1、The Survey of British and American Society and Cultures,庄 玮Email: W Mobile: 13899547162 18935879096,Section One,British Society and Culture,Some Concepts,EnglishEnglandBritainThe United KingdomBritish People,The UK,Union Flag, Union Jack,The National Anthem of the UK:,God save the Queen,Location: No
2、rthwest of the Europe, in Atlantic Ocean,Area: 24.48Km2,Population: 63million, approximately,The Names:1. England2. Britain3. Great Britain4.The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,The Empire on which the sun never sets: a history of colony,British Isles and Ireland Island,The compo
3、sitions of The CountryEngland, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland,They are “countries in a country”.,*London is the capital city of both England and the UK,People of the UK,The English people are Anglo-Saxon in origin.,The Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish are Celts/Celtic people.,The English people ar
4、e Anglo-Saxon in origin.,Why would an English gentleman usually like to take an umbrella anytime when they are out?,British peoples character:caution cautious precautiousGentlemen,The reason why they have such kind of character.,Education of the UK,Educational systems is divided into Five steps.,Nur
5、sery ages (from 3-4)Primary education (ages 5-11)Secondary education (ages 11-16)Further education (ages 16-18)Higher education (ages 18),Full-time education is compulsory for all children aged between 5 and 16. .,The academic year begins after the summer holidays and is divided into three.,Types of
6、 Schools,1. State Schools (free to all children ages between 5 and 16):The government pays. Parents are expected to pay for their childrens school uniform and items of sports wear. 2. Independent schools (Private/public schools): Parents pay for their childrens education.,The education system adopte
7、d by UK is one of the worlds most rigorous, complicated and flexible system.,Secondary School (11-16),Most children transfer at the age of 11usually to their nearest secondary school, although parents can choose a different school.,Most secondary schools cater for both sexes. They tend to be much la
8、rger than primary schools.,Two types of secondary schools: Grammar Schools and Comprehensive Schools.,Curriculum,The core subjects are English, mathematics and science. They are compulsory for all students aged 5 to 16.,GCSE-Exams,General Certificate of Secondary Education Every children in their la
9、st year of secondary school takes their GCSE exams. They have to take exams in English (language and literature), mathematics, science (physics, chemistry and biology) and a foreign language.,University (Higher Education),In order to study in university they have to obtain A levels, usually 3 A leve
10、ls. Universities charge fees to attendup to 9,000 per year. If they are unable to pay, the government will provide them with financial help.,Old Universities,Oxford and Cambridge (oxbridge)The university of Oxford was founded in 1167.The university of Cambridge, in 1209.,Range of Latitude and Longit
11、ude,1. Latitude Range: (between 50 and 60 north latitude, similar to that of Heilongjiang Province in China.2. Longitude Range: (roughly between 2 east and 8 west longitude)3. The Prime meridian of 0 just passes through the old observatory at Greenwich.,Geographic Features,A country of Islands. Long
12、 coastlines (10,000kms)Complex geographic formation: highlands, plains, lowlands, lakes, mountains and deserts.Beautiful countryside.Numerous ports. (Liverpool, Glasgow)(London as one of the greatest ports in the World),Climate and Weather,Much milder climate than that of many places in the same lat
13、itude. (mild and temperate)Prevailing southwest winds (depressions moving eastwards across the Atlantic)Neither too cold in winter nor too hot in summer.Annual temperature is about 10(8-21)Rare extremes of cold or heat Much more rains (rains every month, no “dry season”,Questions:Why does the UK hav
14、e so milder climate than others places while it has much higher latitude?How does the weather in the country influence the peoples typical character?,Greetings and Topics,Weather is the main topic, especially for breaking silence to start a conversation.-“A fine day, isnt it?” -“Surely it is.”Even i
15、f it is raining hard, snowing heavily or winding fiercely.,Character and Manner,1. British Reserve in history quiet, shy, reserved no much talk to strangers newspaper walls set apart from each other seldom show emotions rarely get excited; even rarely shake hands serious-looking being cold and reser
16、ved,2. British Obedience and Proper manners (also born from the history of stratification of the society. ),English society used to be rigidly stratified and status-conscious. Everyone was told to be obedient towards those show were superior to him in wealth, status and power.,Peerage,Duke (Duchess)
