Страноведение

1.
ОБЩАЯ ИНФОРМАЦИЯ О ДИСЦИПЛИНЕ:

Преподаватель дисциплины:
(Трушева Аккенже Туримбетовна – старший преподаватель, магистр гуманитарных наук
akkenzhe75@mail.ru
Кафедра английского и немецкого языков №514
Номер ID конференции: 923 850 4522
ПРИМЕЧАНИЕ!
- дополнительная информация о преподавателе-предметнике доступна на официальном сайте вуза
arsu.kz/ru и в рейтинговой системе оценки деятельности ППС вуза;
- чтобы использовать приложение Zoom для видеоконференцсвязи, идентификатор конференции
указывается преподавателем-предметником.
1.1 КРАТКОЕ ОПИСАНИЕ ДИСЦИПЛИНЫ:
Изучение живого языка как средства общения невозможно без одновременного изучения
культуры народов стран изучаемого языка. Живой язык существует в мире его носителей и
изучение его без знания этого мира, т. е. фоновых знаний превращает его в мертвый, лишая
учащегося возможности пользоваться этим языком как средством общения.
Задачи обучения иностранному языку как средству общения неразрывно сливаются с задачами
соизучения общественной и культурной жизни стран и народов изучаемого языка. Изучение мира
носителей языка направлено на то, чтобы помочь понять особенности рече употребления,
дополнительные смысловые нагрузки, политические, культурные, исторические и т. п. коннотации
слов, словосочетаний, высказываний и т. д.
1.2 ПРЕКРЕКВИЗИТЫ ДИСЦИПЛИНЫ: История Казахстана, Иностранный язык, Базовый
иностранный язык в контексте межкультурной коммуникации.
1.3 ПОСТРЕКВИЗИТЫ ДИСЦИПЛИНЫ: История языка, Литература страны изучаемого
языка, Теория языка.
2. ВЫПИСКА ИЗ МОДУЛЬНОГО УЧЕБНОГО ПЛАНА ОП
Курс Семестр Лекция Практические/ Лабораторные СРСП СРС Форма

семинар контроля
2 4 15 30 кол-во часов 25 80 экзамен
Кол-во кол-во часов кол-во кол-во
часов часов часов
3. ТЕМАТИЧЕСКИЙ ПЛАН ДИСЦИПЛИНЫ ПО МОДУЛЮ
№ Название тем Количество часов Срок исполнения по неделям

Модуль I. General review of Great Britain
Лекция
1.1 Geographical Position of the British Isles 1 1 неделя
1.2 Highland and Lowland Britain 1 2 неделя
1.3 Climate of the British Isles 1 3 неделя
1.4 Britain s Prehistory
'
1 4 неделя
I 1.5 Britain: the Making of The Nation 1 5 неделя
Практические (семинарские) занятия
1.1 Geographical Position of the British Isles 2 1 неделя
1.2 Highland and Lowland Britain 2 2 неделя
1.3 Climate of the British Isles 2 3 неделя
1.4 Britain's Prehistory 2 4 неделя
1.5 Britain: the Making of The Nation 2 5 неделя
Итого за 1 модуль 15
Виды контроля по 1-му модулю Устный опрос, блиц-тест
Модуль II The political system of Great Britain
Лекция
II 2.1 An Outline of British History 1 6 неделя
2.2 The Social Framework 1 7 неделя
2.3 British Political Institutions 1 8 неделя
2.4 General Elections 1 9 неделя
2.5 British National Economy 1 10 неделя
Практические (семинарские) занятия
2.1 An Outline of British History 2 6 неделя
2.2 The Social Framework 2 7 неделя
2.3 British Political Institutions 2 8 неделя
2.4 General Elections 2 9 неделя
2.5 British National Economy 2 10 неделя
Модуль ІІІ. Education, Social Behavior and Attitudes
Лекция
3.1 Education in Britain 1 11 неделя
3.2 Social Behavior and Attitudes 1 12 неделя
3.3 Religion in Britain 1 13 неделя
3.4 The Media 1 14 неделя
3.5 Welfare State 1 15 неделя
III Практические (семинарские) занятия
3.1 Education in Britain 2 11 неделя
3.2 Social Behavior and Attitudes 2 12 неделя
3.3 Religion in Britain 2 13 неделя
3.4 The Media 2 14 неделя
3.5 Welfare State 2 15 неделя
ВСЕГО 45
4. ЦЕЛЬ ОБУЧЕНИЯ ДИСЦИПЛИНЫ:

Цель курса: дать студентам целостное представление о стране изучаемого языка (СИЯ), вооружить
комплексным знанием о СИЯ. В результате ознакомления с политическим и государственным
устройством стран изучаемого языка, социальной и этнической структурой, экономикой,
образованием, здравоохранением, средствами массовой информации, литературой и т. п., у
студентов должна быть создана достаточно полная система фоновых знаний, включающая
мировоззрение и взгляды, господствующие в данном обществе, этические оценки и вкусы, нормы
речевого и неречевого поведения
5. КОМПЕТЕНЦИИ ДИСЦИПЛИНЫ:
A. Студент должен:
иметь представление:
-о физической и экономической географии СИЯ;
- истории становления страны изучаемого языка;
- общественно-политической устройстве;
- государственной структуре власти и политической системы СИЯ;
- традиции, обычаи, национальных праздниках, символах;
- смысловой структуре страноведческих реалий, устойчивых идиоматичных словосочетаний
изучаемого языка;
- политических, экономических, социальных и культурных процессах, происходящие в СИЯ в
настоящее время.
B. знать и уметь использовать:
анализировать и обобщать политические, экономические, социальные и культурные процессы,
происходящие в СИЯ;
- сопоставлять факты, проводить аналогии с социально-экономическими процессами РК;
- сравнивать традиции и обычаи народов СИЯ и РК, выявлять общее и специфическое;
- реализовать полученные знания и умения в ситуациях межкультурного общения.
C. иметь навыки:
объяснения политических, экономических и культурных явлениях и тенденции с позиции будущей
профессиональной деятельности учителя иностранных языков.
6. РЕЗУЛЬТАТЫ ОБУЧЕНИЯ ДИСЦИПЛИНЫ:
(по уровню бакалавриата)
Уровни Знание и Применение Анализ Синтез Оценивание

таксономии понимание
Блума
Результаты knowledge of be able to apply be able to add elements, Self-
обучения computer the material classify the compose new assessment and
(РО) information studied in real components of essays, reports, assessment of
(РО должны processing practical educational scenarios, create a speech activity
быть and situations and materials plan with group
указаны в management situations search, analysis members
соответств methods; work with a and processing
ии с methods of computer as a of research
дисциплиной computer means of materials.
в МОП) information receiving,
processing processing and
and managing
management; information
be able to work with
choose information in
Internet global computer
resources for network
teaching
foreign
languages,
taking into
account the
didactic
purposes;
various
storage media
for traditional
and modern
databases
knowledge of
access to
information
on global
computer
networks;
ПРИМЕЧАНИЕ!
- уровни таксономии Блума должны описывать конкретные действия обучающегося по
данной дисциплине;
- в описании уровней должны пристутсвовать понятия, раскрывающие содержание
дисциплины;
- в таблице описание уровней представленыв качестве примера.
7. ФОРМАТ ПРОВЕДЕНИЯ ДИСЦИПЛИНЫ И ТЕХНИЧЕСКИЕ ТРЕБОВАНИЯ:

Занятия будут проходить в оффлайн и онлайн режиме: просмотр лекций в Youtube,
практические занятия и СРСП в оффлайн режиме. Также проверка заданий при помощи Google
classroom и онлайн интерактивных досок Quizlet.com, Padlet.com
8. ТАБЛИЦА СРСП, СРС:
№ Задание Вид задания Количество Сроки выполнения (день недели и время

СРСП/СРС часов в соответствии с расписанием)
дата задания срок сдачи
задания
СРСП
1. The UK history: Project making 2 Week 1 Week 2
The Growth of on the topic
Feudalism.
2. The Romans Presenting 2 Week 2 Week 3

Anglo-Saxon Britain reports
3. The UK history: Project making 2 Week 3 Week 4
The 19th and the 20th on the topic.
centuries
4. The UK famous Project making 2 Week 4 Week 5
sights on the topic
Stonehenge
The Lake District
5. The Industrial Presenting 2 Week 5 Week 6
Revolution reports
The Growth of the
Empire
6. Canterbury Making video 2 Week 6 Week 7

Windsor castle presentation or
oral
presentation of
the project.
7. The Royal Family Project making 2 Week 7 Week 8
on the topic
8. The UK famous Presenting 2 Week 8 Week 9
people. reports
9. The British monarchs Making video 2 Week 9 Week 10

presentation or
oral
presentation of
the project.
10 Industrial regions of Project making 2 Week 10 Week 11
G.B. on the topic
11. Islands in the system Presenting 1 Week 11 Week 12
of the British Isles reports
12 British Fauna Project making 1 Week 12 Week 13
on the topic
13. British Flora Presenting 1 Week 13 Week 13
reports
14 Large cities of the Project making 1 Week 13 Week 14
UK on the topic.
15. British Myths and Project making 1 Week 14 Week 15
legends on the topic
СРС
1. The history of the Power Point 5 Week 1 Week 2
USA presentation,
glossary,
report
2. Geographical Dashboards on 5 Week 2 Week 3
position of the USA Padlet.com
3. The USA history: Presentations 5 Week 3 Week 4
Periods of on Linoit.com
Exploration
colonization
4. Education in the Power Point 5 Week 4 Week 5
USA presentation,
glossary,
report
5. Holidays, Customs & Dashboards on 5 Week 5 Week 6
traditions of the USA Padlet.com
6. The states of the Presentations 5 Week 6 Week 7
USA on Linoit.com
7. The USA history: Power Point 5 Week 7 Week 8

The war for presentation,
independence; glossary,
The new nation; report
Slavery
8. The Political System Dashboards on 5 Week 8 Week 9
of The USA. Padlet.com
9. Electoral System of Presentations 5 Week 9 Week 10
the USA. on Linoit.com
10 The civil war Power Point 5 Week 10 Week 11

presentation,
glossary,
report
11 Progressive era: Power Point 6 Week 11 Week 12
Industrial growth. presentation,
World War I glossary,
report
12 The roaring 20s . Dashboards on 6 Week 12 Week 13
Depression years Padlet.com
13 Animals life & Presentations 6 Week 13 Week 13
vegetation of the on Linoit.com
USA
14 Agriculture in the Power Point 6 Week 13 Week 14
USA presentation,
glossary,
report
15 The USA famous Dashboards on 6 Week 14 Week 14
people. Padlet.com
ПРИМЕЧАНИЕ! СРСП проводится в соответствии с графикам, утвержденного вне расписания

