http://dspace.univ-mascara.dz:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/28 2026-07-02T19:08:27Z http://dspace.univ-mascara.dz:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/1473 Titre: Cooperative Learning as an Innovative Method to Boost the EFL Learners’ Writing Skills The Case of First Year LMD Students at the University of Mascara Auteur(s): ANTEUR, Houari Résumé: Cooperative learning involves learners working together in small groups in which each member’s success is interdependent with the success of the group. This instructional approach aims to achieve shared goals and complete learning tasks both inside and outside the classroom. Cooperative learning is widely recognized as an effective teaching strategy that enhances social interaction, increases students’ motivation, and fosters a harmonious learning environment. However, its application in Algerian universities remains limited and is often restricted to ineffective projects or presentations. Therefore, the present thesis investigates the implementation of cooperative learning as an innovative method for enhancing first-year EFL learners’ writing skills at Mustapha Stambouli University of Mascara. In addition, it proposes a practical teaching and learning strategy to improve paragraph writing through the integration of cooperative writing tasks. The study is conducted as an action research project using a mixed-methods approach. Data are collected through pre- and post-tests, learners’ questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews with EFL teachers. The findings reveal that the implementation of cooperative learning has a positive impact on learners’ writing skills. Specifically, students tend to overcome psychological barriers such as fear, shyness, and anxiety. Moreover, cooperative learning promotes more effective learning and enhances students’ critical-thinking skills compared to traditional lecture-based instruction. The results also indicate that students enjoy cooperative activities, which increases their classroom participation and interaction. Finally, cooperative learning helps develop essential teamwork skills, which are considered important prerequisites for future professional contexts. 2026-06-30T00:00:00Z http://dspace.univ-mascara.dz:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/1327 Titre: Postmodernism, Consumerism, and the Construction of Identity in American Fiction: Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho (1991) and Douglas Coupland's Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture (1991) Auteur(s): CHABIRA, Hanane Résumé: This dissertation conducts an in-depth exploration into the emergence of postmodern consumer culture in America, examining the powerful role of media and advertising as tools wielded by production companies to manipulate society towards hyper-consumption. Crucially, this research expands upon elements that remain underexplored in previous studies, placing particular emphasis on the complex dynamic of consumers in perpetuating the proliferation of consumption-driven lifestyles. In order to provide a comprehensive analysis, the dissertation draws upon the captivating narratives presented in American Psycho (1991) by Bret Easton Ellis and Douglas Coupland’s Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture (1991), as both novels depict the emotional turmoil, confusing social landscapes, and identity crisis that encapsulated consumer society in the 1980s and 1990s. Specifically, the investigation elucidates that whereas American Psycho exemplifies an extreme manifestation of materialistic overindulgence and the disintegration of identity, Generation X emphasises a resistance to consumer-oriented paradigms through the mechanisms of irony, nostalgia, and the adoption of alternative lifestyle choices. This research brings to light connections between postmodern consumer studies and relevant theoretical frameworks such as the theories of Jean Baudrillard, Karl Marx, Thorstein Veblen, and Fredric Jameson – particularly as they pertain to themes of conformity, alienation, identity (re)construction, and individuality– thus providing a rich understanding of these novels within their specific cultural contexts. The findings highlight the inherent paradox of consumer identity, the concurrent aspiration for individuality alongside a reliance on commodified representations. This research contributes to the ongoing scholarly discourse regarding the cultural and psychological consequences of late capitalism and postmodern consumerism, thereby providing a comprehension of the ways in which literature mirrors and critiques these prevailing dynamics. 2025-11-09T00:00:00Z http://dspace.univ-mascara.dz:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/1303 Titre: Giving Voice to the Villainess: Feminist Revisionist Mythology in Madeline Miller’s Circe (2018) and Rosie Hewlett’s Medusa (2021) Auteur(s): CHABANE, Djihane F.Z Résumé: Mythology transcends time and eras as it keeps getting rewritten, revisited, and rediscovered. Each thread sewn into the complex tapestry of myths further fastens its place in literature and popular culture. Previously a strictly elitist male endeavor, feminist revisionist mythology lays a feminine claim upon the body of myths that have been out of reach for centuries. This study investigates the incorporation of a feminine perspective into Greek myths as a subversive strategy to dismantle androcentric archetypes that define literary and cultural spheres. In so doing, Madeline Miller's Circe (2018) and Rosie Hewlett's Medusa (2021) are explored as novels reclaiming unvoiced villainous women alongside Northrop Frye's and Joseph Campbell's Archetypal theories to investigate their subversive reach. Findings reveal that a feminist view is crucial for breathing fresh air into ancient myths and providing narratives that women can connect with. However, it is crucial for women writers to tread the path of revision carefully lest they reinforce myths rather than deconstruct them. 2025-09-29T00:00:00Z http://dspace.univ-mascara.dz:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/1283 Titre: Teaching Literature at the University Level. Metaphor as an Aesthetic Motivated Device for Understanding the Literary Texts. Case of the University of Saida Auteur(s): ZIADI, Abdelaaziz Résumé: Teaching literature to EFL learners has often been marginalized from EFL classrooms due to its abundance of symbolic patterns, commonly referred to as ‘figures of speech.’ In fact, there may be no literary text devoid of metaphor or any other form of figurative language. However, metaphor presence is minimal in Algerian English as Foreign Language (EFL) literature classrooms. It rarely serves as an integral aesthetic device for understanding literary texts. This study aims to explore the role of metaphor as an aesthetics-motivated device in enhancing the understanding of literary texts among first-year EFL students at the University of Saida, Algeria. The research employs a triangulation of quantitative and qualitative methods for data collection. It includes pre- and post-tests designed to investigate how recognition of and active engagement with metaphors influence students’ understanding of literary texts. Furthermore, a questionnaire was developed for both literature teachers and first-year students. Three teachers in charge of teaching literature in the department were also interviewed to shed light on their views about conceptual fluency. The results obtained from this study are used to propose teaching techniques and strategies that could be integrated into the literature programme at the University of Saida to enhance the teaching of literature. 2025-07-15T00:00:00Z