- •1. The reasons for ethnic and social diversity of American society.
- •2. America as a country of immigrants. Change of immigration patterns throughout history.
- •3. The geographical reasons for diversity in America. The main cultural regions: the location, the most important cities, places of interest, the most interesting cultural facts, the people.
- •4. The development of American culture in the 20-s of the XX-th century.
- •5. American society in the second half of the XX-th - the beginning of the XXI centuries.
- •6. American Constitution, its role and characteristic features
- •7. The three branches of power. The way they interact with each other.
- •8. The structure and functions of the American government.
- •9. The most important political parties. Presidential elections. Congressmen and senators – their powers and duties.
- •10. American economy.(лекция) The way Americans understand competition. The Invisible hand.
- •11. The role of the government in American economy.
- •12. The most important American values. The history of the nation reflected in them.
- •1. Geography of the United Kingdom (General Characteristics. The Relief and Borders of the Country. Climate. Mineral and Energy Resources. Environmental Issues)
- •2. Demographic and Religious Diversity in the United Kingdom.
- •3. The Political System of the United Kingdom (The Government. The Monarchy)
- •4. The Constitution of the United Kingdom.
- •5. The Economic System of the United Kingdom
- •6. Cultural symbols of the United Kingdom.
- •7. National symbols of the United Kingdom (flag, coat-on-arms, anthem)
- •8. British music.
- •9. British art
- •10. British cinema
- •14. The structure of the Federal Government. The system of checks and balances.
- •15. The Congress of the us. Supreme legislative body.
- •16. President as the head of the Executive power, the us administration.
1. The reasons for ethnic and social diversity of American society.
America’s society remains a diverse mix of ethnic, racial and religious groups because of its historical development and wide range of immigration. Pluralism adds to the richness and strength of the nation’s culture. Diversion – a source of friction. The nation’s motto – “E pluribus unum” (“From many, one”) This diversity is one of America’s distinguishing characteristics. The variety of religious beliefs in the USA surpasses the nation’s multitude of ethnicities, nationalities and races. Religion 83 per cent – Christians. Christians belong to a wide variety of churches that differ on theology, organization, programs and policies. Most Christians in America are Protestants, but hundreds of Protestant denominations and independent congregations exist (Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, Mormons, etc.) Roman Catholics, the next largest religious group un the USA, are far more unified than Protestants. The Eastern Orthodox Church, the 3rd major group of Christian churches, is divided by national origin. Greek and Russian are the largest. Judaism is the next largest religion in the USA, with about 2 per cent of the population. It is divided into branches the largest are Orthodox, Reform and Conservative. Other religions – Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam. Islam is the fastest-growing group. In 2001 about 1 per cent of the USA population. Many Americans do not have a religious view of the world – osme 8 per cent are nonreligious, secular or are atheists. This mixture of multiple religious and secular points of view existed from the beginning of European colonization. Racism as another source of diversity. The main exceptions to full acceptance into the country – Native Americans and African Americans. “Justification” of slavery: Africans were not Christian and not civilized, culturally inferior. By the 18th century – harder to claim that Africans would be culturally inferior. proslavery whites – theory of biological inferiority of the Blacks to Europeans – “scientific racism”. Racial discrimination grew out of the practice of enslavement but outlasted the institution of slavery. Poorer whites or socially marginal whites could feel superior by virtue of their skin colour. Racism helped to create a sense of unity among white Americans by defining who was a full citizen. Racism united African Americans through shared experiences of discrimination and suffering. The civil rights era – the mid-20th century. The beginning of the 21st century – a relatively small number of white people still possess a feeling of racial superiority. The trend is toward multiculturalism, not assimilation. The old "melting pot" metaphor is giving way to new metaphors such as "salad bowl" and "mosaic", mixtures of various ingredients that keep their individual characteristics. Immigrant populations within the United States are not being blended together in one "pot", but rather they are transforming American Society into a truly multicultural mosaic.