BRITISH

STUDIES

WEEK 1
 Lecturer’s contact
– Course: British & American Studies
– Ms. Nguyen Thi Kieu Dung
– Mobile: 098 333 6636
– Email: dzungntk@thanglong.edu.vn
 OBJECTIVES
The course aims at:

providing students with general knowledge of Britain and

American in the past and at the present.

offering students opportunities to improve their language and

interdisciplinary research skills.

preparing students who are interested in British & American

studies for their further study of the discipline.
– ASSESSMENT
–  2 mid-term tests: 40%
–  Sitting exam: 60%
– COURSEBOOKS
– James O’Driscoll, Britain, Oxford University Press,
1995.
– Fiedler, E. et al., America in close-up, Longman.
1995.
WEEKS TOPICS METHODS OF INSTRUCTION NOTES

1 - Course Overview Lecture & Discussion

- Country and people
- History
2 - Geography Lecture & Discussion
- Identity
BRITISH STUDIES
- Attitudes
3 - Political life Lecture & Discussion
- The government
- Parliament
4 - Education Lecture & Discussion
- Economy
- Mid-term Test (30 minutes)
5 - Country and people Lecture & Discussion
- History
- Geography
6 - American dream Lecture & Discussion
- Traditional beliefs and values
AMERICAN STUDIES
7 - The US political system Presentation & Discussion
- The US economy
8 - The US education Presentation & Discussion
- Mid-term Test (30 minutes)
9 - REVISION Presentation & Discussion
 WARM-UP
– 1. This is a book about Britain. What exactly is Britain?
– Who are the British?
– 2. What do you think the sports/sporting events listed in the table
below suggest?
Try to remember as much
information as you can when
having a look at the map of
the British Isles because you
are doing a test later on!
Label the capital cities of the following
countries in this order:
1. Scotland 2. England
3. Wales 4. Northern Ireland 5.
Republic of Ireland

Dublin Cardiff

London Edinburgh

Belfast
Label the map!
Countries first, then the oceans!
Label them from top to bottom; left to
right!

North Sea Irish Sea

Republic Atlantic
of Ireland Ocean

English Northern
Channel Ireland
What islands are known as the
British Isles, geographically
speaking? Where are they?

Two large islands and several

much smaller ones lying off the
north-west coast of Europe are
collectively known as the
British Isles.

The largest island is called

Great Britain.

The other large one is called

Ireland.
Politically speaking
There are two states in the British Isles.
One governs most of the island of
Ireland, which is called The Republic of
Ireland.

Other names: “Eire” ?(its Irish language

name); Ireland/The Republic (informally)

The other has authority over the rest of

the British Isles (the whole of Great
Britain, the northeastern area of Ireland
and most of the smaller islands).

- The United Kingdom of Great Britain and

Northern Ireland (official name)
- The United Kingdom/the UK/Great
Britain/Britain

Normal adjective: British

 Crown

Crown dependencies
This is another way of referring
to the monarchy /ˈmɒnə(r)ki/
- which is the oldest part of the
(Thuộc Địa Hoàng Gia) system of government in this
country.

– two small parts of the British Isles having special political

arrangements
– The Channel Island & the Isle of Man
– complete internal self-government
– own Parliament
– own tax system
– “ruled” by a Lieutenant /lefˈten.ənt/ Governor appointed by the
British government
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

A country of countries
Why isn’t Wales represented When the Union Flag was created in 1606, Wales was already long a principality of
England, and Wales had been incorporated into England constitutionally when the Union
on the Union Jack? Flag was created.

The national flag

The Union Jack is the
national flag of the UK. The national flag: red
It is a combination of the
cross of St.George, the and white crosses on a
cross of St.Andrew and blue background.
the cross of St.Patrick.
National Anthem of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland - "God
Save The Queen"
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8KSAtos-dk
 some aspects of government are
The people in Ireland, organized separately (and sometimes

The four nations

Wales and highland differently)
Scotland belonged to the
Celtic race. Welsh, Scottish and Irish people feel their
identity very strongly.
The people in England
and lowland Scotland
were mainly of Germanic – Four nations of the British Isles: England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland
origin.
– The political unification was a gradual process, which took several hundred years.
difference reflected in – completed in 1800 when the Irish Parliament was joined with the Parliament for
the languages
England, Scotland and Wales in Westminster
People in the Celtic areas – 1922, most of Ireland became a separate state
spoke Celtic languages – 4 nations were distinct from each other in almost every aspect of life
(Irish Gaelic, Scottish
Gaelic and Welsh). – Racially in the first place
Thebecome
– Today, these differences have nations blurred
also hadbut
different economic, social,
not completely legal system.
disappeared.
People in the Germanic
areas spoke Germanic
dialects.
Symbols of the four nations
 Other signs of national identity
– Names
– Mac, Mc (MacDonald, McCartney ...): Scottish or Irish
– ‘O’ (O’Hara): Irish
– Surnames (Evans, Jones, Lloyd, Morgan, Williams): Welsh origin
– Most common surname in England and Scotland is Smith.
– There are nicknames for Scottish, Irish and Welsh men.
– An English, Welsh and Irish person might refer to and address a Scottish friend as “Jock”.
– Irishmen are called “Paddy” or “Mick”.
– Welshmen are known as “Dai” or “Taffy”.

