COURSE OUTLINE Course: An Introduction to British Studies Credit: (30 periods x 50 minutes; periods per week) LECTURER Nguyen Dieu Hong, MA Email: dieuhongnguyen@gmail.com Cell phone: 0912 370 696 RATIONALE It has been widely accepted in the field of language teaching and learning that language competence should always go along with cultural knowledge It is impossible to master a language without sufficient understanding of the people who use it and of the country where it is used Thus in order to effectively learn English at the university and successfully use it in communication as well as in their future careers it is essential that the English language majors gain an insight into one of the most influential cultures that give birth to the English language and that provide the environment for its development the British culture Moreover, in the globalization in general and the international standardization of higher education in particular, the inclusion of British Studies in the curriculum will truly improve the quality of teaching and research of the university so as to assure the University of Languages and International Studies, VNUH not only to be a teaching establishment but also a prestigious research center COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES Upon completion of the course, the students will be able to: - Have general knowledge of the British people and culture with focus on the national identity, cultural life, beliefs and values as well as their expressions in the British society - Build up their own panorama of the British political, economic and educational systems that may serve as the fundamental steps in their lifelong in-depth studies into related fields of their needs and interests - Enrich their vocabulary, sharpen their pronunciation and their grammatical knowledge as well as to improve their language and research skills in order to meet all the demand of their current study and their future careers - Improve their team-work and presentation skills ASSESSMENT - Oral Presentation: 20% - Quiz & Participation: 20% - Sitting Exam: 60% CLASS PARTICIPATION AND PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS: - Students are ultimately responsible for participating in the course through the following academic activities: reading required texts before class, responding to instructor inquiries, doing oral presentations, and taking quizzes and exams - Students are expected to attend the entire course Those students who miss more than one class are not allowed to sit for the final exam Absence without notice and valid reasons on Quiz/Presentation day will result in mark Zero for that Quiz/Presentation PRESCRIBED READING - An Introduction to British Studies (2008), adopted mainly from O’Driscoll J (2002) Britain – The Country and Its People: An Introduction for Learners of English OUP For Internal Use only - McDowall, D (1990s) Britain in Close-up Longman REFFERENCES - Storry, M & Childs, P (Ed.) (2002) British Cultural Identities Routledge - Bloomfield, P et al (2003) Britain Lonely Planet Publications - Sheerin, S et al (2002) Spotlight on Britain OUP - Garwood, C et al (2000) Aspects of Britain and the U.S.A Oxford, OUP WORKING SCHEDULE Course: An Introduction to British Studies WEEK THEME (12/6) HISTORY Chapter 1: History (19/6) IDENTITY Chapter 2: Identity & Attitudes (26/6) POLITICS (3/7) ECONOMY Chapter 3-6: Political life, the Government, Parliament & Election Chapter 7: Economy (10/7) EDUCATION (17/7) (24/7) CONTENT Chapter 8: Education Sessions 1&2: Groups POSTER PRESENTATIONS 1,3,5,7,9 Sessions 3&4: Groups 2,4,6,8,10 REVISION Preparation for final exam ACTIVITIES Course introduction Lecture and discussion Documentary watching Lecture and discussion Quiz (History & Identity) Movie screening Lecture & Discussion Mini-presentations Debate on 2014 Scottish Referendum Quiz (Politics) Lecture & Discussion Mini-presentations Outline submission Tutorial on poster presentations Quiz (Economy) Lecture & Discussion Tutorial on poster presentations Presentations & Discussions Reflection writing Quiz (Education) Q&A Discussion Reflection submission INSTRUCTIONS ON POSTER PRESENTATIONS A Requirements The class is divided into 10 groups; each is assigned one among themes in the syllabus to present about Topics for presentation must be part of the lecture’s The list of team members should be sent to the teacher in charge by Week Students have to hand in the outline of their talk at least TWO WEEK before their oral presentation Failure to so will result in a 25% deduction of their final grade for presentation On the day of presentation, each team must hand in a firmly-secured file which contains: • Final detailed outline • Team collaboration report • Team performance evaluation sheet (for teacher's use) • Individual in-class performance evaluation sheet ( for teacher's use) Failure to submit the presentation package by due date will result in a 25% deduction of the group’ final grade for presentation B Procedure - A workshop on British Studies is organized in week for all groups to present about their chosen topics - Each group uses an A0-sized paper to make their poster - One the day of workshop: • Each group spends 10 minutes introducing their topic and their findings • The rest of time will be for Q&A All team members must contribute to the presentation Their work will be evaluated by other members and reported to the teacher in charge C Assessment Assessment will be based on the overall effectiveness of the team performance and individual student’s performance, which is the combination of content, language, visual aids, physical message (postures, gestures, eye contact, voice inflection, etc.) and cooperation among team members See Presentation Guidelines for further instructions and all related forms An Introduction to British Studies SUGGESTED TOPICS FOR ORAL PRESENTATIONS HISTORY The critical period(s) in the UK history that shaped the country’s history British imperialism The fall of the British Empire: causes & effects The role of Britain in international relations after WWII (in comparison with the US) IDENTITY Cultural differences and similarities between the UK and the US - Family values - Openness vs conservatism - Ethnic identities Multiculturalism in the UK: Advantages and disadvantages Immigrant history and issues Scottish Independence Referendum in 2014: causes & effects ECONOMY The roles of the UK governments in managing the country’s economic system The theoretical foundations of the UK economy Consumerism in Britain Current challenges of the UK economy POLITICS The future of British royal family The political and economic role of Britain in the EU Similarities and differences in general elections in the UK and the US British and American democracies in comparison How are the traditional beliefs and values reflected in British political system? EDUCATION Learning styles in the UK and the US The academic life in British and American universities The marketization of higher education in Britain Achievements and challenges of British education Students can choose topics of their own interest with the approval of their teacher Comparison and contrast of the UK & the US features are encouraged