занятий а выполнение заданий СРС определяется в соответсвии с индивидуальным графиком
преподавателя.
9. ТЕМАТИЧЕСКИЙ ПЛАН КУРСА
9.1 Лекции
Theme 1: Geographical Position of the British Isles
Academic hours: 1
Lecture Sub points/Plan:
1) Position
2) Territory and Structure
3) Surrounding Seas
4) Coastline.
Thesis:
The British Isles are situated on the continental shelf off the north-west coast of Europe and comprise a
group of islands lying between latitudes 50 o and 60°N and longitudes 1 o45, and 8° 10' West, the prime
meridian of 0 passing through the old observatory of Greenwich (London). The total area of the British
Isles is 322,246 square km.
Britain, formally known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, constitutes the
greater part of the islands. It comprises the mainland of England, Wales and Scotland (Great Britain) and
the northern part of Ireland (Northern Ireland). The southern part of Ireland, the second largest island of
the group, is the Irish Republic or Eire. All in all there are over 5,000 islands in the system of the British
Isles.
The United Kingdom's area is some 244,100 square km, of which about; 99 per cent is land and
the remainder inland water. This is nearly the same size as the Federal Republic of Germany, New
Zealand and half the size of France. From south to north it stretches for over 900 km, and is just under
500 km across in the widest part and 60 km in the narrowest. Due to the numerous bays and inlets no
place in Britain is as much as 120 km from the sea coast line. The combined population of the British
Isles - 59.5 million people (including that of the Republic of Ireland) makes the islands one of the most
densely populated parts of the earth's surface and the United Kingdom, at least, one of the most densely
populated countries.
With nearly 59 million people, Great Britain ranks about fourteenth in the world in terms of
population. The high density of population (about 250 per square kilometre) sets a problem of land use
and of livelihood. Within the British Isles it implies a pressure on land, a pressure reflected both in
competition for space and in intensive agriculture. The problems of supporting such a large population on
such a small land area are obvious. In fact, this became possible with the emergence of Britain as the
world,s first industrial nation during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. It was during this
period that Britain acquaired vast overseas colonial territories, ruthlessly robbed and exploited them. This
enabled her to become the wealthiest nation on earth.
Off the north-western coast of Great Britain there is a group of islands known as the Hebrides.
They are divided into the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the groups of islands, separated from each other by
the Sea of the Hebrides and the Little Minch. These groups of islands represent the higher unsubmerged
portions of a dissected block broadly similar to the main highland mass.
Life in the Hebrides very much resembles that of the West coast of the mainland. Many of the
people are crofters, and farming combined with fishing is the main occupation. The island of Lewis-
Harris, the largest and most northerly of the Outer Hebrides, is particularly notable for the traditional
domestic Industry of spinning wool from local sheep and the weaving it into tweeds. This Industry is
largely concentrated in Storno-way, which is also a minor fishing port. Out of over the total of 500 islands
of the Hebrides more than half are inhabitable. Only several families live on some of them.
Separated from the mainland by the stormy seven-mile wide Pentland Firth there are the Orkney
Islands, comprising about a hundred islands, though only a third are Inhabited, by about 19,500 people.
Most of the people are engaged in dairy- and poultry farming. Bacon, cheese and eggs are exported to
Central Scotland.
Situated about 70 miles north of the Orkneys are the Shetland Islands, which provide thin,
infertile soils suitable only for rough pasture. The total population is about 18,000. The Shetland farmers
are essentially crofters, but during the summer months they are actively engaged in herring-fishing. Apart
from fish, the only exports from the islands are Shetland ponies and lace knitted from the wool of local
sheep. Lerwick, the chief settlement, contains about 5,000 people, but the Shetlands are far from
prosperous, and the population is still steadily decreasing.
In the middle of the Irish Sea there is the Isle of Man (571 square km). The island is administered
by its own Manx Parliament and has a population of about 50.000 chiefly engaged in farming, fishing and
tourist trade. The only settlement of any size is the holiday resort of Douglas (23,000). Another important
island in the Irish Sea is Anglesey, situated off the north coast of Wales. Anglesey contains only 52,000
people, and more of the working population are now engaged in industry than in fishing and agriculture.
This is due partly to an increase in the tourist trade
Comprehension questions:
1. What is the geographical position of the British Isles in the world ?
2. Examine the territory and structure of the British Isles
3. Will you give the account of the importance of the surrounding seas to Great Britain ?
4. What are the factors which have influenced the growth and activity of ports?
5. What are the main features of the coastline of Great Britain?
Further readings:
1. Благовещенская И.А. Страноведение.Учебное пособие. -Астана,2013. -221 с
2. Мунатаева Э.М. Учебное пособие по страноведению США [Текст]: к изучению дисциплины / Э.
М. Мунатаева. - Алматы: Отан, 2014. - 150 с
3. Трушева А.Т. Сборник материалов для самоподготовки по дисциплине Страноведение [Текст]:
очной и заочной формы обучения спец. 5В011900-Иностранный язык: два иностранных языка / А.
Т. Трушева. - Актобе: ИЦ АРГУ им. К. Жубанова, 2015. - 41 с.
4. Жарко В.И.Страноведение: Краткий конспект лекций для студентов спец.: 050207-
Переводческое дело, бакалавриат/ В.И. Жарко. - Актобе: РИО АГУ им. К. Жубанова, 2008. - 43 с.
5. Жарко В. И.Учебно-методический комплекс: По дисц. STR3215 Страноведение для спец.
Переводческое дело 050207 для студ. 4 курса очное отделение/ В.И. Жарко. - Актобе: РИО АГУ
им. К. Жубанова, 2010. - 68 с
6. Жангелдина Д. І. Елтану [Текст]: оқулық / Д. І. Жангелдина. - Алматы: [б. и.], 2012. - 269 б.
7. Тобыш Н. Image Making [Текст]: ағылшын тіліндегі көмекші сөздер мен етістіктерге мысалдар
жинағы. Т 1. / Н. Тобыш. - Ж.Пилтан. - Алматы: Эверо, 2018. - 464 бет. - ISBN 978-601-7403-
8. Тобыш Н. Image Making. Ағылшын тіліндегі көмекші сөздер мен етістіктерге мысалдар жинағы.
Т 2. [Текст]: мұғалімдерге көмекші құрал / Н. Тобыш. - Ж.Пилтан. - Алматы: Эверо, 2018. - 464
Theme 2: Highland and Lowland Britain
Academic hours: 1
1) England
2) Wales
3) Scotland
4) Ireland
Thesis:
Britain has a great diversity of physical characteristics and, despite its small area, contains rocks of nearly
all the main geological periods. There is a contrast between the generally high relief of western and
northern Britain and the lowland areas of the south and east. In general, the oldest rocks appear in the
highland regions and the youngest in the lowland regions.
Lowland Britain offers a striking contrast in many ways. Though so much less rugged, there are few parts
where level land is uninterrupted by hills. One of the most extensive plains in the British Isles is in the
English Midlands, consisting of river valleys and plains interspersed with scattered hills. It is the Midland
Plain, which is best described as an undulating lowland rarely rising above 100 metres. To the north of it
are the Pennines, to the south the Thames Basin, to the east East Anglia and to the West the Welsh
Borderlands.
Another important plain in Britain is the London Basin in South East England. The master stream
of the basin is Britain's second longest river, the Thames, which enters the region from the west. The
Hampshire Basin includes a wide plain area of central southern England.
The geographical region described as the Lancashire and Cheshire Plain, includes the lowlands to
the west of the Central and Southern Pennines. The Lowlands themselves are linked to the Midland Plain
by a broad gap between the Welsh mountains and the Pennines, known as the Midland Gate. In
Yorkshire, along the eastern edge of the Pennines lies the extensive Yorkshire Lowland.
The chief characteristic of East Anglia is its low relief with few hills, the area is mainly founded
on chalk.
Though England cannot be considered as a very hilly country still it is far from being flat everywhere.
The most important range of mountains is the Pennine range, regarded as "the backbone of England". It
stretches from the Tyne valley in the north to the Trent valley in the south - a distance of about 250 km.
The whole range forms a large table-land the highest point of which is Cross Fell (893 m), in east
Cumbria above the Eden valley. Being an upland region the Pennines form a watershed separating the
westward-flowing from the eastward-flowing rivers of Northern England. They also form a barrier
between industrial areas (Lancashire and Yorkshire) on their opposite sides. Both sets of rivers have out
valleys into the uplands, two of which have created important gaps - the Tyne Gap and the Aire Gap.
They have road and rail routes, which follow the rivers and link West Yorkshire with Lancashire and
Cumbria. Some rivers flowing from the central Pennines have cut long open valleys, known as dales,
which attract tourists because of their picturesque scenery. Rainfall in the Pennines is abundant, and their
swiftly flowing streams used to provide power for woollen mills. Today the area is used for water storage:
reservoirs in the uplands supply water to the industrial towns on each side of the Pennines.
Across the north end of the Pennine Range there are the grassy Cheviot Hills. The highest point is
The Cheviot (816 m), near the Scottish border. The Cheviot Hills serve as a natural borderland between
England and Scotland.
In north-weste England, separated from the Pennines by the valley of the river Eden lie the
Cumbrian mountains. These mountains form a ring round the peak of Helvellyn (950 m). Other peaks are
Scafell (978 m) and Skiddaw (931 m).
The valleys which separate the various mountains from each other contain some beautiful lakes
( Windermere, Grasmere, Coniston Water, Ennerdale Water, Thirlmere, Ullswater, Hawswater). This is
the celebrated Lake District, where many tourists resort every year, and where the famous poets
Wordsworth, Coleridge, Southey, Quincey lived and wrote.
Thirlmere and Haws Water are in use as reservoire for the Manchester area, and permission has
been granted for Manchester to take water from Ullswater and Windermere. Crummock Water supplies
Workington and other towns of West Cumberland.
The region is sparsely populated and sheep rearing is the main occupation of the farmers. A
typical lakeland farmhouse is built of stone, quarried locally, and roofed with slate, also obtained in the
region. Around it are a number of small fields, separated from one another by dry stone walls.
The Lake Listrict is exposed to the westerly winds and rainfall is exceptionally high. The village
of Seathwaite, with an annual average rainfall of 3300 mm, claims to be the wettest inhabited place in the
British Isles.
The South-West Peninsula of Great Britain includes the counties of Cornwall, Devon and
Somerset. The region is made up of a number of upland masses separated by lowlands, which, apart from
the Plain of Somerset, are of limited extent. The uplands of the South-west Peninsula are not ranges of
mountains or hills, but areas of high moorland, the most extensive being Dartmoor and Exmooor. On the
north side of Dartmoor the land rises to over 600 m (Yes Tor - 619 m. High Willhays - 621 m). These are
the highest summits in England south of the Pennines. Much of the area bas been eroded, resulting in a
series of platforms between I50 and 300 metres.
The South-West region is essentially an agricultural area. The areas of best soil occur around the
southern borders of Dartmoor, in northern Devon and in the Vale of Taunton. On the Lower land between
the moors, both in Cornwall and Devon, are fertile river valleys.
The westernmost point of the English mainland is Land's End, a mass of granite cliffs which
plunge with dramatic steep-ness into the sea. The most southerly point of Great Britain Is Lizard Point, a
mass of serpentine, greenish metamorphic rock, which people living in the neighbourhood carve and
polish into attractive ornaments.
The South-west Peninsula presents numerous attractions for the holiday-makers and the artists,
and tourism is one of the most important activities of the region.
1.Describe the relief features of England, referring to mountainous areas.
2. Examine the relief of Wales.
3. Describe the varied relief features of Scotland.
4. Describe the major plains of lowland Britain.
5. what are the main relief characteristics of Ireland?
Further readings:
Theme 3: Climate of the British Isles

Academic hours: 1
1) Climate and Weather.
2) Vegetation
3) Temperature
4) The weather of the British Isles
5) Rivers and Lakes
Thesis:
There is a wide network of rivers in the British Isles, though generally short in length and navigable but in
their lower reaches, especially during high tides. Mild maritime climate keeps them free of ice throughout
the winter months.
In the Middle Ages, river transport played a major role in the British internal transport system, and all
the large towns of the time were situated on navigable rivers. But since the beginning of the nineteenth
century the waterways, including numerous canals, have steadily declined in importance, and many have
fallen into disuse.
The drainage map of the British Isles seems to contain no very clear pattern. The largest river of
Great Britain, the Severn (350 km), for example, follows a particularly puzzling course. After rising on
the slopes of Plynlimmon, in central Wales, it flows at first north-eastwards, but later turns sharply
through the Ironbridge gorge and then runs southwards and south-westwards to the Bristol Channel. The
courses of the Trent (274 km) and the upper Thames (346 km) also show many changes of direction.
Many of the largest rivers in Scotland, such as the Tweed, Forth, Dee and Spay, drain directly to the
North Sea. Scotland's longest river, the River Tay, some 170 km long, also follows this course. Among
other important rivers, which flow eastwards, to the North Sea, are the rivers Trent, Tyne, Tees, Humber,
Ouse in England.
A number of streams flow down to the west coast, to the Irish Sea, including the Clyde in Scotland, the
Eden, Ribble, Mersey and the Severn. A few small rivers flow to the English Channel.
There are many rivers in Ireland. They are short but navigable due to an abundant and even
distribution of precipitation throughout the year. The longest river of the British Isles is the River
Shannon (384 km), flowing from north to south of Ireland. Among other more or less important rivers are
the Foyle, flowing to the north, the Lagan, Boyne. Liffey, Slaney -to the east, the Barrow and the
Blackwater - to the south.
Most of the British lakes are in part the result of glacial erosion and in part due to chemical solution
of the underlying limestone. There is a host of small winding lakes in Scotland, in Cumbria and in
Ireland.
The largest lake in Great Britain and the biggest inland loch in Scotland is Loch Lomond, covering a
surface area of 70 square km, although the longest lake is Loch Ness (56 square km) which also has the
greatest volume of water. In England the largest lake is Lake Windermere (the Lake District) with a
surface area of 15 square km.
The largest fresh water lake in the British Isles is Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland (381 square km).
The Quaternary glaciatlon has further modified the river patterns in many areas. This is especially
true of central Ireland, where the uneven surface of the drift cover has led, as in the basin of the Shannon,
to much bad drainage, many peat bogs and numerous large lakes, such as Loughs Ree and Derg.
Weather is not the same as climate. The weather at a place is the state of the atmosphere there at a
given time or over a short period. The weather of the British Isles is notoriously variable. The climate of a
place or region, on the other hand, represents the average weather conditions through the year. In every
part of the British Isles obvious changes are taking place as winter passes into spring, spring into summer,
and so through autumn to winter.
The position of the British Isles within latitudes 50° to 6I°N is a basic factor in determining the main
characteristics of the climate. Within the limits of the general climatic type - maritime, temperate, with no
dry season and with summers only moderately warm - there is, however, room for considerable variation
between one region and another.
The climate of any place results from the interaction of a number of determining factors, of which the
most important are latitude, distance from the sea, relief and the direction of the prevailing winds. These
factors must be distinguished from the actual features of the climate such as temperature, precipitation,
wind, sunshine, fog, the humidity of the air.
Britain has a generally mild and temperate climate, which is dominated by marine influences and is
rainy and equable. Britain's climate is much milder than that in any other country in the same latitudes.
This is due partly to the presence of the North Atlantic Drift which begins as the Gulf Stream, in the Gulf
of Mexico, crosses the Atlantic Ocean, and so reaches the shores of Europe as a warm current, and partly
to the fact that north-west Europe lies in a predominantly westerly wind-belt. This means that not only do
marine influences warm the land in winter and cool it in summer, but also that the winds blowing over the
Atlantic have a similar effect and at the same time carry large amounts of moisture which is deposited
over the land as rain. Britain's climate is generally one of mild winters and cool summers, with rain
throughout the year, although there are considerable regional changes.
Latitudes determine the main characteristics of the climate. Temperature, the most important climatic
element, depends not only on the angle at which the sun's rays strike the earth's surface, but also on the
duration of daylight. The greater the angle of the sun above the horizon, the greater is the heat received
and the length of the period between sunrise and sunset. The length of day at London ranges from 16
hours 35 minutes on 21 June to 7 hours 50 minutes on 21 December.
The sea greatly modifies the climate of the British Isles, for their relatively small area and the
indented nature of the coastline allow maritime influences to penetrate well inland. The sea, whose waters
have a higher specific heat than the rocks of the Land surface, warms up more slowly, but also cools
down more slowly than does the land. Consequently, in summer the land tends to be warmer than the sea,
and in winter the converse is true. This moderating effect of the sea is, in fact, the cause of the relatively
small seasonal contrasts experienced in Britain
1. Which factors influence the variations in Britain’s climate?
2. Which areas of Great Britain have the greatest mean annual temperature range, and which areas
the least?
3. What are advantages and disadvantages of the climate and weather of Great Britain?
4. Explain why Britain has very variable weather, commenting on seasonal changes
5. Why has the ‘natural vegetation’ disappeared from Britain?
Further readings:
Theme 4: Britain's Prehistory

