Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Some Aspects Of Topic Shifting In Moroccan Arabic, Lhoussine Oumazane

Bouhout

This paper examines conversational topic shifting in Moroccan Arabic, focusing on the markers and devices speakers use to move from one topic to another within the same interaction. After reviewing relevant literature and methodology, it distinguishes several forms of topic shift, including genuine topic shifts, sub-topic shifts, and topic recycling. The analysis identifies markers such as pauses, genuine topic-shift utterances, attention-getting devices, and topic-recycling markers, and discusses their discourse functions. The study shows that topic-shift markers do not perform a single function only, but help structure conversation, introduce new referents, manage interaction, and delimit useful units for discourse analysis.

Natural Environment And Human Behavior In The Atouba Region: The Sidi Bettache Plateau As A Case Study, Rachida Nafaa

Bouhout

This article examines the relationship between the natural environment and human behavior in the Atouba region, using the Sidi Bettache Plateau as a case study. It analyzes the main physical characteristics of the area, including relief, geology, climate, rainfall, hydrographic networks, and soil conditions, and considers how these factors influence settlement, agricultural activity, land use, and adaptation strategies. The study relies on maps, climatic data, and field observations to show that human practices cannot be understood independently of environmental constraints. It highlights the importance of integrating physical geography and social behavior in the study of rural Moroccan spaces.

Preliminary Geomorphological Observations On The Telmest Area Downstream Of Wadi Tensift, Mostapha Wadrim

Bouhout

This article offers preliminary geomorphological observations on the Telmest area downstream of Wadi Tensift. It describes the location of the study area and analyzes the main morphological and structural units that shape the landscape, including coastal and inland formations, Jbel Kourati, Quaternary deposits, valleys, slopes, and contact zones between geological units. The study uses maps, sketches, and cross-sections to identify the distribution of landforms and to interpret the processes that contributed to their formation. It provides an initial framework for understanding the geomorphological organization of this part of western Morocco and its relation to regional relief and drainage patterns.

The Theory Of The Spatial Diffusion Of Innovations: An Analytical And Critical Reading, Al-Mokhtar Al-Akhal

Bouhout

This article provides an analytical and critical reading of the theory of the spatial diffusion of innovations as used in geography. It reviews the central concepts of diffusion, information, and innovation, and explains how new practices, ideas, or techniques spread through time, space, social relations, and communication networks. The article discusses major models of diffusion, including the role of carriers, distance, contact, barriers, neighborhood effects, and adoption processes. It also examines critical perspectives on the theory, especially those that stress the importance of economic, social, political, and developmental contexts in shaping the circulation of innovations.

The Development Of The City Of Mohammedia In The Twentieth Century, Kacem Joumady

Bouhout

This article studies the development of the city of Mohammedia during the twentieth century. It traces the rapid demographic growth of the city, the expansion of its urban fabric, and the effects of colonial planning, port activities, and industrialization on its spatial organization. The article examines population figures, the growth of residential districts, the role of the port, and the differentiation between planned European areas and other urban neighborhoods. By combining demographic, historical, and geographical data, the study shows how Mohammedia was transformed from a small settlement into an important urban and industrial center within Morocco.

Andalusian Society In The Caliphal Period: The Dissolution Of Tribal And Sectarian Bonds, Ahmed Tahiri

Bouhout

This article examines Andalusian society during the caliphal period by focusing on the weakening of tribal and sectarian bonds. It discusses how earlier identities linked to lineage, ethnic origin, and religious or political affiliation were gradually transformed under the effects of state formation, urban life, social mobility, and cultural integration. The study situates this transformation within the broader history of Islamic Spain and analyzes the ways in which the caliphal order contributed to reshaping social relations. It argues that the decline of older forms of solidarity did not simply erase difference, but reorganized it within new political, administrative, and cultural …

The Concept Of Social Conflicts In The European Middle Ages Through French And English Studies, Mohamed Khennaoui

Bouhout

This article discusses the concept of social conflicts in the European Middle Ages through a reading of French and English scholarship. It questions the use of modern analytical categories such as class, order, and social stratum when applied to medieval societies, and warns against anachronistic interpretations. The article reviews how historians have approached tensions within feudal society, including peasant revolts, religious movements, rural crises, and conflicts between dominant and dependent groups. By comparing historiographical perspectives, the study shows that medieval social conflict must be understood in relation to the specific economic, political, religious, and symbolic structures of the period.

