教学大纲

课程中文名称：英语国家文化

课程英文名称：The Culture of Major English-speaking Countries

课程号：09004042

学时数：36

学分数：2

先修课程：英语国家概况

适用专业：英语语言文学专业

 

一、课程的性质和任务

1. 课程性质：

该课程是英语语言文学专业学生必修课程，在英语专业二年级第二学期开设。每周2 学时，共计36学时。

2. 课程任务：

该课程主要介绍英国和美国的社会文化背景知识，如地理概况、政体、经济、历史、文学、风俗习惯、教育体制、社会生活、外事、媒体、文化生活、体育艺术等等。旨在帮助学生了解英国和美国的社会文化概貌， 提高学生对文化差异的敏感性、宽容性和处理文化差异的灵活性，达到提高英语水平，增强跨文化交际能力的目的。同时，该课程还旨在提高学生的学习兴趣，扩大知识面，为其他专业课程的学习提供帮助。

 

二、课程教学内容

英国部分

Chapter 1  A Brief Introduction to the United Kingdom

教学目的与要求：了解英国的历史概况和四个组成部分的地方特色。

After learning this chapter, students should have a knowledge of

1. British history of invasions and the influence of each invasion on English culture;

2. the general characteristics of each part of the UK;

3. some political problems in Northern Island and the causes for the problems

教学重点与难点:

the effects of its imperial past; a member of the European Union; a significant role of London; cultural and economic dominance of England; invasion from the Roman Empire; settlement of the Anglo-Saxons; strong Scottish identity; Brief introduction to Wales; economy of Northern Ireland; religious conflict between the Irish and the British; IRA’s violence in the 1970s; cooperation between the British and Irish governments; the Good Friday Agreement

 

Chapter 2  The Government of the United Kingdom

教学目的与要求：了解英国的政府制度。

After learning this chapter, students should have a knowledge of

1. some characteristics of the British constitutional monarchy;

2. history and functions of Parliament;

3. major characteristics and the main content of the British constitution;

4. the Birth of the Prime Minister and cabinet;

5. the British government today

教学重点与难点:

divine right of kings; the civil war; Magna Carta; the Great Council; the Bill of Rights of 1689; the Cabinet; the Prime Minister; the Constitution; the power and the functions of the Parliament; the roles of the monarch; the House of the Lords; the House of Commons

 

Chapter 3  Politics, Class and Race

教学目的与要求：了解英国的政治、阶级和种族。

After learning this chapter, students should have a knowledge of

1. the general elections;

  2. formation of the government;

  3. the three big parties in the UK

  4. some recent political trends;

5. how people in the UK are divided into different classes;

6. the general situation of racial relations in the UK

教学重点与难点：

      important of general elections; formation of the government; vote of no confidence; procedure pf general elections; The Conservative party; The Labor party; Liberal Democrats; recent political trends in the UK; Margaret Thatcher; Tony Blair; class system in the British society; upper middle-class and lower middle-class; the hereditary aristocracy; Oxbridge; ethnic relations in Britain

 

Chapter 4  The UK Economy

教学目的与要求：了解英国的经济概况。

After learning this chapter, students should have a knowledge of

1. the meaning of “absolute decline and relative decline” in the UK economy;

2. the radical reform program under Mrs. Margaret Thatcher;

3. the three main areas in national economy;

教学重点与难点：

absolute decline and relative decline of British economy; the privatization in the 1980s; the main sectors of the UK economy; primary industries; secondary industries; service industries; agriculture; energy production; the offshore oil industry; the manufacturing industry; the City of London; the aerospace industry

 

Chapter 5  British Literature

教学目的与要求：了解英国的文学概况。

After learning this chapter, students should have a knowledge of

1. some characteristics of the early writing in English Literature;

2. some main features of Elizabeth Drama;

3. Shakespeare ;

4. characteristics of the Romantic writers in the 19th century;

5. characteristics of the 20th century literature;

教学重点与难点：

Beowulf; The Canterbury Tales; stories about Kong Arthur; William Shakespeare; John Milton; Romantic poets of the 19th century; the Bronte sisters; Charles Dickens; Sir Walter Scott; Robert Louis Stevenson; Modernism; Postmodernism; Joseph Conrad; Virginia Woolf; D.H. Lawrence; E.M. Foster

 

 

Chapter 6  British Education System

教学目的与要求：了解英国的教育体制。

After learning this chapter, students should have a knowledge of

1. the purpose of the British education system;

2. the relationship between education and social class system;