Academic hours: 1
1) Early Man.
2) The Iberians
3) Celtic Tribes.
4) Roman Britain.
5) Beginning of Danish Invasions.
6) Anglo-Saxon Conquest.
7) Return of Christianity.
8) Second Nordic Invasion.
9) Viking Settlement and Influence.
10) The Norman Conquest.
11) The Growth of Feudalism.
Thesis:
Britain has not always been an island. It became one only after the end of the last ice age. The
temperature rose and the ice cap melted, flooding the lower-lying land that is now under the North Sea
and the English Channel.
The Ice Age was not just one long equally cold period. There were warmer times when the ice cap
retreated, and colder periods when the ice cap reached as far south as the River Thames. Our first
evidence of human life is a few stone tools, dating from one of the warmer periods, about 250,000 BC.
These simple objects show that there were two different kinds of inhabitant. The earlier group made their
tools from flakes of flint, similar in kind to stone tools found across the north European plain as far as
Russia. The other group made tools from a central core of flint, probably the earliest method of human
tool making, which spread from Africa to Europe. Hand axes made in this way have been found widely,
as far north as Yorkshire and as far west as Wales.
However, the ice advanced again and Britain became hardly habitable until another milder period,
probably around 50,000 BC. During this time a new type of human being seems to have arrived, who was
the ancestor of the modern British. These people looked similar to the modern British, but were probably
smaller and had a life span of only about thirty years.
Around 10,000 BC, as the Ice Age drew to a close, Britain was peopled by small groups of hunters,
gatherers and fishers. Few had settled homes, and they seemed to have followed herds of deer which
provided them with food and clothing. By about 5000 BC Britain had finally become an island, and had
also become heavily forested. For the wanderer-hunter culture this was a disaster, for the cold-loving deer
and other animals on which they lived largely died out.
About 3000 BC Neolithic (or New Stone Age) people crossed the narrow sea from Europe in small
round boats of bent wood covered with animal skins. Each could carry one or two persons. These people
kept animals and grew corn crops, and knew how to make pottery. They probably came from either the
Iberian (Spanish) peninsula or even the North African coast. They were small, dark, and long-headed
people, and may be the forefathers of dark-haired inhabitants of Wales and Cornwall today. They settled
in the western parts of Britain and Ireland, from Cornwall at the southwest end of Britain all the way to
the far north.
These were the first of several waves of invaders before the first arrival of the Romans in 55 BC. It
used to be thought that these waves of invaders marked fresh stages in British development. However,
although they must have brought new ideas and methods, it is now thought that the changing pattern of
Britain's prehistory was the result of local economic and social forces.
The great "public works" of this time, which needed a huge organization of labour, tell us a little of
how prehistoric Britain was developing. The earlier of these works were great "barrows", or burial
mounds, made of earth or stone. Most of these barrows are found on the chalk uplands of south Britain.
Today these uplands have poor soil and few trees, but they were not like that then. They were airy
woodlands that could easily be cleared for farming, and as a result were the most easily habitable part of
the countryside. Eventually, and over a very long period, these areas became overfarmed, while by 1400
BC the climate became drier, and as a result this land could no longer support many people. It is difficult
today to imagine these areas, particularly the uplands of Wiltshire and Dorset, as heavily peopled areas.
Yet the monuments remain. After 3000 BC the chalkland people started building great circles of earth
banks and ditches. Inside, they built wooden buildings and stone circles. These "henges", as they are
called, were centres or religious, political and economic power. By far the most spectacular, both then and
now, was Stonehenge, which was built in separate stages over a period of more than a thousand years.
The precise purposes of Stonehenge remain a mystery, but during the second phase of building, after
about 2400 BC, huge bluestones were brought to the site from south Wales. This could only have been
achieved because the political authority of the area surrounding Stonehenge was recognised over a very
large area, indeed probably over the whole of the British Isles. The movement of these bluestones was an
extremely important event, the story of which was passed on from generation to generation. Three
thousand years later, these unwritten memories were recorded in Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of
Britain, written in 1136.
Stonehenge was almost certainly a sort of capital, to which the chiefs of other groups came from all
over Britain. Certainly, earth or stone henges were built in many parts of Britain, as far as the Orkney
Islands north of Scotland, and as far south as Cornwall. They seem to have been copies of the great
Stonehenge in the south. In Ireland the centre of prehistoric civilisation grew around the River Boyne and
at Tara in Ulster. The importance of these places in folk memory far outlasted the builders of the
monuments.
After 2400 BC new groups of people arrived in southeast Britain from Europe. They were round-
headed and strongly built, taller than Neolithic Britons. It is not known whether they invaded by armed
force, or whether they were invited by Neolithic Britons because of their military or metal-working skills.
Their influence was soon felt and, as a result, they became leaders of British society. Their arrival is
marked by the first individual graves, furnished with pottery beakers, from which these people get their
name: the "Beaker" people.
1. What do you know about the Iberians and the Beaker people?
2. What were the major achievements of Celtic people?
3. What parts of Britain were Latinized during the Roman occupation?
4. What territories of Britain did the Danes manage to conquer?
5. What were the reasons of the Norman invasion?
Further readings:
Theme 5: Britain: the Making of The Nation

Academic hours:1
1) Feudalism
2) Wales
3) Scotland
4) Ireland
Thesis:
William was careful in the way he gave land to his nobles. The king of France was less powerful than
many of the great landlords, or whom William was the outstanding example. In England, as each new
area of land was captured, William gave parts of it as a reward to his captains. This meant that they held
separate small pieces of land in different parts of the country so that no noble could easily or quickly
gather his fighting men to rebel. William only gave some of his nobles larger estates along the
troublesome borders with Wales and Scotland. At the same time he kept enough land for himself to make
sure he was much stronger than his nobles. Of all the farmland of England he gave half to the Norman
nobles, a quarter to the Church, and kept a fifth himself. He kept the Saxon system of sheriffs, and used
these as a balance to local nobles. As a result England was different from the rest of Europe because it
had one powerful family, instead of a large number of powerful nobles. William, and the kings after him,
thought of England as their personal property
There were two basic principles to feudalism: every man had a lord, and every lord had land. The king
was connected through this "chain" of people to the lowest man in the country. At each level a man had to
promise loyalty and service to his lord. This promise was usually made with the lord sitting on his chair
and his vassal kneeling before him, his hands placed between those of his lord. This was called "homage",
and has remained part of the coronation ceremony of British kings and queens until now. On the other
hand, each lord had responsibilities to his vassals. He had to give them land and protection.
When a noble died his son usually took over his estate. But first he had to receive permission from the
king and make a special payment. If he was still a child the king would often take the produce of the state
until the boy was old enough to look after the estate himself. In this way the king could benefit from the
death of a noble. If all the noble's family died the land went back to the king, who would be expected to
give it to another deserving noble. But the king often kept the land for some years, using its wealth,
before giving it to another noble.
If the king did not give the nobles land they would not fight for him. Between 1066 and the mid-
fourteenth century there were only thirty years of complete peace. So feudal duties were extremely
important. The king had to make sure he had enough satisfied nobles who would be willing to fight for
him.
William gave our land all over England to his nobles. By 1086 he wanted to know exactly who
owned which piece of land, and how much it was worth. He needed this information so that he could plan
his economy, find out how much was produced and how much he could ask in tax. He therefore sent a
team of people all through England to make a complete economic survey. His men asked all kinds of
questions at each settlement: How much land was there? Who owned it? How much was it worth? How
many families, ploughs and sheep were there? And so on. This survey was the only one of its kind in
Europe. Not surprisingly, it was most unpopular with the people, because they felt they could not escape
from its findings. It so reminded them of the paintings of the Day of Judgement, or "doom", on the walls
of their churches that they called it the "Domesday" Book. The name stuck. The Domesday Book still
exists, and gives us an extraordinary amount of information about England at this time.
Wales
By the eighth century most of the Celts had been driven into the Welsh peninsula. They were kept out
of England by Offa's Dyke, the huge earth wall built in AD 779. These Celts, called Welsh by the Anglo-
Saxons, called themselves cymry, "fellow countrymen".
Because Wales is a mountainous country, the cymry could only live in the crowded valleys. The rest
of the land was rocky and too poor for anything except keeping animals. For this reason the population
remained small. It only grew to over half a million in the eighteenth century. Life was hard and so was the
behaviour of the people. Slavery was common, as it had been all through Celtic Britain.
Society was based on family groupings, each of which owned one or more village or farm settlement.
One by one in each group a strong leader made himself king. These men must have been tribal chiefs to
begin with, who later managed to become overlords over neighbouring family groups. Each of these
kings tried to conquer the others, and the idea of a high, or senior, king developed.
The early kings travelled around their kingdoms to remind the people of their control. They travelled
with their hungry followers and soldiers. The ordinary people ran away into the hills and woods when the
king's men approached their village.
Life was dangerous, treacherous and bloody. In 1043 the king of Glamorgan died of old age. It was
an unusual event, because between 949 and 1066 no less than thirty-five Welsh rulers died violently,
usually killed by a cymry, a fellow countryman.
In 1039 Gruffydd ap (son of) Llewelyn was the first Welsh high king strong enough to rule over all
Wales. He was also the last, and in order to remain in control he spent almost the whole of his reign
fighting his enemies. Like many other Welsh rulers, Gruffydd was killed by a cymry while defending
Wales against the Saxons. Welsh kings after him were able to rule only after they had promised loyalty to
Edward the Confessor, king of England. The story of an independent and united Wales was over almost
as soon as it had begun.
Ireland
Ireland was never invaded by either the Romans or the Anglo-Saxons. It was a land of monasteries
and had a flourishing Celtic culture. As in Wales, people were known by the family grouping they
belonged to. Outside their tribe they had no protection and no name of their own. They had only the name
of their tribe. The kings in this tribal society were chosen by election. The idea was that the strongest man
should lead. In fact the system led to continuous challenges.
Five kingdoms grew up in Ireland: Ulster in the north, Munster in the southwest, Leinster in the
southeast, Connaught in the west, with Tara as the seat of the high kings of Ireland.
Christianity came to Ireland in about AD 430. The beginning of Ireland's history dates from that time,
because for the first time there were people who could write down events. The message of Christianity
was spread in Ireland by a British slave, Patrick, who became the "patron saint" of Ireland. Christianity
brought writing, which weakened the position of the Druids, who depended on memory and the spoken
word. Christian monasteries grew up, frequently along the coast.
This period is often called Ireland's "golden age". Invaders were unknown and culture flowered. But
it is also true that the five kingdoms were often at war, each trying to gain advantage over the other, often
with great cruelty.
Scotland
As a result of its geography, Scotland has two different societies. In the centre of Scotland mountains
stretch to the far north and across to the west, beyond which lie many islands. To the east and to the south
the lowland hills are gentler, and much of the countryside is like England, rich, welcoming and east to
farm. North of the "Highland Line", as the division between highland and lowland is called, people stayed
tried to their own family groups. South and east of this line society was more easily influenced by the
changes taking place in England.
Scotland was populated by four separate groups of people. The main group, the Picts, lived mostly in
the north and northeast. They spoke Celtic as well as another, probably older, language completely
unconnected with any known language today, and they seem to have been the earliest inhabitants of the
land. The Picts were different from the Celts because they inherited their rights, their names and property
from their mothers, not from their fathers.
The non- Pictish inhabitants were mainly Scots. The Scots were Celtic settlers who had started to
move into the western Highlands from Ireland in the fourth century.
1. What useful information does it give you about England in the second half of the 11 th century?
2. Give definition of the notion Feudalism
3. What was the Domesday Book?
4. What traces are there of Roman rule in Britain?
5. What have you learned about the history of Ireland?
Further readings:
Theme 6: An Outline of British History

Academic hours:1
1) Roman Rule
2) Spread of Christianity
3) Reign of Alfred the Great
4) Norman Conquest of England
5) Magna Carta and the beginnings of Parliament
6) The English Reformation
7) Union of England and Wales
8) Civil War and the execution of Charles I
9) The Glorious Revolution and the Bill of Rights
10) Union of England and Scotland
11) The Growth of the Empire
12) The Industrial Revolution
13) The Census
14) Religious freedom
15) The Reform Acts
16) Partition of Ireland
17) Education and Social Welfare
18) The End of Empire
19) Britain in Europe
Thesis:
People in the four lands of Britain derive from a host of ancestral sources, notably:
• the prehistoric cultures which produced such impressive monuments as the stone circles of Avebury and
Stonehenge;
• the ancient Celtic peoples who inhabited western and central Europe;
• the Romans who occupied Britain for over 300 years from the invasion in AD 43;
• the Angles, Saxons and Jutes - Germanic peoples who began raiding and settling in Britain from the
third century;
• Scots from Ireland, who began to settle in what became known as Scotland in the sixth century (merging
with the indigenous Picts to form one kingdom under Kenneth Macalpin in the ninth century);
• the Vikings from Scandinavia, who pillaged and settled areas of Britain and Ireland from the end of the
eighth century; and
• the Normans from France, who invaded England in 1066.
The last thousand years have witnessed the assimilation of all these strands — and many new ones
besides, following on from global exploration, the expansion of trade and international rivalry, and the
growth of the Empire.
At the same time political, social, economic and religious trends, pressures and crises have all
evolved to create the beliefs, lifestyle and expectations that are prevalent among the people today.
Past events — modern legacies
Roman rule
Roman rule was very influential in Britain's evolution, not least in the founding of towns and cities so
many of which are familiar to the people today. For example, London and Lincoln largely preserve their
Roman names - Londinium and Lindum Colonia respectively - while others, such as Chester, Gloucester
and Colchester, betray their origins by the '-chester' or '-cester' ending. This name, derived from the Latin
castra, was given to the Roman sites by the Anglo-Saxons.
Spread of Christianity
Christianity-which had been introduced to Britain under the Romans — was reintroduced to pagan
England in the sixth and seventh centuries. The Catholic Church sent St Augustine to preach and establish
in 597. Since that time, Christianity has remained the predominant faith among people in Britain.
Reign of Alfred the Great
From the fifth century onwards of small kingdoms emerged in England. These gradually evolved into
fewer, larger groupings - particularly Northumbria in the north, Mercia in the midlands and Wessex in the
south.
During the ninth century Vikings from Scandinavia overran all these kingdoms except Wessex, where
Alfred the Great, who reigned. from 871 to 899, successfully resisted the invaders. In the tenth century
the Wessex dynasty came to rule the whole of England. The present Royal Family is partly descended
from the royal line of Wessex.
Norman Conquest of England
The last successfu1 foreign invasion of England took place in 1066, when Duke William of
Normandy defeated the English at the Battle of Hastings. The Norman Conquest led to closer links with
the mainland of Europe. Normans and others from France came to settle, and French became the
language of the nobility, bishoprics and the law courts for the next three centuries.
Magna Carta and the beginnings of Parliament