A Notable Figure Of Moroccan Zawiyas: Abu Hamid Muhammad Al-Arabi Al-Fasi, Abdeljawad Sekkat

Bouhout

This article presents a biographical and historical study of Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Arabi al-Fasi, one of the notable figures associated with Moroccan zawiyas. Drawing on a range of classical and later sources, it examines the information transmitted about his life, intellectual formation, scholarly environment, spiritual affiliations, and the place he occupied within Moroccan religious culture. The study pays particular attention to the role of zawiyas as spaces of learning, mediation, piety, and social influence, while also noting the difficulties created by divergent or fragmentary biographical accounts. Through this figure, the article highlights the importance of Sufi and scholarly networks in …

Reform Discourse In The Moroccan Maqama: Al-Azrayfi’S Maqama As A Case Study, Mohamed Al-Soulami

Bouhout

This article studies reform discourse in the Moroccan maqama through the example of Al-Azrayfi’s maqama. It considers the maqama not only as a literary form based on narration, linguistic virtuosity, and rhetorical play, but also as a vehicle for social and moral critique. The analysis shows how the text mobilizes irony, dialogue, argumentation, and exemplary situations to expose disorder and call for reform. By examining the links between literary structure and critical intention, the article highlights the role of Moroccan maqama writing in expressing concerns about society, values, and public life. It concludes that the genre can function as a …

The Concept Of Locality, Mustapha Yaala

Bouhout

This article clarifies the concept of locality and distinguishes it from terms with which it is often confused, such as particularity, tradition, authenticity, and simple local color. It approaches locality as a critical and cultural category shaped by the relationship between place, language, social experience, and collective memory. Rather than reducing the local to folklore or to a closed regional identity, the study considers it as a dynamic mode of representation through which literary and cultural texts express the specific features of a community while remaining open to broader human meanings. The article therefore proposes a more precise understanding of …

Al-Khazin: His Age, Life And Works, And Glimpses Of His Method In Qur’Anic Exegesis, Rachid Alami

Bouhout

This article studies the exegete Al-Khazin by presenting his historical context, life, scholarly formation, and principal works, with particular attention to his contribution to Qur’anic interpretation. It then offers glimpses of his exegetical method, especially in Lubab al-Ta’wil fi Ma’ani al-Tanzil, by examining how he uses Qur’anic cross-references, prophetic traditions, reports from earlier authorities, Arabic linguistic evidence, and other tools of classical tafsir. The article aims to clarify Al-Khazin’s place within Islamic scholarship and to show the main features that structure his approach to interpreting the Qur’an.

The Sciences Of The Ancients And Their Place In Ibn Hazm’S Zahiri Doctrine, Said Benkroum

Bouhout

This article examines the status of the “sciences of the ancients” in Ibn Hazm’s Zahiri thought, with particular attention to logic and philosophy. It reassesses the view that Ibn Hazm simply adopted Aristotelian logic, showing instead that his engagement with earlier sciences was selective and governed by the requirements of textual interpretation, religious knowledge, and intellectual rigor. The study discusses his distinction between the useful logical tools that help clarify meaning and the philosophical doctrines that he rejects when they conflict with Islamic belief. It argues that Ibn Hazm’s position combines an openness to methodological instruments with a firm critique …

Editorial, Ibrahim Al-Soulami

Bouhout

This editorial introduces the first issue of Bouhout, the journal of the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences in Mohammedia. It presents the journal as a scholarly platform intended to support academic production in the humanities and social sciences, to reflect the intellectual work of the faculty, and to encourage contributions across different disciplines. It also situates the launch of the journal within the development of the faculty during the 1987–1988 academic year and highlights the importance of collective academic effort, openness, and rigorous research.

