (EMP151), along with Timo Maran. Among other things we agreed that the project will be prolonged from April 20th 2016 to December 31st 2016 (upon application).

New book title for collective monograph

The collective monograph so far work-titled Semiotic methods in the study of human-animal interactions (forthcoming, Tartu University Press - see previous posts) has been renamed Animal Umwelts in a changing world - Semiotic studies of human-animal relations.

No application to UiS ToppForsk

Given that my research RCN application only got the grade 5 (out of 7), I do not qualify, on that measure (among others), to apply for the University of Stavanger excellence in research program ToppForsk UiS, in the 2016 round, which is just around the corner.

See also:

Research application "Umwelt theory for our time" not funded

No Vice Dean Tønnessen

My employment situation turns out to be too complicated for me to be considered for the position as Vice Dean for research for University of Stavanger´s Faculty of Social Sciences.

See also:

UiS Faculty of Social Sciences seeking Vice Dean for research

UiS Faculty of Social Sciences seeking Vice Dean for research

Today University of Stavanger announced that its Faculty of Social Sciences is seeking a Vice Dean for research, in 50% position, from January 2016 to the summer of 2020. I´ve signaled interest, but it is uncertain whether my circumstances will allow it.

65 home exam papers graded

Yesterday I finished grading 65 home exam papers in Examen Philosophicum at University of Stavanger´s UiS Business School (course code SVEXPHIL4).

Nominated in 3rd place for UiA Head of Department position

Yesterday I was informed that I am nominated in 3rd place (with 3 persons nominated only) for the position as Head of Department at University of Agder´s Department of Religion, Philosophy and History. There were 13 applicants. A formal decision is due December 16th.

Research application "Umwelt theory for our time" not funded

Yesterday I was informed that my research application "Umwelt Theory For Our Time" (see previous posts) was not funded by Research Council of Norway´s scheme "Unge forskertalenter" [Young research talents]. The overall assessment grade given was 5 (out of 7). 12 projects in HUMSAM - humanities and social science - were funded (17%).

Semiotics text book review published; full reference

The review "A hundred introductions to semiotics, for a million students: Survey of semiotics textbooks and primers in the world" has now been published, with me as one of several co-authors. It is freely available online (see also PDF). Reference:

Kalevi Kull, Olga Bogdanova, Remo Gramigna, Ott Heinapuu, Eva Lepik, Kati Lindström, Riin Magnus, Rauno Thomas Moss, Maarja Ojamaa, Tanel Pern, Priit Põhjala, Katre Pärn, Kristi Raudmäe, Tiit Remm, Silvi Salupere, Ene-Reet Soovik, Renata Sõukand, Morten Tønnessen and Katre Väli 2015. "A hundred introductions to semiotics, for a million students: Survey of semiotics textbooks and primers in the world". Sign Systems Studies 43(2/3): 281-346 (DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12697/SSS.2015.43.2-3.0).

This counts as my fifth publication in Sign Systems Studies, and my eight academic publication this year.

See also:

Parts of semiotics review article proof-read

Review article on semiotics textbooks to be published in Sign Systems Studies

Vargsymposium subwebpage updated with "Is a wolf wild..." link

The presentation of me at the webpage of Vargsymposiet 2016 appears to have been updated. It now features a link to my article "Is a wolf wild as long as it does not know that it is being thoroughly managed?" (Humanimalia).

Abstract (Vargsymposiet 2016): "Marked for life – Ethical questions concerning management of and research on wolves"

The Norwegian title of my upcoming presentation at Vargsymposiet 2016 is "Merket for livet – Etiske spørsmål knyttet til forvaltning av og forskning på ulv". The English version of the abstract, finished yesterday, follows below.

Marked for life – Ethical questions concerning management of and research on wolves

Morten Tønnessen (academic blog: Utopian Realism)

Associate professor of philosophy, University of Stavanger

This presentation vil address ethical questions concerning how we treat the wolf. It will hopefully be of relevance for similar discussions about bears, wolverines and lynx as well. To study how we treat the wolf, we must first make a distinction between formal and informal wolf management. By ”formal wolf management”, I mean the official management, for which the authorities are responsible. ”Informal wolf management”, on the other side, refers to the public´s treatment of the wolf, whether it is of legal or illegal character (including illegal hunting).

Such conceptual distinctions make a difference, because our motivation for how we treat the wolf, according to many ethicists, can be seen as decisive for how our actions may be judged. This is a central theme within ethics of conviction. In this presentation I will therefor compare legal and illegal hunting, as well as authority-approved ”taking out” (“removal”) of individual wolves, based on two different ethical perspectives: a consequentialist perspective, where what is decisive is what consequences our actions have for the wolf. And an ethics of conviction perspective, where the motivation behind our actions is emphasised.

In this context, I will also use radio-collared wolves as a central example. In this case as well I will interpret current practices from a consequentialist and ethics of conviction perspective respectively. Here the relevant distinction to be made is not that between formal and informal wolf management, but a distinction between research purposes and management purposes. In what way is the researcher´s motivation different from the manager´s motivation for tagging a wolf and equipping it with a radio-collar? And to what extent can our need for knowledge justify such treatment of wolves? Seen from a consequentialist perspective, with an emphasis on the consequences for the wolves involved, it remains clear that GPS-tagging of wolves, possibly with the use of a helicopter during the chase when tagging is done and at later capture events, can involve a risk of traumas for the marked wolf. An important question is whether such traumas permanently changes the wolf´s relation to humans, and what this does to the wolf (and to the reliability of research data).

A measure of our formal management of wolves is to what extent our attempts to protect the wolf as a species, or population, is based on a willingness to sacrifice individual wolves. A sound wolf ethics must, in my opinion, presuppose that our treatment of wolves is compatible with attributing moral status to the wolf both on a species level and on an individual level. Here, further ethical traditions can be made use of. From a virtue-ethical perspective, our management of wolves should seek to realize good lives for humans as well as for wolves and animals in our care. From a deontological perspective, one often makes reference to the inherent value of living beings. If the wolf, too, has inherent value, then we have a duty to respect its inviolability, on a par with the inviolability of other living beings with inherent value.  

