Educational standards

An American college typically offers a blend of natural and social sciences and humanistic studies. Students are usually 18 to 22 and attend college for around four years to earn a bachelor’s degree in arts or science. On the other hand, a university is usually composed of an undergraduate college of arts and sciences, plus graduate and professional schools and facilities. The four years of undergraduate study for a bachelor’s degree are referred to as freshman, sophomore, junior and senior (also used in high schools).

One of the most surprising and unique aspects of the US education system is that many of the most prestigious universities are private foundations and receive no federal or state funds (their main source of income in addition to fees is endowments). The most famous universities include the Ivy League universities (so called because they’ve been sufficiently long established for ivy to have grown on the walls): Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Pennsylvania, Princeton and Yale. Although some people claim their fame rests more upon their social standing than their academic excellence, attending one of these colleges usually pays off in the job market, particularly at executive level. Other world-renowned American higher education institutions include the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge (Massachusetts), the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and Stanford University in California, all of which have earned distinguished international reputations for their research and academic excellence.

The academic standards of American colleges and universities vary greatly, and some institutions are better known for the quality of their social life or sports teams than for their academic achievements. Establishments range from vast educational ‘plants’ (with as many as 50, 000 students) offering the most advanced training available, to small private academies emphasizing personal instruction and a preference for the humanities or experimentation. Major universities are like small cities with their own shops, banks, police and fire departments, and are usually renowned for the excellence of their teaching, research facilities, libraries and sports facilities.

Control questions:

1. Which are the three levels in the United States educational system?
2. What is a special feature of American education?
3. What can Americans do after finishing secondary school?
4. What are the advantages and diadvantages of American school system?
5. Can you compare American and our systems of education?
6. Would you like to study in the USA? Why?

13- Lecture. Theme: One from many (cultural diversity of the USA)

Plan: 1. Present day America

2. The Native Americans

3. The British

4. The New England Yankee

5. Unwilling Immigrants

6. Immigrants from Northern and Western Europe

7. Immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe

8. Hispanic – Americans

9. Asian-Americans

The aim of the lecture: To get acquainted with the Immigration. Formation of the American nation. Ethnic groups and minorities. The territorial distribution of the population.

Key words: Walt Whitman[ˈ wɔ: ltˈ wɪ tmə n] Уолт Уитмен

as scientists suppose – как полагают ученые

Bering Strait [ð ə ˈ beriŋ ’streɪ t] Берингов пролив

Siberia [saɪ ˈ bɪ ə rɪ ə ] Сибирь

The content of the lecture ONE FROM MANY