1、Teaching Plan of The Society and Culture of Major Englishspeaking Countries Course material: The Society and Culture of Major English speaking Countries An IntroductionTeaching Objectives:To introduce the society and culture of major Englishspeaking countries : the United States ,Canada ,the United
2、Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and New Zealand The main task for the course: to help students to know the major Englishspeaking countries the general knowledge about the Physical geographyHistoryLanguage, customs, religion and activities and social problemsPolitical systemEducationAr
3、ts and literatureEconomyTeaching Methods:general introduction /brief account (of focal points/ a survey )by the teacher ; studentsindividual work; pair-work; group-work in 4-6 students, analysis of difficult points by the teacher; show maps ; play video or film concerning with the corresponding cult
4、ureslink with websitesTime Allotmentgeneral introduction /brief account (of focal points/ a survey )by the teacher in the first step;students read the text or extra materials to discuss the focal points in the second stepplay video o/ film or link websites to explore the more culture in the third st
5、epThe United States of AmericaChapter 1 American BeginningFocal PointsMeaning of the being an American according to CrevecoeurTwo immigration movements to the AmericasThe religious ReformationThe forces that brought about the modern development of EuropeThe heritage of the settlement of VirginianPur
6、itanism and the influence of Puritanism on American cultureWilliam Penn and his heritage in American cultureThe Causes and major leader of the American revolutionThe Declaration of IndependenceI. Meaning of the being an American according to CrevecoeurIn the book , Letters from an American Former, t
7、he French theology Grevecoeur , posed the American was a new man with the strange mixed blood of Europeans or their descendants. This mew man left behind him all the ancient European traditions and received new ones in the new world . In North America, all individuals of all nations ,were melted int
8、o a new race of the American . This new man acted upon new principles, entertained new ideas and formed new options.II.Two immigration movements to the AmericasThe American continents were peopled as result of two long continuing immigration movements ,the first from Asia ,and the second from Europe
9、 and Africa.III. The forces that brought about the modern development of Europe1.the development of capitalism( economic system in which a countrys trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit ,rather than by the state), the growth of capitalism produced two new classes the bourgeo
10、is class and the working class;2.the Renaisance (the period of the revival of art and literature in the 14th ,15th and16th centuries based on classical form),which was marked by a changing outlook on life .3.the influential force was the Religious Reformationin 1517 ,Martin Luther, started to reform
11、 the Catholic Church in England ,King Henry VIII broke away from the Roman Catholic Church and set up the Church of England, These reforms reflected the rise of nationalism in Europe.IV.The heritage of the settlement of Virginianin 1619 ,the delegates elected from various communities in Virginia as
12、the House of Burgesses met with the governor and his council members to discuss the enactment of law for the colony. This the first meeting of an elected legislature ,a reprehensive assembly. It was thought to be the early embryonic form for the future democracy of the U.S.And a Dutch ship brought o
13、ver 20 Negroes into Virginia , a start had been made toward the enslavement of Africans within what was to be the American republic. These white people fought for seeking their own freedom ,meanwhile they deprived black African freedomWhat happened here produced the American early culture: self-reli
14、ance; democracy; freedom V. Puritanism and the influence of Puritanism on American cultureIn New England, these Puritans were the Protestants who followed the doctrine preached by John Calvin and they wanted to purify the Church of England. They had some different beliefs from the Catholic Church .T
15、hey believed that human beings were predestined by God before they were born. Some were Gods chosen people while others were damned to hell. No church or good works could save people.The sign of being Gods elect was the success in his work or the prosperity in his calling. They also argued that ever
16、yone must read the Bible in order to find Gods will and establish a direct contact with God. These beliefs had great impact on American culture. Puritans legacies have a great impact on American society and culture. They have a kind of sense of mission: they hoped to built “ a city upon hill an idea
17、l community ”.Americans have viewed their country as a great experiment, a worthy model for other nation a strain of often intolerant moralism. This produce American values such as individualism, hard work , respect of education .Catholic MarylandFollowing the early American culture in Virginia and
