New title for wolf and sheep article for PJHS

Working on the second revision (or round of edits) of my article so far entitled "A brief history of the cultural semiotic of wolves and sheep", to be published in Pakistan Journal of Historical Studies in December in their special issue on “Emotions, Humans and Animals”, I have accepted, upon suggestion from the editors, to change the title of the article to "Historicizing the Cultural Semiotics of Wolf and Sheep".

Full reference for third Biosemiotics editorial

Here is the full reference for our third editorial for Biosemiotics:

Sharov, Alexei, Timo Maran and Morten Tønnessen. Comprehending the semiosis of evolution. Editorial. Biosemiotics 9(1) 1–6. Published online April 4th 2016 (DOI: 10.1007/s12304-016-9262-7).

Full reference for Umwelt review article

Here is the full reference for our review article on the term "Umwelt", published this Spring:

Tønnessen, Morten, Riin Magnus and Carlo Brentari 2016. The Biosemiotic Glossary Project: Umwelt. Biosemiotics 9(1): 129–149. Published online March 15th 2016 (doi: DOI 10.1007/s12304-016-9255-6), with Appendix (Supplementary Material available online).

Mention in conference review of NASS IX

I am mentioned in

Velmezova, Ekaterina 2016. On semiotic (un)predictability: Tartu Summer School of Semiotics 2015. Sign Systems Studies 44(1/2): 248–250.

in the following way (p. 248):

The 2015 conference was organized by the Department of Semiotics of the University of Tartu, the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies and the Estonian Semiotics Association. Tiit Remm (the main organizer), Kalevi Kull, Kristin Vaik, Lauri Linask and Tyler Bennett participated in the work of both the scientific committee (that, besides them, also included Inesa Sahakyan, Luis Emilio Bruni, Morten Tønnessen, Peeter Torop, Sara Lenninger and Timo Maran) and of the organizing team (which also included Katre Pärn, Liina Sieberk and Maarja Vaikmaa). The conference was attended by over a hundred scholars from more than twenty countries [...]

Special issue "Framing nature and culture" now online

A special issue of Sign Systems Studies, guest-edited by Riin Magnus and Lauri Linask and entitled "Framing nature and culture", is now available online. 

Two teaching-related meetings attended

Today I have attended two meetings at university of Stavanger´s Department of social studies, one with the program coordinator and course coordinators at the bachelor in social work, and one related to course coordinator responsibility for the bachelor thesis in child welfare.

4 more hours of teaching

Today I have taught for 4 hours - two times 2-hour seminar - in Examen Philosophicum at University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies. I am now halfway through this autumn´s teaching.

Festschrift to Kalevi Kull now freely available online

Semiotics in the wild: Festschrift in honor of Kalevi Kull on the occasion of his 60th birthday (edited by Timo Maran, Kati Lindström, Riin Magnus and myself, Tartu university Press 2012) is now available in full text online, through Timo Maran´s Academia.edu profile.

Art Science & Cocktails program

Here´s the program for the Art Science & Cocktails event in Stavanger I took part in on September 23rd - with my contribution presented here.

Art Science & Cocktails held

On Friday november 23rd I was on stage during the event Art Science & Cocktails at Café Sting in Stavanger, presenting "Om det menneskeskapte økologiske hierarki i Antropocen" [On the human-made ecological hierarchy in the Anthropocene]. Some 40 people were present. Two other scholars and two artists also presented.

6 hours of teaching

Today I taught for 6 hours in Examen philosophicum at University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies. First a lecture on political justice, then two times 2-hour seminar.

Planning meeting for MUNDUS master courses

Today I attended a planning meeting for some courses in the MUNDUS master "Social Work with Families and Children", including my course next Spring "Welfare state and welfare policy" (MEM110).

Wolves and sheep article revised

Yesterday I revised my article "A brief history of the cultural semiotic of wolves and sheep", which is to appear before Christmas in Pakistan journal of historical studies.

Anthology meeting attended

Today I have attended a status meeting on the anthology me and several colleagues on University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies are working on. Revisions are due by November 1st.

5th lecture

Today I have given the 5th lecture this autumn in Examen Philosophicum at University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies. Today´s topic was (political) freedom.

UiS profile page updated

I have updated my profile page at the webpage of University of Stavanger.

62 academic publications are now listed there (included a few editorials and book reviews etc., along with peer-reviewed publications and edited works).

I have also updated Research areas (Forskningsområder) and Ongoing research (Pågående forskning).

PhD defense - Erica von Essen, Uppsala

Today I have been in Uppsala, Sweden, as part of the three-person Examination Board (evaluation committee) for Erica von Essen´s doctoral thesis "In the Gap between Legality and Legitimacy - Illegal Hunting in Sweden as a Crime of Dissent". We unanimously approved Erica´s PhD. She has taken her PhD, in the field of environmental communication, at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, at Department of Urban and Rural Development.

William Smith was opponent, and in the Examination Board I was joined by Stellan Vinthagen (chosen as chair) and Mari Pohjs-Mykrä. Hans Peter Hansen, assistant supervisor, served as our host. Some 50 people attended the doctors defence.

To appear on stage at "Art, Science and Cocktails" event in Stavanger

I have agreed to be on stage during an event at Kåkå in Stavanger called "Art, Science and Cocktails" on September 23rd. The event is part of the Norwegian "science days" (Forskningsdagene) and organized by Article biennial 2016.

