Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Return To Roots: Strunk, White, Orwell, Stewart Justman

Global Humanities and Religions Faculty Publications

Where did I get the idea that writing is a disciplined expression of free thought?

Language, Literature, And Culture Newsletter, Thirteenth Edition (February 2026), Language, Literature, And Culture Department, Clark University

Language, Literature, and Culture

The thirteenth issue of the Language, Literature, and Culture department newsletter, which went out in February 2026. The Language, Literature, and Culture department newsletter aims to "share stories, news, ideas, achievements, and important information about and within our academic department that can be helpful to the campus community at large".

(Nuevo) Quinceañera - ExplanacióN Luterana En EspañOl – Ceh, Ceh

Liturgias

Quinceañera - explanación Luterana en español – CEH

Authentic Malleability: Zen Buddhism And The Justification Of Japanese Cultural Superiority During World War Ii, Pj Wise

Senior Theses

Throughout history, religious traditions have been mobilized to justify nationalist violence and claims to cultural superiority. In modern Japan, Buddhism underwent a dramatic transformation, becoming one of the most sophisticated ideological justifications for Japanese imperialism during World War II. How did Zen Buddhism come to justify Japanese claims of cultural superiority during the Pacific War? Examining Buddhist institutional practices, philosophical texts, and wartime propaganda from 1941-1945, this thesis analyzes three mechanisms through which Buddhism legitimized Japanese superiority: claims to spiritual supremacy through Zen philosophy, militarization of Buddhist practice, and use of Buddhism as cultural imperialism in occupied territories. I argue …

Philippine Cultural Sovereignty: At Risk In The Hands Of Neocolonialism And The Ruling Class, Juliet Mary Atienza Romero

Senior Theses

As countries in the Global South continue to achieve recognized sovereignty, hegemonic powers become eager to find other methods of control, typically through the consolidation of political, economic, and cultural means. The furthering of post-colonial efforts is facilitated by the cooperation of domestic powers, whose personal aims of power align with imperial interests of colonial-like dominance. The interaction between neocolonialism and the ruling class theory may reveal a broader issue beyond the understanding of economic and cultural expansionism as defined by the colonial period. Further, the role of the education system and the projects of docility as used by the …

Lakota Powwow Singers At The Drum, Robert J. Damm

Publications

No abstract provided.

Communication As Layered Architecture: Core Processing And Empathic Modulation, Griselda Poe

Publications and Research

This paper proposes a structural re-description of communication by separating Core processing from its social interface. Using the developmental sequence of Large Language Models (LLMs) as an external reference point, a layered architecture is identified, consisting of a foundational Core processing layer and a subsequent Empathic modulation layer.

The investigation begins with the observation that empathic signaling can obstruct rather than facilitate interaction for certain individuals. By examining the emergence of Base AI—Core processing prior to empathic adjustment—it is demonstrated that coherent, constraint-preserving interaction is possible without affective resonance.

Through this framework, existing cognitive theories and observed "deficits" are repositioned. …

2026-02-01 Caudill Connection, Morehead State University. Caudill College Of Arts, Humanities And Social Sciences.

Caudill Connection

Caudill Connection newsletter for January of 2026.

A Phenomenologically Informed Study Of Black Male Preservice Teachers’ Lived Experiences: Professional Socialization, Social Representation, And The Redesign Of Teacher Education For Equity, William A. Anders

Student Theses

This qualitative research explores the experiences of Black male preservice teachers in New York City’s teacher education programs. To examine the underrepresentation of Black male preservice teachers, the research employs Critical University Studies and Critical Race Theory to investigate the institutional barriers they face. Using semi-structured interviews with seven participants and reflexive thematic analysis, the findings revealed six paramount themes: Pathways in Teaching, Representation and Identity, Experiences in Teacher Education, Racial Bias and Institutional Challenges, the Role of Mentorship and Support Networks, and Teaching Philosophy.