Acknowledgement: This work has been carried out thanks to the support of the research project ”Animals in Changing Environments: Cultural Mediation and Semiotic Analysis” (EEA Norway Grants/Norway Financial Mechanism 2009-2014 under project contract no. EMP151).

"Thinking about animals in the age of the Anthropocene" resubmitted and sent to production

We have just resubmitted manuscript files for the book Thinking about animals in the age of the Anthropocene to Lexington Books, after a round of edits etc. The book has now been sent to production.

Joining a fourth editorial board - Eikon, Journal on Semiotics and Visual Culture

I have been invited, and accepted to, join the editorial board of Eikon - Journal on Semiotics and Visual Culture. This Open Access journal is published by Universidade da Beira Interior, Portugal.

Peer-review for Humanimalia

This Spring I peer-reviewed an article for the academic journal Humanimalia – a journal of human/animal interface studies.

Peer-review for Elsevier

This Spring I peer-reviewed a book proposal for Elsevier.

General Meeting of Minding Animals Norway held; reelected as chair

This year´s General Meeting of Minding Animals Norway (MAN) was held yesterday afternoon at Funky Fresh Foods (a vegan restaurant) in Oslo. 7 people were present. I was reelected as chair of MAN for another year, and August Torp and Iselin Linstad Hauge were elected as new board members.

4th Norwegian Animal Ethics conference held, in Oslo

The 4th Norwegian Animal Ethics Conference (Dyreetikkonferansen 2015) was held yesterday at Litteraturhuset in Oslo. I chaired the whole conference (9.30 to 15.00), opened the conference, and held an introduction to the conference theme ("Mor og barn i dyreriket" - mother and child in the animal kingdom). 10 people were on the program, including talks by Bjarne Braastad, Guri Larsen and Espen Gamlund, and two panels featuring veterinarians, farmers, a hunter and activists. 

Some 50 people were present.

25 attending 5th Minding Animals research seminar, at NMBU; predator/mother talk given

The 5th research seminar of Minding Animals Norway, "Mor og barn i dyreriket - menneskenes interaksjon" [Mother and child in the animal kingdom - humans´ interaction] took place at Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) at Ås outside Oslo today. The program lasted for some 4 hours, and included my talk "Mor og barn-relasjoner hos ulv og andre rovpattedyr, og hvordan disse (ikke) tas hensyn til" [Mother and child relations among wolves and other carnivore mammals, and how these are (not) being respected]. The research seminar was organized by August Torp and Benedicte Brun, with some input from me.

Some 25 people were present.

Commentary scheduled for December 17th (Centre for Cognitive Semiotics)

On December 17th, at Lund University, Sweden, I will be one of the invited commentators at the concluding symposium of the Centre for Cognitive Semiotics (CCS), "Hur människan blev ett så annorlunda djur" [How the human became such a different animal]. My commentary, entitled ”Biosemiotisk synvinkel på CCS” (Biosemiotic perspective on CCS), has been scheduled for 14.15-14.30. Other commentators include Frederik Stjernfelt and Sören Brier, among others.

Reference for editorial "Organisms reshape sign relations"

Full reference for the editorial "Organisms reshape sign relations":

Sharov, Alexei, Timo Maran and Morten Tønnessen 2015. Organisms reshape sign relations. Editorial. Biosemiotics 8(3): 361–365. Published online October 16th (DOI 10.1007/s12304-015-9251-2).

Biosemiotics 8(3) published online

Biosemiotics no. 3 2015 (volume 8, issue 3) has been published online, and Springer alert (email) has been distributed. This is a regular issue. Among the articles is the editorial "Organisms reshape sign relations", co-written by me (HTML here, PDF with pagination here).

Job interview at University of Agder

Today I attended a job interview related to my application for the position as Head of Department of University of Agder´s Department of Religion, Philosophy and History. The job interview lasted for about an hour, with five persons present, plus me. There were 13 applicants.

Facebook event page for 5th research seminar of Minding Animals Norway

Here is the Facebook event for the 5th research seminar of Minding Animals Norway, with the theme  "Forskningsseminar: Mor og barn i dyreriket - menneskenes interaksjon" [Mother and child in the animal kingdom - human interaction], which takes place at NMBU, Ås, on Saturday December 5th. The program has been composed by Benedicte Brun (Minding Animals NMBU).

Bachelor students in child welfare informed about work with bachelor thesis

Today I informed bachelor students in child welfare about the organization of work with the bachelor thesis next Spring. Perhaps 30 students were present, for half an hour or so.

Another election for the UiS board lost

Today the election for the board of University of Stavanger ended, and the results have been communicated to candidates. Among temporarily employed education and research staff, I got 11 of 71 votes not including blank votes, or in other words 15% of the votes. This makes me 2nd deputy representative in the board 0101.2016-31.07.2017, given that there were three candidates and that I came in 3rd place.

Paper on mother/child relations to be presented at MAN´s 5th research seminar

On Saturday December 5th I will present my paper "Mor og barn-relasjoner hos ulv og andre rovpattedyr, og hvordan disse (ikke) tas hensyn til" [Mother and child relations among wolves and other carnivore mammals, and how these are being respected] during Minding Animals Norway´s 5th research seminar, which takes place at NMBU (Ås).

6 hours of teaching in UiS EVU course - 19 this week

Today I taught for 6 hours (8.30-14.45) in the course "Philosophy of science and health care ethics" (course code FXPSH100) at UiS EVU, Måltidets hus - 3 hours of presenting, and 3 hours of commenting students´ presentations. The topic was ethics. Altogether I have now taught for 19 hours these last three days. The course is thus half-way to the finish line.

Umwelt review article submitted

Today I have submitted "The biosemiotic glossary project: Umwelt" to Biosemiotics, on behalf of Riin Magnus, Carlo Brentari and myself, after we finished editing/revising it.

7 hours of teaching in UiS EVU course

Today I taught for 7 hours (8.30-16.00) in the course "Philosophy of science and health care ethics" (course code FXPSH100) at UiS EVU, Måltidets hus - 4 hours of presenting, and 3 hours of commenting students´ presentations. The topic was ethics.

