Second ethics lecture

Today I gave the second ethics lecture in the bachelor in psychology course "Lovgivning og etikk" (Law and ethics), BPS330, at University of Stavanger´s Department of social studies. Topics included professional ethics and the relation between law, professions and ethics.

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.

Abstract: The legality and ethical legitimacy of wolf hunting in Scandinavia

I have just submitted an abstract to the 52nd research seminar of the Scandinavian Research Council for Criminology (SCRfC), to take place at Hønefoss, Norway, May 10-12.

The legality and ethical legitimacy of wolf hunting in Scandinavia

This presentation will partake in the session May 11th, “Globalisering i kriminologien og økologisk kriminologi”.

First, I will briefly examine laws and rules regulating wolves in Norway and Sweden since “Lov om Utryddelse af Rovdyr og Fredning af andet Vildt” (Law on Extinction of Carnivores and Protection of other Wildlife) was enforced in Norway in 1845. This section will include comparisons of Norwegian and Swedish management regulations. In Norway, wolves have had the status of a protected species since 1972, but conservation policies remain controversial – and are regularly sabotaged by means of illegal hunting. The same goes for Sweden, which in January orchestrated the first legal wolf hunt for more than a generation.

Second, I will discuss the ethical legitimacy of legal and illegal wolf hunting respectively. How do they compare, in terms of what is justifiable in light of sustainable development etc.? The centrality of this question is evidenced by the fact that a majority of Scandinavian wolves today die in the encounter with a bullet. Even though the motivation of the various shooters varies greatly, the outcome for the wolf is systematically similar. Unlike illegal hunting, legal hunts have the sanction of the law. From a pragmatic standpoint, however, the attempts to negotiate agreement with opponents of conservation policies by allowing or conducting wolf hunts do not seem to have much effect on the level of illegal hunting. Rather than working so as to combat illegal hunting, one could claim that current management strategies rather legitimize wolf hunting as a phenomenon in general.