17、Marquess/Marquis (Marchioness)Earl (countess)Viscount (Viscountess)Baron (Baroness): Freeman, warrior,literature,William Shakespeare: sonnet, Hamlet, Thomas More: Utopia Charles Dickens: Tales of Two CitiesJohn Milton: Paradise Lost, Paradise RegainedCharlotte Bronte and Emily Bronte, Anne BronteCha
18、rlotte Bronte: Jane EyreEmily Bronte: Wuthering Heights (The Gothic Novel)Daniel Defoe: Robinson CrusoeJonathan Swift: Gullivers Travel; A Modest ProposalWilliam Wordsworth: Thomas Hardy: Tess of the dUrbervilles,Oscar Wilde: The Picture of Dorian Gray (Psychological description)Percy Bysshe Shelly:
19、 Ode to the West WindGeorge Bernard Shaw: Won Nobel Prize in 1925, once came to visit China and met famous Chinese writers such as Lu XunD.H. Lawrence: Sons and Lovers, Freudian, Oedipus Complex,Politics,Political Parties of the UK1. the Conservative Party2. the Labor Party3. the Liberal Democrats,H
20、M-her majesty The present sovereign is Queen Elizabeth II. Official Head of State, the head of the Legal System of Britain, the commander-in-chief of all the armed forces, and the head of the church of England. The queen has two birthdays. One in April and one in June. April 21st is her real birthda
21、y, the other one is an official birthday on a Saturday in June, for the weather is nice then.,The Queen,Succession,*In the past, the first son of the Monarch would be the next King. *Now, the first child of the Monarch would be the next King or Queen.,Parliamentary Democracy,Who runs the UK?The coun
22、try is a parliamentary Democracy of with a constitutional Monarch as head of State.The British Government runs the UK. The leader of the government is Prime Minister. Parliament is where politicians meet to decide laws and make decisions.,The Job of Parliament,The main functions of parliament are: t
23、o pass laws to decide taxes to check government policy and administration to debate the major issues of the day,The Composition of Parliament,1. The Queen2. The House of Lords3. The House of Commons,Mass Media,1. Broadsheets: Quality papers, usually read by educated people. Has in-depth articles of
24、political and social importance, reviews and feature about “high culture”. Large format. 2. Tabloids: Popular papers, usually read by working class. They deal with scandals and gossips usually about famous people. The stories are short and easily read. Small format.,National Papers,Each national pap
25、er has a different political stance and only supports one political party. But their political stance can change.,Freedom of the Press,Probably the most important conceptNewspapers can say what they like about anyone or anything: the army, the queen, royal family, PM, private individuals, trade unio
26、n, religion.,BBC,British Broadcasting Corporation Is owned by “the Crown”, funded by Taxes.No advertisements on BBC.Government does not control BBC.,Section Two,American Society and Culture,The society and culture of the United States is the extension of European society and culture including that o
27、f the UK.,American society is considered as “a paradise for children”, “a battlefield for the young”, and “a graveyard for the old”.Children are well protected.Young people are trying to compete.Old people are not fully respected.,Questions,1. How many stars are there on American National Flag. (The
28、 star-spangle banner)?2. What do the stars and stripes on the flag stand for respectively?3. What is the capital city of the country?,The Names of the Country,1. America (after Americus or Amerigo) (sometimes people use the name referring to the whole North and South America)2. The United States (th
29、e state system)3. The United States of America (political and formal title),Discovery of the New World,Three countries: Italy, Spain & China A Business and traveler: Marco Polo A book: The Travels of Marco PoloA navigator and explorer: Christopher ColumbusTwo points of time: the year of 1492, 1620Tw
30、o mistakes: Americus Columbus Indians IndiansA place: Bahamas (Oct. 12. 1492)A ship: Mayflower (102passengers with only 44 survived)A festival: Thanksgiving, autumn in 1621,The Early 13 States,Delaware 特拉华 Pennsylvania 宾夕法尼亚 New Jersey 新泽西Georgia 乔治亚Connecticut康涅狄格Massachusetts 麻萨诸塞 Maryland 马里兰 Sou
31、th Carolina 南卡罗来纳 New Hampshire 新罕布什尔 Virginia 弗吉尼亚New York 纽约North Carolina 北卡罗来纳 Rhode Island 罗德岛,The Independent War(1775-1783)The American Revolution,It is not only a war of independence, but also bourgeois revolution. Reasons: 1. British governing on North America held up the development of the
32、 economy of the area. 2. A new nationality of American has formed. 3. The early 13 colonies has been united into a unified market.4. English became a universal language.,Course: In the early of 17th century, the British began to build colony along the Atlantic Ocean. In order to increase the fiscal
