SEMINAR 2. I. Present an outline of the events going on in Britain this week

TOPIC: The UK POPULATION. NATIONAL IDENTITY and GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS.

 

I. Present an outline of the events going on in Britain this week.

 

II. Make a survey of the newspaper articles on the British population and present a short outline of the discussed issues.

 

III. Study the lecture on the UK Population. Answer the following questions using the statistics:

1. Is it correct to describe contemporary Britain as a ‘multi-ethnic’ and ‘multinational society’? If so, why?

2. What are the main reasons of the UK population growth?

3. What does ‘the core-periphery theory’ describe?

4. What are the reasons for increased longevity in the UK?

5. What can be the reasons for the relatively low birth rate in the UK?

6. Is the UK population getting older or younger?

7. What are the changes in the composition of a British family?

8. Is the number of divorces increasing in the UK?

9. Are the British becoming a more solitary nation?

10. Can we call Britain ‘a country of immigrants’? Why/Why not?

 

IV. Compose a scheme, a chart, a diagram or a collage that will be illustrating the answer to one or more of the questions in task III.

V. Organize a role-play on the problem “Attitudes to national, regional and local identities in the UK”. The presenter is going to introduce the problem and the representatives from the four parts of the UK will speak about their peculiar sense of national identity. Then all the participants will try to define the concept of ‘Britishness’ discussing what can unite the country and its people.

VI. Present the report on the social classes and their influence on every-day life in Britain. Use the lecture and the recommended sources.

 

VII. Discuss the ethnic profile of the UK population according to the following outline:

1. Give the data for the immigration to the UK in the 20^th and 21^st centuries.

2. Show some ethnic communities concentration on the map.

3. Describe the problems the immigrants cause in the society and the problems which the immigrants have to face in the UK.

4. Speak about the attitude of the native population to immigrants and ethnic minorities.

 

VIII. Write an essay on the topic “The Future of the UK Population”.

 

SEMINAR 3

TOPIC: The UK STATE SYSTEM.

I. Present an outline of the events going on in Britain this week.

 

II. Make a survey and present a short outline of the debated issues in the British Parliament this week.

 

III. Comment on the following realia:

The Great Charter of Liberty, the Bill of Rights, Whitehall, Westminster, the Labour Party, the Tories, the House of Commons, the House of Lords, MP, PM, The State Opening of Parliament, Whips, the Lord Chancellor, the Speaker, Hansard, Division Lists, the Cabinet, Shadow Cabinet, Lords Temporal, Lords Spiritual, the Royal Assent, the Civil Service, the Treasury, by-election, the County Council.

 

IV. Prepare 10 statements on the topic and ask your fellow students to say if they are true or false.

 

V. Make up an outline of the following topics using the key-words.

1. The UK – a Constitutional Monarchy.

2. The UK Parliament.

3. The Legislative Procedure in the UK Parliament.

4. The UK Government.

5. The System of the UK Elections.

 

VI. Make a survey of one of the topics (to be done in writing and presented orally in class):

1. The development of so-called British Constitution and constitutional monarchy with facts based on your knowledge of history.

2. The advantages and disadvantages of the British electoral system.

3. The origin, development and present-day character of the Cabinet, the possible reasons for the growth of its powers.

4. The dominating role of the two largest parties in Britain.

5. The new observed tendencies in the political life of contemporary Britain as regards the activities of different parties.

 

VII. Get ready to debate on the following topics in class:

- The reform of the House of Lords.

- The reform of the voting system.

- The necessity of the monarchy.

SEMINAR 4

 

TOPIC: THE UK ECONOMY and WELFARE.

 

I. Present an outline of the events going on in Britain this week.