In 1215 King John signed Magna Carta (Great Charter) in the face of demands by barons. It secured
feudal rights and established areas over which the King had no jurisdiction, and has been interpreted
throughout English history as guaranteeing certain political and civil liberties.
The rest of the 13th century saw the development of Parliament as a gathering of feudal barons and
representatives of counties and towns summoned by the King. By the end of the century, it had adopted
its basic make-up of Lords and Commons, and it had established the right to approve taxation. It also
soon acquired the right to approve new laws.
The English Reformation
Between 1534 and 1540 King Henry VIII of the Tudor dynasty broke with the Papacy in Rome,
heralding the English Reformation and the establishment of the Church of England. Despite the
suppression of the monasteries, the Church remained largely unaffected until the reign of his son Edward
VI (1547-53), when Protestantism became the official religion of England.
Popular hostility to the Papacy remained widespread for centuries. In Ireland, differences between the
religious traditions remain very marked to this day.
Union of England and Wales
The subjugation of Wales by the English had been completed in the late 13th century by Edward I,
who gave his infant son, later Edward II, the title of Prince of Wales - still carried today by the monarch's
eldest son. Between 1536 and 1542 Acts of Union integrated England and Wales administratively and
legally and gave Wales representation in Parliament.
Civil War and the execution of Charles I
Hostility between Parliament and the Crown led to the outbreak of civil war in 1642. The eventual
victory of the Parliamentary army heralded the execution of Charles I in 1649, the temporary abolition of
the monarchy (until 1660), and the rule of Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector.
The Glorious Revolution and Bill of Rights
In 1685 James II, a Roman Catholic, became king (succeeding his brother, Charles II). However, as
he lost popularity for his autocratic rule and pro-Catholic policies, his Protestant Dutch son-in-law,
William of Orange, was invited by leading politicians to intervene. The result was the bloodless or
'Glorious Revolution' in which James found himself practically without support and was overthrown. The
crown was offered jointly to William and his wife Mary. The following year the Bill of Rights was
passed, establishing the political supremacy of Parliament.
Union of England and Scotland
Scotland remained a separate kingdom throughout the Middle Ages, often at war with England.
Realising the benefits of closer political and economic union, England and Scotland agreed in 1707 on a
single Parliament for Great Britain. Scotland retained its own system of law and church settlement. The
Union became strained in the first half of the 18th century, when two Jacobite uprisings attempted to
restore the Catholic Stuart dynasty to the throne.
The growth of the Empire
The 17th and 18th centuries saw considerable overseas expansion by Britain. The foundation of the
colonies in North America was followed by other major acquisitions, in competition with the French and
other European powers.
Despite the North American colonies winning the War of Independence between 1775 and 1783,
Britain continued to extend its rule through the 19th century over a large part of the world — a process
from which the modern Commonwealth eventually emerged.
The Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution, which was a key development in shaping the face of modern Britain, took
place between about 1760 and 1830. Britain was the first country in the world to industrialise, pioneering
many technologies and large-scale production processes. In pursuit of work in the new mills and
factories, people concentrated in the industrial centres which developed in particular areas of the country.
The cities which rose to prominence as manufacturing and commercial centres, such as Birmingham,
Manchester and Sheffield, remain among the principal centres of population today.
Transport was revolutionised in this period, with the construction of a wide network of canals in the
late 18th century, many of which are still in use today. These were followed in the early 19th century by
the advent of the railways, the world's first passenger railway opening between Stockton and Darlington
in 1825.
1. How did the British people evolve?
2. What was the Magna Carta?
3. What were the causes behind the English Reformation?
4. What was the historical significance of the Glorious Revolution?
5. What is Britain’s role in Modern Europe?
Further readings:
Theme 7: The Social Framework

Academic hours: 1
1) Ethnic Composition
2) Language Variation
3) Demographic Trends
4) Age and Sex Structure
5) Distribution of Population
6) The Family. Marriage and Divorce
7) The Status of Women
8) Ethnic minorities
9) Living Standards
10) Housing
Thesis:
. English is the main language spoken in Britain, although with many regional variations in terms of
accept and phraseology. It is also one of the most widely used in the world; recent estimates suggest that
over 337 million people speak it as their first language, with a similar number speaking it as a second
language. Modern English derives primarily from one of the dialects of Anglo-Saxon, but has been very
greatly influenced by other languages over time.
About one-fifth of the population of Wales speak the Welsh language, which is of Celtic origin. They
are concentrated in the rural north and west, where Welsh remains the first language of most of the
population. Both the Government and voluntary groups have taken steps to revive the use of Welsh.
Bilingual education in schools is encouraged and there has been an extended use of Welsh for official
purposes and in broadcasting. In the context of dealing with public authorities and the administration of
justice in Wales, Welsh and English are treated on an equal basis.
Gaelic, also a language of Celtic origin, is still spoken by some 70,000 people in Scotland; the
greatest concentration of Gaelic speakers is in the islands of the Hebrides. People in the central lowlands
of Scotland have for centuries spoken Scots, a dialect derived from the Northumbrian branch of Old
English. This has its own recognised literary tradition and has seen a revival in poetry in the 20 th century.
Many words and phrases from the Scots tongue are retained in the everyday English which is spoken
throughout Scotland.
Many other languages are spoken by the minority ethnic communities living in Britain.
Britain has a population of about 59 million people, the 17 th largest in the world. The great majority, 49.3
million, live in England; Scotland has just over 5 million people, Wales 2.9 million and Northern Ireland
about 1.7 million.
The population density is well above the European Union average. England is the most densely
populated, with 373 people per sq km, and Scotland the least, with 67 people per sq km. The great
majority of people are concentrated in towns and cities, although there has been a trend, especially in the
capital London, for people to move away from congested urban centres into the suburbs.
In 1997 there were 726,000 live births in Britain, compared with 633,000 deaths. The birth rate is
relatively low at 12.3 live births per 1,000 population. This in part due to a trend towards later marriage
and towards postponing births.
The average age of women having children has risen to over 28 years in England and Wales. There is
also a greater preference for smaller families than in the past, which has led to a significant decline in the
proportion of families with four or more children. In addition, more widespread and effective
contraception has mode it easier to plan families.
Life expectancy for men in Britain is about 74 years and for women 79 years (compared with 49
years for men and 52 years for women at the start of the century). The general death rate is 10.4 per 1,000
of the population. There has been a decline in mortality at most ages, particularly among children,
reflecting better nutrition, rising living standards, medical advances and improved health measures, wider
education and the smaller size of families.
Deaths caused by circulatory diseases (including heart attacks and strokes) now account for nearly
half of all deaths, and mortality from heart disease in England and Wales remains high compared with
that of other development countries.
The next largest cause of death is cancer, which is responsible for one-quarter of deaths. There is a
national health strategy for addressing the major causes of premature death and preventable illness among
people in Britain.
Britain has one of the highest marriage and divorce rates in the European Union. There are 309,000
marriages each year in Britain, of which about 40 per cent are remarriages of one or both parties. Of the
population ages 16 or over in England and Wales 55 per cent are married, 28 per cent are single, 9 per
cent are widowed and 8 per cent are divorced. The average age for first marriages in England and Wales
is now 29 for men and 27 for women.
In England and Wales there are about 14 divorces for every 1,000 married couples.
The average age of spouses at the time of divorce is now about 38 for men and just over 35 for
women. Divorce rates are lower in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
In common with many other Western European countries, there has been an increase in cohabitation
(unmarried couples living together) in Britain. About 14 per cent of non-married men and women aged 16
and over in Great Britain are cohabiting. There is some evidence of a growing number of stable non-
married relationships. Over half of all births outside marriage (which account for over one third of live
births in Britain) are registered by both parents giving a single address as their place of residence
1. What languages are spoken in Britain? Which of the languages of Celtic origin is the strongest?
2. What is the demographic situation in Britain today?
3. What is the population of Britain and its major cities?
4. How do you explain the popularity of the different types of dwelling in Britain?
5. What are the typical leisure trends?
Further readings:
Theme 8: British Political Institutions 1
Academic hours: 1
1) Political history
2) Constitutional framework
3) The Monarchy
4) The Privy Council
5) Parliament
6) General Elections
7) The Party Political System
8) Parliamentary Procedure
9) Legislative Proceedings
10) The Government. The Civil Service
11) Local Government
Thesis:
The history of British politics over the past 800 years has been largely one of breaking down the
monarch's former power, and vesting that authority in Parliament as the sovereign legal voice of the
people. This struggle has produced bitter conflicts on governmental, social and religious levels, as well as
slowly evolving political institutions. The original structures were inevitably monarchical, aristocratic and
non-democratic. These have been gradually adapted to the requirements of parliamentary democracy,
changing social conditions and the mass franchise of today.
However, the roles of the political institutions are still vigorously debated in contemporary Britain.
Governments are frequently accused of being too secretive, too centralized, too party-political, and
insufficiently responsive to the wider needs of the country. It is also argued that Parliament has lost its
controlling and restraining influence over the Cabinet-led executive. It is felt that political power has
shifted overwhelmingly to the sitting government, and to the Prime Minister within the Cabinet. This
view suggests that the real authority in the British governmental and political system now rests with the
Prime Minister, as it had once belonged predominantly to the monarch.
Between 1066 and 1199 English monarchs had great power, but generally accepted advice and some
limitations on their authority. However later kings, such as King John, often ignored these restrictions and
the French-Norman barons eventually united against his dictatorial rule. They forced him to sign Magna
Carta in 1215. Although this document was initially intended to protect the aristocracy and not the
ordinary citizen, it came in time to be regarded as a cornerstone of British liberties, and is one of the
oldest written constitutional papers. Among other things, it restricted the monarch's powers; forced him to
take advice; promoted an aristocratic influence in national affairs; and stipulated that no citizen could be
punished or kept in prison without a fair trial. Later monarchs tried to ignore Magna Carta, but could not
succeed initially against the military strength of the barons.
These developments encouraged the establishment of basic parliamentary structures against royal
power. In 1265 Simon de Montfort called England's first parliament, which was composed of nobles and
minor aristocrats. This was followed in 1295 by the Model Parliament, which was to serve as an example
for future structures. Its two sections consisted of the Lords and Bishops, who were chosen by the
monarch, and the Commons, which comprised elected male representatives. These two units gradually
moved further apart over time, and eventually evolved into the present parliamentary division between the
House of Lords and the House of Commons. However, in the thirteenth century, the combined Parliament
of aristocrats and commoners was too large to rule the country effectively. A Privy Council was
subsequently created, which was an expansion of the traditional small circle of advisers at the royal court.
In succeeding centuries, this body was to become the dominant royal government outside Parliament,
until it also gave way to the present structures in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
Although these early development did give Parliament some limited powers against the monarch,
there was a return to royal dominance in Tudor England from 1485. The nobility had been weakened by
wars and internal conflicts, and the Tudor monarchs deliberately chose minor aristocratic landed gentry as
members of their Privy Councils. The nobility were often excluded from policy-making, and the gentry
inevitably became dependent upon royal patronage. Consequently, Tudor monarchs controlled Parliament
and summoned it only when they needed to raise money.
Parliament began to show more resistance to the monarchy under the Stuart succession from 1603 by
using its gradually acquired weapon of financial control. It was influenced by the gentry, who had now
become more independent of royal patronage, had expanded economically in the country, and had a
majority in the House of Commons. Parliament began to refuse royal requests for money. It eventually
forced Charles I to sign the Petition of Rights in 1628, which further restricted the monarch's powers and
was intended to prevent him from raising taxes without Parliament's consent. Charles tried to ignore these
political developments, until he was obliged to summon Parliament for finance. Parliament again refused
the request.
Realising that he could not control Parliament, Charles next failed in his attempt to arrest
Parliamentary leaders in the House of Commons itself. Because of this episode, the monarch was in
future prohibited from entering the Commons. Today Black Rod, who is a royal ceremonial appointment,
is a reminder of these constitutional changes. He knocks on the door of the Commons after it has been
closed against him, in order to summon members of the Commons to the State Opening of Parliament.
This is normally performed each autumn by the monarch in the House of Lords.
Charles's rejection of developing political ideals provoked anger against the Crown, and
eventually a Civil War broke out in 1642. The mainly Protestant Parliamentarians under Oliver Cromwell
won the military struggle against the largely Catholic Royalists. Charles I was beheaded in 1649, the
monarchy was abolished, and England was made a republic under the Cromwells (1649-59). During this
republican period, Parliament consisted only of the House of Commons, which met every three years
1. Why doesn’t Britain have written constitution?
2. Why did the Commons become more important than the Lords?
3. What is the layout of the House of Commons debating chamber?
4. Do you think the Lords has become a more democratic institution after the Constitutional reform
of 1999?
5. What are the powers of the monarch?
Further readings:

Theme 9: General Elections

Academic hours: 1
1) The parliamentary electoral system
6) Local Government
Thesis:
Britain is divided for electoral purposes into constituencies, or geographical areas of the country, usually
containing about 60,000 voters, each of which returns one elected MP to the House of Commons. The
constituencies are supposed to be frequently changed in size and location in order to ensure fair
representation and to reflect population movements. But such aims are not always successfully achieved.
General elections for parliamentary seats are by secret ballot, but voting is not compulsory. British,
Commonwealth and Irish Republic citizens may all vote in the elections provided that they are resident
in Britain, registered on the annual register of voters for the constituency, are aged 18 or over, and are not
subject to any disqualification. People not entitled to vote include members of the House of Lords; certain
mentally ill patients who are detained in hospital or prison; and persons who have been recently convicted
of corrupt or illegal election practices.
station set up on election day. He or she will make a cross on a ballot paper against the name of the
candidate for whom the vote is cast. However, there are provisions for those who for various reasons are
unable to vote in person in their local constituency to register postal or proxy votes. There are also certain
voting rights for expatriate Britons.
The turnout of voters averages over 70 per cent at general elections out of a total electorate of some
42 million people. The candidate who wins the most votes in a constituency is elected MP for that area.
This system is known as the simple majority or the 'first past the post' system. There is no voting by
proportional representation (PR), except for local elections in Northern Ireland.
There has been much debate about the British electoral system. Many see it as unfair to the smaller
parties, and campaigns continue for some form of PR, which would create a wider selection of parties in
the House of Commons and cater for minority political interests. But the two major parties (Conservative
and Labour) have preferred the existing system. It gives them a greater chance of achieving power, and
they have not been prepared to legislate for change, although the Labour Party seems now to be more
sympathetic to PR. It is argued that the British people have traditionally preferred the stronger and more
certain government which can often, if not always, result from the present arrangements. Defenders of
the current system point to the assumed weaknesses of coalition or minority government as practised on
the continent, such as frequent breakdown, a lack of firm policies and power-bargaining between
different parties in order to achieve government status. But weak and small-majority government can also
result from the British system.
The party political system
The electoral system depends to a large extent upon the party political system, which has existed
since the seventeenth century. Organized political parties present their policies in the form of manifestos
to the electorate for consideration during the intensive few weeks of canvassing and campaigning before
General Election Day. A party candidate in a constituency is elected to Parliament on a combination of
election manifesto, the personality of the candidate and the attraction of the national party. But party
activity continues outside the election period itself, as the politicians battle for power and the ears of the
electorate.
Since 1945 there have been seven Labour and eight Conservative governments in Britain. Some have
had large majorities in the House of Commons, while others have had small ones. Some, like the Labour
governments in the 1970s, have had to rely on the support of smaller parties, such as the Liberals and
various nationalist parties, in order to remain in power.
The great majority of the MPs in the House of Commons belong to either the Conservative or the
Labour Party, which are the largest political parties. This division emphasizes the continuation of the
traditional two-party system in British politics, in which power has alternated between two major parties.
The Labour Party has traditionally gathered its support from the trade unions, the working class and
some middle-class backing. Its electoral strongholds have always been in south Wales, Scotland, and the
Midland and northern English industrial cities. But, although the 1997 general election continued to
reflect this national division, the previous patterns of support are altering as social and job mobility
changes. In recent years the Labour Party has embarked on wide-ranging reviews of its policies in order
to broaden its appeal, take account of changing economic and social conditions, and remain a major force
in British politics.
The Conservative Party has traditionally regarded itself as a national party, which appeals to people
across the class barriers. Although it has often criticized what it sees as the dogmatic and ideological
fervour of the Labour Party, the Conservative Party has also become more radical in recent years, and has
departed from what used to be considered as the consensus view of British politics. The party's support
comes mainly from business interests and the middle and upper classes, but a sizeable percentage of
skilled and unskilled workers, and women have always voted Conservative. The party's strongholds tend
to be in southern England, with scattered support elsewhere in the country, although it has suffered
serious setbacks in Scotland.
Smaller political parties also have some representation in the House of Commons. Among these have
been the Liberals and Social Democrats; the Scottish National Party; Plaid Cymru (the Welsh National
Party); the Protestant Northern Irish parties of the Official Unionists, the Democratic Unionists and the
Ulster Popular Unionists; the Social Democratic and Labour Party (moderate Roman Catholic Northern
Irish party); and Sinn Fein (Republican Northern Irish party). Other small parties such as the Greens and
Communist Party, as well as publicity-seeking fringe groups, may also contest a general election. But a
party which does not achieve a certain number of votes in the election loses its deposit - the sum paid
when a party registers to fight an election.
1. Does Britain have a parliamentary electoral system?
2. Explain the main difference between the Conservative and Labour Parties?
3. What is the role of the Prime Minister?
4. Who rules Britain?
5. What is the range of responsibilities of the local government in Britain?
Further readings:
Theme 10: British National Economy

