American Culture 美国文化

←American Culture ---- A General Survey←Course ObjectivesThis course is a survey of American culture and society. The purpose of the course: To provide students with a general "feel" for the cultural characteristics of the USA.To promote students’ awareness, tolerance and even acceptance of cultural diversity.To help students develop skills to interact appropriately with Americans.To teach students to critically analyze, evaluate and judge different cultural phenomena.Contents1. Introduction to the Course2. Geography ＆History3. Politics ＆Education4. Traditions ＆Customs5. Social Daily Life6. Professions ＆Hobbies7. Holidays ＆Festivals8. Places of Interest9. Celebrities / Famous People←ReadingsMany of our readings will be done on line or you may download them for your own use. In the meantime, the following course texts are recommended.← 1.《美国社会与文化》，常俊跃，李莉莉，赵永青主编，北京大学出版社，2009年← 2. 《走进美国文化》，（美）哈夫曼等著，应惠兰，邵永真注，外语教学与研究出版社，2009年← 3. 《边品美国文化边学英文》，肖冉等编著，水利水电出版社, 2009年← 4. 《美国文化背景》（第3版），（美）戴特斯曼等著，陈国华译，世界图书出版公司，2006年←Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia:/wiki/USA←General Knowledge Quiz about the USA1. How many states are there in the US?a. 49b. 50c. 51d. 482. What do Americans celebrate on July 4th?a. Flag Day.b. The Revolution.c. The Discovery of America.d. Independence Day.3. What are the two major parties in the US?a. The Republicans and the Democrats.b. The Republics and the Socialists.c. The Democrats and the Socialists.d. The Conservationists and the Democrats.4. Who said: “We hold these truths to be self- evident that all men are created equal”?a. Bill Clintonb. George Washingtonc. Richard Nixond. Thomas Jefferson5. Who is eligible for the Office of President?a. Anyone whose children are Americanb. Whoever served the armyc. A natural born citizend. An alien6. What are the symbols of the USA?←There are many symbols that represent the United States of America. Some of the most popular ones are the Stars and Stripes (the US flag), the Great Seal of the USA, the bald eagle(our national bird), the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the US Capitol, the White House, Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, the Statue of Liberty (a gift from France), Mount Rushmore (carved on a mountain in South Dakota), The Star Spangled Banner (the national anthem of the USA), The Pledge of Allegiance, Yankee Doodle , Uncle Sam (a cartoon figure designed by Thomas Nast), the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Golden Gate Bridge, the World War II Memorial, and many others.←/history/us/symbols/7. When people talk about the U.S. as a nation of immigrants, you may think of the nickname ___ .Answer: Melting Pot / Salad Bowl8. When people talk about going to the U.S. to pursue success, you may say they want to achieve their ___ .Answer: American dream←American DreamThe American Dream is a national ethos of the United States; a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility achieved through hard work. In the definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams in 1931, "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement" regardless of social class or circumstances of birth.←The American DreamLand of opportunity(1) individual freedom of choice in life styles(2) equal access to economic abundance(3) the pursuit of shared objectives mutually advantageous to the individual and society9. Who’s the most renowned leader of the Civil Rights Movement in the US?Answer: Martin Luther King (1929-1968)←What is culture←Varied definitions---- the art, literature, and music of a people, their architecture, history, religion, and tradition---- the way of life of a group of people, developed over time and passed down from generation to generation---- the customs and specific behavior of a people英国人类学家Edward B. Tylor提出：文化是一个复合的整体，其中包括知识、信仰、艺术、法律、道德、风俗以及人作为社会成员而获得的任何其他能力和习惯。

