Questions
Introduction to American Culture
1. What is "culture"?
Culture is everything created by humans in the course of history (broad definition). Culture is artificial, man-made. Nature influences cultural preferences (example: national cuisine). Culture shrinks nature. It is not always easy to say where nature finishes.
2. What is "deep culture"? (Give examples)
The Iceberg Concept of culture. Above-the-water culture (or surface culture) is sth that can be seen, touched, enjoyed by both natives and foreigners, but not understood by the latter. Deep culture comprises values, beliefs, patterns of behavior; aspects of culture that are hidden. Surface culture is essentially the cultural norms you can easily identify in a foreign country. Deep culture are the cultural norms not easily detected unless, in fact, you are born and raised in that specific culture OR you spend an extended amount of time in the foreign culture. Surface culture changes daily, weekly, yearly, and by decades. Deep culture is relatively stable over a long period of time –- throughout hundreds or thousands of years. Thus clearer boundaries between cultures may be seen at the deep culture level. It is at the deep level of culture we find the Great Traditions of the world such as Confucianism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam -- the enduring philosophies and religions of the world upon which civilizations are built.
3. What is the difference between the "big-C culture" and the "little-c" culture»?
C-Culture is sth that has artistic value (classical everything); c-culture is sth that has no artistic value (man-made, but not valuable).
What are the sources of original American culture?
European immigrants
Native Americans
African Americans
What are the main stages of the evolution of American culture?
1. Stretches from colonial times of the 17th century until about American War of Independence of 1775-1776.
2. The War of Independence started the second stage of American cultural history, which lasted until WWI.
3. The present stage of American cultural evolution started after WWI and lasts until nowadays.
American Values
1. What is "a value"?
Values are certain standards the society lives by, certain qualities which are considered useful/desirable within a particular group of people.
Values are principles or standards of behavior; one's judgement of what is important in life.
How is the system of American values different from the system of Russian values? Why are these differences important?
When we talk abt a society's values, we talk abt the majority's values (in the case of the US, the white Americans). We can speak of diff values being the reason for cultural clashes. Values come to light in these types of sits.
R.Kohl's "The Values Americans Live By" in which he listed 13 most imp Am values.
1. Personal Control over the environment - Reliance on Fate
(Контролировать окружающую среду - Полагаться на судьбу)
Fatalism is bad. Being poor is ur own fault. No reliance on God (anymore). Nothing is impossible.
2. Change seen as natural and positive - Stability/Tradition
(Относиться к переменам как к чему-то естественному и положительному - Ценить стабильность и традиции)
Mobility is historically conditioned for Americans.
3. Time and its control - Human interaction
(Ценить время - ценить человеческое общение)
Schedules ftw. Ain't nobody got time for chitchat. Wanna see me- make an appointment.
4. Equality - Hierarchy/Rank/Status
(Ценить равенство - Уважать статус)
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights, that which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
5. Individualism - Collectivism
(Индивидуализм - Коллективизм)
I don’t owe anything to anybody and am my own person.
6. Self-help - Dependence on others
(Рассчитывать на свои силы - Надеяться на других)
On my oooown. I don’t want to seem vulnerable and incapable of sth.
7. Competitiveness/ Assertiveness - Co-operation/ Being shy
(Уверенность в себе - Скромность, застенчивость)
Win or lose
8. Future Orientation - Past orientation
(Ориентация на будущее - ориентация на прошлое)
Planning ahead bc the future is now. Optimistic.
9. Action Orientation - “Being” Orientation
(Действовать - Быть, существовать)
You are what you do.
10. Informality - Formality
(Неформальный стиль - официальный стиль)
Peach and coconut cultures
11. Directness - Indirectness/ Saving face
(Прямота - Вежливость)
The truth hurts, but it’s the truth.
12. Practicality - Idealism/ Theory
(Ориентация на практику - ориентация на теорию)
13. Materialism - Spiritualism
(Ориентация на материальные ценности - Ориентация на духовные ценности)
If you want to be provided with a good service, be ready to pay well. He who dies with the most toys, win.
3. What is the "American Dream"? Who first used the term?
Builds on the system of American values: future-orientation and equality. The term American Dream eludes precise definition. J. T. Adams in The Epic of America (1931) expressed it as "the dream of a land in which life should be better, richer, and fuller for every man with opportunities for each according to his abilities and achievement.»
