英美文化概论 纯正英语版Educationin the U.S

EducationintheUnitedStates,TheContents,ThegoalofEducationEducation-ALocalMatterFeaturesofEducationLevelsofSchoolingHigherEducationTheServicemensReadjustmentActAffirmativeActionPrograms,I.TheGoalofEducation,Thegoalistoachieveuniversalliteracyandtoprovideindividualswiththeknowledgeandskillsnecessarytopromoteboththeirownindividualwelfareaswellasthatofthegeneralpublic.,II.Education-ALocalMatter,Thefederalgovernmentdoesnotprovideanationaleducationsystemexceptforsomebasicrules.Thelaw,forexample,saysthatallAmericanchildrenenjoyequalrighttoeducation.Separateeducationforblackandwhitechildrenisforbidden.Religiouspreachinginpublicschoolsisillegalandallthechildrenbeforetheageof16arerequiredtoattendschoolbylaw.,Continues,FromHawaiitoDelaware,fromAlaskatoLouisiana,eachofthe50statesintheUnitedStateshasitsownlawsregulatingeducation.FromStatetostate,somelawsaresimilar;othersarenot.Forexample:Allstatesrequireyoungpeopletoattendschool.(Theagelimitsvary:32statesrequireattendancetoage16;eightto18;etc.)Thus,everychildinAmericaisguaranteedupto13yearsofeducation.Thisistrueregardlessofachildsrace,religion,sex,learningproblems,physicalhandicaporinabilitytospeakEnglish.,Continues,Somestatesplayastrongroleintheselectionoflearningmaterialfortheirstudents.Forexample,statecommitteesmaydecidewhichpublisherstextbookscanbepurchasedwithstatefunds.Inothercases,decisionsaboutbuyinginstructionalmaterialareleftentirelytolocalschoolofficials.Americanshaveastrongtendencytoeducatetheirchildrenaboutmajorpublicconcerns-problemssuchasenvironmentalpollution,nuclearissues,neighborhoodcrimeanddrugs.Respondingtopublicpressure,boardsofeducationindifferentareasoftenaddcoursesonvariousrelevantissuestotheelementaryandsecondaryschoolcurriculum.,III.FeaturesofEducation,1.CultivatingaStudentsmindAmericaneducationemphasizescultivatingastudentsmindratherthanrequiringhimtomemorizemerefacts.Studentsareencouragedtolearnbydoing,byexpressingthemselvesandbydiscussing.ItisnotunusualforanAmericanstudentnottoknowwhichcityisChinascapitalorhowmanypeoplethereareinMongolia.Americanstudentsarenotinterestedinlearningwhatisoflittleusefortheirfuturework.,Continues,2.Cultivatingthespiritofself-relianceAmericaneducationpaysmuchattentiontocultivatingthespiritofself-reliance.WorkingoneswaythroughcollegeiscommonplaceinAmerica.Schoolsoftenadjustthestudentsprogramofstudiessothathecandopart-timejobs.Studentsareencouragedtoformtheirownorganizations,clubs,andresearchgroups.,IV.LevelsofSchooling,Americasschooleducationcanbedividedintothreestages:elementaryeducation,secondaryeducationandhighereducation.,1.Preschool,ThefederalgovernmentfundstheHeadStartpreschoolprogramforchildrenoflow-incomefamilies,butmostfamiliesareontheirownwithregardtofindingapreschoolorchildcare.Inthelargecities,therearesometimesupper-classpreschoolscateringtothechildrenofthewealthy.,2.ElementaryEducation,Elementary/primaryeducationbeginsattheageoffiveorsix,endingattheageof11or12.Publicelementaryschoolsfoundedwithcommunityschooltaxesarecontrolledbyaschoolboardwhichiscomposedofmemberselectedbylocalvoters.Themajorresponsibilitiesoftheschoolboardarethehiringofteachersandsupportstaff,determiningthelocalcurriculumandapprovingthebudgettocarryouteducationalprograms.,Continues,CurriculumTheelementaryschoolnormallycoversgrades1-8.Butthereisanotherpatternunderwhichtheelementaryschoolcoversgrades1-5or6.Theelementaryschoolcurriculummainlyconsistsofthe“basics”,suchasreading,writing,andarithmeticormathematics.Elementaryschoolsusuallypaymoreattentiontomakingchildrenhappyandinterestedinsteadofgivingrigid（死板的）instructions.AllAmericanchildrenarebroughtupwithcompetitiveideas,butprimaryschoolpupilsaretaughtmoreaboutpatriotismandmutualhelp.,3.SecondaryEducation,Secondaryeducationisgivenbyhighschoolswhicharealsocalledsecondaryschools.Theycanbesubdividedintoseniorhighschoolsandjuniorhighschools.Ajuniorhighschoolandaseniorhighschoolareusuallycombinedintoone.Thejuniorhighschoolcoversgrades6or7-9,andtheseniorhighschoolcoversgrades10-12.Secondaryeducationendsattheageof17or18.ItisfreeofchargeforallAmericanchildren.,Continues,ClassificationofHighSchoolsAmericanhighschoolscanbegenerallydividedintoseveralkinds:comprehensive,academic,vocational,andtechnicalschools.Theyhavesomewhatdifferenttasks.Comprehensivehighschoolsgivebothacademicandvocationaleducation.Theirstudentsmaygotouniversityforpaidjobsaftergraduation.Academichighschoolspaymoreattentiontoacademicstudyandaimatpreparingstudentsforhighereducation.Vocationalandtechnicalschoolsteachtheskillsofavarietyofoccupations.,Continues,AmongthesubjectsofferedbyhighschoolsareEnglishgrammar,literature,history,algebra（代数）,geometry（几何）,mathematics,chemistry,physicsandtrigonometry(三角学).Manyhighschoolsofferelectives-coursesforstudentstochoose.Electivecoursesvaryfromschooltoschool.Theyinclude：Europeanhistory,politicalissues,business,industrialtrades,foreignlanguagesandsoon.AmericanhighschoolsnormallybeginclassesinearlySeptemberandfinishtheschoolyearsoonaftertheendofMay,withoptionalsummerclasstaughtfromJunetoJuly.,4.SchoolsRunbyChurchandPrivateSchools,Inadditiontothesepublicschools,thereareschoolsrunbythechurch.InAmericanooneisallowedtoteachreligioninpublicschools.ChurchesruntheirownschoolswheretheycanpreachGodsteachingandtrainstudentsintoclergymen.Thebestoftheelementaryandhighschoolsaretheexpensive,privateboardingschoolswhicharealsocalled“Prep”schools.Theyarefinancedbytherichwhowanttopreparetheirchildrenforthebestuniversities.Theseschoolshaveveryfineequipmentandqualifiedteachers.ButinmostcasestheyaretooexpensiveforcommonAmericanfamilies.Andthenumberofthiskindofschoolisverysmall.,5.BoardsofEducationItreferstogroupsofpeoplewhomakepoliciesforschoolsatthestateand/ordistrictlevel.Theyalsomakedecisionsabouttheschoolcurriculum,teacherstandardsandcertificationandtheoverallmeasurementofstudentprogress.,V.HigherEducation,GeneralIntroductionFunctionsofUniversitiesandCollegesUndergraduateCurriculumGraduateStudyAdmissiontoHigherEducationTheIvyLeagueSchoolsTheGoverningofUniversitiesTuition,GeneralIntroductionHighereducationintheUnitedStatesbeganwiththefoundingofHarvardCollegeinMassachusettsin1636.NowAmericahasalargenumberofuniversities.Accordingtothe1994CarnegieclassificationofInstitutionsofHigherEducation,theUnitedStateshas3,595institutionsofhighereducation.Theyinclude125researchuniversities,111doctoraluniversities,529masterscomprehensiveuniversitiesandcolleges,637liberalartscolleges,1471juniorcollegesand722specializedinstitutions.,Continues,Researchuniversitiesarethebestuniversities.Theyofferafullrangeofprogram.Theygivehighprioritytoresearchandawarddoctoraldegrees.Aresearchuniversitynormallyreceivesmanymillionsofdollarsfromthefederalgovernmenteachyear.DoctoraluniversitiesalsoprovideafullrangeofprogramsleadingtoaBA(BachelorofArts)degreeandthroughthedoctorate.Buttheyawardfewerdoctoraldegreesthantheresearchuniversities.MasterscomprehensiveuniversitiesandcollegesgiveafullrangeofprogramsleadingtoBAdegreesandcanawardthemastersdegree.,Continues,Liberalartscollegesaremostlyundergraduatecolleges.TheycanonlyawardBAdegreesinliberalartsfields.Juniorcollegesincludecommunityandtechnicalcolleges.Generally,theydonotawarddegrees.SpecialinstitutionsincludeBiblecolleges,medicalschools,medicalcenters,schoolsofengineeringandtechnology,schoolsofbusinessandmanagement,schoolsoflaw,teacherscollegesandmilitaryschools.,Manyuniversitiesandcollegeshavewonreputationsforofferingparticularlychallengingcoursesandprovidingtheirstudentswithahigherqualityofeducation.Thegreatmajorityaregenerallyregardedasquitesatisfactory.TheUnitedStatesdoesnothaveanational(federal)schoolsystem,eachofthe50statesoperatesitsownuniversities,andsodosomelargecitygovernments.About25%ofallschoolsofhighereducationareprivatelyoperatedbyreligiousorganizations.Bothpublicandprivatecollegesdependedonthreesourcesofincome:studentstuition,endowmentsandgovernmentfunding.,Continues,2.FunctionsofUniversitiesandCollegesAmericanuniversitiesandcollegeshavethreefunctions:teaching,researchandpublicservice.ThetotalfundingprovidedbytheUSgovernmentforhighereducationismorethan$150billioneachyearatpresent.Universitiesarerequiredtoservethepublic.Theirlibraries,forexample,areopentoallAmericanswhohavetherighttoborrowbooksfromanyuniversitylibraryfreely.,Continues,3.UndergraduateCurriculumAmericanuniversitystudentsstudyavarietyofsubjects.Atypicalundergraduatecurriculumcanbedividedintothreeparts:thegeneraleducation,themajor,andthesupportingcourses.Thegeneraleducationprogramnormallyconsistsof20to40percentofalltherequiredcourses.Itappliestoallstudentsregardlessoftheirfieldofspecialization.Itusuallyincludesstudiesinwriting,literature,history,biologicalsciences,physicalsciences,mathematics,social-behavioralsciencesandfinearts.Thesesubjectsareusuallylearnedatthefreshmanandsophomorelevels(thefirstandsecondyears),Continues,AuniversitystudentinAmericamustattendacertainnumberofcourses.Heusuallytakescoursesinawiderangeofsubjectsinhisfirstyear(asafreshman)andsecondyear(asasophomore).Inthethirdyear(asjunior)andfourthyear(assenior),hespecializesinhismajorsubjects.Atypicalcourseconsistsof3classesperweekforonesemester(ahalfyearterm).Abachelorsdegreerequiresabout36courses,eachlastingonesemester.Astudentisgivencreditsforeverycoursehehassuccessfullycompleted.Whenhiscreditsamounttotherequirednumber,heisawardedthebachelorsdegree.Thatsaboutthreetofouryearsstudyatacollegeoruniversity.,Continues,4.GraduateStudyGraduatestudy,bothatthemastersanddoctorallevels,aimsatpreparingstudentsforprofessionalwork.Atthemasterslevelthestudyprogramisprimarilyanextensionofundergraduatestudy.Themastersdegreecannormallybeearnedinoneortwoyearsbystudentsholdingabachelorsdegree.Thedoctoralprogramrequiresatleastthreeyearspostgraduatestudy.Usually,thestudentpursuingthedoctoralprogramteachesorservesasaresearchassistantpart-time.Asaresult,astudentholdingthebachelorsdegreehastostudy5-8yearstoearnthePh.D.,Continues,5.AdmissiontoHigherEducationAdmissiontohighereducationisdeterminedbyeachcollegeoruniversity.Thegovernmentdoesnotinterfereandthereisnonationalstandard.Butadmissiontoprivateuniversitiesaswellasprestigiouspubliccollegesanduniversitiesisselectiveandcompetitive.Thegeneralstandardsofadmissionincludesuccessfulcompletionofhighschool,highschoolgradepointaverage(GPA)andclassrank,resultsfromstandardizedtestssuchastheScholasticAptitudeTest(SAT)andAmericanCollegeTestingProgramsexamination(ACTP).,Continues,Butsomeuniversitiesandcollegespracticeopenadmissions.Allapplicantswithahighschooldiplomaoritsequivalentareadmitted.Someuniversitiesandcollegesadmitnotonlyhighschoolgraduatesbutalsoallresidentsofthestate,18yearsoldorolder.,Butsomeuniversitiesandcollegespracticeopenadmissions.Allapplicantswithahighschooldiplomaoritsequivalentareadmitted.Someuniversitiesandcollegesadmitnotonlyhighschoolgraduatesbutalsoallresidentsofthestate,18yearsoldorolder.,Continues,6.TheIvyLeagueSchoolsThemostprestigiousofalluniversitiesaretheIvyLeagueschools,includingHarvard,Yale,Princeton,Columbia,UniversityofPennsylvania,Brown,DartmouthandCornell.Alltheseuniversitiesareprivateonesandastudenthastopaythetuitionofseveraldozenthousanddollarseachyear.ItisalmostbeyondthereachofcommonAmericanfamilies.Highscoresareoneoftherequirementsforadmissionintotheseuniversities.Sincetheyenjoyhighprestigeandhavefamousprofessorsandextremelyfineequipment,Americanyouthshavetocompetewitheachotherforadmission.,7.TheGoverningofUniversitiesAmericahasmoreprivateuniversitiesthanpublicones.Butabout78percentofthemorethan140millionstudentsinhighereducationattendpublicuniversitiesandcolleges.Privateuniversitiesandcollegesareusuallysmallerthanpublicones.Eachprivateuniversityorcollegeisgovernedbyaboardoftrustees(董事)whileeachpublicuniversityorcollegeisgovernedbyaboardofregents（摄政者；管理者）.,Continues,Trusteesandregentsaremostlylaymen(non-professional).Theyreceivenopayfromtheuniversityorcollegetheyserve.Thesystemisbasedonthebeliefthatlaymennotpaidbytheschoolwillbemorelikelytorepresentthepublicintereststhanprofessionalsbecausetheycannotbenefitfromboarddecisions.Theboardchoosesthepresidentorchancelloroftheuniversity,establishespolicies,reviewsallmajordecisionsmadebyadministrators,andapprovesbudgetsandallpurchases.,Continues,8.TuitionAlluniversitystudentshavetopaytuitionandothereducationalfeesforthehighereducationtheyreceive.Butthetuitionchargedbyprivateuniversitiesisusuallyseveraltimeshigherthanthatofpublicuniversities.ThetuitionandfeeschargedbyamemberuniversityoftheIvyLeaguemayreach$30,000foroneacademicyear.Astateuniversitychargesalowerrateoftuitionforstudentswhoarecitizensofthestate,knownasin-statestudents.Butforstudentsfromotherstates(knownasout-of-statestudents),thetuitionisusuallydoubled.Studentsfromothercountriesarechargedthesamerateoftuitionasout-of-statestudents.Privateuniversitieschargethesamerateoftuitionforallthestudents.,Continues,Financialsupportisavailableinmostuniversitiesandcolleges.Studentswhoexcelintheirfieldsofstudyareawardedscholarships.StudentswhoareinneedoffinancialhelpmayreceiveloansgrantedbytheFederalgovernmentandothersources.Manystudentsdopart-timejobstoearnsomemoneybythemselves.Itisestimatedthatnowthefederalgovernmenteachyearprovidesabout$150billioninfinancialassistancetostudentsinhighereducation.,VI.TheServicemensReadjustmentAct军人重新安置法案,Passedin1944,Itwassoonpopularlycalledthe“GIBillofRights”.GIwasanicknamefortheAmericansoldier,whichcamefromtheabbreviationfor“GovernmentIssue”theuniformsandotherarticles“issued”toasoldier.TheActpromisedfinancialaid,includingaidforhighereducationtomembersofthearmedforcesaftertheendofWWII.,VII.AffirmativeActionPrograms,FirstAdvocatedbysomecollegesin1960.Thepurposeoftheprogramswastoequalizeeducationalopportunitiesforallgroupsandtomakeupforpastinequalitybygivingspecialpreferencetomembersofminoritiesseekingjobsoradmissiontocollege.,AffirmativeActionPrograms“肯定性行动计划（平权法案）”美国政府为弥补以往对某些特殊群体（如少数民族和妇女）的歧视而给这些群体再就业和受教育机会方面提供较为优惠的照顾性的政策。该项政策始于20世纪60年代，但到70年代后期，因设立种族配额制度偏向少数族裔和妇女而被指责为“逆向歧视”。,SomefamousUniversitiesintheUnitedStates,HarvardUniversity,StanfordUniversity,UniversityCalifornia-Berkeley,MassachusettsInstituteTechnology,ColumbiaUniversity,PrincetonUniv,UnivChicago,YaleUniv,CornellUniv,JohnsHopkinsUniv,哈佛大学HarvardUniv成立于1636年，哈佛大学是全美最古老的大学之一，先有哈佛，后有美国，这说明了哈佛大学在美国历史上的地位。迄今哈佛己培育出6位美国总统、29位诺贝尔奖得主和27名普利策奖得主。