- •1. The reasons for ethnic and social diversity of American society.
- •2. America as a country of immigrants. Change of immigration patterns throughout history.
- •3. The geographical reasons for diversity in America. The main cultural regions: the location, the most important cities, places of interest, the most interesting cultural facts, the people.
- •4. The development of American culture in the 20-s of the XX-th century.
- •5. American society in the second half of the XX-th - the beginning of the XXI centuries.
- •6. American Constitution, its role and characteristic features
- •7. The three branches of power. The way they interact with each other.
- •8. The structure and functions of the American government.
- •9. The most important political parties. Presidential elections. Congressmen and senators – their powers and duties.
- •10. American economy.(лекция) The way Americans understand competition. The Invisible hand.
- •11. The role of the government in American economy.
- •12. The most important American values. The history of the nation reflected in them.
- •1. Geography of the United Kingdom (General Characteristics. The Relief and Borders of the Country. Climate. Mineral and Energy Resources. Environmental Issues)
- •2. Demographic and Religious Diversity in the United Kingdom.
- •3. The Political System of the United Kingdom (The Government. The Monarchy)
- •4. The Constitution of the United Kingdom.
- •5. The Economic System of the United Kingdom
- •6. Cultural symbols of the United Kingdom.
- •7. National symbols of the United Kingdom (flag, coat-on-arms, anthem)
- •8. British music.
- •9. British art
- •10. British cinema
- •14. The structure of the Federal Government. The system of checks and balances.
- •15. The Congress of the us. Supreme legislative body.
- •16. President as the head of the Executive power, the us administration.
4. The Constitution of the United Kingdom.
The constitution of the United Kingdom is the set of laws and principles under which the United Kingdom is governed. Unlike many other nations, the UK has no single core constitutional document. In this sense, it is said not to have a written constitution, but much of the British constitution is embodied in written documents, within statutes, court judgments, and treaties. The constitution has other unwritten sources, including parliamentary constitutional conventions and royal prerogatives.
Since the English Civil War, the bedrock of the British constitution has traditionally been the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty, according to which the statutes passed by Parliament are the UK's supreme and final source of law. It follows that Parliament can change the constitution simply by passing new Acts of Parliament. There is some debate about whether this principle remains entirely valid today, in part due to the UK's European Union membership.
Comprises multiple docs:
The written part – the Magna Carta (1215), the Petition of Right (1628), the Bill of Rights (1689)
Also includes the entire body of laws enacted by parliament, precedents established by decisions made in British courts of law and various customs, traditions.
The democratically elected the House of Commons can alter these laws with a majority vote
The constitution continually evolves as new laws are passed and judicial decisions are handed down. All laws passed by parliament are regarded as constitutional
Though the crown gives its royal assent to legislation this is a mere formality.
5. The Economic System of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom operates a diversified economy that is one of the largest in the world. The British economic system exhibits the characteristics of a mixed system, combining market-based features with some socialist characteristics. Features
Service industries account for 75 percent of the U.K.'s economic output, according to the CIA. Industry accounts for 23.8 percent of output while agriculture represents 1.2 percent. Overall, the United Kingdom's mixed economy has mostly free market features but retains some socialist characteristics, such as the government owning a stake in some industries.
Significance
The British capital, London, is an important center of world financial activity. It is home to the London Stock Exchange, founded in 1801 and one of the world's largest stock exchanges. In addition, more than 100 of Europe's largest companies have their headquarters in London.
History
Since the 1980s, under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the British government privatized many industries, including British Rail, British Petroleum and British Airways.
Considerations
The world economic crisis of 2008 pushed the British economy into a recession, leading to a series of stimulus and reform measures by the government, including nationalization of part of the country's banking industry.
Identification
The pound is the basic unit of currency in the U.K., which chose not to adopt the common European currency, the euro. The 2008 economic crisis and the pound's decline against the euro has had little effect on public opinion, which remained against joining the euro, in a survey conducted in Dec. 2008.