UiS board elections: Endorsed by Øyvind Foss

Øyvind Foss, former pro-rector at the Stavanger University College (the precursor to UiS), recently posted the debate article "Morten Tønnessen bør velges til UiS styret" [Morten Tønnessen should be elected to the UiS board] at the University of Stavanger´s debate pages. I really appreciate his endorsement.

Debate on research productivity - UiS board elections

A couple of days ago I posted "Vi må ha ambisjoner for forskningen!" [We need ambitions for research!] on the University of Stavanger debate pages, in reply to a post by Svein Tuastad, "59 poeng" [59 [publication] points]. Yesterday he replied, with the post "Kulturforklaringa" [the culture explanation].

UiS board elections

This news story from the webpage of University of Stavanger links to the elections for the board of UiS, which are taking place these days.

Umwelt review article finished

On Monday this week I finished a full draft of the review article "The Biosemiotic Glossary Project: Umwelt", which I am co-writing with Carlo Brentari and Riin Magnus. It is now being checked by my co-authors before we submit.

6 hours of teaching in UiS EVU course

Today I taught for 6 hours (9.30-16.00) in the course "Philosophy of science and health care ethics" (course code FXPSH100) at UiS EVU, Måltidets hus. The topic was introduction to ethics and how to prepare an academic presentation.

Three UiS election-related open meetings attended

On November 18th, Wednesday this week, I attended all three open meetings at University of Stavanger in relation to the upcoming elections of representatives for the UiS board. While I was an attendee only during the meetings for permanent scientific staff and administrative staff, I was one of the candidates presented during the meeting for temporarily employed education and research staff. Attendance varied from ca. 25 during the other two meetings, to 9 during "my" meeting.

Available by telephone during exams

Tuesday 17th of November I was available by phone during the UiS Business school Examen Philosophicum Multiple Choice exam. The same was the case the day before, for Department of media culture and social sciences.

Exam questions composed

Not long ago I took part, in a secondary role, in composing exam questions for University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies in Examen Philosophicum (course code SVEXPHIL10), for the home exam.

441 Multiple Choice exam papers graded

Today and yesterday I have "graded" (approved/not approved) 237 exam papers in SVEXPHIL4 and 204 exam papers in SVEXPHIL6, altogheter 441 Multiple Choice exam papers in Examen Philosophicum. The latter was graded for Department of media culture and social sciences, the former for UiS Business School.

Open meetings today on UiS elections

News story at the webpage of University of Stavanger: "Husk allmøter i dag med kandidatene til ansattes represententanter i UiS' styre" [Remember open meetings today with the candidates for employees´ representatives in the board of UiS]. I am running for the position for temporarily employed education and research staff.

The open meetings were also announced yesterday (see news story).

Debate article: Where now for the University of Stavanger?

I have just composed the debate article Hvor nå for UiS? [Where now for the University of Stavanger?], which has been posted on the debate pages of UiS. Amongst other things I write that UiS should in the future be organized as an independent foundation rather than as a public university under the government.

"Mentions of animals" chapter revised

Today I have finished revising the book chapter "A critical reading of mentions of animals in Norwegian political party programs" (see also previous posts).

IACS 2 to be held in Lublin, Poland - CFP out now

The Second Conference of the International Association for Cognitive Semiotics (IACS) will be held June 20-22, 2016 at Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin, Poland. Abstract deadline is January 10th 2016, for other deadlines see the conference webpage.

Invited plenary speakers include Maxine Sheets-Johnstone and Eva Jablonka.

UiS news story on candidates for UiS board; open meetings to be held November 18th

Here is the official UiS news story presenting (or rather listing) the candidates for the board of University of Stavanger. Open meetings where the candidates will present their electoral programs will be held on Wednesday November 18th. The meeting for temporarily employed education and research staff will be held at noon.

See also:

17 candidates for the UiS board election

Multiple Choice exam questions finalized

Today I have, in dialogue with course coordinator Cato Wittusen, finalized the exam questions for the Multiple Choice exam in Examen Philosophicum at UiS Business School (SVEXPHIL4) and Department of Media, Culture and Social Sciences (SVEXPHIL6) in Bokmål, Nynorsk and English.

17 candidates for the UiS board election

Today the deadline for nominating candidates for the board of University of Stavanger  expired. In the category of temporarily employed education and research staff, I am one of three candidates, along with Clemens Furnes (currently 1st deputy representative) and PhD scholar Sanne Lorentzen. Ten people are nominated as candidates for permanent faculty, four for administrative staff. Altogether there are thus 17 candidates, three of whom will be elected as permanent members of the UiS board, and six as deputy members.

Two 1-on-1 meetings

Yesterday I attended two 1-on-1 meetings at University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies, concerning my role as teacher in Examen Philosophicum, and course coordinator for bachelor thesis in child welfare. The first concerned Multiple Choice exam questions etc., the other important dates for the next semester.

Webpage of Norwegian animal ethics conference updated

This weekend I updated the webpage of Dyreetikkonferansen, the Norwegian animal ethics conference, with info on this year´s conference (December 4th, Oslo). I also updated the video subpage, with links to videos of last year´s conference.

8 hours of teaching, only interrupted by fire alarm

Today I taught for 8 hours in Examen philosophicum at UiS Business School (SVEXPHIL4, lecture and 3 seminars) and Department of Media, Culture and Social Science (SVEXPHIL6, lecture). Today´s topic was rationality theory.

Oh, and the fire alarm went off.

Outline of Special issue of Zeitschrift for Semiotik on biosemiotic ethics

I have just, with Jonathan Beever and Yogi Hendlin, finished a 3 page outline of our Special Issue of Zeitschrift for Semiotik on biosemiotic ethics.

9th newsletter of Minding Animals Norway

The 9th newsletter of Minding Animals Norway was distributed Wednesday this week. This was the first issue not to be edited by me - but by Frodde Bakke Bjerkevik and Gunnar Kornberg. The issue included the call for this year´s annual meeting.

5th Minding Animals research seminar to be held in Ås

At the recent board meeting of Minding Animals Norway (MAN), it was decided MAN´s 5th research seminar, which will be held Saturday December 5th, will be held in Ås, not in Oslo as said earlier. The seminar will take place at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, in  association with Minding Animals NMBU.

