BRITISH STUDIES

1. BRITISH STUDIES THIS SUBJECT IS DISCUSSING THE HISTORY AND MATTERS PERTAINING TO SYSTEM OF BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY

2. TOPICS OF DISCUSSION • Snapshot Britain • Government and Politics • Culture, Style and Social Profile • Ethnicity and Language • Education, Work and Leisure • The Forces of Law and Order • Religion and Heritage • Gender, Sex and Family • Youth Culture and Age • The Media • Transportation • The Importance of Being English • Final Project

3. REFERENCES • McDowall, David. 2004. Britain in Close-up. Essex: Longman • Storry, Mike and Peter Childs (Ed.). 1997. British Cultural Studies. New York and London: Routledge • Oakland, John. 1995. British Civilization. London and New York: Routledge • Mikes, George. 1984. How to be A Brit. New York: Penguin Books • The British Council. 1997.The Country and the City • _______________ . 1996. The Media • _______________ . 1994Language and Social Life • _______________ . 1994 Changing Class Attitude

4. LECTURE CONTRACT • Rules of attending the subject: 14 meetings students and lecturer should attend 75% = 4 times absence ● Percentage of scoring: midterm test 30% final test 40% assignments 30% • Tolerable lateness: 10 minutes

5. LECTURE CONTRACT • Assignments weekly in groups individual • Quiz: once in each mid-semester • Presentation: twice in each mid-semester

6. THE GREAT BRITAIN

7. SNAPSHOT BRITAIN GREAT BRITAIN/ UNITED KINGDOM England Northern Ireland Wales Scotland

8. The British Isles There are many islands comprising the Great Britain: • The mainland is the largest isle consisting of 6 major cities and 11 big cities • Ireland is the second largest isle having 1 major city. *) in all, the United Kingdom has 58 cities

9. Regional population The British have been considered as an island race, partly because of their imperialism, cultural isolation and international policies. The largest population concentration has been in the south of the country.

10. The British Population

11. An Island Race The Germans live in Germany; The Romans live in Rome; The Turkeys live in Turkey; But the English live at home. (J.H. Goring, “The Ballad of Lake Lalooand other Rhymes”, 1909)

12. Countries Four countries make up the U K 1. England London 2. Scotland Edinburgh 3. Wales Cardiff 4. Northern Ireland Belfast

13. Major financial and commercial centres London Oxford Cardiff Birmingham Glasgow Newcastle Manchester Leeds Edinburg

14. Major centres for tourism London Birmingham Edinburg Glasgow Oxford Cardiff Manchester York

15. Sunrise area significant new economic activity is occuring: Edinburgh, Manchester: brewing Swansea: coal mining Oxford: car manufacturing Sheffield: cutlery Aberdeen: fishing Nottingham: lace making Birmingham: manufacturing Aberdeen, Swansea: oil Swansea, Glasgow, Newcastle: ports Edinburgh: printing Edinburgh, Manchester, London: publishing Liverpool, Manchester, London: television Leeds: textiles London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Oxford, Brighton, York: tourism

16. Sunset area: Traditional industries have collapsed during the past 30 years Lancashire, Manchester: cotton goods Newcastle, Sunderland: coal exporting Swanson, Cardiff, Sheffield: coal mining Belfast, Nottingham, Leeds: other textiles Swansea, Sheffield: iron, steel Glasgow: locomotive manufacture Belfast, Sunderland, Glasgow: shipbuilding Swansea: tin mining

17. COUNTRY LIFE • Country life, by contrast, is generally associated with tradition, community, cultural unity, and “the outdoor life” (camping, caravaning, walking, mountain biking, riding, boating). • A third place of escape for people from either of communities is the coast: strong coastal culture incorporating trowel fishing, watersports, ports, docks, shipping, yachting, etc.

18. Physical feature • Britain’s geographical position is marked by - 0° longitude, which passes through the international time zone of Greenwich east of London; - latitude 50°N in south-west England; - latitude 60°N across the Shetlands. • Britain lies within only 10° of latitude and has small and compact size when compared wit some European countries.

19. Britain’s physical area amounts to some 93,025 sq. miles (242,842 sq. km), most of this is land and the rest comprises inland water such as lakes and rivers. • England has 50,052 sq. miles (129,634 sq. km), • Wales has 7,968 (20,637), • Scotland has 29,799 (77,179) • Northern Island has 5,206 (13,438).

20. The country was separated from the continent by the North Sea at its widest point, and by the English Channel at its narrowest point. • The shortest stretch of water between the two land masses is now the Strait of Dover between Dover southern and Calais in France (20 miles, 32 km).

21. CLIMATE Britain has a moderate climate in terms of temperature as high as 100ºF / 38ºC as low as -18ºF / -26ºC. Samuel Johnson, wrote “When two Englishmen meet, their first talk is of the weather.”

22. Exercises • Could you differ the terms of Britain, British, English and England? Examples. • According to the people’s activities that the densely populated areas are in the Southern parts of Britain. Explain. • Climate is becoming the main topic of discussion among the British people. Why. Discuss. • Due to the geographical position of Great Britain, the coastal activities are the main preference. Discuss.

23. Discussion Exercises • You live in a green belt area, close to a city, which has hitherto been protected from housing development or new building. A property development group proposes to build a new housing estate within the green belt, in an area which includes a wood (containing trees and shrubs where many rare birds and insects make their homes), and a public recreation ground, where people play games or take their dogs for a walk. You have decided to organize a public campaign of opposition to the plan, which not only shows why the development would be harmful, but puts forward alternative suggestions for consideration.

24. Discussion Exercises 2. You live in an inner-city housing estate. There has been considerable investment in your area, in new industries, houses, flats and leisure facilities such as restaurants, concert halls and bars. Most of this investment has come from the private sector. You are concerned, however, that much of this new investment does not help to solve the problems of your area – unemployments, homeless, violence, the lack of parts for children to play, etc. you have decided to make all the residents on your estate aware that much of this private investment is serving the interests of the rich, rather than the poor, and that alternative solutions are required if the problems of your area are to be solved.

25. Discussion Exercises 3. You are a member of a group of farmers, who have decided to put pressure on the government to change the laws relating to the rights of walkers. The number of walkers who pass through your land has increased enormously over the last few years – to such an extent that they now pose a positive risk to your livelihood. They refuse to keep to footpaths, trample over your crops, and leave litter on your land, which can prove dangerous to your animals. You have tried to stop them, but cannot do much as the footpaths that pass through your land are designated as public footpaths, to be used by anyone. You have decided to send a campaign leaflet both to the national newspapers and to the Department of Environment, which not only sets forth your grievances, but suggests possible solutions (fines? Restrictions on walkers’ rights?).

26. Discussion Exercises 4. Britain is a highly homogeneous country in which suggestions of a north-south divide, or of great disparity between rich and poor, are exaggerated. Discuss!