当代英国概况知识要点.doc

Contemporary British Culture and SocietyFor FinalChapter 1 IntroductionA1 Geography continued IONA ? The British Isles土A 1 Geography cont. *n.a.土National Flag The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandWALES cont.Culture:One thing that marks Wales out from the rest of the Britain is the survival of Welsh as a living language. Welsh food is not well-known. They eat laverbread (a mixture of seaweed, oatmeal and bacon served on toast), Rarebit (cheese on toast with the added flavor of mustard and beer).NORTHERN IRELAND cont.Culture:Perform a dance known as the “jig” which they do to Irish folk music.Very festive people and dance on various occasions. Meals are based around meats like lamb, beef, and pork.Main meal is usually lunch, not dinner.SCOTLAND cont.Culture:Greatest Scottish accomplishments come in the form of science, literature, and philosophy.Bagpipes are very famous in Scotland.Social gathering known as ceilidh were very popular in the traditional culture in which folk stories were told.Today, stories are substituted for drinking and dancing.Scots are known primarily for game dishes like smoked salmon and venisonA2 Population UK 59,289,194England51,138,831Wales 2,903,085Scotland 5,162,011Northern Ireland 1,685,267A2 Population continued DensityUK average 243/km2England 376/km2Scotland 65/km2Wales 141/km2N. Ireland 122/km2France 106/km2US 27/km2 A 4 ClassThe United Kingdom is increasingly described as a classless society. However many people still believe society is ordered in terms of class and that discrimination occurs between classes.Everything a Briton does and says is influenced by class.Accent*, vocabulary*, job*, hobbies* and types of relationship all fit into the class structure. A 5 50 Years of Change The 1950s a time of great changes in fields of economy, culture, politics. The 1960s a decade of young rebellious young generation The 1970s a decade of strikes and recessionThe 1980s a decade of ThatcherismThe 1990s a decade of great expectation A 5. The Devolution 土Jeremy Johnson has been a building labourer since he left university after obtaining a degree in electronics. This was the only job he could get at the time but now he enjoys the physical work and he has decided to continue in the building industry. He says he is middle class.Which class would you say he was inthe middle class or the working class? why?There is no definite answer to the question. There is a subjective perspective ( what class attachment the individual feels) and an objective perspective (which class the individual is allocated to by statisticians).The purpose of the activity is to impress upon the students that class is an indefinite concept in Britain.Chapter 2 Family & Personal RelationshipsA 1 The Family cont. One-parent families & their dependent children 土Sociological Explanations of the Increase in DivorceCan you work out any reasons to explain why in modern world, the divorce rate is increasing all around the world?Sociological Explanations of the Increase in DivorceThe value of marriage Conflict between spouses The ease of divorce Women, paid employment and marital conflict Income and class AgeMarital status of parents Background and role expectations Occupation Contemporary British Culture and Society Chapter 3 Family & Relationship ( 2 )A 2 Parents and Children Chinese vs BritishChinese parents are more protective and controlling. The main qualities appreciated in parents and shared by young people in Britain and China alike may be that they are understanding and supporting in crises, allow freedom of action within a framework of constraints and, more pragmatically, offer financial support and contributions. For many young people, parents are obviously a primary source of advice about personal as well as more general problems, especially in relation to employment Chapter 4 Education in UKA1 Change & Reform in SchoolsBefore 1870 schools were set up by churches, 40% of children aged 10 attendedFrom 1870 onwards government took responsibility for education. (why?)It was in response to changes caused by industrial revolution and movement for social & political reformThe 1944 Act in England& Wales gave all children the right to free secondary educationThe tripartite system at end of primary education children are selected by means of streaming. Those on the top stream (20%) went to grammar schools. The rest went to secondary modern and technical schools A 1 Change & Reform contThe National Curriculum in England and Wales is divided into four Key Stages (KS), three core subjects (English, Mathematics and Science) and nine non-core foundation subjects. A 1 Reform & Change Key Stages and Tests 土The Key Stages are age-related: KS 1 goes up to age seven, KS 2 from seven to eleven, KS 3 from eleven to fourteen (pre-GCSE) and KS 4 from fourteen to sixteen (preparation for GCSE and equivalent vocational qualifications) - A 3 Institutions of Higher Education CambridgeCambridge University was founded in 1209 by students fleeing from Oxford after one of the many episodes of violence between the university and the town of Oxford. A 3 Institution of Higher Education OxfordOxford University. Legend has it that Oxford University was founded by King Alfred in 872. A more likely scenario is that it grew out of efforts begun by Alfred to encourage education and establish schools throughout his territory. There may have been a grammar school there in the 9th century. A grammar school was exactly what it sounds like; a place for teaching Latin grammar. The University as we know it actually began in the 12th century as gatherings of students