Ali M. AMRI

My MA in English Theoretical and Applied was a two-year postgraduate programme of study. In the first year, we were taught many courses in linguistics (Sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, Forensic Linguistics, Critical Discourse Analysis, Pragmatics, Syntax, Semantics, Literary Stylistics, ... etc). In the second year, we were required to write up a thesis about a topic of our choice under the guidance of one supervisor. My research topic was revolving around the investigation of how Arab adolescents get impacted by the physical and verbal violence in US subtitled movies aired on the mbc 2 TV channel. As such, it was a mixed quantitative/qualitative piece of writing in which I developed a Neurocognitive Model of cross-cultural physical and verbal violence acquisition.

This was the second phase of my undergraduate studies. As a major in Anglo-American Studies, I took extensive and in-depth courses in Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, Literature and History and Civilisation. As for Linguistics, I was recipient of courses in Sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, Syntax & X-Bar Theory, Semantics, Stylistics, Educational Psychology, Morphology, phonology and Phonetics. Concerning Literature, we did fiction, theatre, poetry and Literary Survey. To start with the last, we started with the year 809 A.D. up to the 20th Century (Post-World War II). In fiction, we focussed on a plethora of texts from the UK and the USA from the 18th century onwards. We also took a course in Slave Narratives as a Specific Literature course as well as a special focus on Diaspora writings and postmodern novel. In theatre, we took Shakespeare (Hamlet, Macbeth and King Lear), Drama of the Absurd, the Angry Young Men streak of plays and US Black Drama. To end with poetry, we did metaphysical, romantic and contemporary poetry. To end with civilisation and History, we took course about WWII, the US Civil War and Reconstruction, The UK Labour Party, the Cold War, the American & British Political Systems, the Anglo-American Special Relationship, ...etc.

This was the first step in my undergraduate studies. As a higher education training, it was geared toward familiarising the students with the English language via the activation of the four skills. Therefore, I took courses in Grammar, Composition, Listening, Reading, Literature, Civilisation, History and Translation.

I majored in Letters and Fine Arts from the Habib Mâazoun High School in Sfax. I succeeded in the National Baccalaureate Exam with an average of 12.8/20 (Summa Cum Laude in the Letters branch). I was taking three languages (Arabic, French and English), History, Geography, Philosophy, and two options: Maths and Physics.