33、revenue, the British used all different ways to exploit the natives. There were many different taxes. Organizations that were against the British appeared one after another.The activity brought a great horrible to the British government. The British government sent out army to crush these organizati
34、ons.,The first Continental Congress: On September 5, 1774, Philadelphia, held by the delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies. John Adams, George Washington attended. Passed Declaration of Rights The Second Continental Congress: May 10, 1775, delegates from all the 13 colonies.The Poston Tea Party is th
35、e spark of the American War of Independence.On April, 1775, the Boston shot up the first gun in Lexington.The report of a gun showed the beginning of American Independence War.Benjamin Franklin and other famous thinkers composed the Declaration of Independence.13 federations in the United States agr
36、eed with the Declaration of Independence.,Three periods:,1. 1775-1778: strategic defense, the British had an advantage, main battleground is in north. 2. 1779-1781: strategic stalemate, great victory of Saratoga, The main battleground moved to South. American defeated the British. 3. 1781-1783: stra
37、tegic offensive, On the 30th, November, 1782. American and Britain assigned draft of “Paris Agreement”. Britain formally recognized the independence of American on the 3rd, September, 1783.,Significance of the War,It annihilated the colonizing domination of British and it helped the United States wo
38、n independence. It wiped out some backward thoughts left by feudal lord. Productive forces are emancipated and it is conducive to the development of capitalism in the United States for the development of capitalist economy. The victory had a huge effect on Europe and Latin Americas the revolution of
39、 bourgeoisie. It ended the colonial rule of British and realized the independence of these countries. It also built up a national bourgeoisie politic system.Its not only affects the United States, but also the Europe even the whole world.,Side-effect of the War,The American War of Independence did n
40、ot solve neither the problem of land nor the problem of salary. It made the Americans economy to develop in two different ways. Finally, it led to the American Civil War. Although The American War of Independence did not solve these questions, it is still an important revolution.,The Extension of th
41、e Territory,Theory of Destiny: 1. The territory of the country was destined to extend from the Atlantic coastline to that of the Pacific, or even the whole north America be included in the boundary. 2. The theory was held deeply in the hearts of quite number of Americans.,Process and Means,In 1803,
42、bought Louisiana from France with $15 million.In 1810, invaded western Florida, Spanish colony then. In 1818, invaded eastern Florida.In 1819, bought eastern Florida forcedly with $5 million. In 1846 forced Britain to give up Oregon. 18461848, war with Mexico and forced to annex four states: Texas,
43、Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico, meanwhile part of Colorado and Wyoming. Paying only $15 million as compensatory payment. 1n 1876, bought Alaska and Aleutian Islands with $7.2 million.1n 1898, America-Spain War, snatched up Hawaii Islands, Porto Rico and Guam. With Louisianas purchase, America realiz
44、ed its territory extension from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Within 100 years, American enlarged its territory 3 times as big as its original one, with only $50 million.,Summary,American enlarge its territory through the following means. 1. purchase2. War3. Invasion4. Deceit, annexation,Political Sy
45、stem in the US,I. The Article of Confederation,After the War of Independence was won, 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 had its own government, made its own laws and h
46、andled 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, the Articles of Confederation failed.,II. The M
47、aking of the U.S Constitution,The Articles of Confederation failed. The Congress decided to hold a constitutional convention to revise the Articles of Confederation. The delegates from 12 states (Rhode Island refused to participated) gathered in Philadelphia in 1787 and end up in writing a new const
48、itution and set a federal system with a strong central government. The Constitution provided that an election of the president would be called for, federal laws would be made only by a Congress made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate and a Supreme Court would be set up.,This new Const
49、itution was finally approved by the majority of the citizens in over 9 of the 13 states and was officially put into effect in 1787 ) *A federal system is one in which power is shared between a central authority and its constituent parts, with some rights reserved to each. *to protect citizens from tyranny, a “Bill of Rights” was added to the Constitution in 1791. Bill of Rights is another basic foundation in the U.S Constitution.,