3. the major changes that have taken place since World War II

教学重点与难点：

the purpose of the British education system; the relationship between education and social class; the influence of the Church on schooling; the 1944 Education Act; comprehensive schools; grammar schools; the National Curriculum; public schools; GCSE; GCE—A; GNVQs; old universities; The Open University

 

Chapter 7  British Foreign Relations

教学目的与要求：了解英国的外交概况。

After learning this chapter, students should have a knowledge of

1. how the end of British imperialism influenced the psychology of the British and the making of Britain’s foreign policy;

2. the foundations of Britain’s foreign policy;

3. the special relationship with the US;

4. the relationship with EU

教学重点与难点:

active in setting up the United Nations; foreign policy influenced by its history and geopolitical traits; long-term physical separation from the European continent; the involvement of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; the Treasury; the permanent member of the UN Security Council; the member of the EU; the member of the Commonwealth; the special relationship with the United States; the presence of superpower bases in Britain; its participation in NATO

 

 

Chapter 8  The British Media

教学目的与要求：了解英国的媒体概况。

After learning this unit, students should have a knowledge of

1. the function and status of British media;

2. some characteristics of British newspaper culture;

3. the classification of newspaper

4. the major newspapers in the UK

5. the relationship between the British press and politics and business

6. some limits on newspaper

7. operation of BBC

教学重点与难点：

popularity and functions of the media; the quality press; The Observer; The Times; The Guardian; The Telegraph; The Financial Times; tabloids; television and radio; BBC; The Independent Television Commission

 

Chapter 9  Sports, Holidays and Festivals in Britain

教学目的与要求：了解英国人喜欢和擅长的运动以及英国重要的节庆日。

After learning this unit, students should have a knowledge of

1. the major sports in Britain;

2. people’s attitude towards sports;

3. what has influenced British sports;

4. the main Christian festivals;

5. how British people celebrate Christmas and Easter;

6. Queen’s birthday;

7. important regional festivals in each part of the UK

教学重点与难点:

football; FA; tennis; Wimbledon; cricket; golf; horse racing; the Grand National; the Royal Ascot; Christmas; three traditions of Christmas; Boxing Day; Easter; Bonfire Night; the Battle of the Boyne; Orange Marches; St. Patrick’s Day; Hogmanay; Robert Burns; Halloween; the Eisteddfod

 

美国部分

 Chapter 10  American Beginnings

教学目的与要求：了解美国的早期历史。

After learning this chapter, students should have a knowledge of

1. the earliest 4 colonies in America and early history of these 4 colonies;

2. the influence of Puritanism on American culture;

3. the heritage of the settlement of Virginia;

4. Lord Baltimore and his feudal plan;

5. William Penn and his Holy Experiment and the heritage of the Holy Experiment in American culture;

6. the major causes of the American Revolution;

7. Declaration of Independence

教学重点与难点：

          Discovery of America; Puritanism; the Pilgrim Fathers; the influence of Puritanism on American culture; causes and major leaders of the American Revolution; The Declaration of Independence

 

 Chapter 11  The Political System in the United States

教学目的与要求：了解美国的政治制度。

After learning this unit, students should have a knowledge of

1. the three branches of the US government;

2. how the three branches are supposed to check and balance each other;

3. the two political parties in the US and the differences between them

教学重点与难点：

the Articles of Confederation; the making of the US Constitution; the three branches of the federal government; checks and balances; the Bill of Rights; political parties

 

Chapter 12  American Economy and Technology

教学目的与要求：了解美国的经济和技术发展。

After learning this chapter, students should have a knowledge of

1. industrial revolution in American history;

2. the roots of affluence;

3. success and problems of American agriculture;

4. how technology influences people’s lifestyle;

5. the importance of research teams

教学重点与难点：

Samuel Slater; Eli Whitney; Industrial Revolution in America; corporation; service industries; stock; the roots of America’s affluence; agribusiness; migrant workers; the success and problems of American agriculture; the Stevens and transportation; the Pony Express System; Alexander Graham Bell; Thomas Alva Edison; Henry Ford; the Age of Visual Information; computer science; rocketry; nuclear energy

 

 Chapter 13  Religion in the US

教学目的与要求：了解美国的宗教特点。

After learning this chapter, students should have a knowledge of

1. major religions in America

2. the status of each major religion

3. some of the features of America religion

教学重点与难点：

American history and religious liberty; the US Constitution and religion; Protestants and different Protestant groups in the US.; Catholics in the US; Jews and their religious faith; religious diversity in the US; characteristics of American religious beliefs