See also:

Board meeting of Minding Animals Norway chaired

Minding Animals Norway board meeting chaired; date and place of GM, research seminar

General Meeting of Minding Animals Norway to be held December 4th in Oslo

At the recent board meeting of Minding Animals Norway (MAN), it was decided that the General Meeting of MAN will be held in Oslo on Friday December 4th at 4 pm (not December 5th as earlier said). It was later decided the meeting will take place at the restaurant Funky Fresh Foods.

See also:

Board meeting of Minding Animals Norway chaired

Minding Animals Norway board meeting chaired; date and place of GM, research seminar

COST-action "GroupHouseNet" approved; to operate 2016-2019

The COST-action "GroupHouseNet", a research network (acronym for "Synergy for preventing damaging behaviour in group housed pigs and chickens"), has been funded. The network will coordinate research on various measures that can improve animal welfare for pigs and poultry in animal husbandry.

I have been involved in the application, and will now likely become one of the members of the COST-action´s Management Committee, which will consist of up to two members from each participating COST country. The network will be in operation for some 4 years, 2016-2019.

COST is short for European Cooperation in Science and Technology.

Minding Animals Conference 4 to be held in Mexico City

As was announced in the latest bulletin (#30) of Minding Animals International, which was recently distributed, Minding Animals Conference 4 will be held in Mexico city, in July 2018.

Anthropocene book introductory chapter finished

Last Friday I finished the introductory chapter to Thinking about animals in the age of the Anthropocene, "Introduction: Once upon a time in the Anthropocene", co-authored with Kristin Armstrong Oma.

Staff meeting attended

Today I have attended the staff meeting of University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies. The topic for discussion was the upcoming reorganising of faculties etc.

4 hours of teaching

Today I have taught for 4 hours at University of Stavangerś Department of social studies (2 seminars, topic: political philosophy).

Two UiA Head of Department job applications

This weekend I applied for the positions as Head of Department of University of Agder´s Department of Natural Science and Department of Religion, Philosophy and History.

Election of UiS rector: Boyesen reelected by wide margin; almost 10% voted blank

Marit Boyesen has been reelected as rector of University of Stavanger, with a surprisingly big share of the vote, see news story of the UiS webpage. Dag Husebø (43) will be pro-rector.

Altogether the two got 800 votes, while the challengers Einar Marburg and Gro Johnsen got only 420 votes. Boyesen´s margin of victory was especially big among administrative staff, here she won 3-1 (while she won about 2-1 among research and teaching staff, and 3-2 among students).

No fewer than 126 out of 1346 votes, or 9,4 %, were blank.

See also:

Election of UiS rector: Why I vote blank

Rector candidates debating in UiS debate forum

Open meeting with Marnburg and Johnsen attended

Two candidates for UiS rector

Board meeting of Minding Animals Norway chaired

Thursday last week I chaired a board meeting of Minding Animals Norway. Among the topics were possible proposals for revised Statutes, including membership arrangements, and our upcoming research seminar.

6 hours of teaching

Today I have taught for 6 hours. First a lecture in Examen Philosophicum at UiS Business School (SVEXPHIL4) / Department of Media, Culture and Social Science (SVEXPHIL6), and then two seminars in Examen Philosophicum at Department of Social Studies (SVEXPHIL10). 

The topic for the lecture was hermeneutics; the topic for the seminars political philosophy.

Second Biosemiotics editorial published online: "Organisms reshape sign relations"

Our second editorial in Biosemiotics has appeared online, and is freely available as PDF. Reference:

Sharov, Alexei, Timo Maran and Morten Tønnessen. Organisms reshape sign relations. Editorial. Biosemiotics 8(3). Published online October 16th (DOI 10.1007/s12304-015-9251-2).

Book manuscript submitted; new book title

I have just submitted 30 files to Lexington Books - the edited collection work-titled Animals in the Anthropocene, edited by me, Silver Rattasepp and Kristin Armstrong Oma, and now titled Thinking about Animals in the Age of the Anthropocene.

Election of UiS rector: Why I vote blank

The election of new University of Stavanger rector and pro-rector started today. I have voted - submitting a blank vote. I think that both candidates (Marit Boyesen and Einar Marburg) are too mainstream in their reasoning about university strategy.

Einar Marnburg is a straight-talker - that is a strength - and appears to call for fresh ideas about how to organize work at the university. However, he has not provided many substantial, specific fresh ideas himself during the electoral campaign, and his envisioned university strategy is on most key points very similar to that of Marit Boyesen. Marit Boyesen, on her side, is more experienced than Marburg on broader university policy issues, and has somewhat of an advantage regarding her ability to formulate measured policy ambitions, though her statements are often quite vague and sometimes not committing enough.

8 hours of teaching

Today I taught for 8 hours in Examen philosophicum at UiS Business School (SVEXPHIL4, lecture and 3 seminars) and Department of Media, Culture and Social Science (SVEXPHIL6, lecture). Today´s topic was different kinds of explanations.

Draft of introductory chapter finished

Yesterday I finished the draft of the introductory chapter to the book work-titled Animals in the Anthropocene, "Introduction: Once upon a time in the Anthropocene", which I am co-authoring with Kristin Armstrong Oma.

CFP for 3rd Code Biology conference (Urbino)

The call for papers for the Third International Conference in Code Biology (Urbino, Italy, 24-28 May 2016) has now appeared, see CFP (and conference website). Abstract deadline is January 15th.

Acknowledgements section drafted

Today I´ve drafted the Acknowledgements section for the book work-titled Animals in the Anthropocene, to appear on Lexington Books next Spring.

Environmental seminar presented on CODA dance festival webpage

Here´s the thematic presentation of the seminar "Hva er galt med naturen" [What´s wrong with nature?], which was held yesterday, at the webpages of CODA Oslo International Dance Festival: Sic. 

