Great Britain

Political System in Britain

Parliament: Queen, House of Lords, House of Commons Make laws Queen: head of the state Acts as a focus for national identity, unity, pride Important ceremonial role Representative role Signs bills Isnt allowed to decide laws on her own House of Commons: elected by citizens House of Lords: heritable seats Allowed to delay bills for one year Head is the Government Government: Prime Minister, Cabinet Prime Minister: appointed by Queen Constitutional monarchy: power of monarch is limited

Monarchy Pro
National pride Preserving of tradition and heritage Stability of the head of state Exemplary function for the nation Ceremonial events are a tourist attraction Older people can better identify themselves with the Queen A constitutional monarchy makes a dictatorship impossible

Contra
costs Undemocratic Nation has no say Old form of government, which doesnt fit into modern society Only representative function Younger people cant really identify with the Queen

Electoral system in Britain First Past the Post System

Each voter has one vote The candidate with the most votes wins The votes of the others dont count

Pro
System is easy to understand Inexpensive Result can be produced quickly Stable majority

Contra
Simple majority(possible that more people in total have voted for other candidates) System wages huge numbers of votes Disadvantage for smaller parties

Social structure in Britain class system

Upper class: Status group (high politicians, aristocracy) Have the highest capital Smallest group Wealthy Upper middle class: Civil servants, manager High income High educated Lower middle class: Biggest part of society Owners of small business Skilled workers Working class: Semi-skilled and unskilled workers Rather poor Us-and-them attitude (see higher classes as rivals) Lower classes: large unemployment rate poor us-and-them attitude not well educated need more often the welfare system social mobility between lower middle class and working class

Consequences of class position

Education: state schools for lower classes private schools for upper classes Health/medical care: lower classes often have health problems lower classes are unable to use health care lower classes get health care with lower quality lower classes have higher rates of infant mortality, cancer Employment: middle classes enjoy greater freedoms are more respected enjoy more diversity lower classes have lower work satisfaction Police/ Courts: lower classes are much more beaten by police are imprisoned more often

Private schools Pro

Could offer better learning aids Teachers with more motivation

Contra
State schools will never improve if people send their children to private schools Lack of good people in state schools, so that they have to decrease the standards of education Bad pupils have no chance to learn from good classmates Only rich people are able to send their children to private schools Pupils without good skills but with rich parents will spoil the system Parents are ashamed to send their children to a state school, theyll send them to private schools although they dont have enough money, which could escalate into a family crisis

Intelligent people are together with other children with similar learning ability Better chances to find a well-paid job

Britain and Europe

Britain has a skeptical attitude against Europe UK is difficult member of the EU UK demand independent states and no central government They dont accept the Euro and keep the British Pounds UK dont like to identify themselves with Europe and the EU in order to maintain national sovereignty and tradition The UK is a member of the EU because of economic reasons But political integration is avoided

Republicanism
Opposite of monarchy President as a head of state, elected by the nation After his time in office the nation can elect a new president President isnt allowed to appoint the next president

Northern Ireland-Conflict
Roots of the religious conflict go back to 16th century King Henry VIII broke with the Roman Catholic Church England became Protestant Henry Kind declared himself as Head of the New Anglican Church Henry wanted that the people of Ireland turn away from Catholicism too Ireland dont want to turn away from Catholicism Irish Catholics became more united and more anti-English than ever Country was divided into free Republic of Ireland (Catholics in South) and Northern Ireland (Protestants) Civil War between Protestants and Catholics

USA
American History
Pilgrims: Wanted to separate from the church in England (Separatists) Leave to escape discrimination by the king Fled to Holland and then to America in 1620 Puritans: Wanted to cleanse the church of England from the influence of Roman-Catholic Leave England Travelled to America Influence the American Dream Pursuit of success, ambition and diligence Extermination of the Indians

Manifest Destiny
Mission of God to expand across the continent People are chosen by God Justification for extinction of the Indians Indians are seen as wild people without any rights Through expansion, the frontier between the east side (civilization) and the west side (Reservation) moved more and more to the west

Slavery
1619 the first African slaves arrived in America Slave trade Slaves were used on tobacco and cotton plantations They had to clear forests, work in mines and in households 1776 Declaration of Independence Some people wanted the same rights and equality for blacks Civil War: Union states (North) against slavery The Confederacy (South) were for slavery After Civil War, slavery became illegal Racial segregation, which means the segregation of people of different races in daily life Civil Right Movement by Martin Luther King Marches for blacks right to vote and civil rights