It follows from this definition that the American Dream means not being rich in America, but it says that America will provide equal opportunities of being rich, in this sense the American Dream builds on the American value of equality. Secondly, the real essence of the American Dream is not "grab the gold", but an optimism that things will be set straight, that something good lies ahead. In this sense the American Dream builds on the American value of future orientation.
4. What is meant by the "frontier theory"? Who was the author of this theory?
The frontier thesis states that the frontier shaped the American national character. As life on the frontier was harsh, people had to be practical and inventive, they controlled the environment and had to be optimistic to survive. Individualism was also named by Turner as a result of frontiering. To many Americans migration became a habit. The author of the theory was Frederick Jackson Turner, who first mentioned the importance of the Western frontier in American history in his speech in 1893. He also implied that now that there was nowhere to move to, the US would soon seek other destinations, far from their own shores.
Vocabulary
Introduction to American Culture
1. to deal with American culture - иметь дело с американской культурой
2. to give a definition of culture/ to define culture - давать определение культуры
3. to create sth. in the course of history - создавать что-либо в ходе истории
4. to be natural/ to be artificial - быть естественным/ быть искусственным
5. to be in opposition to nature/ to be in close correlation with nature - быть в оппозиции к природе/ быть в тесном взаимодействии с природой
6. to have different cultural preferences - иметь разные культурные предпочтения
7. to be out of conscious awareness - находиться на уровне подсознания
8. different patterns of personal behaviour - различные модели человеческого поведения
9. basic beliefs and values of the society - основные убеждения и ценности общества
10. to have some artistic value - иметь определенную художественную ценность
11. to be considered a real masterpiece - считаться настоящим шедевром
12. to belong to the "Big-C" culture - принадлежать к культуре с "большой буквы"
13. to borrow European culture - заимствовать европейскую культуру
14. to deny the existence of American culture - отрицать существование американской культуры
15. to be designed by a French architect - быть спроектированным французским архитектором
16. to form unique American culture - создавать уникальную американскую культуру
17. stages of American cultural evolution - стадии эволюции американской культуры
18. main sources of American culture - основные источники американской культуры
19. to be culturally diverse - быть разнообразным в культурном отношении
20. to be a combination of different regional cultures - являться сочетанием различных региональных культур
American Values
1. Personal Control over the environment - Reliance on Fate
(Контролировать окружающую среду - Полагаться на судьбу)
2. Change seen as natural and positive - Stability/Tradition
(Относиться к переменам как к чему-то естественному и положительному - Ценить стабильность и традиции)
3. Time and its control - Human interaction
(Ценить время - ценить человеческое общение)
4. Equality - Hierarchy/Rank/Status
(Ценить равенство - Уважать статус)
5. Individualism - Collectivism
(Индивидуализм - Коллективизм)
6. Self-help - Dependence on others
(Рассчитывать на свои силы - Надеяться на других)
7. Competitiveness/ Assertiveness - Co-operation/ Being shy
(Уверенность в себе - Скромность, застенчивость)
8. Future Orientation - Past orientation
(Ориентация на будущее - ориентация на прошлое)
9. Action Orientation - “Being” Orientation
(Действовать - Быть, существовать)
10. Informality - Formality
(Неформальный стиль - официальный стиль)
11. Directness - Indirectness/ Saving face
(Прямота - Вежливость)
12. Practicality - Idealism/ Theory
(Ориентация на практику - ориентация на теорию)
13. Materialism - Spiritualism
(Ориентация на материальные ценности - Ориентация на духовные ценности)
Terms
Introduction to American Culture
1. an "Iceberg" concept of culture - концепция "айсберга"
2. deep culture - глубинная культура
3. "Big-C" culture/ "little-c" culture - культура с "большой буквы"/ культура с "маленькой буквы"
4. visual arts - искусство зрительного восприятия
American Values
1. a value - ценность
2. cultural misunderstanding - культурное непонимание
3. the frontier thesis - теория фронтира
4. the American Dream - Американская мечта
Proper Names
Introduction to American Culture
1. Louis Sullivan, William LeBaron Jenney (Chicago)
2. The War of Independence
3. Pierre Charles L'Enfant (Washington, DC)
American Values
1. Robert Kohls
2. Frederick Jackson Turner
3. J.T.Adams