Journal of University of Babylon

This article examines, throughout its pages, the technique of black comedy in the narratives of Ibrahim Aslan, as he relies on this technique to critique the reality of his society, revealing the unspoken negative aspects and behavioral deviations prevalent among its individuals and groups. The article draws upon Aslan's narrative output in his novels, short stories, and autobiographies, starting from the issue of Aslan's philosophy in his approach to the technique of black comedy in his narrative.
This issue raises several questions: What motives led Aslan to rely on black comedy in his narrative? How did he employ it? To what extent was it effective in expressing the unspoken in the text? And has it succeeded in mobilizing the reader's awareness to critique and adjust reality? By answering these questions, the article aims to identify Aslan's philosophy in employing black comedy in his narrative, and to examine its mechanisms and effectiveness in revealing and addressing the negative aspects of reality. Adopting the descriptive-analytical method to present, study, and draw conclusions about the phenomenon, the article is divided into two sections: a theoretical section that reviews the Implications of black comedy in Aslan's narrative world, and an applied section that discusses the manifestations of black comedy, its mechanism of employment, and its significance in his narratives. The article concludes with several findings, namely that Aslan's use of this technique is a manifestation of his maturity as a narrator who was able to express his pains and rejection of the negative aspects of his society and the deviations of its individuals in a humorous form that carries intentional structural significance. The effectiveness of this technique has also proven successful in lifting the veil on the negative aspects of the Egyptian neighborhood and the transgressions against inherited customs and traditions by its members on the one hand, and in mobilizing the reader's awareness to critique and adjust them on the other.

The current study aimed to identify the extent to which primary education teachers possess computer skills. In order to achieve the study objectives, the researcher used the descriptive analytical approach, and prepared a questionnaire consisting of (31) statements. The tool was applied to a sample of (70) primary education teachers. The study reached the following results:
- The extent to which primary education teachers (second cycle) possess computer skills according to the axis of computer hardware components and accessories came to a large degree with an arithmetic average of (25, 34).
- While the axis of skills for dealing with the operating system came to a large degree with an arithmetic average of (66, 36), the axis of skills for dealing with Internet programs and services came to a medium degree with an arithmetic average of (36, 34). In light of the results, the researcher recommended adopting the study axes, including the skills related to computers, and benefiting from them in preparing a training program to develop computer skills among teachers who do not have skills in them.

The degree of availability of requirements for using mobile learning applications in the Educational Qualification Diploma program was addressed from the students' own perspectives. The sample size was (280), distributed according to gender (males and females), and according to specialization (students from the College of Education, Arts, Sharia, Economics, Science, Agriculture, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering). A descriptive approach was used, and a questionnaire was constructed consisting of (72) items, comprising (3) axes: curriculum, technical requirements, faculty members, and student teacher skills. The results showed that the overall assessment of the questionnaire was average for all axes, with the student teacher skills axis receiving first place, the curriculum axis receiving second place, and the technical requirements and faculty members receiving third place. Furthermore, the results indicated that there were no statistically significant differences between the average scores of students in the Educational Qualification Diploma program on the questionnaire based on gender and academic specialization.

The aim of the current research is to identify the level of health awareness regarding some infectious respiratory diseases among students of the second cycle of basic education. The researcher adopted the descriptive analytical approach, and the research tool consisted of a questionnaire consisting of (17) items, which was designed on the basis of a three-dimensional Likert scale. The questionnaire was applied to a sample of (400) male and female students from basic education schools in the city of Aleppo. The results showed that the level of awareness of infectious respiratory diseases among second year students is generally below average. They also showed that there are no statistically significant differences in health awareness of infectious respiratory diseases according to each of the variables (gender, year of study, area of residence). These results indicate the need to improve health awareness of infectious respiratory diseases among second-year students, and the researcher recommends developing health awareness programs directed at this age group, including workshops and educational lectures about infectious respiratory diseases and how to prevent them. In addition to using social media and interactive educational materials to attract students’ attention and enhance their understanding of health risks. Parents and teachers must also be involved in these programs to ensure a supportive and continuous educational environment. Community awareness campaigns can also be organized to enhance public awareness about the importance of respiratory health.