18、New England , the pattern in the colony of Maryland was founded by Catholics. The founder was the second Lord Baltimore, he carried his fathers will ,who was converted from Church of England to Roman Catholicism, to wish to introduce a feudal system similar to the manor system in Europe to his colon
19、y. Even though he encouraged the immigration of Protestants as well as Roman Catholics ,due to the various factors in the New Land ,because the Protestants majority were capitalistic-minded people and refused to carry out the feudal plan, and because the wilderness of North America provided plenty o
20、f land while labor was scarce, the feudal experimental plan was dropped ,the colony followed a capitalist development roadVI. William Penn and his heritage in American cultureWilliam Penn was an English Quaker, the founder of Quakerism ,who wanted to establish a colony for persecuted fellow religiou
21、s believers. He assured religious freedom and easy terms for land in Pennsylvania to those Europeans who wished to settle in his colony. In his Holy Experiment, he encouraged the spirit of liberty and equality and carried out the policy of separation of state and church. He set no restrictions on im
22、migration and naturalization was made easy for non-English Europeans. The idea of Melting pot was first practiced here (p 16 ,Note 60).All this has left rich heritage to American culture: liberty and equalityThose four patterns set by the early colonial leaders were filled with meanings for the futu
23、re development of the AmericanVII. The Causes of American revolution and major leadersAfter the Seven Years War between England and France , Britain won , the Peace of Paris was signed between them , which gave Britain title to Canada and all of North America east of the Mississippi River, This led
24、directly to a conflict with its American colony.Stamp Act was passed ,British government charged new taxes on sugar , coffee , textiles and other imported goods; and With passage of the Stamp Act special tax stamps had to be attached to all news- papers ,pamphlets, legal documents and licensesThe Qu
25、artering Act passed, the colonies to house and feed British soldiers.major leadersGeorge Washington, Thomas Jefferson, (John Adams),Benjamin FranklinVIII. The Declaration of IndependenceThe Declaration of Independence was mainly drafted by Thomas Jefferson and was adopted by the Congress on July 4,
26、1776, when the people of 13 English colonies in North America were fighting for their freedom and independence from the British colonial rule. The document declared that all men were equal and that they were entitled to have some unalienable rights such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
27、 It also explained the philosophy of governments: the powers of governments came from the consent of the governed and the purpose of governments was to secure the rights mentioned above. The theory of politics and the guiding principles of the American Revolution mainly came from John Locke.An Essay
28、 Concerning Human UnderstandingTwo Treatises of Government, the Letters Concerning Toleration, The Reasonableness of Christianity and Some Thoughts Concerning Education.Unit 4 the United States Political SystemFocal Points(Note: P=page, L-Par.=last paragraph , F- Par.=first paragraph ) Discuss “The
29、Patriot“Points of Discussion - American BeginningsThe Political System of the USA:The Results of the War of Independence (p 44 L-par , p52 F-paragraph )The Results of the Constitutional ConventionThe background of the making of the U.S. Constitution(p53 Par2, 54 Par 1,2 )Par2, s 1,2) and the two fea
30、r in writing the Constitution(p55 par 2,3,4)The three branches of the federal government and their functionThe reasons for checks and balanceThe Bill of Rights (p 58 L-Par)Political partiesOverview of the United States Political SystemThe US is the oldest continuous democracy in the world. It was es
31、tablished in 1789, although not all features of the system were as democratic as they are now. Key Facts The US is a Federal system. This means that power is divided between a central/national government and the States. The national government is referred to as the Federal Government. There are 50 S
32、tates. (A complete list is here. The list of original 13 States is here.) The Federal Government has three branches/arms: o Legislative Branch o Executive Branch o Judicial Branch The Legislative Branch consists of: o House of Representatives o Senate The Executive Branch consists of: o The Presiden
33、t o The Cabinet o The Federal Departments and Agencies The Judicial Branch consists of: o The Supreme Court o Other Federal Courts The partiesI. The background of the making of the U.S. Constitution and the ConstitutionAfter the war of Independence was over ,the Treaty of Paris recognized the indepe