Participants described the challenges that Black male preservice teachers face, including isolation, economic hardships, unsuitable …

The Importance Of International Exchange In A Time Of Worldwide Economic And Political Crisis And Change, David Anshen

Literatures and Cultural Studies Faculty Publications

This paper argues that international scholarly and cultural exchange has become especially vital in the context of intensifying global economic, political, ecological, and social crises. Drawing on Marxist theory, contemporary political realities in the United States and South Asia, and examples from world literature, the article examines how global capitalism both deepens human suffering and creates new possibilities for solidarity and resistance. Through reflections on immigration, political violence, ecological collapse, and the marginalization of the humanities, the paper highlights the role of international dialogue- facilitated by digital technologies and cross-cultural engagement- as a necessary counterforce to dehumanization and fragmentation. Literary …

Cecil Taylor, 1950–1976: Theory & Practice In His Own Words, Michelle A. Yom

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Cecil Taylor (1929–2018) was a poet, composer, pianist, and dancer who is widely regarded as one of the founding figures of Free Jazz. Despite this historical significance, Taylor has not been a subject of substantial archival research. Some scholars have written his name into music scholarship through explicitly or implicitly reiterating the notion of “freedom” that circulated among contemporary jazz critics of the late 1950s and the 1960s. Others have focused on analyzing Taylor’s solo piano music, often reducing Taylor’s musical theories and practices into the formal structures of the music itself. To date, the scholarship has simplified Taylor’s work …

Culture And Its Discontents: Versions Of Matthew Arnold From The 1860s To The 1980s, Jarrett Moran

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Between the 1860s and the 1980s, the concept of culture articulated by Matthew Arnold provided a widespread and persistent language for making claims about who was ready for inclusion in British politics and identity and who was not yet ready or even incapable of being included. Scholarship on Arnoldian culture has often focused on presenting just one version of Arnold, whether as a cultural elitist, a progenitor of literary studies, or proponent of “doing away with classes.” This dissertation instead shows that Arnold’s concept of culture was so pervasive and persistent because he could be appropriated and redefined by people …

A Word From The Writing Team (February 2026), Pam Walter, Mfa, Laura Deloretta, Phd

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Voices In Transit: Intersectionality, Silence, And Political Engagement In Ride-Sharing, Soran Tarkhani

Commonwealth Review of Political Science

Abstract This study examines Uber as a digitally governed “third space” for political discourse. Based on 4,716 ride observations from Louisville–Southern Indiana—3,676 collected in 2023–2024 and 1,040 in 2025—it uses a mixed-methods design combining multinomial logistic regression and qualitative observation. Political conversations are defined as discussions of parties, elections, policies, or major social issues. Results show that White and male passengers were most likely to initiate such talk, while African American and female riders often remained silent, consistent with Noelle-Neumann’s spiral of silence. African American women faced the strongest intersectional constraints. Women and LGBTQ passengers leaned liberal, while men displayed …

The Religious Groups Of Mecca And Medina In The Sixth And Seventh Centuries Ce, Ilkka Linstedt

Abdou Filali-Ansary Occasional Paper Series

Ancient and modern urban centres have been important loci for encounters between individuals of different identities. In this article, I present Mecca and Medina as multi-religious towns in the pre-Islamic and early Islamic periods of the sixth and seventh centuries ce. Mecca was a very small town, but the Kaaba shrine there served as a regional pilgrimage site that drew people from different faith communities. Medina was a larger settlement with a significant Jewish population. Jews, Christians and others (‘pagans’) lived in both towns. Some of these ‘others’ had also adopted some of the basic ideas of monotheism, although they …

Jurgen Comics Contest Comic Book And Artwork - 2026, Minuet Curry

Jurgen Banned Art Comics Contest

Digital cover art created by student editor Minuet Curry for the 2026 Jurgen Comics Contest comic book celebrating the contest winners. Winners' artwork was included in the print edition of this booklet. This cover art features Jurgen racing through time to thwart the influence of Sir Cen, the censor. Jurgen represents the contest's connection to James Branch Cabell's once-banned book Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice.