Interest in the social context emerged due to the substantial transformation the London School of Linguistics brought about with its social orientation. For decades, formal linguistics had dominated linguistic studies, focusing solely on the internal linguistic context and excluding society from its scope. Although context theory was crystallised by John Firth, interest in the external context is as old as linguistic studies. The Arabs placed great importance on the external context, which they called the position, in all scientific fields, particularly those related to the Holy Quran. The importance of social context is highlighted when studying poetic texts, especially those from a different time and culture. old Arabic poetry is full of invisible meanings, shaped by the specificity of Arab society – its environmental and social nature on the one hand and the temporal dimension on the other – as societies evolve in their beliefs, values and customs. This research examines old Arabic poetry through social context, focusing on invisible meanings that cannot be fully understood without social contextualisation. It first presents a theoretical foundation on context theory, starting with Arabic heritage, passing through textual linguistics and culminating in contemporary context theory.

The research aims to determine the extent to which teachers of the first cycle of the basic education stage have educational competencies, the researcher used the descriptive method, and a questionnaire was designed consisting of (26) paragraphs representing the sufficiency of implementation and class management, the questionnaire was distributed to a sample of (150) teachers of the first cycle of the basic education stage in Aleppo schools. The results showed that the extent to which teachers have the first cycle of the basic education stage of educational competencies is very high, the results also showed that there were no differences in the extent to which teachers of the first cycle of the basic educational competencies depending on the variable of academic qualification.

The study aimed to identify the attitudes of teachers in the primary education stage towards using the WhatsApp application in the educational process. The study followed the descriptive analytical approach and used the scale as a research tool to measure teachers' attitudes according to the three-point Likert scale. Its validity and reliability were calculated. The questionnaire consisted of three dimensions: attitudes towards the method of using WhatsApp in education, attitudes towards education via WhatsApp, and attitudes towards learning via WhatsApp, in light of the variables of years of experience, age and academic qualification. The study reached the following results: teachers' attitudes towards using WhatsApp in the educational process are medium and there are statistically significant differences in teachers' attitudes towards using the WhatsApp application in the educational process according to the variables of academic qualification, age and years of experience. The study recommended:
holding qualification and training courses on using WhatsApp in the educational process
Preparing a guide for teachers on how to use the WhatsApp application in the educational process.
Developing a guide for educational activities related to the curriculum to be implemented through the WhatsApp application.

The present study is concerned with the transference of theme from the metaphorical realm into the intended implicit theme and the coherence enacted by themes derived from diverse metaphors throughout discourse. This paper aims to determine the essential characteristics of thematic shift of metaphors and their role in textual interpretation. The study investigates the nature of the thematic shift in discourse and its contribution to the effectiveness of the text in Imam Ali's Shiqshiqiyah sermon. It is hypothesized that themes, in a discursive thematic shift procedure, are cognitively manipulated into underlying thematic realizations and correlate coherently to other discursive underlying themes. Two models are proposed for the pragma-cognitive recognition of the metaphorical meaning with the enactment of thematic transference between the two realms: the cognitive filtration processing and the reciprocation processing. A theme is a conceptual realization and operates as the generator for the correlative manipulation of schematic construction of meaning making in discourse. While text is the carrier of meaning, meaning in turn is the carrier of theme. The study has come with a set of conclusions. Thematic shift of metaphors brings together transparent mental image into consonance to construct schematic framework for new communicative content. Thematic shift facilitates perception as it indicates a transference from the material into the spiritual, from the concrete into the abstract, from the physical into the mental, from the outer in the world into the inner in emotions and from the common into the individual. This strategy of thematic transference guides receivers to conceive the diverse implications and reconstruct the text into coherent discourse.

The relationship between poetry, time, and space constitutes a pivotal axis in modern critical studies, transcending mere mutual influence to an organic fusion between the poet’s inner self and their external world. The poetic image emerges as a central manifestation of this relationship, evolving into a semantic fabric that merges sensory and abstract dimensions, rooted in the dynamic interplay of time and space. The image does not detach from its spatiotemporal context during its formation; rather, it draws vitality from the symbolic dynamism born of the fusion between spatial allusions and the flow and shifts of time. This interaction generates multiple interpretations of a single text, varying according to the temporal and spatial contexts of its reading, thereby establishing hermeneutic shifts that reflect the richness of poetic discourse and its capacity to transcend historical moments. Within this framework, the anthology )You Are Not Alone(—co-authored by contemporary Yemeni poets—serves as an applied model of this intricate relationship, particularly in its engagement with the pivotal event of the "Battle of Al-Aqsa Flood" (October 2023). Through textual analysis, it becomes evident how the poets transformed this historical event into multilayered poetic material, shifting from narrating military and political details to philosophical meditations on the symbolism of time (as a marker of impermanence and hope) and space (as a vessel of memory and resistance). This artistic endeavor materialized through diverse techniques, such as linking historical places (Hattin) with contemporary ones (Gaza), and employing interrogatives as tools to express existential crises. These techniques transformed the anthology into a symbolic space that reconfigures collective identity in the face of challenges. Thus, the role of time and space in poetry is not confined to narrative framing; they become integral to the very structure of poetic discourse. Through an ongoing dialogue between the self and the cosmos, the poetic image reshapes the world.

