Comment and Discussion

Find out about the attendance policy of your school and compare it with the Quincy Senior High regulations. Which regulations do you consider appropriate?

Text Production

What Students Think About Their Schools

Write a newspaper commentary in which you interpret the findings.

204 AMERICA IN CLOSE-UP

12. Comprehension

Universities in Transition

To make sure that you have understood the main points of this article find out whether the following statements are true or false.

1. The total number of 3,075 accredited colleges
does not include church affiliated colleges.

2. There are now about three times as many
students attending private colleges and
universities as at the end of the Second
World War.

3. The tuition fees are the main reason for the
relative decline in the number of students
undergoing private education.

4. The idea of private education is not in
accordance with a democratic society which
guarantees equal rights to everybody.

5. Panic which has broken out in some
exclusive single-sex schools has led to a
number of victims.

6. Riesman believes that the decrease in the
number of single-sex schools is a step
towards equality of educational
opportunities for young people.

7. There are as many innovations and
experiments to be found in public schools as
in the private sector.

8. Private colleges are much smaller than
public colleges and universities can ever be.

9. The academic freedom and independence of
private colleges served as a model for public
colleges.

10. State universities are often proud to be able
to compete with famous private univer­
sities.

11. Regional branches of state universities
attract equally qualified students.

12. Regional state colleges and universities
cannot compete with their parent campuses
because they get less financial support.

Text Analysis

1. What can you deduce from this text about
David Riesman's personal attitude towards
private colleges and universities?

2. What advantages and disadvantages of
private universities does he mention?

Discussion

1. Can you think of any other points for or
against private schools and universities
which Riesman does not mention?

2. Do you think private schools and universities
should have a place in a democratic society?

12 Religion

PART A Background Information

HIGH DEGREE OF

RELIGIOUS

PARTICIPATION

RELIGION AND POLITICS

In most western societies, modernization has been accompanied by a marked decline in religious observance. America, in contrast, has remained unusually religious. Church buildings representing an astonishing variety of faiths line residential streets, outnumbering even the gas stations. Sunday morning traffic is typically congested as people drive to Sunday School and church. Most bookstores have an entire section of religious books and report a tremendous volume of sales of books about Christianity and Christian living. Bibles continue to be the nation's best-selling books.

Religiousness is conspicuous. Billboards, T-shirts, and bumper stickers bear messages such as "Jesus Saves." There are even a few Disneyland-type tourist parks, such as South Carolina's "Heritage USA," devoted entirely to religious themes. These visible reminders of America's religious activity are accom­panied by impressive statistics:

• More than nine out of ten Americans say they believe in God

• One third claim they are born-again Christians

• More than four out of ten attend church or synagogue at least once a week

• Two thirds are members of a local church or synagogue

Interest in religion is high even among young people, whose religious activity has typically been less regular than that of their parents and grand­parents. A Gallup poll indicates that young Americans are far more religious than their counterparts in most other countries. About₇41 percent of America's young people feel that religion should be "very important" in life, a percentage far greater than in Australia, Britain, France, Japan, Sweden, and West Germany.

Although the Constitution declares the separation of Church and State, religion has always pervaded American political life. The motto of the seal of the United States carries the biblical words, "Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God." When the pledge of allegiance to the American flag is recited, the two words "under God" receive emphasis. American currency bears the inscription "In God We Trust."

Almost all American presidents have claimed affiliation with an established church. During inaugural ceremonies, U.S. presidents take their oath of office on the Bible. Every session of Congress opens with a prayer. Politicians frequently make reference to God and the Bible in their speeches. Religion is bound to have an influence on politics in a society where so many people value religion.

Gallup poll: see page 153.

206 AMERICA IN CLOSE-UP

Date: 2015-12-18; view: 1295