– Clothes
– The kilt (a skirt with a tartan pattern worn by men) is a very well-known symbol of
Scottishness.
Musical Instruments
The harp
emblem of Wales and Ireland

The bagpipes
regarded as Scottish
 Characteristics
– The Irish = great talkers
– The Scots = being careful with money
– The Welsh = singing ability

– A fictional character
– John Bull: an imaginary figure.
– shown in cartoons and caricatures as a prosperous farmer of the
18th century
– first appears as a character in a series of political satires by John
Arbuthnot (1667-1735)
Some historical & poetic names

– Albion: /ˈælbiən/ original Roman name for Britain

– Latin word meaning “white”
– Britannia: /brɪˈtænjə/ name that the Romans gave
to their southern British province
– also name given to the female embodiment of
Britain, always shown wearing a helmet and
holding a trident
– Briton /ˈbrɪt(ə)n/ word used in official contexts and in
formal writing to describe a citizen of the UK.
– Caledonia /ˌkæləˈdəʊniən/ Roman name for Scotland.
– Cambria /ˈkæmbriə/ Roman name for Wales.
– Hibernia /haɪˈbɜːnɪə/ , /hɪˈbɜːnɪə/: Roman name for
Ireland.
– Erin /ˈɪərɪn/: is a poetic name for Ireland.
– “The Emerald Isle” /ði ˌemərəld ˈaɪl/: evoking the lush
greenery of its countryside.
 The dominance of England
– The dominant culture of Britain: English.
– The system of politics is of English origin.
– English: main language
– Many aspects of everyday life organized according to English custom and practice.
– The supply of money in Britain controlled by the Bank of England
– The present queen of the country: “Elizabeth the Second”
Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to England, the English people or
– The term “Anglo” commonly used. the English language

– E.g. newspaper and the TV news talk about “Anglo-American relations” to refer to
relations between the governments of Britain and the USA.
 National loyalties
– When you are talking to people from Britain,
it is safest to use “Britain” when talking
about where they live and “British” as the
adjective to describe their nationality.
less likely to offend someone
Caribbean countries:
Cuba, Haiti,
Dominican Republic, National loyalties
Puerto Rico,
Jamaica...
- a region of the
Americas – migration from Scotland, Wales and Ireland to England
– -> millions of people live in England but would never describe themselves as
South Asia: English.
Afghanistan, India, – support the country of their parents or grandparents rather than England in
Pakistan, Bangladesh, sporting contests
Sri Lanka, Nepal /nə – play for that country rather than England
ˈpɔːl/, Bhutan /buː – British citizens whose family origins lie outside the British Isles (e.g. people of
ˈtɑːn/, Maldives
Caribbean or south Asian descent) don’t mind being described as “British” but
/ˈmɔːldiːvz/ would not like to be called English.
- southern region of
the Asian continent
 True or False?

– 1. England is another name of Britain. F only one of the 4 nations of the British Isles

– 2. Celtic languages include Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic and Welsh. T

– 3. People in the Germanic areas spoke Germanic dialects. T
– 4. John Bull is a fictional character who is supposed to personify Englishness
and certain English virtues. T
– 5. Caledonia was the Roman name for Wales.
F Roman name for Scotland
Cambria: Roman name for Wales
– 6. There are millions of people who live in England would never describe
themselves as English. T migration from Scotland, Wales and Ireland to
England
Some
interesting
facts about
the
differences
in culture
between
Britain and
Vietnam
Some
interesting
facts about
the
differences
in culture
between
Britain and
Vietnam
Some
interesting
facts about
the
differences
in culture
between
Britain and
Vietnam
Some
interesting
facts about
the
differences
in culture
between
Britain and
Vietnam
Some
interesting
facts about
the
differences
in culture
between
Britain and
Vietnam
Some
interesting
facts about
the
differences
in culture
between
Britain and
Vietnam
Some
interesting
facts about
the
differences
in culture
between
Britain and
Vietnam
 8 4
11 1 5 12

9 6 2
13 7 10

3
 2. St.
1.
George’s 3. a Briton 4. Albion
rostrum
Cross
5. TUC
6. Bank of 7. The West
(Trades Union
Congress) England Indies
Let’s challenge ourselves by answering the
following questions!
– Who is this famous person?
– 1. the playwright who wrote “Hamlet” William Shakespeare
– 2. best known for writing the Harry Potter fantasy series J K Rowling
– 3. contemplates the force of gravity, as the famous story goes, on seeing an apple
fall in his orchard Sir Isaac Newton
– 4. who wrote “Oliver Twist” Charles Dickens
– 5. former PM from 1940 to 1945, when he led Britain to victory in the Second
World War, and again from 1951 to 1955
Winston Churchill
– 6. scientist known for his work with black holes and relativity, and the author of
popular science books like 'A Brief History of Time‘ Stephen Hawkins
– 7. the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, and the mother of Prince William and
Prince Harry
Princess Diana
 HOMEWORK

– Choose one of the famous people listed in the next slides and
write a biography in about 500 words.
– You should write about:
– his/her early life
– his/her major achievements in life
– his/her private life
– some interesting facts
– Upload the writing piece on elearning.thanglong.edu.vn one day
before the next lesson at the latest.
 – THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING THE LESSON!
– REMEMBER TO DO THE HOMEWORK ON ELEARNING SITE!
– GOOD BYE & SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!