around popular masters. The university consisted of people, not buildings. The buildings came later as a recognition of something that already existed. In a way, Oxford was never founded; it grew. A 3 Institutions of Higher Education OxbridgeThe Boat Race between Oxford & Cambridge started June 10, 1829The event is now a British national institution, and is televised live each year. The race has been won by Cambridge 77 times and Oxford 71. The 2003 race was amongst the closest in history, with Oxford winning by less than a foot. One entertainment for spectators is the possibility of a boat sinking. This has occurred on three occasions; to the Oxford crew in 1925 and to Cambridge in 1859 and in 1978. The race is currently run over a four mile and 374 yard stretch of the River Thames between Putney and Mortlake in London.Click hereA3 Institutions of Higher Learning CrisisUniversities in crisisIn most universities resources are spent on day-to-day teaching and research. At the same time academic salaries have stalled: plumbers earn more than professors; research staff are paid less than school dinner ladies. So top academics are fleeing to the US and there are chronic shortages of teaching staff in areas such as law, computing, maths and computersA3 Institutions of Higher Education CrisisHow has all this come about?It boils down to a simple equation: government funding has remained static over the past few decades while the number of students has skyrocketed. As a result, Britain would now have to spend 3.5bn a year just to bring the amount it spends per student up to the EU average. A 4 Further Education & Training YTSObjectives of Youth Training Scheme:To give a training opportunity to school leavers who did not get a job or go on to universityTo ensure that these young people learn how to transfer the skills they learn in one job to anotherCritiques: 1. artificially reduce unemployment figures 2.reinforce young peoples status as determined by their class background 3. jobs are not guaranteed after trainingQuestions:What do you understand by the term streaming? Is it a reasonable system?In many British schools, children are grouped together according to their ability, and this is known as “streaming”. The word stream can be used as a noun (i.e. She is in the top stream/the A stream.) and as a verb (i.e. The school streams its pupils.)As for whether it is a reasonable system, different people may have different opinions. Some people may not think it fair to put children into groups according to their ability, while others may think it helpful to promote competition among children.Contemporary British Culture & Society ( 5 )Chapter 5 WorkA 4 Unions & ManagementTrade unions: first formed in the early stages of the Industrial Revolution, by groups of industrial workers who suffered from extremely low pay andbad working conditionsThere are four types of union:General Unions, which represent workers in a range of industries.Craft Unions, which represent workers from a group of industries who share a particular skillIndustrial Unions, which represent workers in a particular industry whatever their skill is, e.g. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM)White Collar Unions, which represent non-manual workers e.g. The National Union of Teachers (NUT)A 4 Unions & Management Pros.they areessential for protectingthe interests of employees who might otherwise get a raw deal from powerful employers or in industries which are declining and where redundancies are highly likely. unions played an active part in persuading the government to pass the Health and Safe Actthey offer a range of services, particularly through the TUC. Constrade unions make excessive wage claims union elections are undemocratic unions have become too powerfuland should have their wings clipped. they underminethe competitiveness of British industry because of restrictive practices & opposition to technological progressWhat are the similarities and differences between getting a job in Britain and in China?Contemporary British Culture & Society ( 6 )Chapter 6A 2 Leisure at HomeThe most common leisure activities among people in the United Kingdom are home-based, or social, such as entertaining or visiting relatives and friends Watching television is by far the most popular leisure pastime; Britains regular weekly dramas or soap operas have more viewers than any other programme. Other regular pastimes include listening to the radio and to recorded music, reading books, gardening, do-it-yourself home improvements and doing puzzle. Pop and rock albums are the most common type of music bought, and pop is by far the most popular form of musical expression in Britain Language & CultureVariations in terminology used to describe people watching leisure entertainmentSoccer - crowds, suggesting “amorphous” Rugby - spectators, “dispassionate onlookers”Cinema -audiences, more sophisticated, listenTV - viewers, denying passivity of TV ”couch potato” Theatre - theatre- goers, some form of dynamismOpera - opera buffs, uniform worn by smart regiments Conclusion The Defining Factors of IdentityEducation, work, and leisure are defining aspects of British cultural identity.Schools place a distinctive stamp on their pupils a past pupil will be defined as a product of Shrewbury School or King Street primary.This pattern is repeated in the work arena. People define themselves by their schools and their work functions.Contemporary British Culture and SocietyChapter 7 HOLIDAYS & TOURISMUK - Cotswolds (in southwestern England, is a range of limestone hills famed for its beautiful scenery and attractive houses