Academic hours:1
1) The Structure Of Industry And Trade
2) Industry In Action:
3) Chemicals
4) Pharmaceuticals
5) Mechanical Engineering
6) Electronics
7) Offshore Industry
Thesis:
Britain became the world's first industrialised country in the mid 19 th century. Wealth was based on
manufacturing iron and steel, heavy machinery and cotton textiles, and on coal mining, shipbuilding and
trade. Manufacturing still plays an important role and Britain excels in high-technology industries like
chemicals, electronics, aerospace and offshore equipment, where British companies are among the
world's largest and most successful. The British construction industry has made its mark around the world
and continues to be involved in prestigious building projects.
The most important industrial developments in the past 20 years or so in Britain have been the
exploitation of North Sea oil and gas, and the rapid development of microelectronic technologies and
their widespread application in industry and commerce. At the same time service industries have been
assuming ever-increasing importance and now account for around two-thirds of output and employment.
There has been a steady rise in the share of output and employment - now around 80 and 75 per cent
respectively - accounted for by private-sector enterprises as privatisation of the economy has progressed.
Britain, the world's fifth largest trading nation, belongs to the European Union (EU), the biggest
established trade grouping in the world.
The Structure of trade and industry
The 'modernization' of business and industry happened later in Britain than it did in most other
European countries. It was not until the 1960s that large corporations started to dominate and that a
'management class', trained at business school, began to emerge. Even after that time. many companies
still preferred to recruit their managers from people who had 'worked their way up' through the company
ranks and/or who were personally known to the directors. Only in the 1980s did graduate business
qualifications become the norm for newly-hired managers.
British industry performed poorly during the decades following the Second World War (some people
blamed this on the above characteristics). In contrast, British agriculture was very successful. In this
industry, large scale organization (i.e. big farms) had been more common in Britain than in other
European countries for quite a long time.
As in all European countries, the economic system in Britain is a mixture of private and public
enterprise. Exactly how much of the country's economy is controlled by the state has fluctuated a great
deal in the last fifty years and has been the subject of continual political debate. From 1945 until 1980 the
general trend was for the state to have more and more control. Various industries became nationalized (in
other words, owned by the government), especially those concerned with the production and distribution
of energy. So too did the various forms of transport and communication services (as well, of course, as
the provision of education, social welfare and health care). By 1980, 'pure' capitalism probably formed a
smaller part of the economy than in any other country in western Europe.
From 1980 the trend started going in the other direction. A major part of the philosophy of the
Conservative government of the 1980s was to let 'market forces' rule (which meant restricting the
freedom of business as little as possible) and to turn state-owned companies into companies owned by
individuals (who became shareholders).This approach was a major part of the thinking of Thatcherism
(Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister at that time). Between 1980 and 1994 a large number of
companies were privatized (or 'denationalized'). That is, they were sold off by the government. By 1988
there were more shareholders in the country than there were members of unions. In addition, local
government authorities were encouraged to 'contract out' their responsibility for services to commercial
organizations.
The privatization of services which western people now regard as essential has necessitated the
creation of various public 'watchdog' organizations with regulatory powers over the industries which they
monitor. For example, Offtel monitors the activities of the privatized telephone industry, and OffWat
monitors the privatized water companies.
The decline of the unions
In the 1980s the British government passed several laws to restrict the power of the unions. One of
these abolished the 'closed shop' (arrangement which employers made with unions to hire only people
who belonged to a union). Another made strikes illegal unless a postal vote of all union members had
been conducted. In 1984 there was a long miners' strike. The National Union of Miners refused to follow
the new regulations. Its leader, Arthur Scargill, became a symbol (depending on your point of view) of
either all the worst lunacies of unionism or the brave fight of the working classes against the rise of
Thatcherism. Previous miners' strikes in the twentieth century had been mostly successful. But this one
was not (the miners dad not achieve their aims); a sign of the decline in union power.
1. What is the structure of the British economy?
2. What are the most important industrial developments in the past 30 years?
3. The financial sector: Why is the City so important?
4. Can Britain be described as the world’s major trading nation?
5. Name the main types of farming.
Further readings:
Theme 11: Education in Britain

Academic hours: 1
1) School history
2) The present state school system
3) The independent sector
4) The National Curriculum
5) Public Examinations
6) Higher and further education. Types of University
Thesis:
The British government attached little importance to education until the end of the nineteenth century. It
was one of the last governments in Europe to organize education for everybody. Britain was leading the
world in industry and commerce, so, it was felt, education must somehow be taking care of itself. Today,
however, education is one of the most frequent subjects for public debate in the country. To understand
the background to this debate, a little history is needed.
Schools and other educational institutions (such as universities) existed in Britain long before the
government began to take an interest in education. When it finally did, it did not sweep these institutions
away, nor did it always take them over. In typically British fashion, it sometimes incorporated them into
the system and sometimes left them outside it. Most importantly, the government left alone the small
group of schools which had been used in the nineteenth century (and in some cases before then) to
educate the sons of the upper and upper-middle classes. At these 'public' schools, the emphasis was on
'character-building' and the development of 'team spirit' rather than on academic achievement.
The public schools system
Stereotypical public schools:
 are for boys only from the age of thirteen onwards, most of whom attended a private 'prep' (=
preparatory) school beforehand;
 take fee-paying pupils (and some scholarship pupils who have won a place in a competitive entrance
exam and whose parents do not pay);
 are boarding schools (the boys live there during term-time);
 are divided into 'houses', each 'house' being looked after by a 'housemaster';
 make some of the senior boys 'prefects', which means that they have authority over the other boys and
have their own servants (called 'fags'), who are appointed from amongst the youngest boys;
 place great emphasis on team sports;
 enforce their rules with the use of physical punishment;
 have a reputation for a relatively great amount of homosexual activity;
 are not at all luxurious or comfortable.
However, this traditional image no longer fits the facts. These days, there is not a single public school in
the country in which all of the above features apply. There have been a fairly large number of girls 'public
schools for the last hundred years, and more recently a few schools have started to admit both boys and
girls. Many schools admit day pupils as well as boarders, and some are day-schools only; prefects no
longer have so much power or have been abolished altogether; has disappeared; there is less emphasis on
team sport and more on academic achievement; life for the pupils is more physically comfortable than it
used to be.
Among the most famous public schools are Eton, Harrow, Rugby and Winchester.
This involved the development of distinctive customs and attitudes, the wearing of distinctive clothes
and the use of specialized items of vocabulary. They were all 'boarding schools' (that is, the pupils
lived in them), so they had a deep and lasting influence on their pupils. Their aim was to prepare
young men to take up positions in the higher ranks of the army, in business, the legal profession, the
civil service and politics.
When the pupils from these schools finished their education, they formed the ruling elite,
retaining the distinctive habits and vocabulary which they had learnt at school. They formed a closed
group, to a great extent separate from the rest of society. Entry into this group was difficult for
anybody who had a different education. When, in the twentieth century, education and its possibilities
for social advancement came within everybody's reach, new schools tended to copy the features of
the public schools. (After all, they provided the only model of a successful school that the country
had).
Many of the distinctive characteristics of British education outlined below can be ascribed, at
least partly, to this historical background. Of more recent relevance is Britain's general loss of
confidence in itself. This change of mood has probably had a greater influence on education than on
any other aspect of public life. The modern educational system has been through a period of constant
change and it is difficult to predict what further changes will occur in the next decade. At the same
time, however, there are certain underlying characteristics that seem to remain fixed.
Organization
Despite recent changes, it is a characteristic of the British system that there is comparatively little
central control or uniformity. For example, education is manager not by one, but by three, separate
government departments: the Department for Education and Employment is responsible for England
and Wales alone - Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own departments. In fact, within England
and Wales education has traditionally been seen as separate from 'training', and the two areas of
responsibility have only recently been combined in a single department.
None of these central authorities exercises much control over the details of what actually happens
in the country's educational institutions. All they do is to ensure the availability of education, dictate
and implement is overall organization and set overall learning objectives (which they enforce through
a system of inspectors) up to the end of compulsory education.
Central government does not prescribe a detailed programme of learning or determine what books
and materials should be used. It says, in broad terms, what schoolchildren should learn, but it only
offers occasional advice about how they should learn it. Nor does it dictate the exact hours of the
school day, the exact dates of holidays or the exact age at which a child must start in full-time
education. It does not manage an institution's finances either, it just decides how much money to give
it. It does not itself set or supervise the marking of the exams which older teenager do. In general, as
many details as possible are left up to the individual institution or the Local Education Authority
(LEA, a branch of local government).
One of the reasons for this level of 'grass-roots' independence is that the system has been
influenced by the public-school tradition that a school is its own community. Most schools develop,
to some degree at lest, a sense of distinctiveness. Many, for example, have their own uniforms for
pupils. Many, especially those outside the state system, have associations of former pupils. It is
considered desirable (even necessary) for every school to have its own school hall, big enough to
accommodate every pupil, for daily assemblies and other occasional ceremonies. Universities,
although financed by the government, have even more autonomy. Each one has complete control over
what to teach, how to teach it, who it accepts as students and how to test these students.
1. What is the compulsory school age in Britain?
2. What is the structure of the British Higher education?
3. What are the strength and weaknesses of Britain’s education system compared to Kazakhstan?
4. Education reforms in the 1980s: is the introduction of the National Curriculum likely to have
good results?
5. Is the public school system socially divisive?
Further readings:
Theme 12: Social Behavior and Attitudes

Academic hours: 1
1) National and regional identities
2) Social class
3) Men and women
4) Multiculturalism
5) Conservatism
6) Individualism
7) The love of nature
8) The love of animals
9) Formality and informality
10) Public spiritedness and amateurism
11) The culture of sport
Thesis:
National ('ethnic') loyalties can be strong among the people in Britain whose ancestors were not English.
For same people living in England who call themselves Scottish, Welsh or Irish, this loyalty is little more
than a matter of emotional attachment. But for others, it goes a bit further and they may even join one of
the sporting and social clubs for 'exiles' from these nations. These clubs promote national folk music,
organize parties on special national days and foster a consciousness of doing things differently from the
English. For people living in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the way that ethnic identity
commonly expresses itself varies. People in Scotland have constant reminders og their distinctiveness.
First, several important aspects of public life are organized separately, and differently, from the rest of
Britain - notably, education, law and religion. Second, the Scottish way of speaking English is very
distinctive. A modern form of the dialect known as Scots is spoken in everyday life by most of the
working classes in the lowlands. It has many features which are different from other forms of English and
cannot usually be understood by people who are not Scottish. Third, there are many symbols of
Scottishness which are well-known throughout Britain.
However, the feeling of being Scottish is not that simple. This is partly because of the historical
cultural split between highland and lowland Scotland. A genuinely Scottish Gaelic sense of cultural
identity is, in modern times, felt only by a few tense of thousands of people in some of the western isles
of Scotland and the adjoining mainland. These people speak Scottish Gaelic (which they call 'Gallic') as a
first language.
On 25 January every year, many Scottish people attend 'Burns' suppers'. At these parties they read from
the work of the eighteenth century poet Robert Burns (regarded as Scotland's national poet), wear kilts,
sing traditional songs, dance traditional dances (called 'reels') and eat haggis (made from sheep's heart,
lungs and liver).
Here are two opposing views of this way of celebrating Scottishness.