Movements aimed at abolishing public and private acts of racial discrimination against African Americans Rosa Parks: Bus Boycott to protest the segregation of blacks and whites on public buses

American Dream
USA worlds strongest magnet for immigrants No correct definition Everybody has his own dream Dream of freedom and equality Dream of wealth Hope of better living conditions in America Country with the unlimited possibilities From rags to riches All people can succeed through hard work People arent discriminated against of race, religion, origin Hope of potential change Dream of classless society Better future More opportunities Optimism

American Nightmare
For some people the American Dream is only an illusion American Dream can turn into an Nightmare Life in America isnt even better than before No classless society In reality, workers have no chance of rising up in their social mobility From riches to riches Millions of jobs are gone No job, no money, no home Unemployment rate rises Increasing crime Because of people origin, they dont have the chance to realize the American Dream Creation of marginalized groups More inequality Big gap between poor and rich People dont get access to health care or good education Pessimism

Gini-Index
Statistic measure for unequal distribution of income Number 0 means the equal distribution of income among people of one country Number 1 means the unequal distribution of income All income belongs to only one person Number 0 and number 1 dont exist in reality Germany: 0,27 USA: 0,45 Namibia: 0,7

Children below poverty level

Poverty rate for children varies by race and origin Poverty can stop childrens ability to learn Poverty contributes to social, emotional and behavioral problems Black and Hispanic children are more poor than white children 21% of all children in the USA live below the poverty level

Social structure USA social class

Upper class: Rich Powerful Great wealth Upper middle class: Highly academic educated Middle class: College educated White-collar Lower middle class: Bachelors degree Working class: Blue collar Work is routinized Lower class: Unemployed or unable to work

Poor Food stamp program

Ellis Island
Major immigration station Statue of Liberty Immigrants have to pass Ellis Island

Ethnic groups
Whites Europe as country of origin Blacks Africa as country of origin Asians South Asia as country of origin American Indians Also called Native Americans Native Hawaiians Hawaii as country of origin

Immigration
Blacks Hispanics Asians Mains reason was the American Dream Worked for a long time as slaves Suffer discrimination Live in slums Emigrate illegally Arent skilled Unwilling to integrate into American society Well integrated Among the best students

Pro
Exchange of cultural values Exchange of knowledge between

Contra
Transfer of diseases More opportunity for terrorists, drug

nations Diversity of cultures Immigrants take jobs, that most Americans dont want to do Learn to be more tolerant Improves the overall image of a country

dealers to enter the country National identity is disappearing Immigrants consume health care, welfare without paying taxes Discrimination against ethnic minorities

Cultural diversity
Cultural identities should be maintained and valued America is an ethnically and racially diverse country Result of immigration from different counties Without the mixture of religions, races and cultures, America wouldnt be the nation that it is today People from different countries live together but often with their own culture in their heads Diversity of traditions, food, clothes, language Colorful society

Melting Pot
Assimilation Different cultures melt together Integration of immigrants To give up own tradition and culture Take a new identity Be an accepted part of the society

Salad Bowl
Multiculturism Different cultures are combined Cultures keep their own distinct qualities Every culture lives in his own society Society separated into small groups

Pro
Based on civil rights Equality of all people Benefit though cultural exchange Learn from other cultures Learn to respect other cultures

Contra
No social integration No national unity No assimilation Fragmentation of society Creation of cultural ghettos

Globalization
Process of interaction between several cultures on the planet

Pro
Technological development Possibility of communication Allows every country to increase their economies Transnational transaction Free trade New products available on market Access to products from different countries Growing prosperity for producers New jobs in developing countries Socially we have become more open and more tolerant

Contra
Negative impact on environment People in industrial countries lose jobs Immense pressure on employed people Big gap between poor and rich Unfair working conditions Safety standards are ignored Human rights are ignored Fear of losing culture and traditions in development countries Fear that a large number of illegal immigrants will come into industrial countries Dependency on other countries

Global village
the world as a single community in which people are connected by modern telecommunication (television, internet)

Global Player
corporations, which are represented in the whole world (McDonalds, Subway, H&M)

Global Challenges

Poverty Ecological issue (global warming) Terrorism (new)

Sweat-shop labor
People work in factories in developing countries Often sitting at a sewing machine to make clothes Have to work hard for low wages Have to work long hours Miserable working conditions No respect of workers rights Sometimes forced to work all night Verbal abuse: shouting if not working fast enough Physical abuse: hit and slap Sexual abuse Pregnant women are fired People dont earn enough money to support their families People work in sweat-shop because there is no alternative

