- •Foreword
- •Seminar 1
- •I. Present an outline of the events going on in Britain this week.
- •II. Study the stages of historical formation of the uk according to the following outline. Provide each stage with the key-words and expressions as done for Ancient Britain:
- •III. Choose 10 events you think are most important in the British history and prove your choice. Make sure you can comment on the most important historic events.
- •V. Study the geographical position of the uk according to the outline:
- •VI. Write an essay on one of the following topics. Present it in class using the map.
- •Seminar 2
- •I. Present an outline of the events going on in Britain this week.
- •II. Make a survey of the newspaper articles on the British population and present a short outline of the discussed issues.
- •III. Study the lecture on the uk Population. Answer the following questions using the statistics:
- •IV. Compose a scheme, a chart, a diagram or a collage that will be illustrating the answer to one or more of the questions in task III.
- •Seminar 3
- •I. Present an outline of the events going on in Britain this week.
- •IV. Prepare 10 statements on the topic and ask your fellow students to say if they are true or false.
- •V. Make up an outline of the following topics using the key-words.
- •VI. Make a survey of one of the topics (to be done in writing and presented orally in class):
- •Seminar 4
- •I. Present an outline of the events going on in Britain this week.
- •Seminar 5
- •I. Present an outline of the events going on in Britain this week.
- •VI. Prepare dialogues on one of the situations:
- •VII. Prepare a report on one of the British Universities. Recommended sources on the united kingdom
- •Seminar 6
- •I. Present an outline of the events going on in the usa this week.
- •II. Study the recommended sources and fill in the tables on the periods of American History.
- •III. Give a brief explanation of the following words and phrases.
- •IV. Discuss the following questions.
- •Seminar 7
- •VI. Present the report on Native Americans in the usa.
- •VII. Draw a sketch-map of the United States and:
- •VIII. Debate the following topics:
- •Seminar 8
- •I. Present an outline of the events going on in the usa this week.
- •II. Make a survey and present a short outline of the debated issues in Congress this week.
- •III. Read Thomas Jefferson’s inaugural address and state whether you think the objectives of the country he served have changed since the time of his presidency.
- •IV. Give a brief explanation of the following words and phrases.
- •V. Speak about the secret of the us Constitution longevity according to the plan:
- •VI. Complete the table with the information on the makeup of the us Congress.
- •Seminar 9
- •IV. Complete the table characterizing the main economic regions of the usa.
- •V. Prepare a detailed report on one of the economic regions of the usa.
- •VI. Account for the fact that though today farmers make up a little more than two per cent of the American population they produce several times as much as the American people can consume.
- •VII. Discuss the following questions.
- •Seminar 10
- •IX. Organize a debate between the two groups:
- •Recommended sources on the united states
- •The country studies portfolio
- •Final test
VI. Write an essay on one of the following topics. Present it in class using the map.
1. The Coast.
2. Geography and the British Character.
3. Lowland Britain: a tourist paradise or a tourist trap?
4. Is Highland Britain really high?
5. The importance of rivers and canals in Britain.
6. Isles and islands and islets.
7. Great Britain and Russia: who is greater?
8. This Green and Pleasant Land.
9. When two Englishmen meet their first talk is of the weather.
10. Your own topic.
Seminar 2
TOPIC: The UK POPULATION. NATIONAL IDENTITY and GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS.
I. Present an outline of the events going on in Britain this week.
II. Make a survey of the newspaper articles on the British population and present a short outline of the discussed issues.
III. Study the lecture on the uk Population. Answer the following questions using the statistics:
1. Is it correct to describe contemporary Britain as a ‘multi-ethnic’ and ‘multinational society’? If so, why?
2. What are the main reasons of the UK population growth?
3. What does ‘the core-periphery theory’ describe?
4. What are the reasons for increased longevity in the UK?
5. What can be the reasons for the relatively low birth rate in the UK?
6. Is the UK population getting older or younger?
7. What are the changes in the composition of a British family?
8. Is the number of divorces increasing in the UK?
9. Are the British becoming a more solitary nation?
10. Can we call Britain ‘a country of immigrants’? Why/Why not?
IV. Compose a scheme, a chart, a diagram or a collage that will be illustrating the answer to one or more of the questions in task III.
V. Organize a role-play on the problem “Attitudes to national, regional and local identities in the UK”. The presenter is going to introduce the problem and the representatives from the four parts of the UK will speak about their peculiar sense of national identity. Then all the participants will try to define the concept of ‘Britishness’ discussing what can unite the country and its people.
VI. Present the report on the social classes and their influence on every-day life in Britain. Use the lecture and the recommended sources.
VII. Discuss the ethnic profile of the UK population according to the following outline:
1. Give the data for the immigration to the UK in the 20th and 21st centuries.
2. Show some ethnic communities concentration on the map.
3. Describe the problems the immigrants cause in the society and the problems which the immigrants have to face in the UK.
4. Speak about the attitude of the native population to immigrants and ethnic minorities.
VIII. Write an essay on the topic “The Future of the UK Population”.
Seminar 3
TOPIC: The UK STATE SYSTEM.
I. Present an outline of the events going on in Britain this week.
II. Make a survey and present a short outline of the debated issues in the British Parliament this week.
III. Comment on the following realia:
The Great Charter of Liberty, the Bill of Rights, Whitehall, Westminster, the Labour Party, the Tories, the House of Commons, the House of Lords, MP, PM, The State Opening of Parliament, Whips, the Lord Chancellor, the Speaker, Hansard, Division Lists, the Cabinet, Shadow Cabinet, Lords Temporal, Lords Spiritual, the Royal Assent, the Civil Service, the Treasury, by-election, the County Council.