Background
Born in Oslo, Norway. 1943.
Education
- Norwegian matriculation exam. Oslo Katedralskole. 1962.
- Studies at the University of Oslo, 1963-71. Ending with a Magistergrad in Comparative literature, topic of dissertation: Nigerian Novels and Social Change. Supporting subjects for the degree: English literature and language, Nordic literature and languages.
- Studies in literature and philosophy at Brandeis University, Mass. USA. 1964-65.
- Studies in anthropology and African Studies at School of Oriental and African Studies. London University 1968-69.
Academic positions
- Research assistant and research fellow in The Department of Comparative Literature University of Oslo 1972-1980.
- Lecturer and later Senior Lecturer in The Department of Nordic Literature and Languages. UofO.1980-87.
- Professor in The Department of Media and Communication. UofO. from 1987- .
- Head of Department in two periods.
- Member of the Faculty Board of Faculty of Humanities
Selected posts and activities
- Member of the faculty board of The Faculty of Arts, University of Oslo during several periods,.
- Member of several committees in the Norwegian Research Council.
- Reporter and editor with Norwegian radio and television on a free-lance basis.
- Editor and reader with Norwegian publishers.
- Editor of the journals Kontrast and Samtiden 1969-1979, 1979-1989.
- Reviewer for the Norwegian daily newspaper Dagbladet 1978 –1998.
- Member of the government committee that planned the Norwegian film school (1989)
- President of Norwegian Non-Fiction Writers and Translators Union 1994 –1996 (Norsk faglitterær forfatter- og oversetterforening (NFF).
- Member of the Programme council (Proramrådet) for TV2 1994 - 1998.
- Member of the board for Oslo Regional College for Higher Education (Høgskolen i Oslo) 1994 – 2000.
- Member of the Norwegian Public Service Broadcasting Council (Allmennkringkastingsrådet) 1996 – 2004.
- Member of the Government Commission on Freedom of Expression (Ytringsfrihetskommisjonen) 1996- 1999.
- Deputy Chairman of the Board of Centre for Environment and Development Research, (Senter for utvikling og miljø) University of Oslo: 1990 - 2000
- Chairman of the Board of the Ibsen Centre (Senter for Ibsenstudier), University of Oslo 1997 – 2009.
- Chairman of the Board of the Norwegian Reprographic Rights Organisations, Kopinor, 1998 - 2010.
- Member of the National Ibsen Committee (Nasjonalkomiteen for Ibsensatsning)1998 – 2007.
- Member of the Council and Board for the Norwegian Literature Festival (Norsk litteraturfestival) 1997 – 2014.
- Chairman of Government Advisory Council on Results in Development Policies (Rådgivender utvalg for resultater i utviklingspolitikken) 2001 – 2003.
- Member of the international Jury for Africa’s 100 Best Books of the 20th Century. 2001 – 2002
- Member of the National Committee for Ethics in Resarch. 2003 – 2006
- Chairman of the Board of NORCODE (Norwegian Copyright Development Organisation) 2011 –
Consultancies and Evaluations
Evaluations and consultancies undertaken for NORAD, Danida, UNDP; UNESCO, and other agencies in the areas of:
Research, Cultural policies, Media
Languages
Norwegian – native (Swedish Danish); English fluent – written and spoken; German – good reading – acceptable speaking capacity; French – reading capacity; Portuguese – good reading – good speaking, passable writing; Italian – reading – slow; Spanish – reading – slow.
Educational Areas
Textual analysis of film and TV; Adaptation; Media and Literature; Cultural Studies; News analysis and International Journalism; Media and Democracy; Media and Development; Freedom of Expression; Intellectual Property Rights and the Media; Media Theory.
Research areas
Film and TV analysis; News Analysis; Democratic Developments and Media; Globalisation Theory; Media and Development, African Media and politics; Freedom of Expression; Copyright in the Media; Cultural Studies; The book as a Medium; Cultural Politics; Media and Literature.
Research Projects
The Voice of China in Africa – Media and Soft Power. (http://www.cmi.no/research/project/?1686=voice-of-china), Between Ink and Hyperlink. European Publishing. (With Tore Slaatta)