- •Unit 1 form of government
- •Vocabulary
- •Combine the sentence halves so that they match syntactically and semantically
- •Render the text in English. Великобритания: Система государственного управления
- •Describe Russia’s form of government; compare it with the usa and Britain.
- •Read the text dealing with the question of British unwritten constitution.
- •The People versus the Crown
- •2.1 Vocabulary
- •Insert words from the box into the sentences
- •2.3 Translate the text into Russian.
- •The Role of the Monarchy
- •2.4 Find information and prepare individual presentations about different aspects of British monarchy.
- •Why we keep our royal family
- •2.7 Render the text in English.
- •Станет ли принц Уильям следующим британским монархом?
- •2.8 Prepare a talk about any monarchy in the world.
- •3.1 Vocabulary
- •3.2 Render the text in English.
- •Политическая система сша
- •Fill in the gaps in the text with the words and expressions given below
- •Is the United States a democracy?
- •Express your ideas about the following issues concerning democracy:
- •Unit 2 elections
- •Vocabulary
- •1.2 Compare the two systems of parliamentary elections. Which of them you think to be more effective and why? Speak about the electoral system that Russia has.
- •Voting Systems
- •Match the terms with their definitions
- •1.4 Read the text about election fraud.
- •How to steal an election
- •2.1 Vocabulary
- •2.2 Read the texts about elections in Britain and discuss the following issues:
- •Voting Process
- •Voting in person
- •Voting by post
- •Voting by proxy
- •2.3 Choose a party from the list:
- •Visit their official website and find some additional information about the party in any other sources. Prepare a presentation about the party of your choice, covering:
- •2.4 Fill in the gaps in the text with the words and expressions given below
- •House of Lords reform
- •2.5 Render the text in English.
- •3.1 Vocabulary
- •3.2 Read the overview of the election process in the usa and answer the following questions:
- •Elections in the United States
- •3.3 Find the relevant information and speak about the last presidential elections. Try to cover the following questions:
- •Split in two groups and choose a party: Democratic/ Republican. Find information about
- •Unit 3 state structure: administrative and territorial units
- •1.1 Vocabulary
- •Advantages and disadvantages of federal, confederate and unitary systems of Government
- •Render the text in English
- •Государственное устройство Российской Федерации
- •2.1 Vocabulary
- •2.2 Read the introductory text about European Union. Speak briefly about the stages of European integration.
- •The history of the European Union
- •2.3 Fill in the gaps in the text with the words and expressions given below
- •Economic Problems of European Union
Unit 1 form of government
Part 1
FORM OF GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL REGIME
Vocabulary
Secular state, theocratic state
Form of government; elective/hereditary; monarchy (absolute, constitutional, limited); republic (parliamentary, presidential, semi-presidential, super-presidential)
Separation of powers (executive, legislative, judicial branches); system of "checks and balances"
USA: President, the federal government; Congress (Senate; House of Representatives); Supreme Court
Legislative (Congress)
Passes bills; has broad taxing and spending power; regulates inter-state commerce; controls the federal budget; has power to borrow money on the credit of the United States (may be vetoed by President, but vetoes may be overridden with a two-thirds vote of both houses)
Has sole power to declare war, as well as to raise, support, and regulate the military.
Oversees, investigates, and makes the rules for the government and its officers.
Defines by law the jurisdiction of the federal judiciary in cases not specified by the Constitution
Ratification of treaties signed by the President and gives advice and consent to presidential appointments to the federal judiciary, federal executive departments, and other posts (Senate only)
Has sole power of impeachment (House of Representatives) and trial of impeachments (Senate); can remove federal executive and judicial officers from office for high crimes and misdemeanors
Executive (President)
Is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces
Executes the instructions of Congress.
May veto bills passed by Congress (but the veto may be overridden by a two-thirds majority of both houses)
Executes the spending authorized by Congress.
Declares states of emergency and publishes regulations and executive orders.
Makes executive agreements (does not require ratification) and signs treaties (ratification requiring approval by two-thirds of the Senate).
Makes appointments to the federal judiciary, federal executive departments, and other posts with the advice and consent of the Senate. Has power to make temporary appointment during the recess of the Senate.
Has the power to grant "reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment."
Judicial (Supreme Court)
Determines which laws Congress intended to apply to any given case.
Exercises judicial review, reviewing the constitutionality of laws.
Determines how Congress meant the law to apply to disputes.
Determines how a law acts to determine the disposition of prisoners.
Determines how a law acts to compel testimony and the production of evidence.
Determines how laws should be interpreted to assure uniform policies in a top-down fashion via the appeals process, but gives discretion in individual cases to low-level judges. The amount of discretion depends upon the standard of review, determined by the type of case in question.
Federal judges serve for life.
UK: Monarch;
Parliament, bicameral/ two-chamber (House of Lords, House of Commons);
Prime minister, Cabinet (consisting of all the most senior ministers, who are government department heads) are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Monarch, to Parliament, to their political party and ultimately to the electorate. Prior to 1902, the Prime Minister sometimes came from the House of Lords, provided that his government could form a majority in the Commons. However as the power of the aristocracy waned during the 19th century the convention developed that the Prime Minister should always sit in the lower house. As leader of the House of Commons, the Prime Minister's authority was further enhanced by the Parliament Act of 1911 which marginalised the influence of the House of Lords in the law-making process.
Law Lords: The final appeal hearings and judgments of the House of Lords took place on 30 July 2009. The judicial role of the House of Lords as the highest appeal court in the UK has ended. From 1 October 2009, the Supreme Court of the UK assumed jurisdiction on points of law for all civil law cases in the UK and all criminal cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Justices of the Supreme Court: The 12 Lords of Appeal in Ordinary (the Law Lords) are the first justices of the 12-member Supreme Court and are disqualified from sitting or voting in the House of Lords. When they retire from the Supreme Court they can return to the House of Lords as full Members but newly-appointed Justices of the Supreme Court will not have seats in the House of Lords.
Single/multiple executive government (Switzerland has seven executives of the Swiss Federal Council; France has a dual executive of the Prime Minister and President; the USA has a single executive – the President).
Political regime; autocracy (totalitarian, authoritarian system), oligarchy, democracy