New UIS profile page

Today the University of Stavanger has launched its new webpage. This is my new profile page.

On sick leave

I have been on sick leave since Tuesday October 27th, in preparation of surgery the next day. I will likely stay at the hospital (SUS, Stavanger university hospital) for close to a week. I expect a 4 week sick leave (minimum).

#21,5

Today I had an article writing day, with some 800 words written on my contribution to the human agency chapter of our book Semiotic agency. Total number of writing days so far this autumn is up to 21,5.

A meeting

Today I attended a work group meeting for Cognitive Lab, which included updates and a decision on steering model.

#20,5

Today I have had half a writing day or so, with some commenting, planning, and about 200 words written on human agency for our Semiotic agency book.

News story in Khrono about UIS breaking law when hiring new Head of department at Department of social studies

I am indirectly referred to, though not mentioned by name, in the news story "Brøt loven ved ansettelse av instituttleder" (broke the law when head of department was hired") published this afternoon in the Norwegian higher education online newspaper Khrono. The news story refers to the university board´s treatment of the announcement and hiring process, and the fact that the composition of the appointments committee was not in accordance with the Norwegian law concerning gender balance. This was only made clear as the Ministry of Culture replied to a question from the university on September 11th, the day after I was hired. In Spring, I was the only man in the appointments committee, versus four women. In autumn, I withdrew from the appointments committee as I decided to apply for the position as head of department at Department of social studies. After that point the appointments committee consisted of five women, without any male.

The HR director at University of Stavanger stated to the board that the university´s practice will now have to change with regard to gender balance in appointments committees, but that the hiring of me is valid and stands.

To present at fully digital conference 20th Gathering in Biosemiotics

I have registered for the 20th Gathering in biosemiotics, which will be fully digital given the circumstances of the ongoing pandemic. At the conference I will present my paper "Introducing a Three-Dimensional Interactive Semiotic Model of Environmental Change".

Ph.d. position in history on progress

I am involved as prospective co-supervisor in a ph.d. project at university of Stavanger´s Department of cultural studies and languages where applications are now called for. Main supervisor will be Tyson Retz. Deadline is November 17th. The call is here.

Excerpts:

The PhD fellow will explore the concept of progress in liberal democracy from the nineteenth century to the present day. The project will be a study that applies historical insight to the discussion of present-day political and environmental challenges. In particular, the project should aim to critically evaluate the conceptions of progress that have generated beliefs in continual growth. The concept of progress has evolved alongside ideas about human and community development, individual self-improvement, evolution, scientific and technological advancement, industrialisation and modernisation, as well as within political ideologies of social reform, piecemeal problem-solving, planning and anti-planning. Progress could be invoked morally in the name of a collective good, pursued through economic planning, or be aligned with freely acting individuals in the market place. In the second half of the twentieth century, largescale rises in material living standards saw progress become a byword for abundance and opportunity. The political rhetoric of progress has been ever-present.        

The PhD fellow will propose a project examining the concept of progress in such or related themes. The project could explore, among numerous possibilities, how commitments to moral improvement underpinned political agendas of social reform. It could explore the concept of progress within discourses of human development, the conceptions of progress that tied together notions of community, welfare and state regulation, or the changing conceptions of moral, scientific and economic progress that had political consequences. Projects situated in the more recent past with a specifically environmental focus could explore the history of the concept of progress in environmental politics and ethics, or the rise of alternative green-growth and de-growth discourses. The intellectual histories of progress’s prophets and critics offer another rich source for generating new understandings of the concept’s role in modern society.

Two meetings and a supervision session

On Wednesday this week I attended the faculty´s leadership meeting, focused mostly on strategy, and a research administration meeting. I also gave a ph.d. supervision session along with a co-supervisor.

Three meetings

Today I have attended three meetings - the faculty leadership group meeting, a meeting related to the ph.d. programme in social sciences, and a planning meeting related to my upcoming sick leave.

Four meetings

Today I have attended four meetings. This includes one on a ph.d. programme in artistic research, a meeting in the ph.d. committe, a research administration meeting, and one more meeting.

#20

Today I have had half an article day, with some plans made for November and some 600 words composed on my parts of the Human agency chapter for Semiotic agency.

Wellbeing Economy Alliance

 I have become a citizen member of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance.

BOA

Today I have attended a BOA meeting digitally, working from home.

#19,5

Today I have had half an article writing day, with some 550 words written on our Semiotic agency chapter on human agency.

Two-three meetings

Today I have attended the weekly faculty leadership group meeting, chaired my fourth and last board meeting at Centre for gender studies, and had a video call related to an article I am co-writing.

#19

Today I have had half an article writing day devoted to our human agency chapter, with some 500 words written.

A meeting

Today I have attended a meeting related to privacy regulations and administration bordering on research administration.

#18,5

Today I have had an article writing day devoted to my contributions to the chapter on human agency in Semiotic agency, with some 900 words written.

A meeting

Today I have attended a meeting related to the ph.d. programme in social sciences.

Annual meeting of national academic council for philosophy attended

Today I have attended the annual meeting - this time held digitally - of Norway´s national academic council for philosophy and history of ideas.

Wolf socialization article outline rejected by Animal Behaviour

A preliminary outline of our article "Socialization of captive wolves (Canis lupus) in zoos improves animal welfare and expands behavioral repertoire" which we submitted to Animal Behaviour a few days ago has been rejected due to the focus of the article on one species only.

Video recording of Dyreetikkonferansen 2020

Video recordings of the Norwegian Animal Ethics Conference 2020, which had the theme "Welfare in the time of isolation", is now available on YouTube (NB: in Norwegian).

#17,5

Today I have had a final article writing day ahead of my autumn holidays the upcoming week, with some 1.200 words written on my parts of the "Human agency" chapter for our book Semiotic agency (co-written with Alexei Sharov). I have also drafted a cover letter for the article on socialization of wolves which I co-write with Laura Kiiroja.

Number of article days so far this autumn is up to 17,5.

Presentation on Umwelt futurology given in the Biosemiotic Glade

Today I presented my paper "What can be known about future Umwelten?" in the Biosemiotic Glade (an informal, biweekly digital event held in the biosemiotic community), via Zoom. Some 14 people attended the 2-hour event, which included a half hour introduction by me followed by discussion.

#16,5

Today I have had half an article writing day, and finished drafting my contributions for chapter 2 of Semiotic agency, "Historical Overview of Developments of the Notions of Agency". My contributions amount to close to 5.000 words, of which about 1.000 were written today.

#16

On Tuesday this week, 29th of September, I had half an article writing day, with some 400 words written on the historical overview chapter of our book Semiotic agency. In September, I altogether wrote some 8.700 words. The autumn´s number of writing days is up to 16.

A meeting

Today I have attended the weekly faculty leadership group meeting at Faculty of social sciences. Among other issues, we discussed the faculty and university strategy.