不论从学校的名气、设备、教授阵容、还是学生素质方面，哈佛大学都堪称世界一流斯坦福大学StanfordUniv,有着“西部哈佛”之称的斯坦福创办于1891年，学校位于富庶的加利福尼亚州，与美国文化底蕴丰富的旧金山(SanFrancisco)和有“高科技圣地”之称的硅谷(SiliconValley)为邻，培育了不少顶尖级的科学家、企业家和学术界名人，在科研和学术领域双双取得骄人的成绩。斯坦福的过人之处在于它与工商业界和各政府部门有着密切关系，使它在天时、地利、人和方面取得优势，而跻身世界级大学,伯克利加州大学UnivCalifornia-Berkeley作为加州大学九所分校之一，伯克利加大是其中最著名的一所。这所占地1232英亩、在读学生3.5万左右的巨型大学有22位教授、校友获得过诺贝尔奖,有8位教授、校友获得过图灵奖有8位（其中5位是校友）。23位教授荣获过美国国家科学奖.坚持学术本位，充分尊重教授会决定的学术方针是伯克利加州大学成功的关键。伯克利以多元文化著称,华裔教授田长霖曾任伯克利加州大学校长麻省理工学院MassachusettsInstTech1865年创建于波士顿，1961年迁到坎布里奇，麻省理工学院（MIT）是美国培养高级科技人才和管理人才、从事科学与技术教育与研究的一所私立大学，已被公认为世界一流的大学,加州理工学院CaliforniaInstTech创办于1891年,加州理工学院是一所私立，专门性院校。学校位于加州南部风光迷人的巴萨迪那市，下设生物学、化学及化学工程系、工程与应用科学、地质学及行星学、人类学和社会科学、物理数学和天文学六大系。学院是美国乃至全世界最“牛”的研究型大学之一，2004年美国新闻与世界报道的“全美最佳综合大学”中名列第五位，并在多个工程学科分支中名列前十名哥伦比亚大学ColumbiaUniv建于1754年，是美国最古老的7所大学组成的“常春藤联合会”成员之一，哥伦比亚大学阵容强大，有十六个学院、六十九个系所。一般来说哥伦比亚大学之法律、文史哲、管理、新闻、国际关系系所名声较大，工学院由于成立比较晚，排名靠后,普林斯顿大学PrincetonUniv成立于1746年，位于美国新泽西州普林斯顿镇。普林斯顿大学是举世公认的著名大学，它的招生口号是“只要你是优秀的，付学费不用顾虑”。普林斯顿大学最引以自豪的是重视本科生教育，另一大特点则是坚持自身优势基础研究，二战后一度被称为世界“数学之都”的普林斯顿大学，迄今仍保持着这一名望，其物理学研究也处于一流水平芝加哥大学UnivChicago是一所成立于1892年的著名私立大学，由石油大亨洛克菲勒（JohnD.Rockefeller）投资建立。学校设有数十个学科专业，其中人类学、地球科学、经济学、地理学、历史学、语言学、统计学、社会学等学科专业在美国大学的相应领域排名中均居前十名，具有较强的学术实力,耶鲁大学YaleUniv成立于年，其前身是创建于年的一所教会学校，年更名为耶鲁学院。耶鲁大学如今已发展成为一所世界级名校，拥有来自美国和其他多个国家和地区的多名学生,下设耶鲁学院（本科生院）、艺术与科学研究生院及所专业学院，即建筑、艺术、神学、戏剧、林业与环境、法学、管理、医学、音乐和护理。耶鲁学院是耶鲁大学的核心，共有个系所，每年开设多门本科课程康奈尔大学CornellUniv于1865年创立,位于纽约州芬戈尔湖地区,是美国常青藤八大盟校之一.它是“公私合营”式的大学。在七所学院中，农业与生物学院、人类环境学院和工业与劳工关系学院是公立学院，受纽约州政府管辖。而其他四所学院：艺术科学学院、建筑艺术与规划学院、工程学院和旅馆管理学院则是私立的.该校包括本科生,研究生和专业人员在内共19000人,宾夕法尼亚大学UnivPennsylvania是美国宾夕法尼亚州费城的一所私立大学，也是美国常春藤联合会成员之一,它由本杰明富兰克林创办于1740年.宾夕法尼亚大学现有的12个学院分别是：文理、沃顿商学院、工程、医学、护理、牙医、兽医、法学、设计与规划、教育、社会工作和通讯学院威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校UnivWisconsin-Madison威斯康星大学有十几个校区,最大的中心校区是麦迪逊分校，麦迪逊分校的新闻学、生物化学、植物学、化学工程、化学、土木工程、计算机科学、地球科学、英语、地理学、物理学、经济学、德语、历史学、语言学、数学、工商管理(MBA)、微生物学、分子生物学、机械工程、哲学、西班牙语、心理学、政治学、统计学、社会学、动物学等诸多学科具有相当雄厚的科研和教学实力，大部分在美国大学相应领域排名中居于前10名约翰霍普金斯大学JohnsHopkinsUniv创办于1876年2月22日，位于美国马利兰州的巴尔的摩市，约翰霍普金斯大学以医科驰名于世，其医学院仅次于哈佛。该校所有跟生物沾亲带故的专业，都在美国名声斐然，其中包括生物医学工程、化学和生物化学等。其它科目如英语、历史、美术、国际关系、政治科学等也相当出色,诺伊大学香槟分校UnivIllinois-UrbanaChampaign成立于1867年，一直被列为全美最优秀的理工大学之一,位于香摈和乐本那之间的双子城，大学排名全国前5名或前10名的研究所课程有物理学,化学,计算机科学,心理学,教育学,工程学,会计学,大众传播学,图书馆科学,音乐,数论,代数,逻辑学,微生物学等洛克菲勒大学RockefellerUniv坐落在曼哈顿，洛克菲勒大学是世界顶级的医学研究中心，在细胞生物学和神经生物学领域拥有突出的地位和贡献美国西北大学NorthwesternUniv建立于年，位于伊利诺州密歇根湖岸的小城埃文斯顿（Evanston）。西北大学设有温伯格文理学院，传播学院，音乐学院，莫迪尔新闻学院，迈考米克工程及应用科学学院，教育及社会政策学院，法学院，凯洛格商学院，以及芬伯格医学院杜克大学DukeUniv建于1838年,位于北卡罗莱纳州,是美国东南海岸的一所私立名校，有“南方哈佛”之称。杜克大学工科较弱，理科除生物外，也难称一流，但医、法、商实力不俗，足可使杜克挤身美国最佳大学之列,纽约大学NewYorkUniv成立于1831年，是全美最大的私立大学之一。属下的TischSchooloftheArts是全美最佳的美术学院之一，因此，纽约大学的电影、电视、戏剧、舞蹈和摄影都很好。纽约大学是一所阴盛阳衰的高等学府，女生占了全校学生57%。由于地处纽约市中心，是美国高中生心目中最受欢迎的大学明尼苏达大学UnivMinnesota-TwinCities始建于1851年，拥有四所校园，是美国最具综合性的高等学府之一，2001年，明尼苏达大学被列为美国公立大学中最好的三所研究型大学之一。其化工系，机械工程系，经济学系，应用经济学系，心理系，教育系，应用数学，人力资源管理，信息管理系统，森林，药学及医疗系统管理等多门学科在全美始终名列前茅科罗拉多大学UnivColorado-Boulder