 

 Chapter 14  American Literature

教学目的与要求：了解美国的文学概况。

After learning this chapter, students should have a knowledge of

1. the main theme in American literature;

2. important writers of in American history;

3. the Modern Movement in poetry;

4. the “Lost Generation”;

5. the “Beat Generation”

教学重点与难点：

Wahington Irving and James Fenimore Cooper; Transcendentalists; Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville; Walt Whitman; Mark Twain; Emily Dickinson; the naturalists, T. S. Eliot; the “Lost Generation”; William Faulkner; the Harlem Renaissance; Eugene O’Neill; African-American writers; women writers

 

 Chapter 15  Education in the US

教学目的与要求：了解美国的教育制度。

After learning this chapter, students should have a knowledge of

1. the goal of American education;

2. how American education began to develop;

3. important characteristics of American education;

4. levels of schooling

教学重点与难点：

different education laws for different states; several levels of schooling; curricula for students; compulsory education for all children; equal education opportunities for minority groups; strong demand for higher education; the complex system of higher education; varieties of colleges and universities; trends in degree programs; the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act; Affirmative Action Programs; non-traditional students.

 

 Chapter 16  Social Movements and Social Problems in the US

教学目的与要求：了解美国20世纪60年代的社会运动以及美国的主要社会问题。

After learning this chapter, students should have a knowledge of

1. the major social movements of the 1960s;

2. the historical background of the social movements;

3. the legacies of the social movements of the 1960s and their effects on contemporary US society;

4. major social problems in the US

教学重点与难点:

Greensboro “Sit-In”; the Civil Rights Movement; Martin Luther King, Jr.; the Anti-War Movement; Free Speech Movement; Counter Culture; Women’s Liberation Movement; racial problems; inequality in American society; discrimination against blacks; the black “undercalss”; poverty as a social problem; drug abuse; social costs of drug abuse; crime; the profile of a typical criminal; racial prejudice in the high rate of arrests; white-collar crime; the abuse of power by government; the abuse of power by corporations

 

Chapter 17  Post-WWII American Foreign Policy

教学目的与要求：了解美国二战后的外交政策。

After learning this chapter, students should have a knowledge of

1. how the Cold War began and what role the US played in this;

2. the US containment policy;

3. some great changes of the world in the late 1980s and the early 1990s and the new strategy the US formed after that;

4. the preemption in the Bush Doctrine;

5. how the world responded to the Sept.11 terrorist attack

教学重点与难点:

the beginning of the Cold War; Arms Race between the United Sates and the Soviet Union; the Truman Doctrine; the containment policy; the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962; the Korean War and relations between the US and PRC; engagement and expansion; unilateralism; the Sept.11 terrorist attack; war on Iraq

 

Chapter 18  Sports and Scenic Spots in America & Early American Jazz

教学目的与要求：了解美国主要体育运动形式和美国的早期爵士乐。

After learning this chapter, students should have a knowledge of

1. influence of sports on American culture;

2. most popular sports in the US;

3. the role of television in sports competition;

4. causes for the popularity of jazz;

5. in what way Jazz music reflects American culture

教学重点与难点:

the American Football; baseball; Jackie Robinson; the World Series; basketball; James Naismith; NBA; the Grand Canyin; Yellowstone National Park; Disneyland; the National Monument; the Everglades; Niagara; jazz music; New Orleans jazz; Louis Armstrong; ragtime music; Count Basie; Boogie Woogie

 

三、学时分配

章 次

章    目

学时分配

备注

Chapter 1

A Brief Introduction to the United Kingdom

2

 

Chapter 2

The Government of the United Kingdom

2

 

Chapter 3

Politics, Class and Race

2

 

Chapter 4

The UK Economy

2

 

Chapter 5

British Literature

2

 

Chapter 6

British Education System

2

 

Chapter 7

British Foreign Relations

2

 

Chapter 8

The British Media

2

 

Chapter 9

Sports, Holidays and Festivals in Britain

2

 

Chapter 10

American Beginnings

2

 

Chapter 11

The Political System in the United States

2

 

Chapter 12

American Economy and Technology

2

 

Chapter 13

Religion in the United States

2

 

Chapter 14

American Literature

2

 

Chapter 15

Education in the United States

2

 

Chapter 16

Social Movements and Social Problems in the US

2

 

Chapter 17

Post-WWII American Foreign Policy

2

 

Chapter 18

Sports and Scenic Spots in America & Early American Jazz

2

 

 

四、课程教学的基本要求

1.