The 2026 Jurgen Comics Contest invited VCU students to create the cover artwork for an imagined comic book focused on an historical incident of art censorship.

Supplemental promotional materials presented here include a view …

The Hays Code, Nikki Disalvo

Jurgen Banned Art Comics Contest

Honorable mention in the 2026 Jurgen Banned Art Comics Contest.

Dodie grows up absorbing and accepting movies' villainous representations of homosexuality and her family's denunciations until she becomes an unrecognizable monster, wandering cold streets at night.

Pachuco, Jana Simmons

Jurgen Banned Art Comics Contest

Honorable mention in the 2026 Jurgen Banned Art Comics Contest.

In the summer of 1943, baggy zoot suits are all the rage for young brown and black adults in Los Angeles. On their way home, Aurora and Joaquin are chased by an angry group of military men seeking to attack them.

Heavy Metal Defenders, Sophie Nave

Jurgen Banned Art Comics Contest

Honorable mention in the 2026 Jurgen Banned Art Comics Contest.

In the wake of the 1985 PMRC/U.S. Senate hearings in which Dee Snider, Frank Zappa, and John Denver testify, a young demon comes to earth to try to spread panic through her heavy metal band.

Under Literature's Light, Devin Smith

Jurgen Banned Art Comics Contest

Research prize winner in the 2026 Jurgen Banned Art Comics Contest.

As Steven Pico fights for the books that shaped him in his most formative years, he starts to unravel what it means to be human and to understand art and its impacts.

Skin, Keegan Mason

Jurgen Banned Art Comics Contest

Storytelling prize winner in the 2026 Jurgen Banned Art Comics Contest.

Martin Murn is the victim of a freak accident which grants him superpowers. As America's first Black superhero, he ventures into the world to do good, only to be faced with the harsh reality of Jim Crow and segregation. Newspapers demonize him, “heroes” criticize him and the public hates him. All of it makes you want to just crawl out of your......skin.

A Classroom Game Of Cat And Maus, Zora Weir-Gertzog

Jurgen Banned Art Comics Contest

Artistry prize winner in the 2026 Jurgen Banned Art Comics Contest.

An authoritarian cat soldier marches through a generic American classroom, destroying books deemed unfit. Mouse children sit at their desks, witnesses to the act; some watch in fear or confusion, while others remain disengaged.

Tom Lehrer Discovers Australia (And Vice Versa), Johnny Eusoof

Jurgen Banned Art Comics Contest

Grand prize winner in the 2026 Jurgen Banned Art Comics Contest.

An Australian government official sends police to satirist Tom Lehrer's live show in Adelaide. Lehrer bangs away at his concert piano as a pack of officers rush toward him.

Week 2: “…In God, The Father Almighty, Creator Of Heaven And Earth.”, Calvin University

Campus Ministries Resources

No abstract provided.

Week 4: “He Suffered Under Pontius Pilate, Was Crucified, Died, And Was Buried; He Descended To Hell.”, Calvin University

Campus Ministries Resources

No abstract provided.

Week 5: “The Third Day He Rose Again From The Dead. He Ascended To Heaven And Is Seated At The Right Hand Of God The Father Almighty. From There He Will Come To Judge The Living And The Dead”, Calvin University

Campus Ministries Resources

No abstract provided.

Week 3: “...In Jesus Christ, His Only Son, Our Lord, Who Was Conceived By The Holy Spirit And Born Of The Virgin Mary”, Calvin University

Campus Ministries Resources

No abstract provided.

Week 7: “I Believe In...The Holy Catholic Church, The Communion Of Saints...”, Calvin University

Campus Ministries Resources

No abstract provided.

Week 1: “I Believe...”, Calvin University

Campus Ministries Resources

No abstract provided.

Week 8: “I Believe In...The Forgiveness Of Sins, The Resurrection Of The Body, And The Life Everlasting. Amen”, Calvin University

Campus Ministries Resources

No abstract provided.