The people of Wales do not have as many reminders of their Welshness in everyday life. The
organization of public life is identical to that in England. Nor are there as many well-known symbols of
Welshness. In addition, a large minority of the people in Wales probably do not consider themselves to be
especially Welsh at all. In the nineteenth century large numbers of Scottish, Irish and English people went
to find work there, and today many English people still make their homes in Wales or have holiday
houses there. As a result, a feeling of loyalty to Wales is often similar in nature to the fairly weak
loyalties to particular geographical areas found throughout England (see below) - it is regional rather that
nationalistic.
However, there is one single highly-important symbol of Welsh identity - the Welsh language.
Everybody in Wales can speak English, but it is not everybody's first language. For about 20% of the
population (that's more than half a million people), the mother-tongue is Welsh. For these people Welsh
identity obviously means more than just living in the region known as Wales. Moreover, in comparison to
the other small minority languages of Europe, Welsh shows signs of continued vitality. Thanks to
successive campaigns, the language receives a lot of public support. All children in Wales learn it at
school, there are many local newspapers in Welsh, there is a Welsh television channel and nearly all
public notices and signs are written in both Welsh and English.
The question of identity in Northern Ireland is a much more complex issue and is deal with at the end
of this chapter.
As for English identity, most people who describe themselves as English usually make no distinction
in their minds between 'English' and 'British'. There is plenty of evidence of this. For example, at
international football or rugby matches, when the players stand to attention to hear their national anthems,
the Scottish, Irish and Welsh have their own songs, while the English one is just 'God Save the Queen' -
the same as the British national anthem.
A sense of identity based on place of birth is, like family identity, not very common or strong in most
parts of Britain - and perhaps for the same reason. People are just too mobile and very few live in the
same place all their lives. There is quite a lot of local pride, and people find many opportunities to express
it. This pride, however, arises because people are happy to live in what they consider to be a nice place
and often when they are fighting to preserve it. It does not usually mean that the people of a locality feel
strongly that they belong to that place.
A sense of identity with a large geographical area is a bit stronger. Nearly everybody has a spoken
accent that identifies them as coming from a particular large city or region. In some cases there is quite a
strong sense of identification. Liverpudlians (from Liverpool). Mancunians (from Manchester), Geordies
(from the Newcastle area) and Cockneys (from London) are often proud to be known by these names. In
other cases, identity is associated with a county. These are the most ancient divisions of England.
Although their boundaries and names do not always conform to the modern arrangement of local
government, they still claim the allegiance of some people. Yorkshire, in the north of England, is a
notable example. Another is Cornwall, in the south-west corner of England. Even today, some Cornish
people still talk about 'going to England' when they cross the country border - a testament to its ethnic
Celtic history.
Many English people see themselves as either 'northerners' or 'southerners'. The fact that the south is
on the whole richer than the north, and the domination of the media by the affairs of London and the
south-east, leads to resentment in the north. This reinforces the pride in their northern roots felt by many
northerners, who, stereotypically, see themselves as tougher, more honest and warmer-hearted than the
soft, hypocritical and unfriendly southerners. To people in the south, the stereotypical northerner (who is
usually male) is rather ignorant and uncultured and interested only in sport and beer-drinking.
1. What are British attitude to sport?
2. What are the ways in which British individualism is expressed?
3. Are class divisions in Britain real or imagined?
4. In what respects do the British display conservative attitudes?
5. How common is it for the British to engage in voluntary activities?
Further readings:
Theme 13: Religion in Britain

Academic hours:1
1) Freedom of consciousness
2) The Church of England
3) Other conventional Christian churches
4) Other religions, churches and religious movements
Thesis:
The vast majority of people in Britain do not regularly attend religious services. Many do so only a few
times in their lives. Most people's everyday language is no longer, as it was in previous centuries,
enriched by their knowledge of the Bible and the English Book of Common Prayer. It is significant that
the most familiar and well-loved English translation of the Bible, known as the King James Bible, was
written in the early seventeenth century and that no later translation has achieved similar status.
It therefore seems that most people in Britain cannot strictly be describes as religious. However, this
does not mean that they have no religious or spiritual beliefs or inclinations, Surveys have suggested that
nearly three-quarters of the population in God and between a third and a half believe in concepts such as
life after death, heaven and hell (and that half or more of the population believe in astrology,
parapsychology, ghosts and clairvoyance). In addition, a majority approve of the fact that religious
instruction at state schools is compulsory. Furthermore, almost nobody objects to the fact that the Queen
is 'by the grace of God', or the fact that she, like all previous British monarchs, was crowned by a
religious Figure (the Archbishop of Canterbury) in a church (Westminster Abbey) and that the British
national anthem (God Save Our Queen) invokes God's help in protecting her.
Freedom of religious belief and worship (and also the freedom to be a non-believer) is taken for granted
in modern Britain, With the notable exception of Northern Ireland, a person's religion has almost no
political significance, There are no important 'Christian' or anti-clerical political parties. Except perhaps
for Muslims, there is no recognizable political pressure group in the country which is based on a
particular religious ideology. To describe oneself as 'catholic' or 'church of England' or 'Methodist' or any
other recognized label is to indicate one's personal beliefs but not the way one votes.
The religious conflicts of the past and their close relationship with politics have left only a few traces
in modern times, and the most important of these are institutional rather than political: the fact that the
monarch cannot, by law, be a Catholic; the fact that the twenty-six senior bishop in one particular church
(the Church of England) are member of the House of Lords (where they are known as the 'Lords
Spiritual'); the fact that the government has the right of veto on the choice of these bishops; the fact that
the ultimate authority for this same church is the British Parliament. These facts point to a curious
anomaly. Despite the atmosphere of tolerance and the separation of religion and politics, it is in Britain
that we find the last two cases in Europe of 'established' churches that is churches, which are, by law, the
official religion of a country. These cases are the Church of Scotland (see 'other Christian denominations'
below) and the Church of England. The monarch is the official head of both, and the religious leader of
the latter, the Archbishop of Canterbury, is appointed by the government.
However, the privileged position of the Church of England (also known as the Anglican Church) is
not, in modern times, a political issue. Nobody feels that they are discriminated against if they do not
belong to it. In any case, the Anglican Church, rather like the BBC, has shown itself to be effectively
independent of government and there is general approval of this independence. In fact, there is a modern
politics-and-religion debate, but now it is the other way around. That is, while it is accepted that politics
should stay out of religion, it is point of debate as to whether religion should stay out of politics.
The Anglican Church used to be half-jokingly described as 'the Conservative party at prayer'. This
reputation was partly the result of history and partly the result of the fact that most of its clergy and
regular followers were from the higher ranks of society. However, during the 1980s and early 1990s it
was common for the Church to publicly condemn the widening gap between rich and poor in British
society. Its leaders, including the Archbishop of Canterbury himself, repeatedly spoke out against this
trend, implying that the Conservative government was largely to blame for it - despite comments from
government ministers that politics should be left to the politicians. The Archbishop also angered some
Conservative Anglicans when, at the end of the Falklands/Malvinas War in 1982, he did not give thanks
to God for a British victory. Instead, he prayed for the victims of the war on both sides.
In 1994 the Catholic Church in Britain published a report which criticized the Conservative
government. Since the general outlook of Britain's other conventional Christian denominations has
always been anti-Conservative, it appears that all the country's major Christian churches are now
politically broadly left of centre.
Although the Anglican Church apparently has much the largest following in England, and large
minorities of adherents in the other nations of Britain, appearances can be deceptive. It has been estimated
that less than 5% of those who, if asked, might describe themselves as Anglicans regularly attend
services. Many others are christened, married and buried in Anglican ceremonies but otherwise hardly
ever go to church. Regular attendance for many Anglicans is traditionally as much a social as a religious
activity, and predominantly one for the upper and middle classes.
The doctrine of the Church of England was set out in the sixteenth century, in a document called the
Thirty-Nine Articles. However, the main motivation for the birth of Anglicanism was more patriotic and
political than doctrinal. As a result, it has always been what is called a 'broad church', willing to
accommodate a wide variety of beliefs and practices. For example, the nature of its religious services
varies quite widely from church to church, depending partly on the inclinations of the local priest and
partly on local tradition.
Three main strands of belief can be identified. One strand is evangelical, or 'low church'. This places
great emphasis on the contents of the Bible and is the most consciously opposed to Catholicism. It
therefore adheres closely to those elements of the Thirty-Nine Articles that reject Papal doctrines and is
suspicious of the hierarchical structure of the Church. It prefers plain services with a minimum of
ceremony. In contrast, the beliefs of the 'Anglo-Catholic', or 'high church', strand are virtually identical to
those of Catholicism - except that it does not accept the Pope as the ultimate authority. High church
services are more colourful and include organ music and elaborate priestly clothing. Both these strands
are traditional in their outlook. But there is also a liberal wing, which is willing to question some of the
traditional Christian beliefs, is more inclined to view the Bible as merely a historical document, is more
tolerant towards homosexuality and was the first to support moves to ordain women priests.
1. In what way does the Church of England is typical of the English character?
2. What are the essential differences between the Church of England and the Church of Scotland?
3. What are the characteristic features of “New Age” beliefs?
4. In what ways can different churches and religions in Britain be associated with particular
geographical areas and particular social classes?
Further readings:
Theme 14: The Media

Academic hours: 1
1) The press.
2) The characteristics of the national press.
3) Radio and television; organization and style.
Thesis:
Newspaper publication is dominated by the national press, which is an indication of the comparatively
weakness of regional identity in Britain. Nearly 80% of all household buy a copy of one of the main
national papers every day. There are more than eighty local regional daily papers; but the total circulation
of all of them together is much less than the combined circulation of the national 'dailies'. The only non-
national papers with significant circulations are published in the evenings, when they do not compete with
the national papers, which always appear in the mornings.
Most local papers do not appear on Sundays, so on that day the dominance of the national press is
absolute. The 'Sundays papers' are so-called because that is the only day on which they appear. Some of
them are sisters of a daily (published by the company) but employing separate editors and journalist.
The morning newspaper is a British household institution; such an important one that, until the laws
were relaxed in the early 1990s, newsagents were the only shops that were allowed to open on Sundays.
People could not be expected to do without their newspapers for even one day, especially a day when
there was more free time to read them. The Sunday paper sell slightly more copies than the national
dailies and are thicker. Some of them have six or more sections making up a total of well over 200 pages.
Another indication of the importance of 'the papers' is the morning 'paper round'. Most newsagents
organize these, and more than half of the country's readers get their morning paper delivered to their door
by a teenager who gets up at around half-past five every day in order to earn a bit of extra pocket money.
The national papers and Scotland
There is an exception to the dominance of the national press throughout Britain. This is in Scotland,
where one paper, the Sunday Post, sells well over a million copies. Another weekly, Scotland on Sunday,
also has a large circulation. There are three other notable 'Scotland only' papers, but two of these, the
Glasgow Herald and the Scotsman, are quality papers with small circulations and the other, the Daily
Record, is actually the sister paper of the (London) Daily Mirror. The other national British papers are all
sold in Scotland, although sometimes in special Scottish editions.
The two types of national newspaper
Each of the national papers can be characterized as belonging to one of two distinct categories. The
'quality papers', or 'broadsheets', cater for the better educated readers. The 'popular papers', or 'tabliods',
sell to a much larger readership. They contact far less print than the broadsheets and far more pictures.
They use larger headlines and write in a simpler style of English. While the broadsheets devote much
space to politics and other 'serious' news, the tabloids concentrate on 'human interest' stories, which often
means sex and scandal!
However, the broadsheets do not completely ignore sex and scandal or any other aspect of public life.
both types of paper devote equal amounts of attention to sport. The difference between them is in the
treatment of the topics they cover, and in which topics are given the most prominence.
The reason that the quality newspapers are called broadsheets and the popular ones tabloids is
because they are different shapes. The broadsheets are twice as large as the tabloids. It is a mystery why,
in Britain, reading intelligent papers should need highly-developed skills of paper-folding! But it certainly
seems to be the rule. In 1989 a new paper was published, the Sunday Correspondent, advertising itself as
the country's first 'quality tabloid'. It closed after one year.
The way politics is presented in the national newspapers reflects the fact that British political parties
are essentially parliamentary organizations. Although different papers have differing political outlooks,
none of the large newspapers is an organ of a political party. Many are often obviously in favour of the
policies of this or that party (and even more obviously against the policies of another party), but none of
them would ever use 'we' or 'us' to refer to a certain partly.
What counts for the newspaper publishers is business. All of them are in the business first and
foremost to make money. Their primary concern is to sell as many copies as possible and to attract as
much advertising as possible. They normally put selling copies ahead of political integrity. The abrupt
turnabout in the stance of the Scottish edition of the Sun in early 1991 is a good example. It had
previously, along with the Conservative party which it normally supports, vigorously opposed any idea of
Scottish independence or home rule; but when it saw the opinion polls in early 1991 (and bearing in mind
its comparatively low sales in Scotland), it decided to change its mind completely.
The British press is controlled by a rather small number of extremely large multinational companies.
This fact helps to explain two notable features. One of these is its freedom from interference from
government influence, which is virtually absolute. The press is so powerful in this respect that it is
sometimes referred to as 'the fourth estate' (the other three being the Commons, the Lords and the
monarch). This freedom is ensured there is a general feeling in the country that 'freedom of speech' is a
basic constitutional right. A striking example of the importance of freedom of speech occurred during the
Second World War. During this time, the country had a coalition government of Conservative and Labour
politicians, so that there was really no opposition in Parliament at all. At one time, the cabinet wanted to
use a special wartime regulation to temporarily ban the Daily Mirror, which had been consistently critical
of the government. The Labour party, which until then had been completely loyal to the government,
immediately demanded a debate on the matter, and the other national papers, although they disagree with
the opinions of the Mirror, all leapt to its defence and opposed the ban. The government was forced to
back down and the Mirror continued to appear throughout the war.
1. Are there any limits to press freedom?
2. What are the essential characteristics of British newspapers?
3. To what extent are newspapers, radio and television funded by advertising?
4. What are British viewing habits?
5. Which characteristics give the BBS its special position in Britain?
Further readings:
Theme 15: Welfare State