Blogpost in LifeScienceToday: "Biosemiotics: Making sense of nature"

Today a blogpost I have co-written with Alexei Sharov and Timo Maran as first author was published in Springer´s blog LifeScienceToday. Link and reference:

Tønnessen, Morten, Alexei Sharov and Timo Maran (2016). Biosemiotics: Making sense of nature. Published in Springer´s blog LifeScienceToday. URL: http://blogs.springer.com/lst/biosemiotics-making-sense-nature/.

Material for special issue on biosemiotic ethics forwarded

This week I have forwarded when obtained remaining/required text and image for the forthcoming special issue of Zeitschrift für Semiotik on biosemiotic ethics. This issue is scheduled for publication in December 2016,

Staff meeting attended

Today I attended the staff meeting of Department of social studies at University of Stavanger, the first this autumn. We had lunch and cake, and were informed about developments at the department and university. The new dean of Faculty of social sciences, Gro Ellen Mathisen, was there to introduce herself.

Planning meeting - digital Multiple Choice exam

Today I attended a meeting with administrative staff, including from the exam office, at University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies, deciding on the exact modus of the Multiple Choice exam in Ex.Phil., which will this autumn for the first time be a digital exam.

4 more hours of teaching

Today I have taught for another 4 hours - two 2-hour seminars - in Ex.Phil. at University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies.

Interview on zoos and life conditions of zoo animals

Last Saturday a brief interview with me featured in a long feature article by Thea Elnan in the weekend magazine (Magasinet) of the Norwegian daily Dagens Næringsliv. The 6 page article was titled "Hageliv" [Garden/park life], but "Fri og bevare" [literally "liberate and preserve"] in the magazine´s table of contents. The online version (login required) is titled "Vil legge ned dyreparkene" [Wants to close the zoos].

6 hours of teaching

Today I have taught for 6 consecutive hours in Ex.Phil. at University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies - first a lecture, then two seminars. Today´s topic was political philosophy, particularly philosophical theories about a social contract.

Invited reflections on art exhibition online in English and Norwegian

My invited reflections on the arts exhibition "New Eden?" (Article biennial 2016, Sølvberget galleri, Stavanger - Norway) are available online in Norwegian and in English. They are referred to under Article biennial news (in Norwegian and English). The English version of the text is also linked to from the Facebook page of i/o lab.

5th Norwegian Animal Ethics Conference, on breeding, to be held late november

The 5th Norwegian Animal Ethics Conference will be held Wednesday November 23rd at Litteraturhuset, Oslo. The theme will be "Ekstrem forvandling: Avle alt alltid?" [Extreme makeover: Always breed everything?].

As usual, I am in the organizing committee.

To review book "Den levende kroppen"

I have agreed to review Den levende kroppen (ed. Drude van der Fehr) for Salongen: Nettidsskrift for filosofi og idéhistorie.

Three peer-reviews

This autumn I have done peer-reviews for Phenomenology and the cognitive sciences, Concentric: Literary and Cultural Studies, and Sign Systems Studies.

Wheeler interview finished

Last week I took part in completing

Beaver, Jonathan, Morten Tønnessen and Yogi Hendlin. Interview with Wendy Wheeler on biosemiotic ethics. Zeitschrift für Semiotik. To be published December 2016.

Work meeting on chapter on family policies

Today I have taken part in a work meeting on the book chapter on liberalism and Norwegian family policies that I am working on with a colleague.

Lecture on normative ethics

Today I have lectured in Examen Philosophicum at University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies. The topic was normative ethics.

Google Scholar: 135 citations; 10 articles cited 5+ times

According to my profile at Google Scholar, I now have 135 citations, whereof 113 since 2011. This is up 8 the last couple of months, and up 30 since February. I now have more citations in 2016 so far than in 2011 (23 vs. 21). "Umwelt ethics" is leading the pack with 27 citations, including 3 from this year. 10 of my articles have been cited at least 5 times, on Google´s count (including self-citations).

See also:

Google Scholar: 299 hits, 127 citations (June 29th)

Google Scholar: 105 citations; h-index of 6 (February 12th)

"Justifying Moral Standing by Biosemiotic Particularism" finished and submitted

A few days ago I took part in finishing, and submitted

Beever, Jonathan and Morten Tønnessen, forthcoming, 2016. Justifying Moral Standing by Biosemiotic Particularism. Zeitschrift für Semiotik. To be published December 2016.

"Introducing biosemiotic ethics" finished and submitted

A few days ago I finished and submitted

Tønnessen, Morten, Jonathan Beever and Yogi Hendlin, forthcoming, 2016. Introducing biosemiotic ethics. Introduction to Special Issue “Biosemiotic ethics”. Zeitschrift für Semiotik. To be published December 2016.

Almo Farina new member of selection panel for biosemiotics award

Also Farina has been appointed as the new member of the selection panel of the Annual Biosemiotic Achievement Award, replacing Karel Kleisner, who served for the first year as the journal Biosemiotics´ appointee.

Manuscript for special issue on biosemiotic ethics submitted

Yesterday, or more precisely this night, I sent off the full manuscript of the special issue on biosemiotic ethics to the editors of Zeitschrift für Semiotik, on behalf of myself, Jonathan Beever and Yogi Hendlin, my fellow guest editors. Altogether 11 texts totaling some 83.000 words.