6.3. Write an essay of 300-350 words on the educational reforms in Russia. Focus on either history of reforms or present-day developments.

FOCUS 7. Discussion

7.1. Topics for Oral Discussion

• Ways of assessment: examination or continuous assessment. Their advantages and disadvantages.

• Attendance at lectures: voluntary or compulsory.

• Student activities. Changes you would like to introduce in students’ social life to introduce in students’ social life.

• Speak about the problems you are having in your first year.

• Compare admission to college in this country and abroad.

• Are you for state or private education? Why? Prove your point of view?

• Prove that in spite of all changes and alterations made during the recent years the system of education in Britain is still class-divided and selective?

7.2. Topics for Round Tables

1. a) Strict discipline makes people subservient and insecure.

b) A strict atmosphere is the best for effective learning.

2. a) In life experience and ability are more important than qualifications.

b) The most successful people in life are those, who are the best educated.

7.3. Surf on the Web to find information on the European educational system. To help you we state several addresses to start with.

7.4. Education on the Internet

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/e-learning_20.php

http://englishforhelp.ucoz.ru/publ/6-1-0-97

http://www.careersandcolleges.com/

http://education-portal.com/index.html

http://www.studentnow.com/

http://www.wikiedu.org/index.php?title=Main_Page

Make up a report on education in the EU.

MODULE 2. The Return of Beauty?

FOCUS 1

1.1. Culture (culture from the Latin cultural stemming from colere, meaning “to cultivate”), generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance. Different definitions of “culture” reflect different theoretical bases for understanding, or criteria for evaluating, human activity. In general, the term culture denotes the whole product of an individual, group or society of intelligent beings. It includes technology, art, science, as well as moral systems and the characteristic behaviours and habits of the selected intelligent entities. (In particular, it has specific more detailed meanings in different domains of human activities).

In practice, culture referred to elite activities such as museum – caliber art and classical music. These are often called “high culture”, namely to distinguish them from mass culture or popular culture. Thus social observers contrast the “high” culture of elite to “popular” or pop culture, meaning goods and activities produced for, and consumed by the masses.

Popular culture, sometimes abbreviated to pop culture, consists of widespread cultural elements in any given society. Such elements are perpetuated through that society’s vernacular language or an established lingua franca. It comprises the daily interactions, needs and desires and cultural “moments” that make up the everyday lives of the mainstream. It can include any number of practices, including those pertaining to cooking, clothing, consumption, mass media and the many facets of entertainment such as sports and literature. (Compare meme.) Popular culture often contrasts with a more exclusive, even elitist “high culture”, that is the culture of ruling social groups.

Pop culture finds its expression in the mass circulation of items from areas such as fashion, music, sport and film. The world of pop culture has had a particular influence on art from the early 1960s on, through Pop Art. According to popeducation.org, when modern pop culture began during the early 1950’s, it was harder for adults to participate. Today, most adults, their kids and grandchildren “participate” in pop culture directly or indirectly.