Measures against sweat-shop labor

Stop buying things from sweat-shop labor Buy products with a fair trade sticker Make public that special corporates sell products from sweat-shop labor, so they will try to rebuild their image while going to the producer and say that they need better working conditions Inspectors, who observe the working conditions We have to be more open to pay more money for products, more money for a product could also mean better working conditions

Kyoto protocol
International agreement on Climate Change Targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions USA and China never joined the protocol, although they have the highest emissions

Pro
Start of climate protection Reducing greenhouse emissions is an essential step in slowing global warming

Contra
Will not be able to achieve real climate protection Non-compliance dont have any consequences for a country (no punishment)

Ecological footprint
Measure of humanitys demand on nature Footprint measures the total amount of land in relation to your lifestyle It calculates what portion of the planets resources we consume It includes all the land needed for housing and transport Through measuring our footprint, we can begin to understand the reality of our impact on the planet and make positive changes towards a more sustainable world

Sustainable development
Means a careful and responsible use of resources, oriented on the next generation The present generation should use resources without threatening the possibilities for the next generation

Global warming
Rising of average temperature Rising of ocean temperature Rising of sea level Extreme weather Hurricanes and storms get stronger Floods and droughts Fires and wildfires Ice is melting Loss of biodiversity Animal extinction Plants and animals will die People will lose two sources of food (plants and animals) Diseases will spread Migration, conflict and wars

Measures against global warming

Dual flush toilet, which will use about one third less water Only use washing machine and dishwasher when having a full load Dry clothes on the clothes line rather than in a dryer Rainwater tank Switch off TV and computer when not in use Energy efficient light globes Avoid plastic bags Recycling of paper products, plastic, glass bottles Take public transport

Greenhouse effect
About 50% of the suns energy is absorbed at the Earths surface The rest is reflected About a half of this reflected energy will be absorbed by the atmosphere The absorbed energy warms the surface The other reflected energy normally wants to escape into the space but through exhaust gases it isnt possible The sun energy cant escape and will be reflected again and stays in the atmosphere Result: global warming

Role of the UN
Targets: Ensure international security Ensure human rights all over the world Achievement of world peace Solving international problems Ensure freedom Realization of free trade Peacekeepers can be sent into wars Peacekeeping forces are voluntarily provided by member states of the UN

Security Council
Five permanent members: China, France, Russia, UK, US Permanent members have a veto Efforts to maintain world peace and international security

Is able to enforce its decisions

Role of the USA in world politics

World policeman Only interested in enforce its own interests

Post-colonialism
After Independency many inhabitants of the colonies have moved to the UK With the hope to get a better job or better education for their children Citizens of the British Empire had the right to move to the UK Growing of racism because British citizens had the fear of losing their jobs

The British Empire

Founding of colonies for military reasons America wanted to be independent Independence movement: Boston Tea Party, War of Independence Separation of the American colonies from GB Other colonies also wanted to be independent End of Empire: Independence of India

Pro
Free trade Commonwealth came out of it Benefits for Britain Empire united the people in the colonies

Contra
Violence and suppression Limitation of rights Through influence of Britain, loss of culture Exploitation of colonies Big dependency Civil Wars after Independence

Commonwealth
Voluntary association of independent colonies Queen as Head Aims: Decolonization Advance human rights Democracy

Pro
Brings countries together Links people of different cultures Shared values Free trade

Contra
Traditions get lost

Caste system
People were categorized by their occupations Now it is hereditary Each person is born into an unalterable social status People have to marry within their own caste Brahmins: Priests Try to maintain as much distance from the lowest class as possible Kshatry: Kings Warriors, soldiers Vaisyas: Landowners, trader skilled Sudras: servants farmers unskilled workers Harijans: outside the caste system untouchables Cleaning jobs / dirty jobs Touching an untouchable, the person becomes an untouchable himself, even if he was of the highest caste After Independence, untouchability is abolished

Pro
People always know their place in society

Contra
Majority of people are excluded from major choices Racial discrimination

Gandhi
Led India to Independence Inspired movements for: non-violence, civil rights, freedom Against colonialism, racism and violence Wanted to abolish the caste system Was for equal rights for all people Non-corporation with GB He told his nation to boycott British clothing Salt March: tax resistance and nonviolent protest against the British salt monopoly in India For his political activities, he had to go to prison several times Engagement to conciliate contrasts of religions and ethnic groups Independence of India also means its division into Hindu India and a Muslim Pakistan Gandhi was against this division He joined the hunger strike with the aim not rather to stop until Hindu and Muslim leaders will live together in peace Gandhi was shot by a Hindu

Arranged marriages
Part of tradition Arranged marriages often by high-caste people, because of protecting their status Marriage is arranged by people who dont get married (parents) In older times, parents decided without consent

Nowadays, children are asked for their consent Young children, even before puberty, are given in marriage Parents check the background of families and their caste No chance of marrying outside their own religion, caste, social status Shame to the family if children marry according to their own desire Children dont want to bring shame to their family, so they accept the marriage, even if they dont like their chosen partner Chosen partners see each other only 2-3 times before marriage in presence of parents and other family members

Pro
Dont have to worry with finding the right one Small amount of divorces Financial security Full family support No choice

Contra
Often no love Often forced No possibility of collecting experiences with different partners Burden for children

Indian /Pakistani minorities in GB

Indians are the largest minority group, followed by Pakistanis Both have the highest risk of becoming a victim of a racially motivated crime Minorities have to face discrimination Many prejudices against minority groups Integration of minority groups difficult Reasons for immigration: Suffered persecution Job shortage Some were attracted by higher standards of living Some had served during second World War in British army Employed in: Badly-paid jobs Shipbuilding, vehicles and textile industry Public transport, public service industries

Cultural differences
Differ in Cultural background Religion Origin Muslim values: Strong moral code

Strict, dominant Greatest fear is bringing shame on family Religion Respect Reputation

Ghettoization
Marginalization of minority groups Locality, where Muslims are in minority Tendency for people of similar background to live together in neighborhoods Muslim communities are being increasingly ghettoized Increase of segregation: sending children to schools, where Muslims or other minorities are in majority is avoided

Possible solutions
Ethnic minorities need to get more involved in society so that they dont feel mobbed about the color of their skin All citizens, irrespective of color, religion or race should get an opportunity to realize their potential We should bear in mind that a multi-racial society with many different ethnic minority groups is an enrichment in life, like education or employment We need more tolerance and acceptation for minority groups in order to live together in peace and harmony

Integration
First generation: Know that they are not British Come to Britain to offer their families a better life Home is the country, where they were born Greatest fear is that their children would stop thinking of themselves as Muslim Second generation: Want to be British, but are not fully accepted Live Muslim traditions Also live modern Western culture Often face problems with integration

 Third

Dual identity Often dont know to which lifestyle they belong to generation: Most successful Has become integrated into the British culture have lost their culture and traditions no connection with the land of their parents

Shakespeare
plays combines a cheerful mood with many misunderstandings tragedy vs. comedy every character has its own role (nave/villain) through plays we get information about how people lived years ago No information in the stage direction about facial expressions, tone of voice Stage direction: enter /exit

Pro
Reflects culture and history Universal topics (love / hate) Lot of new literature is based on the ideas of Shakespeare Increase the possibilities for expressing oneself (feelings) General knowledge

Contra
Too old Topics are old-fashioned Language not easy to understand Students, who become workers or mechanics dont need to know anything about Shakespeare

Sonnet
Poem

Themes: love, beauty and mutability Written in iambic pentameter Fourteen lines Three quatrains with four lines each Final two lines: couplet Rhyme scheme: abab cdcd efef gg Change recognizable through the But at the beginning Main part is in the couplet

Language
Large vocabulary Dominates all register (street-language yard-language) Soliloquy: Character speaks to himself and shares his thoughts and feelings with the audience Aside: Short comment by one character towards the audience, so that the other character cant hear what is said Dramatic irony: Character says something but the audience have a greater knowledge than the character Eavesdropping: The act of listening secretly to what other people are saying Pun: A play on words that sounds similar but have different meanings Stratagem: A trick or plan devised to gain advantage. The intention may be evil Villain: The principal bad character in a play whose evil actions or motives are important to the plot Prose: Ordinary speech No regular pattern of rhythm Line dont have same number of syllables

Only proper nouns, I and first letter are capitalized Block of text Often used by lower classes Function: it allows the audience to identify with the character by using ordinary language Rhymed verse: Rhymed couplet Hard return after every rhyme First word of every line is capitalized Blank verse: Unrhymed iambic pentameter Ten syllables altering unstressed and stressed syllable Hard return at the end of every line First word of every line is capitalized Verse is often used by upper classes

