ЕРМАКОВА М.В.

ПРИЛОЖЕНИЕ К УЧЕБНОМУ ПОСОБИЮ

Ястребовой Е.Б., Владыкиной Л.Г., Ермаковой М.В.

АНГЛИЙСКИЙ ЯЗЫК

ДЛЯ СТУДЕНТОВ ЯЗЫКОВЫХ ВУЗОВ

для студентов факультета политологии

Данное пособие предназначено для студентов второго курса и содержит дополнительные тексты и упражнения к пособию Ястребовой Е.Б., Владыкиной Л.Г., Ермаковой М.В. «Английский язык для студентов языковых вузов». Цель данного пособия – развитие навыков чтения и устной речи, а также помощь студентам в подготовке к зачетам и экзаменам. Все тексты для данного пособия были взяты из периодической печати и из сети Интернет.

PART I

INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS

Text I The Main Agents of Socialization

Pre-reading questions:

1. What do you know about the process of socialization?

2. Who do you think are the agents of socialization?

3. What are the main agencies of socialization?

4. How long does the process of socialization last?

Skim the text to find out if you have guessed right.

Primary Socialization

Socialization is an inevitable and crucial life-long process, which involves adapting to the behaviour patterns of an encompassing culture.

In most cases, the first primary relationship children form is with their parent(s) or guardians - the people who are charged with the initial socialization process. As they grow older and go to school, they also start to form primary attachments with friends and, eventually, with other adults.

Sociologically, people responsible for the process of socialization are normally referred to as agents of socialization and we can also speak about agencies of socialization (such as the family, the education system, the workplace, government agencies such as the police and so forth).

The first agency that takes responsibility for primary socialization, therefore, is some form of family (there are a number of different forms that could be identified in modern society) and the main agents of socialization are a child's parents and, in many cases, relations. In a family group children learn many of the basic characteristics of being human in terms of a particular society. For example, they learn how to walk, talk and use various tools, such as knives and forks.

Although mechanical skills are very important the family group does not just teach the physical or mechanical aspects of being human. Parents also try to shape the psychological development of their children, by trying to teach them things like the difference between right and wrong behaviour and by imposing moral and ethical values.

Although this socialization process is lengthy and complicated, it is important not to see it simply as a situation in which an agent of socialization, such as a parent, simply teaches behaviour that is then copied without question by the child. Although part of a child's socialization does involve copying the behaviour they see around them (children frequently copy adult roles through their play - "Mothers and Fathers", "Doctors and Nurses" and so forth), the child is also actively involved in the socialization process.

In fact, as children get older, they start to make decisions for themselves, based upon their experience in the world. In short, they consciously and actively try to manipulate the world and the people in it. In this respect, children start to learn how to deal with other people by understanding the type of behaviour that others expect of them, and their experience (prior learning) guides them towards the correct (in the sense of socially-acceptable) behaviour.

Thus, many of the things children learn through primary socialization stay with them for life. This is because, as human beings, children learn the basic principles involved with "being human", rather than simply a set of things they must or must not do. This is important, because it means that they can apply these principles to new and different situations. For example, they do not just learn how to relate to adults, they learn how to distinguish between different types of adults on the basis of their status and their relationship. They do not behave towards their parent in the same way that they behave towards an adult who is not familiar to them.

Family and education in ethical values

In the early years of a person’s life the family plays an exceptionally important role in directing one’s relation with the world. Parents bear the main responsibility for their children’s socialization, through transmission of beliefs, values and attitudes, which will have an effect on their personal and social development. However, in present society, children spend a lot of time in contact with other agents of socialization and the family no longer monopolises that function.

The withdrawal by some families, who delegate their responsibilities to the school, coincide with the general concern parents have for providing their children with the necessary instruments to cope on the labour market. In this context, nowadays many parents seem to pay more attention to technical training than to training in moral values.