Social Innovation In The Peacebuilding Sector, Michelle Helman, Phd, Katherine Ronderos, Mariafernanda Burgos-Ariza

Peace and Conflict Studies

Social innovation is an expanding practice in the peacebuilding sector. In this article, three peace scholar-practitioners reflect on our experiences as peacebuilders and consider the utility, tensions, and possibilities for peace and social innovation in theory and in practice. We draw insights gleaned through a focus group workshop with peacebuilding colleagues and highlight three case study examples from Colombia, the Philippines, and Kenya, each demonstrating the challenges and opportunities of social innovation in the peace sector. In doing so, we offer a reimagining of- and recommended action steps to engage innovation through a collaborative, feminist design approach. This article contributes …

Performance Of Illustrations And Images As Language In Sarnath Banerjee’S All Quiet In Vikaspuri, Akanksha Barthwal Ms

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

Sarnath Banerjee’s All Quiet in Vikaspuri, fictionalizes but at the same time addresses water wars and political ideologies in the city of Delhi. By the means of eco-critical approach in the name of Vi-kas (development) Banerjee discuss the acts of slow violence subverted on nature in the name of progress (vikas). Through text/ images the author depicts chaos and challenges for the readers in more direct and obscene ways. The current paper attempts to look at Banerjee’s illustrations and images as new form of language emerged in modern Indian literature with the possibly that illustrations have more effect on …

The Reading Quiz And Reflective Writing At The Start Of Class, Geert Dhondt

Open Educational Resources

This assignment uses brief, unannounced reading quizzes and reflective writing exercises at the beginning of class to promote preparation, engagement, and accountability in introductory economics courses. Through low-stakes assessment and opportunities for reflection, students develop critical thinking, metacognitive awareness, and a deeper understanding of course material while providing instructors with immediate insight into student comprehension and misconceptions. By informing class discussions and encouraging collaborative learning, the assignment creates a student-centered environment that supports active participation, independent learning, and ongoing intellectual growth.

How To Pay Attention To Detail, Gregory Crosby

Open Educational Resources

This assignment examines how writing cultivates attention by asking students to describe their commute to campus, first from memory and later through deliberate observation. By comparing the two accounts, students reflect on the selective nature of perception and how conscious attention alters what they notice and record. A final rewriting exercise inspired by Raymond Queneau’s Exercises in Style demonstrates how language, perspective, and form shape the interpretation of experience, reinforcing the connection between observation and craft.

Prompted Props, Human Pipelines: Evaluating Ai-Generated 3d Assets For Game-Ready Environments, Andrew Begemann, James Hutson

Faculty Scholarship

Generative AI systems increasingly promise rapid 3D asset production for game development, yet their practical viability depends on whether generated models can move beyond visual preview into editable, optimized, engine-ready workflows. This article presents a practice-led comparative case study of a stylized fantasy tavern environment produced through two workflows: a human-authored Blender pipeline and an AI-assisted pipeline using Meshy 6 and Hunyuan 3D. Using a fixed asset list, shared visual theme, documented prompts, production-time tracking, visual comparison, topology inspection, UV-map analysis, and post-generation labor accounting, the study evaluates whether text-to-3D tools function as production substitutes, ideation accelerators, or conditional asset …

Apocalypse Of Hannah, Maksim Astashinskiy

Faculty Papers and Publications

Alexander Sperber edited the fifteenth-century Ms. Or. 2210, which is the basis of this text. See: “Or 2210,” British Library, Digitised Manuscripts, accessed January 4, 2022, https://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Or_2210. Also, see: Alexander Sperber, The Bible in Aramaic. Volume II: The Former Prophets according to Targum Jonathan (Leiden: Brill, 1959), 96–98; H. Barnstein, “A Noteworthy Targum MS. in the British Museum,” The Jewish Quarterly Review 11, no. 1 (1898), 167–171, https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/1450407.pdf.

