Task 01

Society changes

PART 1

o Do you recognise some of the things in the pictures

that reminisce about the 1960s?

o Read the following facts abouth the 60s and discuss with
your partner(s) how much progress has been made in
each of the issues or how many changes have taken place
since then. Which other changes do you know of?
It was an era of civil rights movements. In quite a few
countries there were permanent protests against the
unfair treatment of races.
In a number of countries, female activits made it
possible for women to plan their careers and have
babies when they wanted them due to the introduction
of the birth control pill and other contraceptive
methods.

As a way to protest against what was

mainstream in society, a considerable number of
youngsters wore clothes that were considered
strange. Men also had extremely long hair.
Many of the most popular singers and bands
composed lyrics protesting against what was
wrong in society. A number of their fans who
called themselves hippies believed in sexual
freedom and took drugs usually marijuana and
LSD (a type of psychedelic drug).
Television consolidated as the most important
entertainment medium.

oWhat important changes taking place in the

1970s do you know about?

o Read the following facts abouth the 70s and discuss with
your partner(s) how much progress has been made in
each of the issues or how many changes have taken
place. Which other important changes do you know of?

In a number of countries, the political liberty

of women was consolidated.
Most industrialised countries experienced an
economic recession due to a global oil crisis,
which brought the boom of the neoliberal
economic theory.
The world was extremely polarised between
the United States of America and the former
Soviet Union.

Worldwide, there was an ever-increasing

number of women entering the non-agrarian
workforce.
American television started portraying strong
female characters in programmes like Wonder
Woman, Charlies Angels and The Bionic
Woman.
In the UK and Peru, as in a number of other
countries, most TV stations began broadcasting
in colour despite the fact that not many
households owned a state-of-the-art TV set yet.

oDo you know about the most important

changes taking place in the 1980s?

o Read the following facts abouth the 80s and discuss

with your partner(s) how much progress has been made
in each of the issues or how many changes have taken
place. Which other important changes do you know of?

The manufacturing industry relocated into newly

industrialising economies, such as Thailand,
Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan and China. Japan
and former West Germany enjoyed rapid
economic growth during the decade.
Personal computers experienced explosive
growth, and the mouse was born.
The development of the modern Internet started
although it was not released to the general public
until a decade later.

Both the Walkman and Boombox became very

popular and had a profound impact on the
music industry and youth culture.
The HIV/AIDS pandemic began.
Pacman was the first video game to achieve
widespread popularity in mainstream culture
and the first game character to be popular in his
own right.
Political correctness became a trend in
behaviour in order to avoid prejudice against
certain minority groups.

PART 2

oHow much do you know about the most

important changes in the 1990s?

o Read the following facts abouth the 90s and discuss

with your partner(s) how much progress has been
made in each of the issues or how many changes
have taken place. Which other important changes do
you know of?

The collapse of comunism in eastern Europe

was evident. Just a couple of years after the
fall of the Berlin Wall, the dissolution of the
Soviet Union, in 1991, led to a realignment and
reconsolidation of economic and political
power across the world and within countries.
Capitalism spread worldwide.

Cable television and, later in the decade, the

Internet made it possible for multiculturalism to
rise. E-commerce was born.
Dolly the sheep was the first mammal to be
cloned from an adult cell.
DNA identification of individuals found wide
application in criminal law.
Tatoos and body piercing gained popularity
among quite a few young people.
Genetically engineered crops are developed for
commercial use.

The New Century

oDo you know about the most important
changes taking place so far this century?

o Read the following facts and discuss with your

partner(s) how much progress has been made in
each of the issues or how many changes have taken
place so far this century. Which other important
changes do you know of?

In this era of globalisation, we have been able

to buy/sell goods, exchange money and
ideas, make reservations, etc. faster and
cheaper than ever before.
Antibiotic resistance has become one of the
eminent public health concerns of the 21st
century.

China and India, the two most populous

countries, have become increasingly dominant
economic forces.
As many western multinational corporations
have moved to developing countries, there has
been an increase in the offshore outsourcing of
jobs, such as call centres in India.
The euro has become the second largest reserve
currency and the second most traded currency in
the world, after the US dollar.
We have been able to use wireless Internet in
different sorts of mobile/portable devices.

FURTHER DISCUSSION
Choose one topic or more!!!

Will robots be able to take some of our

jobs? Which ones?
Is there anything that does not yet exist
that you would like to see invented? What
is it?
How will electronic devices change in the
future? What will they be able to do for
us?

 What kind of developments might happen in

health care in the future?
Do you think life will be more difficult or easier
for our grandchildren? In what ways?
How long will people live in the future?
Do you believe faster-than-light travel will be
possible in the future? How about time travel?