Academic hours:1
1) The National Health Service
2) The Social Security System
3) Personal Social Services and Charities
Thesis:
Before the twentieth century, welfare was considered to be the responsibility of local communities. The
'care' provided was often very poor. An especially hated institution in the nineteenth century was the
workhouse, where the old, the sick, the mentally handicapped and orphans were sent. People were often
treated very harshly in workhouses, or given as virtual slaves to equally harsh employers.
During the first half of the twentieth century a number of welfare benefits were introduced. These
were a small old-age pension scheme (1908), partial sickness and unemployment insurance (1912) and
unemployment benefits conditional on regular contributions and proof of need (1934). The real impetus
for the welfare state came in 1942 from a government commission, headed by William Beveridge, and its
report on 'social insurance and allied services'. In 1948 the National Health Act turned the report's
recommendations into law and the National Health Service was set up.
The mass rush for free treatment caused the government health bill to swell enormously. In response
to this, the first payment within the NHS (a small fixed charge for medicines) was introduced in 1951.
Other charges (such as that for dental treatment in 1952) followed.
The health and social welfare system is part of everyone's life in Britain. It provides help for anyone
who is raising a family or who is elderly, Sick, disable, unemployed, widowed or disadvantaged.
Everyone at some point in their lives will receive help from its varied services, ranging from health
checks for children, home help for disabled or elderly people or cash benefits to cover periods of
unemployment.
The three pillars of the health and social welfare system are:
The National Health Service - the health of the community is the responsibility of the NHS, free
to everyone who normally lives in Britain.
The Personal Social Services - provided by local authorities for elderly and disabled people,
those with mental disorders and for families and their children.
Social Security - designed to secure a basic standard of living for people who are unemployed,
help for families and help towards the coast of disablement.
The NHS is a central element of the welfare state, present on virtually every high street in the
form of local pharmacists and in every community and neighbourhood in the form of General
Practitioners (GPs) and dental services.
On a typical day in England, nearly three quarters of a million people will visit their doctor and
one and a half million prescription items will be dispensed by pharmacies. Ambulances will make 8,000
emergency journeys, 2,000 babies will be delivered, 90,000 people will visit a hospital outpatient clinic
and more than half a million households will receive help in the home.
The NHS which provides all these services has a yearly budget of more than ₤41 billion. With
one million staff, it is one of the largest employers in the world.
The principles on which it was founded at its creation in 1948 remain true today: that there should
be a free, comprehensive health service for everyone according to need, regardless of their income.
The vast majority of people are seen by primary care services in the community. They remain the
first point of contact most people have with the NHS: between them they cater for about 90 per cent of
patient contact with the health service, at half the cost of hospital care. The Government's long-standing
policy is to build up and extend these services to relieve the more costly secondary care services of
hospital and specialist services.
Primary care is provided by family doctors, dentists, opticians and pharmacists, who work within
the NHS as independent practitioners. Other professionals involved in primary care include district
nurses, health visitors, midwives, speech therapists, physiotherapists, chiropodists, dieticians and
counsellors.
GPs or family doctors are present in every community and they remain the backbone of the
health service. They provide essential primary care and act as gatekeepers to other services, referring
patients on when necessary. Every year there are some 250 million GP consultations and some six million
people visit a pharmacy every day.
Visits to doctors or dentists may be for treatment or for preventative advice. Preventing ill-health
is an important part of a GP's work, and most GPs run programmes to prevent heart disease and stroke, to
manage chronic diseases such as asthma and diabetes and to improve childhood immunisation rates.
About 80 per cent of GPs work in partnerships or group practices - often as members of primary
health care teams. Primary health care teams also include health visitors, district nurses and midwives
who are salaried NHS staff, and sometimes social workers and other professionals employed by the health
authorities. GPs often work in health centres which offer people a range of health services in one place.
Other key primary care professionals include:
midwives who care for women throughout pregnancy, birth and for 28 days after the baby is born. Some
are based in hospital and some go out into the community.
health visitors who promote health for families and are responsible for preventative action. They aim to
identify the health needs of the local population and work closely with other NHS colleagues.
district nurses who care for people in their homes or elsewhere outside the hospital setting. Like health
visitors, they offer advice in health promotion and education.
The 1997 NHS Primary Care Act introduced greater flexibility in the delivery of primary health care
services for patients. The new law allows GPs, dentists, NHS trusts and NHS staff to develop, with health
authorities and health boards, new ways of delivering their primary care services.
From October 1998 pilot schemes began in areas with high levels of illness and where it is often
difficult to recruit GPs. There are two types of scheme:
 one which will enable NHS trusts or GP practices to employ GPs on a salary (instead of a self-
employed basis), with the aim of giving patients who live in areas of high health risk access to a
flexible family doctor service;
 one to create primary health care 'one-stop shops' where GPs, community nurses and other
professionals work as a single team in the community offering a range of services from eye tests to
counselling.
The new Primary Care Groups - local partnerships between family doctors and community
nurses - will be expected to play an increasing role in taking decisions about services for patients.
1. What are the main problems of the welfare state in modern Britain?
2. Do you think that the British welfare state is successful in giving help to everybody who needs it?
3. The National Health Service: what is the strength of the GP system?
4. What reforms did the Government introduce for hospitals?
5. Do you think that voluntary organizations in Britain allow the government to avoid its
responsibilities?
Further readings:
9.2. Семинар/практиктические занятия

Практическое занятие 1
Тема: Geographical Position of the British Isles
Количество часов:2
Основные вопросы темы:
1) Position
2) Territory and Structure
3) Surrounding Seas
4) Coastline.
Методические указания:
1. You need to read and carefully review the lecture materials on this topic.
2. It is necessary to review, read, systematize and compare the ideas of each writer in the electronic
literature of the questions assigned to the practical lesson plan.
3. In addition to the literature provided, try to find additional sources of information (Internet sites,
newspapers, magazines, pictures of writers).
4. Make a table for each topic given in the practical lesson plan
5. Development of a test consisting of 10 questions for each topic given in the practical lesson plan
6. Create a dictionary for each topic in the practical lesson plan
7. Find additional literature on each topic in the practical lesson plan and download it to Google.
8. Disclosure of 10 specific information on the topic.
9. Indicate specific information during the preparation of slides on the topic and provide references to the
literature used on each page
10. Prepare for all three questions on the topic.
11. Prepare questions for your collection
12. Insert the collected glossary on the QuizLet platform
Литература:
Тема: Highland and Lowland Britain
Количество часов: 2
1) England
2) Wales
3) Scotland
4) Ireland
1. You need to read and carefully review the lecture materials on this topic.
2. It is necessary to review, read, systematize and compare the ideas of each writer in the electronic
literature of the questions assigned to the practical lesson plan.
3. In addition to the literature provided, try to find additional sources of information (Internet sites,
4. Make a table for each topic given in the practical lesson plan
5. Development of a test consisting of 10 questions for each topic given in the practical lesson plan
6. Create a dictionary for each topic in the practical lesson plan
7. Find additional literature on each topic in the practical lesson plan and download it to Google.
8. Disclosure of 10 specific information on the topic.
9. Indicate specific information during the preparation of slides on the topic and provide references to the
literature used on each page
10. Prepare for all three questions on the topic.
11. Prepare questions for your collection
12. Insert the collected glossary on the QuizLet platform
Тема: Climate of the British Isles
1) Climate and Weather.
2) Vegetation
3) Temperature
4) The weather of the British Isles
5) Rivers and Lakes
You need to read and carefully review the lecture materials on this topic.
1 It is necessary to review, read, systematize and compare the ideas in the electronic literature of the
questions for the practical lesson plan.
2 In addition to the literature provided, try to find additional sources of information (websites,
3 Make a table for each topic in the practical lesson plan
4 Prepare your course using the Google classroom platform
5 Make a presentation of your course
6 Share your course with a group of students.
7 Explain the process of creating a course and record it on video
Тема: Britain's Prehistory
1) Early Man.
2) The Iberians
3) Celtic Tribes.
4) Roman Britain.
5) Beginning of Danish Invasions.
6) Anglo-Saxon Conquest.
7) Return of Christianity.
8) Second Nordic Invasion.
9) Viking Settlement and Influence.
10) The Norman Conquest.
The Growth of Feudalism.
1 It is necessary to review, read, systematize and compare the ideas of each writer in the electronic
literature of the questions for the practical lesson plan.
4 Create a crossword puzzle on your chosen topic in My Crossword
5 Make a video of the process of assembling the crossword
6 Crossword Puzzle Maker: Create a crossword puzzle at https://crosswordhobbyist.com/
7 Create a questionnaire using the Google form platform and share it with a group of students and fill out
a questionnaire.
Тема: Britain: the Making of The Nation
1) Feudalism
2) Wales
3) Scotland
4) Ireland
4 Create a test on this subject using the Kahoot platform
5 Record the test assembly process on video
6 Prepare a course in Quizlet based on new words in the subject.
Практичесекое занятие 6
Тема: An Outline of British History
1) Roman Rule
2) Spread of Christianity
3) Reign of Alfred the Great
4) Norman Conquest of England
5) Magna Carta and the beginnings of Parliament
6) The English Reformation
7) Union of England and Wales
8) Civil War and the execution of Charles I
9) The Glorious Revolution and the Bill of Rights
10) Union of England and Scotland
11) The Growth of the Empire
12) The Industrial Revolution
13) The Census
14) Religious freedom
15) The Reform Acts
16) Partition of Ireland
17) Education and Social Welfare
18) The End of Empire
19) Britain in Europe
Берілген тақырып бойынша дәріс материалдарын оқып, мұқият қарап шығуыңыз қажет.
4 Create a test on the subject of Country studies using the Google Form platform
6 Prepare a test in the Socrative application for new words in the subject.
Тема: The Social Framework
1) Ethnic Composition
2) Language Variation
3) Demographic Trends
4) Age and Sex Structure
5) Distribution of Population
6) The Family. Marriage and Divorce
7) The Status of Women
8) Ethnic minorities
9) Living Standards
10) Housing
4 Create a Test using the EasyTestMaker platform
6 Prepare a test on the 4exam platform for new words in the subject.
7 Test one grammar with Ispring Quiz Maker.
Тема: British Political Institutions
1) Political history
2) Constitutional framework
3) The Monarchy
4) The Privy Council
5) Parliament
6) General Elections
11) Local Government
4 Create a test on the subject of British Political Institutions using the Online Test Pad platform
Тема: General Elections
1) The parliamentary electoral system
6) Local Government
4 Prepare an assignment General elections on Mindmeister
5 Make a video of this task (assembly process)
6 Prepare a game using the Vocabulary Game Plates network
Тема: British National Economy
1) The Structure Of Industry And Trade
2) Industry In Action:
3) Chemicals
4) Pharmaceuticals
5) Mechanical Engineering
6) Electronics
7) Offshore Industry
4 Lino - Prepare an assignment on this subject using the online board
5 Make a video of this task (preparation process)
6 Prepare a task on the topic of British national economy using the online board GLOGSTER
Тема: Education in Britain
1) School history
2) The present state school system
3) The independent sector
4) The National Curriculum
5) Public Examinations
6) Higher and further education. Types of University
4 Open Eduation in Britain theme using the PADLET online panel
5 Videotape the task preparation process
6 Prepare a task on the topic of Business using the online panel SCRIBBLAR
7 TWIDDLA - Describe Higher and further education. Types of University using an online board
Тема: Social Behavior and Attitudes
1) National and regional identities
2) Social class
3) Men and women
4) Multiculturalism
5) Conservatism
6) Individualism
7) The love of nature
8) The love of animals
9) Formality and informality
10) Public spiritedness and amateurism
11) The culture of sport
4 Prepare your task on the Wordle platform
5 Prepare your assignment on the Photofunia platform
6 Prepare your task on the Mindomo platform
Тема: Religion in Britain
1) Freedom of consciousness
2) The Church of England
3) Other conventional Christian churches
4) Other religions, churches and religious movements
Тема: The Media
1) The press.
2) The characteristics of the national press.
3) Radio and television; organization and style.
4 Prepare a task using Livejournal and blogger
Тема: Welfare State
1) The National Health Service
2) The Social Security System
3) Personal Social Services and Charities
4 Install Turbosite on your computer. Prepare a course in the program. Share your course during the
lesson.
9.3 Лабораторные занятия
9.4 Самостоятельная работа студента с преподавателем (СРСП)
Задание 1. The UK history: The Growth of Feudalism.
Методические указания.
- Look through the textbooks and website in the reference
- Compile a glossary related to the topic consisting of at least 25 words or expressions
- Keep the rules of presentation designing and delivering your speech.
- Slideshows should include 10 page of the body and 3 pages for introduction, conclusion and
references.
- Speak on your project not more than 5 min.
- Indicate only textbooks and recourses that have been used in references.
Задание 2. The Romans. Anglo-Saxon Britain
references.
Задание 3. The UK history: The 19th and the 20th centuries

references.
Задание 4. The UK famous sights. Stonehenge. The Lake District

references.
Т 2. [Текст]: мұғалімдерге көмекші құрал / Н. Тобыш. - Ж.Пилтан. - Алматы: Эверо, 2018. – 464
Задание 5. The Industrial Revolution. The Growth of the Empire

references.
Задание 6. Canterbury. Windsor castle

references.
Задание 7. The Royal Family

references.
Задание 8. The UK famous people.

references.
Задание 9. The British monarchs

references.
Задание 10. Industrial regions of G.B.

references.
Задание 11. Islands in the system of the British Isles

references.
Задание 12. British Fauna

references.
Задание 13. British Flora

references.
Задание 14. Large cities of the UK

references.
Задание 15. British Myths and legends

Методические указания
references.
9.5 Самостоятельная работа студента (СРС)

Задание 1. The history of the USA
references.
Задание 2. Geographical position of the USA

references.
Задание 3. The USA history: Periods of Exploration colonization

references.
Задание 4. Education in the USA

references.
Задание 5. Holidays, Customs & traditions of the USA

references.
Задание 6. The states of the USA

references.
Задание 7. The USA history: The war for independence; the new nation; Slavery
references.
Задание 8. The Political System of The USA.

references.
Задание 9. Electoral System of the USA.

references.
Задание 10. The civil war

references.
Задание 11. Progressive era: Industrial growth. World War I

references.
Задание 12. The roaring 20s. Depression years

references.
Задание 13. Animals life & vegetation of the USA

references.
Задание 14. Agriculture in the USA

references.
Задание 15. The USA famous people.
references.
10. ЗАДАНИЯ И ВОПРОСЫ РУБЕЖНОГО И ПРОМЕЖУТОЧНОГОКОНТРОЛЯ

