Scholars Journal Launch Vol.5 No.2
As the newly appointed Editor-in-Chief, it is my great honour to present our fourth annual showcase of student work from the utmONE Scholars Program. This issue celebrates the excellent work produced in Scholars seminars across the 2025 academic year, where students engage in sustained, inquiry-driven writing projects that extend beyond the classroom through revision and publication.
This year, we received submissions from three seminars: UTM192: Artificial Intelligence Safety and Societal Impact, UTM192: Thinking Badly: Misinformation in the Information Age, and UTM190: Writing in Place. The range of topics represented in this issue reflects both the intellectual diversity of the Scholars community and the urgency of the questions students are grappling with in an increasingly complex, digital world.
A number of essays in this issue coalesce around a timely and compelling theme: the role of human judgment in an age shaped by artificial intelligence. Mustafa Surosh Rustaqi examines the growing use of AI in hiring practices, highlighting both its efficiencies and its ethical risks, and calls for continued human oversight. Rizul Sharma similarly cautions against overreliance on AI in academic and research contexts, particularly in relation to the spread of misinformation. Kinol Thenuwara extends this discussion to the global circulation of disinformation across social media and political spheres, emphasizing the importance of early digital literacy. Together, these pieces offer a critical reminder that while AI may be efficient and convenient, its responsible use requires thoughtful human engagement.
Complementing this cluster are essays that foreground the importance of rhetorical awareness as a tool for critical reading and analysis, which is what a human does best. Kayla Viveiros’s examination of Bergen’s (2023) piece on papal apologies to Indigenous peoples underscores the ongoing work required for meaningful reconciliation. Sara Al-Far explores the political implications of ethno-archiving through Grinberg and Aharoni’s (2024) piece, revealing how such practices can obscure as much as they document. Xin Wren Shan and Avery Beyak demonstrate the versatility of rhetorical analysis across contexts, from advertising discourse in China (Hou, 2019) to a feminist reading of Frankenstein based on Hodge’s (1983) piece. These contributions collectively highlight how careful attention to language, context, and argumentation can deepen our understanding of the issues that shape our world.
Rounding out the issue are essays that take up more specialized yet equally important topics. Nabeel Elabbassi investigates the higher prevalence of oral cancer in low-income communities, while Alishba Rana examines the relationship between inflation in Canada and consumer preferences for fast fashion, raising important questions about sustainability and ethics. Together, these pieces further demonstrate the breadth of inquiry encouraged within the Scholars program.
Without a doubt, this journal is made possible through the dedication of our student editorial team. This year, though, their support was especially important as I stepped into the role of Editor-in-Chief and introduced changes to the publication process. Their careful reviews and thoughtful feedback played a crucial role in supporting authors through revision. Therefore, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to this year’s editorial team: Ibbad Amir, Sadie Lewis, Sama Alshammari, Tishma Joarder, and Xin Wren Shan. As well, I would also like to thank Romesa Khan, our work-study student, for her support with anonymizing submissions. Their contributions were essential to the successful production of this issue.
I hope you find this issue as engaging and thought-provoking to read as it has been to bring together.
Oguzhan Tekin
Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream
Institute for the Study of University Pedagogy