See also:

Deep ecology talk given at contemporary dance seminar

Deep ecology talk given at contemporary dance seminar

Yesterday I participated in a seminar, "Hva er galt med naturen?" [What´s wrong with nature] arranged by Bærum kulturhus in cooperation with/as part of CODA – Oslo International Dance festival, at Bærum kulturhus in Sandvika. The 2 hour seminar followed a 1 hour contemporary dance show by Roosna and Flak, "Wild Places: Mountain". The seminar featured me, the coreographer/dancer Kenneth Flak and Nikki Schei (Norwegian green Party) and was chaired by Kyrre texnæs. I introduced the seminar with my presentation "Dypøkologien til Arne Næss" [The deep ecology of Arne Næss].

Rector candidates debating in UiS debate forum

The electoral campaigns ahead of the election of rector and pro-rector for University of Stavanger, starting October 27th, are reflected in several posts these days in the UiS debate forum, UiS Debatt, including from rector candidates Marit Boyesen and Einar Marnburg. 

Open meeting with Marnburg and Johnsen attended

Today I have attended an open meeting where two of the candidates at the election of rector for University of Stavanger, Dean Einar Marnburg and Head of Department Gro Johnsen, were presented, in dialogue with the audience. The meeting was targeted at Department of Health Studies and Department of Social Studies. I asked a few questions on the candidates´ thoughts about research, and the relation between rector and university director.

I have not decided who I will vote for, if anyone (the other candidates are Rector Marit Boyesen and Dag Husebø).

4 more hours of teaching

Today I have given a seminar in Examen Philosophicum at University of Stavanger´s Department of Social Studies, on the topic consequentialism and virtue ethics, the third this week. I will give a further seminar in a little bit before heading home.

4 hours of seminars

Today I taught for 4 hours in Examen Philosophicum at University of Stavanger´s Department of Social Studies. I gave two seminars, on the topic consequentialism and virtue ethics.

Lecture on descriptive theory of science

Today I lectured in Examen philosophicum at UiS Business School (SVEXPHIL4) and Department of Media, Culture and Social Science (SVEXPHIL6). Today´s topic was descriptive theory of science, with emphasis on Thomas Kuhn and Paul Feyerabend.

Academia.edu now with poorer functionality

I don´t quite like the new version of Academia.edu. The functionality is poorer with regard to editing and ordering of talks. Nevertheless, I keep updating my Academica.edu profile page.

Facebook event launched for CODA dance festival seminar

Next Wednesday, October 21st, I´ll participate at a seminar (in Norwegian) called "Hva er galt med naturen?" [What´s wrong with nature?], at Bærum kulturhus (see post below). A Facebook event has now been launched by Bærum Kulturhus.

See also:

To take part in environmentally themed mini-seminar during CODA dance festival

Elections for UiS board to be held late November; I will run

Elections for the new University of Stavanger board are due November 24-30th, with nomination deadline November 11th. I intend to run again. Today I was informed that the functioning time for  the representative for temporarily employed education and research staff will be 1.1.2016 to 31.7.2017, i.e. one and a half year (vs. usually 1 year).

Revised program for conference "Animals in the Anthropocene"

In early September, I revised the conference program for "Animals in the Anthropocene: Human–animal relations in a changing semiosphere" (University of Stavanger September 17-19). The revised program (6 pp) is available here.

To contribute to Biosemiotics SI on Constructive Biosemiotics

I have recently been invited to, and agreed to contribute with an article to a forthcoming Special issue of the journal Biosemiotics, on "Constructive Biosemiotics" (guest-edited by Tommi Vehkavaara and Alexei Sharov). My paper will focus on the (Uexküllian) epistemology of biosemiotics. A full paper is due by September 2016.

Another seminar on ethical trade attended

This morning I attended the first half of a seminar organised by University of Stavanger´s Work group on ethical trade (of which I am a member) in collaboration with Ethical Trading Initiative Norway, targeted at suppliers to the public sector.

Seminar on ethical trade attended

Yesterday evening I took part in a seminar organised by University of Stavanger´s Work group on ethical trade (of which I am a member) in collaboration with Ethical Trading Initiative Norway, targeted at suppliers and NGOs.

Research dissemination - human perceptions of wolves and other animals

The last couple of weeks I´ve been in dialogue with Benedicte Pentz in University of Stavanger´s Communications department in relation to a research dissemination article which will be published on the Norwegian research webpage Forskning.no, among other places. The article is about the field work I´ve been involved in on human perceptions of wolves and other animals. Today we met to complete the article.

The journal Politics and Animals launched; first issue out now

The open access journal Politics and Animals, published by Lund University (Sweden), has now been launched, with the publication of its first issue, featuring contributions by Will Kymlicka and others.

I am in the Associate Editorial Collective (editorial board) of the journal, along with a group of good people.

8 hours of teaching - political philosophy

Yesterday I taught for 8 hours in a row, in Examen Philosophicum at University of Stavanger´s UiS Business School (SVEXPHIL4, lecture plus 3 seminars) and Department of Media, Culture and Social Science (SVEXPHIL6, lecture). The topic for the lecture was political justice, or more specifically distributive justice.

"Human perceptions of animals" chapter revised

Today I´ve revised the chapter "Human perceptions of animals: A multimodal event analysis of interview data" (co-written with Paul Thibault, for the collective monograph Semiotic Methods in the Study of Human-Animal Interactions, due next Spring).

UiS invites to seminar on ethical trade

On Monday October 12th, University of Stavanger´s working group on ethical trade invites to an evening seminar on ethical responsibility in trade, cf. the university webpage (in Norwegian). I am a member of that working group.

Parts of semiotics review article proof-read

Today I have proof-read parts of the review article "A hundred introductions to semiotics, for a million students: Survey of semiotics textbooks and primers in the world".

See also:

Review article on semiotics textbooks to be published in Sign Systems Studies

Second editorial for Biosemiotics written

The last couple of weeks I have contributed to the second editorial for Biosemiotics written by Alexei Sharov, Timo Maran and me, entitled “Organisms reshape sign relations”. The editorial will appear in Biosemiotics 8(3) (December). 

Course description for bachelor thesis in child welfare revised

Earlier this week I revised the course description for bachelor thesis in child welfare at University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies (course code BBABAC).

Review article on semiotics textbooks to be published in Sign Systems Studies

I have just been informed that a review article I contributed to while I was a PhD student at University of Tartu´s Department of Semiotics (2007-2011) will be published in the next issue of Sign Systems Studies. The article was originally commissioned by Semiotica.