Eighth-Century Paschal Hymns, Maksim Astashinskiy

Faculty Papers and Publications

The first hymn (The information is taken from footnote 1):   For the Greek text, see Patrologiae cursus completus. ed. Jacques-Paul Migne, Series Graeca: Patrologia Graeca (PG) Vol. 96 (1864), 849, http://patristica.net/graeca/, or Anthologia graeca carminum christianorum. ed. Wilhelm von Christ (Leipzig: B.G. Teubner, 1871), 218, https://archive.org/details/anthologiagraec00paragoog; for a traditional nineteenth-century translation, see: Hymns of the Eastern Church. ed. and trans. John Mason Neale (London: J.T. Hayes, Lyall Place, Eaton Square, 1876), 95–96, https://archive.org/details/hymnseasternchu01nealgoog. The versification is my own.   The second hymn (The information is taken from footnote 6).    For the Greek text, see: Anthologia …

Apostle Patrick’S Orthodoxy: Selection From Hymn Of St. Secundinus (Sechnall), Ca. Fifth Century, Maksim Astashinskiy

Faculty Papers and Publications

The Latin text is drawn from “[13] Hymnus Sancti Patricii Magistri Scotorum,” in: F. E. Warren, ed., The Antiphonary of Bangor: An Early Irish Manuscript in the Ambrosian Library at Milan. Henry Bradshaw Society Vol. 10. (London: Harrison and Sons, St. Martin’s Lane, 1895), 14–16, https://ia800105.us.archive.org/32/items/TheAntiphonaryOfBangor/TheAntiphonaryOfBangor.pdf; also, see: “Incipit Ymnus Sancti Patricii Episcopi Scotorum” in: Robert Atkinson and John Henry Bernard, eds. The Irish ‘Liber hymnorum’: Text and Introduction, Vol. 1 (London: Harrison and Sons, St. Martin’s Lane, London, 1898), 7, 11–12, https://archive.org/details/IrishLiberHymnorumV1.

Late Medieval Saint Valentine’S Day Observance Selection From Christine De Pizan’S Le Dit De La Rose (The Tale Of The Rose), 1402, Maksim Astashinskiy

Faculty Papers and Publications

There are four known manuscript traditions (see below), including a membra disjecta, of Christine de Pizan’s Le Dit de la Rose, see: “Christine de Pizan, Dit de La Rose.” Github.io, 2026, https://ditsma.github.io/Dits-du-Moyen-Age/roseChristine.html: This translation is drawn from Ferdinand Heuckenkamp, Le Dit de la Rose von Christine von Pisan (Halle a. S.: Buchdruckerei des Waisenhauses, 1891), 12–13, 18-19.  https://archive.org/details/LeDitDeLaRose/mode/2up; also, see: La querelle du Roman de la Rose, Le Dit de la Rose, 14 février 1401, anc. st., Bibliotheca Augustana, https://www.hs-augsburg.de/~harsch/gallica/Chronologie/15siecle/Christine/chr_rose.html. 

1. Chantilly, Bibliothèque du Château (Musée Condé), 492-493 (1667-1668), fol. 74ra à 79ra …

De Astronomiā: A Comparison Of Kepler’S Epitome Astronomiae Copernicanae And Ancient Astronomical Literature, Jillian Lees Darcy

Classics Undergraduate Senior Theses

My thesis is part translation and part analysis. I chose to translate an early modern astronomical text written in Neo-Latin and analyze this text through ancient writing on astronomy and cosmology. I chose to translate Kepler’s Epitome Astronomiae Copernicanae because of the many ancient allusions he makes in the introduction. While this text is valued for its scientific content and contributions, but I was interested in Kepler’s literary strategies, specifically how he engages in authorial self-fashioning, and how classical strategies of knowledge construction are distorted or mirrored in their style and content.  After my translation, I will analyze Kepler’s literary …

Mainely Gay 50th Anniversary Tribute, Susan Henderson, Peter Prizer, Stan Fortuna

Mainely Gay (1978-1980)

A special 50th Anniversary Edition of Mainely Gay

From Seizure To Settlement: Liberated Africans, Imperial Law, And Labor In The Indian Ocean World, 1810–1860, Holly S. Mcfate

