Jacob Tom´s ph.d. defence completed; attended

Today I attended the trial lecture and ph.d. defence of Jacob Lee Tom at University of Stavanger. The theme of the trial lecture was “Travelling Concepts: A Methodological Challenge”, while Jacob´s ph.d. thesis is titled "Radical Moderation: Time and History in Twentieth-Century Norwegian Literature". Opponents were Sissel Furuseth (University of Oslo) and Zoltàn Boldizsàr Simon (Bielefeld University, Germany). I have co-supervised Jacob along with Dean Krouk from University of Wisconsin-Madison, while my UIS colleague Tyson Ashley Retz has been main supervisor.

Unfortunately I had to cancel my participation in the doctoral dinner due to a health emergency.

To be opponent at Juan Mendoza-Collazos´ ph.d. defence

I will be the opponent at Juan Mendoza-Collazos´ ph.d. defence of the thesis "Agency and Artefacts: A cognitive semiotic exploration of design", which is to take place at Lund university, in Lund, Sweden, on December 17th 2022. More info and link to the ph.d. thesis here.

UIS guidelines for evaluating doctoral degrees revised

The University of Stavanger has revised its "Veiledning om bedømmelse av norske doktorgrader" (Guidelines for evaluation of Norwegian doctoral degrees), with a number of contributions from me.

A meeting, a seminar and a dinner

Today I took part in the appointments committee meeting for the position as head of department at the Norwegian School of Hotel Management, which included an interview. I also chaired the 50% seminar of my Ph.d. student Joakim Jiri Haaland - Erik Paulsen was commentator; co-supervisor Børge Baklien was also present; 14 people were present. The seminar was marked with dinner afterwards.

Start up meeting with Phd scholars and supervisors chaired

Today I participated in and headed my first "start up meeting" (oppstartsmøte) with new PhD scholars and their supervisors, along the the Faculty of Social Sciences´ PhD coordinator.

Lunch meeting with department PhD scholars

Today - accompanied by my youngest son, who is not quite in shape today - I met with PhD students at Department of social studies as part of their "sofaforelesning" (couch lecture) series involving faculty.

PhD supervision seminar attended

Today I am attending a PhD candidates´ and supervisors´s seminar "Towards a successful relationship - roles, expectations and good conduct", held by University of Stavanger at Scandic Hotel Forum.

PhD project plans

Today I have attended a meeting with my head of department in relation to plans for a PhD scholarship with focus on the connection between welfare and wealth, with me as supervisor.

Course in PhD supervision attended

Today, for some two and a half hours, I attended a Crash-Course/First Aid Course in supervision of PhD students, held by Anne Lee.

Feedback provided on application draft

Today I have provided feedback on a PhD application for a colleague at my department.

To be member of PhD evaluation committee

I have tentatively agreed to be a member of a PhD evaluation committee at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala. More info as the engagement is confirmed.

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.

Tartu: MA programme in semiotics - application deadline April 16th

University of Tartu´s Department of Semiotics seeks applicants for its Master programme in semiotics for the academic year 2015-2016. The MA programme has been running since 2009, with very good results. For instance, several students have progressed to PhD studies following the MA programme.

Tartu semiotics is really something special, with its heritage which includes a classic within cultural semiotics such as Juri Lotman (pictured below), as well as a precursor to biosemiotics such as Jakob von Uexküll.

For more info, see www.ut.ee/semiotics. Questions can be addressed to tartusemiotics@ut.ee.

My PhD thesis listed in Dissertationes Semioticae Universitatis Tartuensis 17

On July 1st 2013, Anu Sarv defended her doctoral thesis at University of Tartu's Institute of philosophy and semiotics. Her thesis was the first to be defended within semiotics after mine, in December 2011. Reference:

Sarv, Anu 2013. Õppejõu enese refleksioon ja professionaalne identiteet [Self-reflection and professional identity of a university teacher] (= Dissertationes Semioticae Universitatis Tartuensis 17). Tartu: Tartu University Press.

My thesis is listed at the very end of the last page, as the 16th thesis in the series:

16. Morten Tønnessen. Umwelt transition and Uexküllian phenomenology. An ecosemiotic analysis of Norwegian wolf management. Tartu, 2011. 231 p. [Introduction available online]

7 of the PhD theses in this series, published since 2000, have been written in English, 5 in Russian and 5 in Estonian.

October 2011: Table at restaurant Volga reserved for PhD defence dinner

Around the end of October 2011 I reserved a table for 5-10 persons at restaurant Volga in Tartu, Estonia, at the occasion of my PhD defence (see thesis introduction) December 15th the same year. This is were I was to (and indeed did) celebrate my PhD, with the family members accompanying me, my supervisor Kalevi Kull and my opponents Jesper Hoffmeyer and Dominique Lestél.

[This blog post is part of my backlog catch-up]

October 2011: PhD defence trip arranged

Around the end of October 2011 I arranged my visit to Tartu, Estonia, December 14-16 at the occasion of the defence of my PhD thesis "Umwelt transition and Uexküllian phenomenology: An ecosemiotic analysis of Norwegian wolf management" which was to take place (and did indeed take place) December 15th that year. I would go with my parents, my wife and my aunt Marte.

[This blog post is part of my backlog catch-up]

Ocotober 2011: PhD thesis presented at council meeting

In the afternoon of Monday 24th 2011 I presented findings of my PhD thesis "Umwelt transition and Uexküllian phenomenology: An ecosemiotic analysis of Norwegian wolf management" at a council meeting at University of Tartu's Department of semiotics (or more specifically - as far as I recall and understand - the Council of Institute for Philosophy and Semiotics), in Jakobi 2, Tartu, Estonia. This was a 20 minute Powerpoint presentation. The council decided to accept my thesis for defence.

[This blog post is part of my backlog catch-up]

See also:
Doctoral thesis submitted

Interest exemption granted in PhD study period

A few days back I got the reply on my application to Statens lånekasse for utdanning, the Norwegian governmental bank for education, to be granted exempt from interest on my student loan for the period covered by my PhD studies (2007-2011). The answer was positive, though the exempt could only be granted for 3 of the 4 years due to a maximum quota of 10 years of interest exemption altogether. My student loan debt now amounts to some 27.000 Euro, after the about 4.000 Euro in interest exemption has been subtracted from the loan.

Missing Tartu diploma ceremony; PhD diploma on its way

A little while ago I received an invitation to attend the ceremonial meeting dedicated to the 93rd anniversary of Estonia's national university on December 1st. At this event, my doctorate diploma would have been handed over to me, had I attended. But due to my current Norwegian residence (and recent fatherhood) I declined to attend. In consequence, the diploma will be sent to me by post (by a local contact).

The 100 pp. introduction to my PhD thesis "Umwelt transition and Uexküllian phenomenology: An ecosemiotic analysis of Norwegian wolf management" (defended December 2011) is available online.

Academic travel plans

This weekend I have arranged tickets for two academic trips the coming months:

* Tartu: October 23-26 [in Oslo 22-23] (to stand before the doctoral committee, and to participate in zoosemiotic research seminar)

* Hamar: October 30 - November 1 (for conference on predators and grazing animals)

I will further be going to Uppsala in October, and to Tartu once again in December (for defense of doctoral degree).

(We have also booked tickets for a holiday - Kristiansand-Bodø and back by train (1526 km each way, says Google Maps), November 3-6)