Comment or expand on the following sentences.

1) Traditionally (unlike some other countries such as the USA), class in Britain is more a matter of background, values and lifestyle … rather than purely money.

2) All this proves that accent still remains an unchanging aspect of British people’s class identity…

3) Remuneration replicates social stratification.

4) Though not so visible as the titled aristocracy that imposed standards and expected deference, representatives of the new upper class have never been more powerful.

5) Anyway, living standards of the lower middle-class people make at least part of them view themselves as members of the working class.

6) Aspiring to a higher social position, people of lower classes try to emulate the upper class’ tastes, lifestyles and preferences which trickle down to become the standard to follow, symbol of status and wealth.

7)The one source of collective working-class unity today is the purchase of a weekly National Lottery ticket.

8) This has led to a climate in which “we are what we buy”.

9) … the greatest division within the working class is actually the gap between the employed and unemployed.

Find evidence in the text to confirm or to refute the statements below. Make use of the items mentioned in Ex. 12.

1) Britain is a class-ridden/ classless society.

2) Britain is a socially fragmented society.

3) Anyone can rise to the top of British society.

4) One unchanging aspect of class distinction in Britain is accent.

5) Social stratification of modern Britain is a question of living standards/ lifestyle.

Discussion

1) How can you account for the fact that a lot of people state “a decline of class” in British society? Why is credit for this transformation given to M. Thatcher?

2) Interpret the term “consumer society”? What benefits does the consumer society provide? How does it affect the living standards and morality of the people?

3) Name the positive and negative effects of the recent social changes in Britain.

4) Compare social stratification in Britain with that of present-day Russia. Do you think that we also have a socially fragmented society? Does the social structure of Russian society possess any peculiarities?

5) What is the main aspect of social identity in Britain and in Russia?

16. Read the textTHE US PUBLIC WELFARE(Reader) and do the following assignments.

Find in the text the following expressions and use them while discussing the questions below.

Social security; to provide access to smth (social programmes etc); to provide financial aid/ support/ necessities etc; to finance/ support/ fund a social programme; to be available to smb; to be eligible for smth; entitled to smth/ to do smth; to distribute smth free of charge; to infringe individual freedom; to foster dependency; to reduce incentives to work; to be tantamount to smth; to encourage economic inactivity; to rely on the state for smth (income, support etc); to relieve poverty; indiscriminate aid/ provision etc; indiscriminately.

Date: 2016-01-14; view: 906