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the relationship between British antislavery, imperial law, and labor management in the western Indian Ocean during the first half of the nineteenth century. Centered on the 1821 capture and condemnation of the slave schooner Industry by HMS Menai, the study employs a microhistorical methodology to reconstruct the legal and administrative processes that governed the lives of Africans seized from slave ships after their liberation. Drawing upon Vice-Admiralty Court records, Colonial Office correspondence, naval logbooks, and administrative registers from The National Archives (UK) and the Mauritius Archives, the thesis follows the transition of captive Africans from maritime interception …

Cut And Cultivate: Process And Practice, Kailey Atkinson

Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts

Using a candy-coated, flower-ridden, bright palette and maximalist sense of composition, my artwork builds community through narrative collage, photography, painting, sculpture, poetry, and social practice. Through a feminist lens, these bright works explore body image, gender roles, and social issues. Obsessively collecting and repurposing an archive of vintage imagery, my work draws parallels between traditional and contemporary topics through the language of collage and redaction.  My nascent social practice has led me to engage with narratives outside my own experience and offer my process as a healing modality to other women.

In a tumultuous political climate where art can serve …

Darkness Seen By Candlelight: Painting To Discover Feeling, Shelby Feltoon

Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts

This thesis discusses the ways that a phenomenological experience can translate itself through the medium of painting. This translation evokes deep feelings through physical considerations of materiality, light, context, distance, and time. Through a series of intimate and abstracted oil paintings created in thin layers, the work conveys an interdependent relationship between light and darkness. This project draws from research on art movements like Suprematism, Minimalism, and Expressionism, as well as larger practices and philosophies about photography and the sublime. The body of work draws direct reference to Junichiro Tanazaki’s essay In Praise of Shadows. Ultimately, the work described …

The Fellowship Of Christ's Sufferings: Toward A Practical Philosophy Of Worship For Missions In The Latin American Church, Moriah Hope Joseph

Senior Honors Theses

Within Latin America, evil and suffering are ever-present realities that cannot be concealed, and the Hispanic society is aching for relief. Liberation Theology and the prosperity gospel – and their accompanying worship practices – have been offered as tools to help alleviate the experience of suffering. But these theological perspectives and practices have accomplished little in edifying the Church by way of truth. Thus, the call for the modern missionary is to instead preach worship that is a response to the incarnate Christ in suffering. The missionary must advocate for worship practices that provide space for biblical lament, reveal a …

Emotion In Absence: Omission, World War I, And Masculine Vulnerability In Ernest Hemingway's In Our Time, Anna Murph

ETDs from 2020-2029

This thesis analyzes Ernest Hemingway’s depictions of male-male and male-female relationships in his collection of short stories, In Our Time. By comparing heterosexual and homosocial relationships, I explore how Hemingway’s depictions of male bonds are not only unique due to his famed terseness but also rooted in shared understanding, prompting a reconsideration of how male bonds are interpreted textually. I consider Hemingway’s use of omission and focus on how his minimalistic style lends to a reading of male-male relationships as more emotionally intimate than heterosexual relationships. When analyzing omission and relational dynamics through concepts such as gesture, touch, identity, and …

Resisting The Neoliberal Postfeminist Sexual Objectification Matrix: A Critical Autoethnography Exploring Sexual Objectification, Mental Health, Relationship To Self, And Reclaiming Subjectivity, Ildiko Archer

ETDs from 2020-2029

Over the past two decades, women’s subjectivity and sexual experience have been dramatically reshaped by the rise of dating apps, the normalization of hookup culture, the popularization of BDSM, and the dominance of neoliberal postfeminist sexual discourses. In the South, this all unfolds in the lingering residues of purity culture, creating a perfect storm of sexual objectification. This autoethnographic dissertation examines a defining period of my life shaped by the mental health consequences of sexual objectification and self-objectification. During this time, I experienced two brief marriages, many sexual relationships, posed on social media, dating apps, sexted, and performed sexual ‘agency’, …