built in local Cotswold stone. The area has many historic buildings, and tourism is the main industry. The Cotswolds extend from near Bath, in Avon; northeastward through Gloucestershire; nearly as far as Stratford-upon-Avon, in Warwickshire. The highest point is Cleeve Cloud, 1,083 feet (330 meters) above sea level. Cleeve is near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, on the ranges western edge. Most of the Cotswolds are rolling hills.)From Stratford to Bath and Oxford The Cotswolds stretch from Stratford upon Avon in the north to Bath in the south. From Gloucester in the west to Oxford in the east, the rolling hills are full of story book English villages. And we have added Shakespeare at Stratford upon Avon, the dreaming spires and colleges at Oxford and the Georgian city of Bath.Heritage of ScotlandRobert Burns was Scotlands greatest poet and many would say that he was the worlds greatest ever poet.Burns was born at Alloway, Ayrshire, Scotland on 25 January 1759 and died in Dumfries on 21 July 1796. In less than 37 years of life he accomplished more than most people do in a normal lifetimeSome of his work, such as Auld Lang Syne (The good old days) is among the most familiar and best-loved songs and poems in the English language Scotland My Love is like a Red, Red Rose Burns0, my love is like a red, red rose, thats newly sprung in June. 0, my love is like a melody, thats sweetly playd in tune.As fair thou art, my bonnie lass, so deep in love am I, And I will love thee still, my dear, till a the seas gang dry.Till a the seas gang dry, my dear, and the rocks melt wi the sun! And I will love thee still, my dear, while the sands of life shall run.And fare thee well, my only love! And fare thee well awhile! And I will come again, my love. Tho it were ten thousand mile!ScotlandBURNS NIGHT It is celebrated on January, 25th, the birthday of Robert Burns In the evening people eat typical Scottish food, such as “Haggis” (a special kind of sausage in a sheeps stomach) and drink whisky while bagpipes music is played and some of Burns poems are read aloud. Chapter 8 Crime & the PoliceA 4 The Causes of Crime土A 6 The Police The Metropolitan Police Force 1828 by Sir Robert Peel. Headquarters at Scotland Yard. Bobby, nickname for a British policeman.Home Secretary responsible for the Met.The Metropolitan Police Force is the main law-enforcement agency in the Capital and the biggest police force in the country, employing over 35,000 people. There are other police forces in London - the City of London Police, the British Transport Police and the Royal Parks Constabulary - but the Met is the main player Metropolitan Police ServiceA 6 The PoliceWhat are their responsibilities? The Met Police are responsible for policing the majority of Greater London. The basic street-level policing of London is carried out by Borough Operational Command Units (BOCUs), which Londoners will recognise as their local police force. The Met also undertakes many national tasks, like protection of royalty and the Capitals diplomatic community, as well as having certain counter-terrorism duties. The Two Branches of the Local PoliceThe uniformed branch who patrol on foot or by car and whose uniform is easily recognised; navy-blue suits and distinctive shaped helmetsThe plainclothes police, who investigate serious crime, and are known as the CID (Criminal Investigation Department) A 6 The PoliceThe Role of the PoliceThe police may be seen as having two roles in society, each with a different emphasis and image.Maintenance of order - where the police provides a service to the community. A ServiceThis is known as community policing and requires the cooperation of the local community and favours an image of the local bobby on the beat who is known and recognised by the public in a particular area.).Law enforcement - where the police are considered as a force with a primary function of enforcing the criminal law. A ForceA 6 The PolicePolice Powers & LimitationsPolice officers are normally unarmed, but they do carry a truncheon (short thick club). In Northern Ireland police officers carry firearms for their protection, but this is seen as unusual circumstances. can stop and search people on the street if they suspect a person is carrying stolen goods or offensive weapons which may be used for burglary or other offences. can arrest suspects with a warrant from the local magistrate and for serious offences such as murder or kidnapping a suspect can be arrested without a warrant.Suspects rights are protected in various ways Detention, treatment and questioningChargingBailA 6 The PoliceRights of the suspectto have someone outside the police station told of his/her arrestto consult a solicitorMoreover, a suspect in custody should not be forced to answer questions they have the right to remain silent (N.B. Recent changes in the law have meant that silence under police questioning may be interpreted negatively by a jury, i.e. as a sign of guilt.)be forced to make a statement against their willbe induced to make a statement by means of threats or by being promised something, such as bail, for instance.A 6 The PoliceCode of Practice.Citizens are allowed to complain about the conduct of any police officer and any wrongful treatment they may have had from the action of the policeTo ensure a thorough and independent investigation of any such complaint the Independent Police Complaints Authority supervises any such inquiry. Police officers breaking the law in the course of their duty can be prosecuted and even dismissed from the force The discipline codes are designed to prevent abuse of power and to