The article is entitled “A hundred introductions to semiotics, for a million students: Survey of semiotics textbooks and primers in the world", and is written by Kalevi Kull, Olga Bogdanova, Remo Gramigna, Ott Heinapuu, Eva Lepik, Kati Lindström, Riin Magnus, Rauno Thomas Moss, Maarja Ojamaa, Tanel Pern, Priit Põhjala, Katre Pärn, Kristi Raudmäe, Tiit Remm, Silvi Salupere, Renata Sõukand, Katre Väli and myself.

This will be my fifth publication in Sign Systems Studies.

Paperwork prepared - reimbursement for conference trips

Today I have prepared paperwork in order to get expenses reimbursed from University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies in relation to participation at two conferences - namely NASS IX (Tartu) and Code Biology 2 (Jena).

Fifth interview in NRK P2´s Verdibørsen

Today, in a NRK Rogaland Studio on Ullandhaug in Stavanger, I was interviewed for public Norwegian broadcaster NRK P2´s Verdibørsen, by Aase Cathrine Myrtveit. The topic was the role of animals in the Anthropocene. The interview, which is a spin-off from the conference "Animals in the Anthropocene" (see previous posts), will air in a couple of weeks or so.

"Animals in the Anhropocene" abstract book composed; seen in print

Today I saw the abstract book for the conference "Animals in the Anthropocene" in print for the first time, upon returning to my University of Stavanger office after 14 day paternal leave.

I composed and edited the abstract book (76 pp) a few days ahead of the conference. The abstract book was printed in 85 copies (by Attende).

Lecture on political freedom

Today I have lectured in Examen Philosophicum at UiS Business School / Department of Media, Culture and Social Sciences, for the first time after my 14 day paternal leave. Today´s topic was political freedom.

Uis received 33 proposals for external board members, including my 2

Today I asked the University of Stavanger university director John Møst whether I could get to see the minutes from the board meeting October 1st concerning UiS´ nominations for external board members (2016-2019) (this part of the meeting was closed). I did not get the document, but was informed (via Assistant director Sonja Meyer) that the nomination committee received 33 proposals, and that all were listed in the case document which was presented to the board. The UiS board, based on the recommendation from the nomination committee, has nominated 6 men and 6 women, some of which might be appointed by the Ministry of Education and Research.

See also:

External UiS board members proposed

8 hours of teaching

On September 14th I taught for 8 hours in a row - first a 2 hour lecture, then 3 times 2 hour seminar, all in Examen Philosophicum at UiS Business School (seminars, lecture) / Department of Media, Culture and Social Sciences (lecture).

5 exam papers graded in delivery room

In mid-September, just as my wife was about to give birth, I graded five exam papers for University of Stavanger´s Department of health studies (Examen Philosophicum for nursing students, course code SVEXPHIL2).

To be commentator at concluding symposium for Lund University´s Centre for cognitive semiotics

I´ve agreed to be one of the commentators at the concluding symposium for Centre for cognitive semiotics, which will take place December 17th at Lund University, Sweden. The symposium language will be Swedish (cf. Seminars).

17/12: All-day symposium, summarizing the program "Centre for Cognitive Semiotics" (2009-2014) Pufendorf institute (Note: In Swedish)

"Human Perceptions of Wolves and other Animals in Contemporary Norway" presented by Laura Kiiroja

On Saturday September 19th, my and Paul Thibault´s presentation "Human Perceptions of Wolves and other Animals in Contemporary Norway" was given at the international conference "Animals in the Anthropocene: Human–animal relations in a changing semiosphere" (University of Stavanger September 17-19th). Our paper was presented by Laura Kiiroja, our research colleague.

Conference "Animals in the Anthropocene" held in Stavanger

The international conference "Animals in the Anthropocene: Human–animal relations in a changing semiosphere" was organised on University of Stavanger September 17-19th, with related events September 20th. Some 79 participants attended the conference. Feedback has been positive. 

Although I could not be in Stavanger for the conference, I had regular contact with Kristin Armstrong Oma and Laura Kiiroja, members of the Local organising committee, on organisational matters.

See also:

Father again; not attending "my" conference

Google Scholar stats

According to Google Scholar (see my profile), my articles have altogether been cited 88 times. By now 2015 is the year I have achieved the highest number of citations, 27 (vs. 21 in 2011, many of which were self-citations). 

I currently have an h index of 5 (meaning that 5 - or 6, really - of my articles have been cited at least 5 times), and an i10 index of 2 (meaning that 2 of my articles have been cited at least 10 times).

My most cited articles to date are listed below.

A exact search on my name in Google Scholar (with quotation marks) currently returns 231 hits.

Parental leave September 15-28th

Until yesterday, I was on a 14 day parental leave, at the occasion of the birth of my twin son Alexander and twin daughter Cecilie September 15th.

Feedback to authors - book on animals in the Anthropocene

The last couple of days I have provided feedback to four contributors to the book work-titled Animals in the Anthropocene, to be published by Lexington Books, with advice given to a fellow editor on a fifth contribution. I have overall been coordinating correspondence with all contributors and peer-reviewers.

Project documentation control for EMP151

The last week or so I have contributed to a project documentation control for the Norwegian-Estonian research project "Animals in changing environments: Cultural mediation and semiotic analysis" (EMP151), for which I am the Norwegian project leader, by providing requested documents and information.

Two candidates for UiS rector

There are two candidates for rector of University of Stavanger ahead of upcoming elections - Marit Boyesen (with Dag Husebø as pro-rector), the current rector, and Einar Marburg (with Gro Johnsen as pro-rector), currently the Dean of Faculty of Social Science. The linked electoral programs are in Norwegian.

I happen to have met all four at different occasions.

UiS to establish RENSE, network for sustainable energy; my opinion

The University of Stavanger´s strategy for environmentally friendly energy will be treated on the UiS board meeting October 1st. The university director´s proposal (based on the recommendations of a working group) is now available online. It involves establishing a network for environmentally friendly energy, "Forskningsnettverk innen miljøvennlig (bærekraftig) energi" [Research Network in Sustainable Energy (RENSE)], with 5 research areas. With regard to funding, it implies that UiS centrally will spend about 1 million NOK per year on coordination/administration, while Faculty of Science and Technology will devote 3 PhDs and Faculty of Social Science 1 PhD to the network. The network will apply for further funding.