简单地说，文化是一种复杂的社会现象，它渗透于社会生活的各个方面，是人类社会生活和精神生活的总和。

←胡文仲指出：学习一门外语，就意味着学习它所构筑的一整套文化世界；掌握一门外语，就意味着获得一种新的对世界的看法。

←What is culture"Most social scientists today view culture as consisting primarily of the symbolic, ideational, and intangible aspects of human societies. The essence of a culture is not its artifacts, tools, or other tangible cultural elements but how the members of the group interpret, use, and perceive them. It is the values, symbols, interpretations, and perspectives that distinguish one people from another in modernized societies; it is not material objects and other tangible aspects of human societies. People within a culture usually interpret the meaning of symbols, artifacts, and behaviors in the same or in similar ways.“------ Banks, J.A., Banks, & McGee, C. A. (1989). Multicultural education. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.←National SymbolsWhenever mentioning U.S.A, what images will you recall in your mind or what images might symbolize U.S.A?Tips:national flag; national anthem; the Great Seal; the Statue of Liberty; bald eagle; national flower; national tree; the White House; Uncle Sam; Hollywood; etc.Brief Introduction←National Flag—The Stars and StripesStars = the 50 States Stripes = the 13 colonies←National Anthem ---The Star Spangled Banne r←National Flower—Rose←National Bird—The Bald EagleOn the backs of the gold coins, the silver dollar, the half dollar and the quarter, we see an eagle with outspread wings.←National Tree—Oak←The Great Seal←Uncle SamHistorians aren't completely certain how the character "Uncle Sam" was created, or who (if anyone) he was named after. The prevailing theory is that Uncle Sam was named after Samuel Wilson.Wilson was born in Arlington, Mass., on September 13, 1766. At age 23, he started a meatpacking business and earned a reputation for being honest and hard-working.Barrels of meat were stamped “EA-US” identifying the company and country of origin.When a government official asked about the letters, a creative employee told him that US was short for “Uncle Sam”.During the War of 1812, Wilson was in the business of slaughtering and packing meat.He provided large shipments of meat to the US Army, in barrels that were stamped with the initials "U.S." Supposedly, someone who saw the "U.S." stamp suggested— perhaps as a joke—that the initials stood for "Uncle Sam" Wilson. The suggestion that the meat shipments came from "Uncle Sam" led to the idea that Uncle Sam symbolized the federal government.GeographySize and LocationIn the central part of North America (except Alaska and Hawaii);Canada on the northMexico and the Gulf of Mexico on the southAtlantic Ocean on the eastPacific Ocean on the westtotal area—9. 53 million square kilometers;50 states and the federal district of Columbia—the seat of the Federal Government.original 48 statesAlaska and Hawaii, separated from the continent, became the 49th and 50th states in 1959.Alaska borders on northwestern CanadaHawaii lies in the central Pacific OceanAlaska—the largestRhode Island—the smallestTexas—the largest on the mainland←USA Time Zone MapPLACES CURRENTLY OBSERVING DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME (DST) / SUMMER TIME ←River and Lakes←The Mississippi Riverthe longest and the most important river in the system of the Gulf.length—6,262 kilometersdrainage area —3,225,000 square kilometers.Known as the “father of waters” to American IndiansAs Mark Twain was raised on the river, his most popular and important writings are concerned with this area．The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn tells the storyof how the boy Huckleberry Finn and his black friend Jim, a runaway slave,sailed down the Mississippi on a raft.←ClimateMainly temperate with some mild subtropical zones with only the southern Florida and Hawaii being tropical.50centimeter rainfall linein the east—comparatively more rain, so easy agriculture;in the west—much less rain (less than 50 cm. a year) with the exception of thecoastal areas along the Pacific.←Major CitiesWhen talking about America, is there any city that you are familiar with? And why?New York—commercial and financial center of the United StatesWashington D.C.—seat of the federal governmentLos Angles—second largest cityChicago—the windy citySeattle; Philadelphia; San Francisco; etc.←Demographic informationThe world population of today is estimated to number 7.038 billion by the United States Census Bureau (USCB).The USCB estimates that the world population exceeded 7 billion on March 12, 2012.According to a separate estimate by the United Nations Population Fund, it reached this milestone on October 31, 2011.联合国人口基金会1999年初公布的统计数字向人们展示了全球人口增长的历程：1804年世界人口只有10亿，1960年达到30亿，1999年10月12日，世界人口达到60亿。