This research addresses hologram technology as a visual element of theatrical performance through a contemporary theatrical work that represents an applied model of this innovative technology. The research comprises four chapters. The first chapter (the methodological framework) addresses the research problem, defined by the following question: "What is hologram technology in contemporary Arab theatrical performances - Hamlet Upside Down - as a model?" The importance of the research lies in its presentation of a qualitative leap in terms of the potential for dazzle and expanding the boundaries of imagination and creativity in Arab theater. The need for it benefits students, researchers, and practitioners in addressing new topics that have not been easy to express through traditional means. The aim of the research was to identify hologram technology in the scenography of contemporary Arab theatrical performances. The research was limited to 2022, the year of the performance of "Hamlet Upside Down," which was presented on the stage of Al-Salam Theater in Egypt. The chapter concluded by defining terminology.
The second chapter (the theoretical framework) consists of two sections. The first section deals with hologram technology, while the second section deals with holograms in art, first, and holograms in the scenography of global and Arab theatrical performances, second. The chapter concludes with indicators of the theoretical framework. The third chapter (research procedures) adopts a descriptive approach to analyze the play "Hamlet in Reverse," directed by Mazen Al-Gharbawi. The most prominent results include: the director (Mazen Al-Gharbawi) dealing with technology as a pivotal element that imposes specific formulations on how to create relationships between all the elements of the theatrical performance, given that the hologram technique represents a technical breakthrough in contemporary theatrical performance. The following are the conclusions, recommendations, and suggestions, followed by a list of references and sources.

The study aims to stand on the classification of cinematic adaptation according to Deborah Cartmel's theory of cognitive citation, and the faithful and creative cinematic adaptation through the film "The Deceived" adapted from the novel "Men in the Sun" by Ghassan Kanafani. In order to achieve its objectives, the study used the integrative interdisciplinary approach that is concerned with cinema studies, comparative literature, and Palestinian studies. It yielded several results, the most important of which are: The narrative film "The Deceived" adhered to faithful adaptation in most of its scenes, as faithful adaptation from the novel represented most of the adaptation in the film, and recorded an intensive presence, as the film used the process of the constant in character, event, time, and place, and the presentation, delay, and deletion as mechanisms for faithful adaptation, and used the mechanism of addition, presentation, and delay as mechanisms for creative adaptation.

Mexico's strategic geographic location in North America has been a defining factor in its history. It borders a variety of seas and waterways, including the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of California, and the Pacific Ocean. Its diverse topography and varied climatic regions further enrich its landscape. Add to this its abundant natural resources, most notably oil, gold, and silver, and it would appear that Mexico possesses the potential for great development. However, despite its rich history and its close ties to the United States, Mexico has not achieved full economic development since its independence in 1821. While there are abundant writings about Mexico in the United States, the Arab world lacks comprehensive studies on its history. Much of what is mentioned about Mexico in Arabic and Arabized literature consists of brief, superficial accounts that fail to cover its historical events or geographical details. Academic conferences and published articles in academic journals have focused less on Mexico than on countries like Brazil, Argentina, Chile, or Peru, especially in historical studies. This fact prompted the researcher to focus on a specific period in Mexican history, given its significance as an oil producer for the United States, and its geographical connection through a long border with the United States. The chosen timeframe allows for a deeper understanding of the foreign policy implemented by Cordell Hull, the longest-serving U.S. Secretary of State (1933-1945). The period extends from 1939, the beginning of World War Two, through 1944, when Hull resigned due to ill health. This era was marked by the elevation of diplomatic representation between the United States and Mexico to the level of embassies, and the signing of agreements between the two nations