- •Lecture 1
- •The united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland
- •Geography of great britain
- •The united states of america
- •Geography of the usa
- •Lecture 2
- •From the history of great britain
- •1.1 The celts
- •1.2.The roman conquest of britain
- •1.3. The anglo-saxon invasion (5th – 11th cent.)
- •1.4. The scandinavian invasion. Establishment of the kingdom of england
- •5. The norman conquest of england
- •2. The most important historical events in the united states
- •Lecture 3
- •National symbols of the united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland
- •National flag of great britain and the united states of america
- •1.2. The royal coat of arms
- •1.3. The british national anthem
- •God, save our gracious Queen!
- •National emblems
- •1.5. The patron saints of england, wales, scotland and ireland
- •National symbols of the united states of america
- •2.1.National flag of the united states of america
- •2.2. The coat of arms of america
- •2.3. The statue of liberty
- •1.4. The bald eagle
- •Lecture 4
- •Religion in today’s britain.
- •Religion in the united states today
- •Major religious holidays in britain and the usa
- •Lecture 5
- •1. Classification of the people of britain into classes
- •2. Social stratification in american society
- •Lecture 6
- •The political system of great britain
- •The political system of the usa
- •Lecture 7
- •The system of education in great britain and america
- •The system of education in great britain and america
- •Lecture 8
- •Traditins in great britain
- •Traditins in the united states of america
- •Lecture 9 Theme: culture in great britain and the usa
- •Culture in great britain
- •Culture in the usa
Religion in the united states today
Religion in the United States has a history of diversity, due in large part to the nation’s multicultural demographic makeup.
Among ‘developed nations’, the US is one of the most religious. According to a 2007 study by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, the US was the only developed nation in the survey where a majority of citizens reported that religion played a ‘very important’ role in their lives, an attitude similar to that found in its neighbours in Latin America.
Most U.S. adult citizens adhere to Christianity (78.4% or 243.275.200 people). A July 2011 survey found 15% of the adult population to have no religious affiliation, still significantly less than in other post-industrial countries such as Britain (44%) and Sweden (69%). Judaism is the second most prominent religion, with estimates ranging from 2.8 million (or 1.7%) to around 5.3 million adults.
Other minority religions include Buddhism with between 0.7% (or about 2.2 million) and 0.7% of the adult population, Islam with between 0.6% (or about 1.9 million) and 0.6% of the adult population and Hinduism with around 0.4% (or about 1.2 million).
The U.S. religious marketplace is extremely volatile, with nearly half of American adults leaving the faith tradition of their upbringing to either switch allegiances or abandon religious affiliation altogether, a new survey found July 2011.
Major religious holidays in britain and the usa
There are a lot of religious holidays in Britain and America. The major of them are the following:
Ascension Day is a festival for Christians celebrating the ascent of Christ to Heaven. It is held on the 40th day after resurrection, on the sixth Thursday after Easter.
Good Friday is the Friday before Easter, commemorating Crucifixion and observed as a holiday.
Whit Sunday is a major festival in the Christian church, which is celebrated on the seventh Sunday after Easter commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost. The day is named after the white robes worn by converted to the church which were admitted at that time.
Trinity Sunday is the Sunday after Whit Sunday and is one of the major festivals of the Christian year. Trinity symbolizes the threefold union of three persons in one godhead, namely Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Easter Day is a Christian festival commemorating the Resurrection of Christ. It is observed on the first Sunday after a full moon falling on or after 21 March.
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent in the Christian religion. Its name comes from the tradition of sprinkling ashes on the heads of penitents.
Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday. On Shrove Tuesday many people traditionally eat pancakes, as this day was once thought of as the last day of enjoyment before the Lent in the Christian year. Thus, it is sometimes called Pancake Day.
Palm Sunday is the third Sunday before Easter. On Palm Sunday in some churches small crosses, which are made of palm leaves, are given to the members of the congregation. It is associated with the Bible story, which says that palm branches were thrown on the ground in front of Christ as He entered Jerusalem.
Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter. In a selected cathedral the Sovereign traditionally presents small purses of money to people who are specially chosen and whose number is the same as the Sovereign’s age in years.
Suggested Assignments on Lecture
Be ready to discuss religion in the UK and the USA.
Discuss the importance of religion and its influence on people’s life. f of the UK and the USA and their constituents.
Compare main religions and denominations of the United Kingdom and the USA.
Give comments on Major religious holidays in Britain and the USA.
REFERENCES
Веклич Ю.І. Країнознавство. Курс лекцій. – К.: КМПУ ім. Б.Д. Грінченка, 2004. – С. 89-102.
Веклич Ю.І. Англомовні країни (English-speaking Countries): навч.-метод. Посібн. З країнознавства для студентів вищ.навч.закл./Ю.І. Веклич, С.В. Соколовська. – К.: ун-т імені Бориса Грінченка, 2011. – С. 24-27.