BA, MA, PhD
PhD, UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI, Aesthetics, 2009. Learning from Venice: What a Unique City Can Teach About the Aesthetic. Supervisors: Arto Haapala & Ossi Naukkarinen. Opponent: Arnold Berleant. Secondary assessment: P. T. Karjalainen.
Licentiate of Philosophy, University of Helsinki, Aesthetics, 2003. Richard Shustermanin pragmatistinen populaaritaiteen estetiikka. [The Aesthetics of Popular Art of Richard Shusterman.] Assessment: Ilona Reiners & Simo Säätelä.
MA (& BA), University of Helsinki, Aesthetics, 1999. Populaaritaiteen teorian esteettinen käänne. Alempien taiteiden filosofian synty. [The Aesthetic Turn in Popular Culture Studies. The Birth of the Philosophy of the Lower Arts.]
Major for BA and MA: Aesthetics (Arto Haapala). Minors: Semiotics (70 credits, Eero Tarasti) & Philosophy (Swedish, the department leaning towards idea history, 35 credits). I consider my main teachers to have been Arto Haapala, Pauline von Bonsdorff, Eero Tarasti, Göran Sörbom and Richard Shusterman, but I learned a great deal from singular courses given by e.g. Richard Shusterman, Anne Hénault, Tommy Zaine, André Maury, Pauli Pylkkö, Emanuele Paschi and Adriano Fabris.
Research Visits and Exchange Studies
TEMPLE UNIVERSITY Philadelphia US 2002 Spring semester, Visiting scholar. Grant: Academy of Finland.
UNIVERSITY OF PISA 1998-1999 Winter semester, Erasmus.
UNIVERSITY OF UPPSALA 1997 Spring semester, Nordplus.
Later Additions
2012-2015 60 credits of studies in Art University Pedagogy at AALTO UNIVERSITY.
2005-2007 25 credits (basic studies) of TAIKOPEDA pedagogical studies for art university teachers.
2009 Basic Studies (25 credits) in Museology and Material Culture, UNIVERSITY OF TURKU (Open University).
Other
1999 (6-7) Trainee: FINNISH-INSTITUTE AT LONDON UK. Supervisor: Jali Wahlsten.
Languages
FINNISH: Native.
SWEDISH: Native (but not much used, so sometimes rusty). I change pronunciation from Finland Swedish to Swedish Swedish when I travel to my relatives in Sweden.
ENGLISH: My main working language. Fluent and in everyday use, but I need someone to a language revision for my articles.
ITALIAN: Quite fluent, and sometimes my working language.
FRENCH: I read French.
SPANISH: I read Spanish – although a small brush-up would be great.
ESTONIAN: I read Estonian, and long time ago I could chat a bit – but is in a need of a brush-up.
GERMAN: I read German, and when I have a good day I can chat a bit.
DANISH: I read Danish – and understand it quite okay after a week in the country.
NORWEGIAN: I read Norwegian – and understand it well after 2-3 days in Norway.
LATIN: In the end of my studies I was able to read some Gallic Wars.
HINDI: I studied two years, and had small chats in the end. Reading was harder.
OTHER: I have studied Chinese (3 years), Japanese (intensive basics for Japanologists) and Russian (2 years). I have done basic course in Somali language (2019), and long time ago I understood more (Finnish) Romani than today, but I still remember something…