(1) COURSE OUTLINE for british studies summer 2015

COURSE OUTLINE Course: An Introduction to British Studies Credit: 2 30 periods x 50 minutes; 4 periods per week LECTURER Nguyen Dieu Hong, MA Email: dieuhongnguyen@gmail.com Cell phon

COURSE OUTLINE

Course: An Introduction to British Studies Credit: 2 (30 periods x 50 minutes; 4 periods per week)

LECTURER

Nguyen Dieu Hong, MA Email: dieuhongnguyen@gmail.com Cell phone: 0912 370 696

1 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

2 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

3 ASSESSMENT

- Oral Presentation: 20%

- Quiz & Participation: 20%

- Sitting Exam: 60%

4 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

5 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

6 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

7 WORKING SCHEDULE

Course: An Introduction to British Studies

1 (12/6) HISTORY Chapter 1: History Course introduction

Lecture and discussion Documentary watching

2 (19/6) IDENTITY Chapter 2: Identity &

Attitudes

Lecture and discussion Quiz 1 (History & Identity) Movie screening

3 (26/6) POLITICS Chapter 3-6: Political life,

the Government, Parliament & Election

Lecture & Discussion Mini-presentations Debate on 2014 Scottish Referendum

4 (3/7) ECONOMY Chapter 7: Economy Quiz 2 (Politics)

Lecture & Discussion Mini-presentations Outline submission Tutorial on poster presentations

5 (10/7) EDUCATION Chapter 8: Education Quiz 3 (Economy)

Lecture & Discussion Tutorial on poster presentations

PRESENTATIONS

Sessions 1&2: Groups 1,3,5,7,9

Sessions 3&4: Groups 2,4,6,8,10

Presentations & Discussions Reflection writing

7 (24/7) REVISION Preparation for final exam Quiz 4 (Education)

Q&A Discussion Reflection submission

8 INSTRUCTIONS ON POSTER PRESENTATIONS

A Requirements

1 The class is divided into 10 groups; each is assigned one among 5 themes in the syllabus to present about

2 Topics for presentation must be part of the lecture’s

3 The list of team members should be sent to the teacher in charge by Week 2

4 Students have to hand in the outline of their talk at least TWO WEEK before their oral presentation Failure to do so will result in a 25% deduction of their final grade for presentation

5 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 6 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