№1 аралық бақылау/ Рубежный контроль №1
«Елтану»/ «Страноведение» – 2 курс-4 семестр
2нұсқа/ 2 вариант
1. What country doesn’t make the Great Britain?
a) England b) Ireland c) Scotland d) Wales.
2. Which of the following sentences is not right?
a) Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales. c) Ben Nevis is highest mountain in England.
b) London is the capital of the UK. d) The total area of the UK is 94.252 sg.miles.
3. Please, complete the following sentence: “The Severn is …”
a) The deepest river in Scotland. c) The Widest river in Ireland
b) The longest river in Wales. d) The longest river in England .
4. How do we call people living in the UK?
a) British b) Scottish c) French d) Welsh.
5. What is Britain’s official language?
a) British b) English c) Welsh d) Gallic.
6. What country is officially bilingual?
a) England b) Scotland c) Wales d) Ireland
7. Please, find an incorrect variant.
a) The climate of the British Isles is very cold.
b) The average temperature is about 25-30 degrees in summer.
c) The coldest moths on the British Isles are January and February.
d) July and August are the warmest months on the BI.
8. What countries are considered chief Britain’s trading partners?
a) Canada, Dakar, Azerbaijan. b) The USA, India, Germany.
c) New Zealand, Russia, Uzbekistan. d) Israel, Tunisia, Syria.
9. Please, find the sentence, which has no error.
a) North Wales is known as copper producer. c) North Wales is known as steel and chemicals producer.
b) North Wales is known as zinc producer. d) North Wales is known as coal producer.
10. Where is beef breeding developed?
a) Scotland b) England c) Wales d) Northern Ireland.
11. Please, choose the false answer
a) The red Rose is the national emblem of England. c) The daffodils and the leek are the emblems of
Wales
b) The thistle is the national emblem of Scotland. d) The tulip is the emblem of Ireland.
12. Please, name the bird, which is the national bird of the UK.
a) Robin redbreast b) Sparrow c) Starling d) Blackbird.
13. The capital of Northern Ireland is…
a) Glasgow b) London c) Dublin d) Belfast
14. Are electrical machinery, cars, tractors and bicycles leading exports of engineering industries?
a) No b) Yes c) Not all of then d) There is no right answer among the enumerated variants
15. What city is not the Scottish port?
a) Fraseburg b) Granton c) Aberdeen d) Belfast
16. The constitutional document that restrained the power of the Croun:
a) Magna Carta (1215) c) Reform Act (1832)
b) The bill of rights (1689) d) Human Rights Act (2000)
17. What is the minimum voting age in the UK?
a) 21 b) 16 c) 18 d) 20
18. Find the mistake. The following people may not vote:
a) Members of the House of Lords. c) Prisoners and convicted people.
b) British citizens living abroad. d) Foreigners.
19. Who is the chairman of the House of Lords?
a) The Prime-Minister c) the Lord Chancellor
b) The Speaker d) the leader of the opposition.
20. What are the oldest parties elected to the House of Commons?
a) The Conservative & Labour Parties.
b) The Communist & Liberal Democrats Parties.
c) The Scottish National and Welsh Nationalist Parties.
d) The Conservative & Liberal Parties.
21. Choose the party that represents interests of big business, industry, commerce and landowners:
a) The Conservative Party c) the Communist Party
b) The Labour Party d) the Liberal Democrats.
22. What party is the present opposition to the ruling party?
a. the Conservative Party
b. the Labour Party
c. the Communist Party
d. The Liberal Democrats.
23. Margaret Thatcher was replaced as Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party by:
a. James Callaghan
b. Tony Blair
c. Harold Wilson
d. John Major.
24. Who is the leader of the House of Commons?
a. the Prime –Minister
b. the Speaker
c. the Lord Chancellor
d. The leader of the opposition.
25. Who according to an old tradition is not allowed to enter the House of Lords?
a. a member of the House of Commons
b. a monarch
c. a life pear
d. an archbishop
Examination questions
1. Geographical position, climate & relief of the U.K. and the USA
2. Traditions & Customs of England
3. Invaders of the British Isles.
4. Sightseeing in London.
5. Animals life & vegetation of G.B. and the USA
6. Political system of the U.K. and the USA
7. Industrial regions of G.B.
8. The Norman invasion.
9. The main economic regions of G.B. and the USA
10. Parliament of the U.K.
11. Primitive society on the territory of the British Isles.
12. London – the capital of the U.K.
13. Roman Invasion.
14. Prominent People.
15. Anglo – Saxon Conquest of Britain.
16. British Constitution.
17. Danish Raids.
18. Mass Media.
19. England & the English
20. Government of the U.K. and the USA
21. Main political parties of G.B. and the USA
22. Religion.
23. Agriculture of Great Britain.
24. British holidays.
25. Geography & climate of Wales (population, language, traditions & customs).
26. Universities of G.B.
27. Large cities & town of G.B. and the USA
28. Population, language, traditions & customs of G.B.
29. Geography & climate of Scotland (population, language, traditions & customs).
30. Sports & Games popular in G.B. and the USA
31. Geography & climate of Northern Ireland (population, language, traditions & customs).
32. British writers
33. Great Britain & Countries Forming it.
34. British Prime – ministers.
35. Large cities & towns of Wales.
36. Music in G.B.
37. Large cities & town of Scotland.
38. Science & culture in G.B.
39. Administrative division of Northern Ireland.
40. The Royal Family.
11. Список источников и электронных ресурсов

Основная литература/ материалы
Дополнительная литература/ материалы
Электронные ресурсы:
4 https://zoom.us/
5 https://lingualeo.com/ru
6 Google-формы https://docs.google.com/form
7 Microsoft формы https://forms.office.com/
8 https://anketolog.ru/
9 https://quizizz.com
10 Мастер-тест http://master-test.net/
11 https://www.skype.com
12 https://bubbl.us/
13 https://cacoo.com
14 http://www.gliffy.com/
15 http://www.classtools.net/education-games-php/venn_intro
16 https://www.blogger.com,
17 https://ru.wordpress.org/
18 https://www.tumblr.com/
19 https://padlet.com
20 http://www.twiddla.com,
21 http://www.scribblar.com
22 http://uportfolio.ru/
23 https://4portfolio.ru/
24 https://www.ucoz.ru/
25 https://sites.google.com/
26 https://www.duolingo.com/
27 https://puzzle-english.com/
28 www.studyoverseas.com
29 www.warwick.ac.uk.
30 www.ucas.ac.uk.
31 www.rdg.ac.uk.
32 www.essex.ac.uk.
33
Примечание!Название электронных ресурсов по теме должно быть четко указано и иметь ссылку.
12. ОЦЕНИВАНИЕ
Учебные достижения студентов оценивается по 100 бальной (%) шкале.
№ Количество баллов Примечание

Виды текущего контроля І рубежный контроль-80 баллов,
ІІ рубежный контроль -70 баллов
1 в режиме online
в режиме оffline 2 балла- за 1 неделю
8 7 online -лекции проводятся в
По лекционным занятиям 8
7 недель недель недель соответствии с
недель -
- max.14 - - расписанием
max.16
баллов max.16 max.14 и Syllabus дисциплины,
баллов
баллов баллов оцениваются
1.1 Посещение видеолекции 0-4 0-7 соответственно;
баллов баллов в оffline режиме
1.2 Активность в успеваемость студентов
0-12 0-7 оценивается по
видеолекциях (вопросы, блиц- -
баллов баллов выполненным заданиям на
вопросы, обсуждение)
1.1 Создание конспекта лекциях, отправленных на
лекций на основе видеолекций 0-4 0-7 портал «Univer»
- (электронная почта
на YouTube канале и загрузка баллов баллов
их на платформу «Univer» используется, если доступ
1.2 Выполнение письменной - 0-12 0-7 ограничен)
работы по вопросам лекции баллов баллов
(тесты, эссе, словари,
глоссарии, таблицы и т. д.)
По практическим
2 8 недель - max.24 баллов
и/или лабораторным 3 балла – за 1 неделю
занятиям 7 недель - max.21 баллов
2.1 Посещение видеоуроков 8 недель - 0-8 баллов

согласно расписанию 7 недель 0-7 баллов Задания включают темы в
2.2 Активное участие в Syllabus и занятия
практических / семинарских / 8 недель - 0-16 баллов проходят онлайн по
лабораторных занятиях расписанию
7 недель 0-14 баллов
3 Самостоятельная работа 8 недель - max.20 балл
студентов под руководством (2,5 балла – за 1 неделю)
преподавателя (СРСП) 7 недель - max.21 балл Выполняется при обратной
(3 балла – за 1 неделю) связи с преподавателем по
3.1 Выполнение задании 8 недель - 0-8 баллов расписанию, обратная связь
СРСП по расписанию и осуществляется через
загрузка их на платформу платформу «Univer»
7 недель – 0-7 баллов (электронная почта
«Univer»
3.2 Защита и презентация 8 недель - 0-12 баллов используется, если доступ
задания СРСП, загрузить ограничен)
презентации на платформу
7 недель – 0-14 баллов
«Univer»
4 Самостоятельная работа 8 недель - max.20 баллов
студентов (СРС) (2,5 балла – за 1 неделю)
7 недель - max.14 баллов
(2 балла – за 1 неделю)
4.1 Выполнение задании СРС 8 недель - 0-8 баллов
по графику и загрузка их на
Проверка заданий и
платформу «Univer». 7 недель- 0-7 баллов
обратная связь
4.2 Умение работать 8 недель - 0-12 баллов
осуществляется через
самостоятельно и творчески
платформу «Univer»
(написание конспектов,
(электронная почта
рефератов, составление
используется, если доступ
библиографий, планов, 7 недель - 0-7 баллов
ограничен)
логических идей, аргументов,
выводов и т. д.)
5 Рубежный контроль 20 / 30 8-я и 15-ая неделя
6 Промежуточный 100 Согласно расписанию
контроль(экзамен) экзаменов
платформе университета «Univer» в соответствии с расписанием.
13. ПОЛИТИКА КУРСА

Политика курса состоит из административных требований и принципов академической честности.
 административные требования:
- полное освоение знаний по предмету;
- освоение компетенций по ОП;
- уважительное и вежливое отношение к преподавателям, сотрудникам и обучающимся;
- не менять задания самостоятельно (произвольно) и соблюдать требования, указанные в
Силлабусе;
- посещение занятии в онлайн и офлайн-режимах в соответствии с расписанием;
- эффективное использование контента по теме, например, регулярное прослушивание видеолекций
по темам на канале YouTube, задания, блиц-вопросы и т. д.;
- овладение навыками работы с информационными (техническими) средствами, необходимыми для
дисциплины и соблюдения технических требований;
- выполнение заданий СРС в срок, указанный в личном расписании преподавателя и обратной связи
с преподавателем-предметником;
- выполнение контрольных заданий (рубежный, промежуточный контроль) в установленные сроки
(кроме уважительных причин);
- ответственное отношение к имуществу вуза, кафедры;
- соблюдение внутренних правил университета;
- активное участие в работе кафедры, факультета, университета.
ВЫПИСКА
из «Академического кодекса честности»
Актюбинского регионального университета имени К.Жубанова
 получение качественных знаний;
 регулярное участие в онлайн-занятиях и использование электронных платформ («ZOOM»,
«MOODLE» и др.) в соответствии с утвержденным графиком.
 выполнять требования преподавателя, прописанные в силлабусе;
 самостоятельно выполнять все виды работ (задания СРСП, курсовые, выпускные работы и
др.) и вовремя предоставлять их преподавателю;
 не использовать сотовые телефоны, шпаргалки во время выполнений текущего, рубежного,
итогового видов контроля;
 при выполнении учебной, научно-исследовательской работы использовать различные
данные с указанием авторов, в конце привести список использованных источников;
 использовать достоверные и надежные источники информации;
 не предоставлять свою работу для списывания другим обучающимся;
 не использовать личные, родственные или служебные связи для передачи взятки
преподавателям и администрации.
ПРИМЕЧАНИЕ! Политика курса является общей для университета
Приложение 1
Традиционная шкала оценок оценивания учебных достижений обучающихся и
бально-рейтинговая буквенная система, переведенная на ECTS (иситиэс)
Оценки по Числовой Баллы (%-ое Оценки по

буквенной системе эквивалент баллов содержание) традиционной системе
А 4,0 95-100 Очень хорошо
А- 3,67 90-94
В+ 3,33 85-89 Хорошо
В 3,0 80-84
В- 2,67 75-79
С+ 2,33 70-74
С 2,0 65-69 Удовлетворительно
С- 1,67 60-64
D+ 1,33 55-59
D- 1,0 50-54
FX 0,5 25-49
Неудовлетворительно
F 0 0-24

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1.

ОБЩАЯ ИНФОРМАЦИЯ О ДИСЦИПЛИНЕ:

Курс Семестр Лекция Практические/ Лабораторные СРСП СРС Форма

3. ТЕМАТИЧЕСКИЙ ПЛАН ДИСЦИПЛИНЫ ПО МОДУЛЮ

№ Название тем Количество часов Срок исполнения по неделям

4. ЦЕЛЬ ОБУЧЕНИЯ ДИСЦИПЛИНЫ:

Уровни Знание и Применение Анализ Синтез Оценивание

7. ФОРМАТ ПРОВЕДЕНИЯ ДИСЦИПЛИНЫ И ТЕХНИЧЕСКИЕ ТРЕБОВАНИЯ:

№ Задание Вид задания Количество Сроки выполнения (день недели и время

2. The Romans Presenting 2 Week 2 Week 3

6. Canterbury Making video 2 Week 6 Week 7

9. The British monarchs Making video 2 Week 9 Week 10

7. The USA history: Power Point 5 Week 7 Week 8

10 The civil war Power Point 5 Week 10 Week 11

ПРИМЕЧАНИЕ! СРСП проводится в соответствии с графикам, утвержденного вне расписания

Theme 3: Climate of the British Isles

Theme 4: Britain's Prehistory

Theme 5: Britain: the Making of The Nation

Theme 6: An Outline of British History

Magna Carta and the beginnings of Parliament

Theme 7: The Social Framework

1. Благовещенская И.А. Страноведение.Учебное пособие. -Астана,2013. -221 с

Theme 9: General Elections

Theme 10: British National Economy

Theme 11: Education in Britain

Theme 12: Social Behavior and Attitudes

Here are two opposing views of this way of celebrating Scottishness.

Theme 13: Religion in Britain

Theme 14: The Media

Theme 15: Welfare State

9.2. Семинар/практиктические занятия

Задание 3. The UK history: The 19th and the 20th centuries

Задание 4. The UK famous sights. Stonehenge. The Lake District

Задание 5. The Industrial Revolution. The Growth of the Empire

Задание 6. Canterbury. Windsor castle

Задание 7. The Royal Family

Задание 8. The UK famous people.

Задание 9. The British monarchs

Задание 10. Industrial regions of G.B.

Задание 11. Islands in the system of the British Isles

Задание 12. British Fauna

Задание 13. British Flora

Задание 14. Large cities of the UK

Задание 15. British Myths and legends

9.5 Самостоятельная работа студента (СРС)

Задание 2. Geographical position of the USA

Задание 3. The USA history: Periods of Exploration colonization

Задание 4. Education in the USA

Задание 5. Holidays, Customs & traditions of the USA

Задание 6. The states of the USA

Задание 8. The Political System of The USA.

Задание 9. Electoral System of the USA.

Задание 10. The civil war

Задание 11. Progressive era: Industrial growth. World War I

Задание 12. The roaring 20s. Depression years

Задание 13. Animals life & vegetation of the USA

Задание 14. Agriculture in the USA

10. ЗАДАНИЯ И ВОПРОСЫ РУБЕЖНОГО И ПРОМЕЖУТОЧНОГОКОНТРОЛЯ

11. Список источников и электронных ресурсов

№ Количество баллов Примечание

2.1 Посещение видеоуроков 8 недель - 0-8 баллов

платформе университета «Univer» в соответствии с расписанием.

13. ПОЛИТИКА КУРСА

Оценки по Числовой Баллы (%-ое Оценки по