My opinion is that such a network, across disciplines, is a good idea. However, UiS should devote more PhDs and funding to the network - and I do not support having Carbon Capture and Storage as one of the prioritised research areas (as I do not regard CCS as sustainable in the bigger picture). 

Facebook ad campaign for panel on the Anthropocene

Last week I set up a Facebook ad campaign for an event under the Norwegian language Facebook page for the Norwegian research group of the Estonian-Norwegian research project "Animals in changing environments: Cultural mediation and semiotic analysis". The event concerned a panel on the Anthropocene idea, which was held Friday September 18th as part of the conference "Animals in the Anthropocene: Human–animal relations in a changing semiosphere". The Facebook ad campaign, targeted at the Stavanger region, turned out to reach much fewer than anticipated.

See also:

Facebook page for "Animals in changing environments" project established

Talk at researcher stand-up cancelled

My participation at the researcher Stand-up event in Stavanger today was cancelled due to the birth of my twins about a week ago.

See also:

To talk at researcher standup, Stavanger, September 22nd

Facebook page for "Animals in changing environments" project established

A few days ago I established a Norwegian language Facebook page for the Norwegian research group of the Estonian-Norwegian research project "Animals in changing environments: Cultural mediation and semiotic analysis" - see here.

Opening address to "Animals in the Anthropocene" conference prepared, presented

Wednesday evening I prepared a video-recorded opening address for the conference "Animals in the Anthropocene: Human–animal relations in a changing semiosphere". The recording was presented Thursday morning. There are some 79 registered participants at the conference.

Father again; not attending "my" conference

Despite being the chair of the Local organising committee, I am not attending the conference "Animals in the Anthropocene: Human–animal relations in a changing semiosphere", since I became a father (again) two days ago.

"Proto-language in wolves" talk cancelled

My talk, along with Paul Thibault, "Proto-language in wolves", at the conference "Animals in the Anthropocene: Human–animal relations in a changing semiosphere", will have to be cancelled, since he is ill and I became a father two days ago.

Donation to refugee NGO, in the name of UiS

I´ve made a small donation to the University of Stavanger´s campaign "Et dagsverk for flyktningene"  [A day´s work for the refugees] (Flyktninghjelpen), and encourage others to do the same. Would be great if my university could make a donation too, in addition to encouraging its employees and students to donate.

Mention of "Umwelt and language" chapter in introductory chapter

My chapter "Umwelt and language" (see recent post) is briefly mentioned in the introductory chapter of the book in which it appears:

Kull, Kalevi and Ekaterina Velmezova 2015. Language, Linguistics: Life, Biosemiotics... In Ekaterina Velmezova, Stephen J. Cowley and Kalevi Kull, Kalevi (Eds.), Biosemiotic Perspectives on Language and Linguistics (Biosemiotics 13) (Dordrecht: Springer), 1–10.

The reference appears on p. 7. Excerpt:

Morten Tønnessen’s contribution deals with language and umwelt. In this article, relations between these two “entities” turn out opposite in comparison with a “traditional” view.

Reference for "Umwelt and language"; product flyer

Here´s the reference for my article "Umwelt and language", which is being published in these days:

Tønnessen, Morten 2015. Umwelt and language. In Ekaterina Velmezova, Stephen J. Cowley and Kalevi Kull, Kalevi (Eds.), Biosemiotic Perspectives on Language and Linguistics (Biosemiotics 13) (Dordrecht: Springer), 77–96. Electronic versioon: DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-20663-9_5.

See also product flyer for the book. 

Birth is coming - early train

Today I felt I had to catch an early train to get home to my soon-to-deliver wife. Birth is coming. Sometime soon.

6 hours of seminars - 8 hours of teaching in a row

Today I have held three seminars in Examen Philosophicum at University of Stavanger´s UiS Business School. The topic was ethics and this autumn´s exam question (home exam).

Altogether I taught for 8 hours in a row - a new record.

Third lecture - deontology

Today I have lectured in Examen Philosophicum at University of Stavanger´s UiS Business School / Department of Media, Culture Studies and Social Sciences. The topic was deontology.

Exam questions composed

Last week, along with Cato Wittusen, I helped compose the exam questions for Examen Philosophicum at University of Stavanger´s UiS Business School (course code SVEXPHIL4) and Department of Media, Culture and Social Sciences (IMKS) (course code SVEXPHIL6).

Listed as original signee of petition against oil exploration in the Arctic

I am mentioned among the ca. 200 originally signing the petition against oil exploration in the Arctic, on the website 112aksjonen.no - see here.

See also:

Petition against Arctic oil exploration: Website and society launched; anyone can join

Petition against Arctic oil exploration: Website and society launched; anyone can join

Some time ago I signed a petition to stop oil exploration in the Arctic, along with some 200 other persons and NGOs. Now a society has been formed, and a website launched where people can join the petition - 112aksjonen.no.

See also:

Petition against oil exploration in the Arctic signed

Springer PR campaign for Biosemiotics - "Introducing new editorial team"

On August 28th, Springer conducted a PR campaign (by email) for the academic journal Biosemiotics, for which I am one of three Editors-in-Chief, with subject line "Introducing new editorial team" (i.e. the 2013-2018 team).

Contract with UiS Business School signed (again)

Today I have signed a work contract (again), in relation to my employment August 1st to December 31st at University of Stavanger´s UiS Business School, as Associate professor of philosophy. Not the last time, because there was a mistake in the contract, so I´ll have to sign a revised version next week. I´ll get my August salary, as well as my September salary, in September.

Staff meeting attended

Today I have attended the staff meeting at University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies.

4 hours of teaching

Today I have taught for 4 hours - 2 seminars - at Department of social studies, in Examen Philosophicum.

6 hours of teaching

Today I have lectured at UiS Business School (including for IMKS students) in Examen Philosophicum, and held two seminars in Examen Philosophicum at Department of social studies.