Adolescents and school

Interpersonal relationships are the key role of the school as a socializing agent. It is here that peer groups are formed. It is also a place of education where the individual learns to socialize with both authority (teachers) and peers. One learns competitiveness and conformity at school. One learns to respond to bells and timetables. It is socialization at school that encourages carrying over these behavioural patterns into adult life.

Comprehension and discussion:

1. What role does the family play in the process of socialization?

2. How has this role changed over the past years?

3. What is the role of the school?

4. What sort of responsibilities do parents delegate to schools?

5. How do you see the roles of these two agencies in the future?

Socialization from adolescence onwards

Socialization does not end after childhood. It is a life long process and so we can also speak about secondary socialization.

Adult Socialization and Resocialization

Adult socialization is a time of learning new roles and statuses. It is different from primary socialization as adults become more aware that they are being socialized. They volantarily do advanced education and on-the-job training. Adults also have more control over socialization and therefore want to learn more or make the best of opportunities.

Resocialization involves exposure to ideas or values that in one way or another conflict with what people learned in childhood. An example of resocialization could be coming to university. This new environment has changed many people’s views. Many of the things their parents have taught them are now being re-analysed. Resocialization can bring about changes in religion and political beliefs.

Peer groups Peer groups, which usually consist of people of similar ages and social status, are strong socializing agents for adolescents who are still trying to find their own identity. The adolescent struggles with being a part of a group and being themselves.

Peer groups help individuals gain independence from parents. However, most adolescents remain emotionally and economically dependent on parents. In unstable families peer groups provide a form of stability for the adolescent. Adolescence is a time when the individual participates less in the family activities and more in the activities of a peer group. It happens because the adolescent is trying to form an identity, which causes a struggle between still being young and wanting to be independent. Peer groups therefore serve a valuable function, assisting in the transition to adult responsibilities.

Mass Media such as radio, television, cinema, newspapers, magazines, music, and the Internet are powerful agents of socialization.

At present television is the most powerful of these agents of socialization as it has a wide range of viewers, and therefore many members of society are socialized by this medium. Television actually socializes people into certain behaviour patterns. For instance, commercials convince people that they need to lose weight or that they have to have a new kind of improved oil for their cars. Television also portrays gender roles, teaching us what the idea of a man is and how women are meant to act.

Developments in the fields of information and communication technology will further increase the role of mass media in the daily lives of people in all phases of life. The Internet will probably become a stronger socializing agent as more people get access to it.

State The state shapes people’s life cycles as it runs most hospitals, insurance companies etc. These institutions are regulated and licensed by governmental bodies and because of these regulations on when one can drive, or drink alcohol or vote or retire, people’s life cycles are shaped. The state also shapes behaviour patterns as citizens are influenced by the state into socializing only as it is accepted in this particular society.

Work, marriage and parenthood As one moves out of adolescence new tensions and agents of socialization affect the individual’s life. Whereas the adolescent depends heavily on his/her peer group for friendship, there is, in early adulthood less opportunity for this kind of social intercourse, because of the heavy workload arising from the combination of several new roles, for example, family and work roles.

Workplace When one starts working, it is an indication that one has passed out of adolescence. There appear new roles and statuses requiring that the person be socialized to meet these new roles. However, the kind of jobs people decide to choose are usually determined by what they learnt in childhood or adolescence. If, for example, one’s father were a doctor and mother an accountant, one would be heavily influenced by their occupations.

Many people will change jobs two or three times in their lives, because as the socializing influences change they learn new things and find that they have to continually adapt to new workplaces.

There can be distinguished four phases of occupational socialization. The first is career choice – this is choosing which university or college to study at and whether one actually wants to train. Then there is anticipatory socialization – this is where people observe what jobs their parents and the people around them do. The third phase is conditioning and commitment. One starts reluctantly adjusting until an acceptance of pleasurable duties begins. Finally continuous commitment occurs and the job becomes an indistinguishable part of the person’s identity.

Marriage and Parenthood One of the great adult responsibilities in our society is marriage. The relationship between partners is a big demand for socialization on the adult. Marriage involves a great deal of adapting and compromising. Indeed divorce could suggest a failure of socialization.

