The United States of America

1. US Geographical Position and Natural Conditions. Territory and structure. Relief and climate. Main climatic zones. The Northwest, Central basin, Southeast, The Great Plains, The Mountains and Deserts, the West Coast Valleys. The largest rivers, lakes and mountains.

2. Economy. The main economic regions of the USA. Characteristics of the greatest cities. Chief industries. Mineral resources and their deposits.

3. The role of the USA in the World Economy.

4. Discovery of America. First expeditions to the New World: Ch. Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci. The Colonial Period.

5. Civil War and reconstruction. Declaration of Independence. The foundation of the USA.

6. 20^th Century Historic Survey. US Presidents.

7. The World War, The Great Depression, Civil Rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr.

8. The US Political System. Federal Government.The State System.

9. Constitution. Judicial, Legislative and Executive Branches of the USA government. Electoral system and political parties.

10. Functions of Congress, President and the Supreme Court. Presidential elections. Local authorities.

11. Administrative divisions and dependent areas. The US regions: New England, Mid-Atlantic states, the Midwest, the South, the Southwest, the Mountain states, the Pacific states.

12. US Population. Cultural diversity of the USA. Formation of the American nation. Immigration, race and ethnic groups (Indians, Afro-Americans, Mexicans) and minorities.

13. The territorial distribution of the population. Differences in social and economic structures, and cultural peculiarities of the regions. Urbanization, the crisis of the largest cities. The notion of the “melting pot”.

14. Women’s problems; geographical and regional peculiarities of the USA culture; religion, rights and society, fine arts, stage and screen.

15. US Mass Media. USIA (United States Information Agencies). Radio and TV survey.

16. US Culture: official and non-official holidays, traditions and customs, schools of painting, the development of sculpture. Music, opera and ballet. Drama, theatre, cinema.

17. Contribution of Black Americans to US musical traditions – jazz, gospels, spirituals.

18. History of American Studies. American studies as a separate science and its relation to other traditional subjects like geography, anthropology, history, literature and social studies.

19. System of Education in USA. General survey of educational system. Primary and secondary education. Extra-curricula activities.

20. Higher education. Harvard, Princeton, etc. Public and private Institutions. Sources of funding. Earned degrees.