Minding Animals Norway board meeting chaired; date and place of GM, research seminar

Yesterday I chaired the board meeting of Minding Animals Norway, the first for two and a half months. Among the topics were place and time for this year´s research seminar (the 5th) and General Meeting, both of which will take place on Saturday December 5th in Oslo (10-14 and 2 pm respectively). More details are to follow.

External UiS board members proposed

The board of University of Stavanger has external members as well as internal members, and the board will soon propose prospective external members for the Ministry of Education - which makes these appointments. I have suggested to university director John Møst that Dag Hessen and Arne Johan Vetlesen be considered.

Mentions in NASS abstract book

The abstract book of the 9th conference of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies (NASS) is available for viewing online. I am mentioned as member of the Scientific Committee on p. 6, as presenter on p. 31, and with my two abstracts on p. 124 ("Agency in biosemiotics and enactivism") and 125 ("The future Umwelten of wolves, sheep and people in Scandinavia") respectively.

Photos from NASS IX (Tartu)

Photos from the 9th conference of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies (NASS), aka this year´s Tartu Summer School in Semiotics, are available online. I found two involving me and my son.

Course descriptions for SVEXPHIL4, SVEXPHIL6

The course description for Examen Philosophicum at University of Stavanger´s UiS Business School (course code SVEXPHIL4) is available here. I am named as "faglærer" [teacher].

I should also have been mentioned as teacher in the course description of Examen Philosophicum at University of Stavanger´s Department of media, culture and social studies (course code SVEXPHIL6).

UiS late on two payments

University of Stavanger is currently late with two payments I have coming, one concerning fee for grading at Department of health studies this Spring, and another (salary for August) concerning my employment this autumn at the UiS Business School. In total UiS owes me some 125.000 NOK (more than 13.000 Euro) in gross value (before tax).

One MC exam paper graded

Today I have graded one Multiple choice exam paper for University of Stavanger´s Department of health studies, in Examen Philosophicum for nursing students (course code SVEXPHIL2).

Work lunch

Today I had a work lunch where we planned teacher-assisted seminars for Examen Philosophicum at University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies (course code SVEXPHIL10).

Lecture given in SVEXPHIL4/6

Today I have given the first lecture in Examen Philosophicum at University of Stavangers UiS Business School (course code SVEXPHIL4) and Department of Media, Culture and Social Sciences (course code SVEXPHIL6), for some 400 students, in the biggest auditorium on campus (in Elise Ottesen-Jensens hus, the new social science building).

Agency review cited in article by van Hateren - remarks on choice, freedom

My article

Tønnessen, M. (2015). The biosemiotic glossary project: agent, agency. Biosemiotics 8: 125–143.

has been cited in

van Hateren, J.H. (2015). The Natural Emergence of (Bio)Semiosic Phenomena. Biosemiotics. Published online May 27th 2015 (DOI 10.1007/s12304-015-9241-4).

Excerpts:

Agency as understood here is in fact largely consistent with its typical use in biosemiotics (Tønnesen 2015), where the "core attributes of an agent include goal-directedness, self-governed activity, processing of semiosis and choice of action" (see also van Hateren 2014b). For most species, the expression "choice of action" is probably a bit too strong, because choosing seems to presuppose sharp categorization. I rather prefer to call it "some behavioural freedom" (van Hateren 2015), where behaviour is interpreted broadly to include also processes within plants and unicellular organisms. But apart from wording, it points to a similar concept.

“The future Umwelten of wolves, sheep and people in Scandinavia” presented in Tartu

Yesterday, at the 9th conference of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies (NASS) aka this year´s Tartu Summer School in Semiotics, I presented my paper “The future Umwelten of wolves, sheep and people in Scandinavia”, in the session "Knowledge and environment in movement", chaired by Timo Maran. Perhaps 15 people were present.

NASS General Assembly attended; reelected Secretary

Yesterday I attended the 2015 General Assembly of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies (NASS), in Tartu, Estonia, during NASS IX. I chaired the very beginning of the meeting, and was reelected Secretary of NASS and Norway´s Ordinary Representative in the NASS board.

Paper “Agency in biosemiotics and enactivism” presented at NASS IX

Yesterday I presented my paper “Agency in biosemiotics and enactivism” at NASS IX - at the second attempt, while carrying my sleeping boy in kenguru position - in the session “Cognitive Semiotics Meets Biosemiotics /Biosemiotics Meets Cognitive Semiotics”. Some 20 people were present.

Session "Biosemiotics and cognition" chaired at NASS IX

Yesterday I chaired the session "Biosemiotics and cognition" at NASS IX. The session was part of the larger session “Cognitive Semiotics Meets Biosemiotics /Biosemiotics Meets Cognitive Semiotics”.

Sysla Grønn introductory editorial article refers to UiS petition coverage

In "Lanserer nytt nettsted for grønn journalistikk" [Launches new website for green journalism], the editors of Sysla Grønn, a Norwegian news site, writes, referring to the regional newspaper Stavanger Aftenblad:

Vinterens serie om «Statoils makt» handlet i stor grad om selskapets manglende vilje til å satse på alternativ energi, og hvordan de har påvirket sponsingen av forskning som forlenger oljealderen.

This includes a reference to Stavanger Aftenblad´s article “Studentopprør mot oljemakt i forskningen” [Student uprising against oil power in research], which refers to a petition I wrote and took part in organising, cf. the section “Forskeropprør i Stavanger” [researcher uprising in Stavanger].

The Guardian news story on petition against Arctic oil plans

In the news story "Karl Ove Knausgaard condemns Norway's Arctic oil plans" (May 19th), the Guardian refers to a Norwegian "campaign to sue the government"over Arctic oil plans. This refers to a petition signed by some "200 leading cultural figures and environmental organisations", including me.

See also: 

Petition against oil exploration in the Arctic signed

"Culture and cognition" session partially attended

Today I have attended the last half of the “Cognitive Semiotics Meets Biosemiotics / Biosemiotics Meets Cognitive Semiotics” subsection "Culture and cognition" at the IX Conference of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies, aka this year´s Summer School in Semiotics. The whole session was in effect chaired by Lauri Linask.

See also:

Family-friendly chairing arrangements for NASS IX