34、ndence of the U.S. and the former 13 British colonies became 13 states of the new nation . But the U.S. was not the one unified nation as it is today .According to the Declaration of Independence the 13 states were the united colonies ,otherwise they were not clear about :the future political system
35、 of the U.S.;the relationship between the states ;the government of the new nation.So the Article of Confederation (2)was born. Then the new nation of the United States was organized under the agreement of the Articles of Confederation with a weak national government called the Congress. Each state
36、had its own government, made its own laws and handled its internal affairs. The states did not cooperate with the Congress and with each other. The Congress had no power to force any state to contribute money to the national government and the Congress could not tax any citizen either. As a result,
37、the Articles of Confederation failed.But the congress handled the problems and needs that the individual state could not handle aloneQuestion 1 What problems would the Congress handle ?(p 21 ,p 2)Many Americans worried about the future of the new nation.Question 2What did Many Americans worried abou
38、t?(p 22,p2)Thus a constitution (4)was badly neededQuestion 3 (3)What is the federal system?(p22, 2-p1)Question 4In writing the Constitution the delegates should deal with two main fears shared by most Americans , what are they?(p22-23, Ss in group of 4-6)II. The three branches of the federal governm
39、ent and their functionIn order to guard against the first fear of people the delegates set up a government consisting of three branches : the executive, the legislative and the judicial.(5,6,7)III. The reasons for checks and balanceChecks and balance ,this system works in many ways to keep serious m
40、istakes from being made by one branch or another.IV. The Bill of RightsIn order to guarantee the freedom or the basic rights and privileges of citizens and further protect against tyranny , a “Bill of Rights (8) was added to the Constitution in 1791 The Bill of RightsThe Bill of Rights consists of t
41、he first 10 amendment added to the Constitution in 1790,which guarantee freedom and individual rights and forbid interference with lives of individual by the government, such as ,it guarantees Americans freedom of speech, of religion, of the press; to guarantee the right to assemble in public places
42、, to protest government actions and demand change.; the right to own weapons ; neither police nor soldiers can stop ad search a person without good reason. They can not search a persons home without legal permission from a court; the right to speedy trial if accused of a crime. There are 16 amendmen
43、ts to the constitution as of 1991.V. Political partiesToday ,the United State has two major political partied : democratic Party (George Walker Bush ,Obama )and Republican Party the symbol donkey , the elephentQuestion for though How the three branches supposed to check and balance each other ?Unit
44、5 American EconomyCauses that brought about the American industry developmentsIndustrial revolution in America _the development of American industry(give some examples)Corporation and stock share The roots of Americas affluenceThe success and problems of American agricultureI. Causes that brought ab
45、out the American economic developmentsQuestion 1(p 33, p 1 -3)What brought about the American industry developments?II. Overview of how the American economy worksII. Industrial revolution in America _the development of American industry(give some examples)(2 ,5,6)III. Corporation (7)and stock(9). Th
46、e roots of Americas affluence(10,11)Hispanic AmericansTherere three large groups of people . The largest is the white race and they are almost all from Europe. The second is the black race and they are almost all from Africa. The third is the Hispanic race and they are almost all from Mexico and Cen
47、tral America. The success and problems of American agriculture(p 40 p3 ; p41,p 2 p42, p2)Question for thought:Why do you think there are still so many people involving in buying and selling stock which is a risky business.（300-500 words）Unit6Religionin in United StatesDiscussion Points-：Public and P
48、rivate Behavior“WASP” cultureReligious Liberty ProtestantsCatholicsThree FaithsReligious DiversityAmerican Character of ReligionOverview of American religionAmericans with different religions live together under the same law. American main-stream culture was developed from “WASP“ culture and that pe
49、ople who settled in the 13 North American colonies that would become the United States were mostly Protestant believers.I “WASP” cultureWASP stands for White Anglo-Saxon Protestant“, is believed to be the basis of theII Religious LibertyThe U.S. has always been a fertile ground for the growth of new religious movement. Frontier American provided plenty of room to set up a new religionBy the middle of the 18th century, many different kinds of Protestants lived in America. (1)Lutherans had come to America from Germany.( 2) The Dutch