Elizabethan theatre
No actresses Female roles were taken by boys All of the actors were colorfully and richly dressed Elizabethan Era was the period in which Elizabeth I reign England as a Queen Golden age of theatre Theatres were outside the town, people thought that dirt and alcohol were unchristian

Elizabethan woman
Roles of women in society very limited Housewives and mothers Have to work in domestic service Women were inferiors Childbearing great honor to women Children were seen as blessings from God Women were regarded as the weaker sex Women always need someone to look after them Were highly educated Were not allowed to go to school or university

They could be educated at home Women were not allowed to act Acting was dishonorable for women Were not allowed to vote

Utopia / Dystopia
Utopia
Place, that is ideally perfect in respect of politics, laws, conditions No realistic chance that this world will become true

Dystopia
Futuristic universe with societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through control Control / surveillance of citizens Freedom is limited Figurehead is worshipped by society Citizens have fear of the outside world Dehumanized state Natural world is banished /distrusted Individuality and protest are bad

The Dystopian Protagonist

Often feel trapped Is struggling to escape Questions the existing social and political system Feels that something is terribly wrong with the society Helps the audience recognizes the negative aspects of the dystopian world

Brave New World

Dystopian world state All people live in a caste system Consumption System keeps people happy through sex, drugs and sport No time to think Soma important for state and for stability Relationships are based on sexuality Relationships for longer periods arent good in system It could be a cause of trouble and a reason for instability in the system Long period relationship unusual and forbidden Bernard doesnt fit into the society Bernard doesnt take soma Pregnancy taboo In reservation are negative things: poverty, high age John dislike the BNW John thinks differently John wants to escape from the BNW Director shows that even higher classes arent perfect because he has a son

Most of the people arent able to think about their life in a critical way

Dystopia in todays world

BUT Technology is rapidly replacing jobs Social networking sites reduce our privacy (Facebook) Searching for information of people in Google People are responsible themselves Web surfing and spending habits are monitored Cameras at every corner (Big brother is watching you) Every step youll take is controlled Dehumanized things through genetic engineering live savior sibling Limitation of civil rights since 9/11 in our society: We can vote Supervisory authority

Genetic Engineering
Isolating a gene from one organism (donor) Putting it into another organism (the recipient) Used in humans to change their appearance, intelligence, character... Used to produce much food at low cost to reduce the world hunger

GE-Food Pro
Better taste Crops are more adjusted to different climates, more resistant against vermins Opportunity to address the food shortage Help reduce hunger and poverty

Contra
Tests are only conducted on animals like rats and mice Negative effects on the internal organs of rats Consequences for human health are unknown and unanticipated Poses a serious threat to the

Produce tons of food during drought years Longer shelf life Farmers can spray in order to kill weeds without killing the crops

environment, animal and human health Produce toxin, which is harmful for environment and animals GE seeds are often aggressively marketed GE seeds more expensive, so that farmers end up with a large debt GE seeds aggravate the hunger problem

Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis PGD

Embryos are created and grow to eight-cell stage Certain cells are removed DNA of these cells will be examined for defects ( diabetes/ heart diseases) Only normal embryos are placed in the womb

Pro
PGD will help to detect the mutated embryos Expensive

Contra
Some of these procedures fail

Savior sibling
Savior sibling is a child, who is created in-vitro to save the life of its older brother or sister In eight-cell stage will be a screening to look for compatibility Cells, which arent compatible will be rejected The living child becomes a donor It donates blood from the umbilical cord or stem cell from bone-marrow

Pro
Pre-select embryos could potentially save ill siblings Procedure gives hope to

Contra
Sample size of cord blood is often too small and it doesnt afford enough cells for a stem cell transplant To create a child with the

families with ill children

Sibling can give a genetically matched bone-marrow To save somebodys life might give the child a confidence and might make him understand the worth of his deed

intention of using its stem cells to save another sick child, turns child into an object Child gets feeling that it lives only because another one needed him to get wealthy Savior sibling has no voice in this matter savior sibling has to save life Child not born for itself but to save another Some embryos are destroyed Child may get ill-feelings about its existence

Corporates interests
Food: Farmers have to use one-way seeds, so that they always have to buy new seeds They can use their seeds again if they are willing to pay high taxes Result: farmers end up with large debt Corporates take advantage of their power /monopoly

Human: Scientists often apply for a patent for the genes of a disease (breast cancer) If other corporates find a medicinal substance against breast cancer, they have to pay money to the other corporate, because they have a patent on the gene, which the other corporate used to find a substance against it