However, often at this time of anxiety and learning to cope with the responsibility of marriage a new role is placed on the married couple. Parenthood is a time of enormous responsibility. Financial plans are made, living space is created, baby care is studied. During pregnancy, the partners form a close bond and the birth of the child brings the realisation that the couple are now a mother and father.

This is a time when adults learn more about themselves and it can be a second chance to resolve old conflicts. Now the parents are old enough to use their past experiences to resolve those conflicts that were not resolved when they were younger.

Comprehension and discussion:

1. In what way is adult socialization different from primary socialization?

2. What is meant by resocialization?

3. What agencies play the most important role in secondary socialization?

4. What is the role of peer groups? Can it be defined as positive or negative?

5. What is the role of mass media?

6. What is the role of the state?

7. In what way is socialization in the workplace connected with primary socialization?

8. What are the main phases of occupational socialization?

9. What are the main features of socialization in marriage? What new opportunities does it provide for adults?

Text II

MEN AND WOMEN – THE CHALLENGE OF NEW ROLES

Pre-reading questions:

1. How have the social roles of men and women changed in the past years?

2. What processes have brought about this change?

3. What are the prospects for the future?

Now skim the text to find out if you have guessed right:

Labour-saving devices in the home, ideas on Women’s Liberation and an increase in the numbers of unemployed have all contributed to a change in the relations between men and women in Britain. How is British society adapting?

Women’s role in society began to change with the advent of the industrial revolution. Previously most women had spent their lives at home, primarily as carers – of husband and family or of parents or relatives. When they took paid employment, most of the jobs available to them were in areas such as teaching, nursing or domestic service. Many women were employed as cheap labour once industries such as factories and cotton mills were established. Although their wages were low, their earning power gave them a certain amount of independence.

Two world wars gave women more opportunities. They did work on farms and in factories previously done by men and did it well. This changed society’s view of their role: it also changed their own views of their potential. But until the 1950s it was unusual for a woman to be in a senior position in government service, law, banking or other aspects of business, although many women became adept at developing small businesses such as shops, guest houses, etc. Until 1946, women in the civil service had to resign if they married. In the course of time the law gradually acknowledged that women should not be treated differently from men and gave them equal rights.

But how have these changes in women’s roles affected men in Britain? There is a sense that the development of rights for women has freed men from the rigid stereotypes imposed on them by the old attitudes. They feel able to express their emotions more openly and behave differently. Today in families where the wife works, the father is often more involved in bringing up the children. This may not sound like an advantage when looked at in terms of changing babies’ nappies and washing up! Nevertheless, many men have found a new type of relationship with their wives and their children as a result of sharing responsibilities and spending more time with the family.

However, don’t get carried away by the idea that all British men are expert at running a home and a job. This dual role is still expected from mothers in one-parent families or married women who take a job outside the home. When a man runs a home and a job, it is still exceptional. Even more exceptional is the reversal of traditional roles when the woman becomes the only earner for the household and the man remains at home. For a few couples this is a matter of choice but recently others have had to accept this reversal of roles because the man has been made redundant and the only work available is that for which the wife is better qualified. Ironically the jobs which employ women – mainly services or light industries – have survived the recession better than heavy industry, which employs more men.

So men and women in Britain are having to develop a flexible approach to their roles and society is starting to follow suit, although the concept of equal rights still has a long way to go.

Comprehension and discussion:

1. What change in the social role of women in Britain did the industrial revolution bring about?

2. What opportunities did the world wars give to women? Why did it happen?

3. What changes took place after World War II?

4. How has the role of men changed in recent years?

5. Who usually performs the dual role of the provider and the carer?

6. In what cases can we see a full reversal of traditional roles?

7. Can we say that full equality of rights has been achieved in Britain?

8. Can we witness similar changes in Russia?

9. Can we expect the traditional pattern of family life in Russia to give way to a new type of relationship?