ФЕДЕРАЛЬНОЕ АГЕНТСТВО ПО ОБРАЗОВАНИЮ
Нижегородский государственный университет им. Н.И. Лобачевского
Основы демократии
Учебно-методическое пособие по английскому языку
Рекомендовано методической комиссией факультета международных отношений для студентов высших учебных заведений, обучающихся по специальностям 030201 «Политология», 032401 «Реклама»
Нижний Новгород
2008
УДК 42.8(07)
ББК 143.21я7
Основы демократии: учебно-методическое пособие по английскому языку. Нижний Новгород: Нижегородский госуниверситет, 2008 – 35 с.
Составители: Ю.С. Бузуева
Н.А. Глазунова
Рецензент: д.полит.н, профессор М.И. Рыхтик
Учебно-методическое пособие предназначено для работы по развитию навыков чтения профессионально-ориентированных текстов, совершенствованию коммуникативных навыков устной и письменной речи в рамках тем «Демократия», «Демократическое государство», «Конституция», «Система демократических выборов», «Политические партии».
УДК 42.8 (07)
ББК 143.21я73
© Нижегородский государственный университет им. Н.И. Лобачевского, 2008
Введение
Настоящее учебно-методическое пособие предназначено для студентов 1-2 курсов факультета международных отношений, обучающихся по специальностям «Политология» и « Реклама».
Пособие носит комплексный характер, включая в себя систему заданий по взаимосвязанному обучению всем видам речевой деятельности с учетом запрограммированного уровня лексико-грамматических навыков и речевых умений, направленных на овладение лексикой в области политологии; оригинальные профессионально-ориентированные тексты, взятые из британских и американских СМИ; работу по развитию навыков интенсивного (подробного) и экстенсивного (просмотрового) чтения и последующего их совершенствования.
Лексический материал разработан таким образом, что лексические единицы повторяются в текстах пособия, способствуя не только расширению запаса слов обучаемых, но и его закреплению. Весь текстовый материал активно прорабатывается и должен научить обсуждать проблемы в области политологии на английском языке и участвовать в дискуссиях на заданные темы: основы демократии, демократическое государство, система выборов, политические партии и т.д.
В пособие также включены задания на отработку грамматического материала, представляющего наибольшую сложность. Авторы сочли возможным включить тексты, вызывающие при переводе затруднения, в целях развития и закрепления навыков перевода текстов в сфере профессиональной коммуникации.
При отборе текстов учитывается не только их профессиональная направленность, но и другие параметры: доступность по содержанию, наличие изучаемых лексико-грамматических единиц, а также коммуникативный подход к обучению и творческая работа студентов, что составляет основную методологическую базу учебно-методического пособия.
Последовательность и полнота выполнения заданий может быть такой как она предложена в пособии, а может быть изменена по усмотрению преподавателя в соответствии с его методическими установками или конкретными условиями обучения в той или иной студенческой группе.
Данное пособие рассчитано на широкий круг людей, изучающих английский язык: студентов языковых и неязыковых вузов.
Contents
1. Unit I “Democracy” ………………………………..5
2. Unit II “Democratic government”…………………12
3. Unit III “Constitutions”…………………………....17
4. Unit IV “Democratic Elections”…………………...21
5. Unit V “Political Parties”…………………………..28
6. Glossary…………………………………………….33
Unit I
Democracy
Warm-up
Read the head of the unit. Investigate the idea of democracy.
a. What words and phrases are related to democracy?
b. How would you define the notion democracy?
c. Discuss your ideas in groups, compare and contrast your notes. Report back to the class different points of view.
d. Study the dictionary definitions of democracy:
1. Government by the people, or by elected
representatives of the people.
(Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture)
2. Government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives
(American Heritage Dictionary)
3. A system of government in which power is vested in the people, who rule either directly or through freely elected representatives.
(American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition)
4. A government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections.
(Meriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law)
e. What is similar and what is different about these definitions?
f. Compare your definition with the dictionary ones.
g. What role does democracy play in the modern world?
Reading
Democracy is a powerful system for social and political organization, which has spread around the world and takes many different forms.
Basically democracies are divided into two main types, direct and representative.
In a direct democracy, all citizens, without the intermediary of elected or appointed officials, can participate in making public decisions. This system is only used with small numbers of people. It can be applied in a community organization, tribal council or the local unit of a labour union, where members can meet in a room to discuss issues and take decision by consensus or majority vote.
Ancient, the world’s first democracy, practiced direct democracy with an assembly of 5000 to 6000 persons. Modern society, with its size and complexity, can hardly practise direct democracy.
Today the most common form of democracy, whether for a town of 50 000 or nations of 50 million, is representative democracy. In this type of democracy citizens elect officials to make political decisions, formulate laws for the public good.
The system of elections for such officials is different.
On the national level legislators are chosen from electoral districts that each elects only one representative. Under a system of proportional representation, each political party is represented in the legislature according to its percentage of the total vote nationwide.
Provincial and local elections can be similar to these national models, or choose their representatives more informally through group consensus instead of elections. Despite the method used, public officials in representative democracy hold office in the name of the people and are accountable to the people for their actions.
All democracies are systems in which citizens freely make political decisions by majority rule. But rule by the majority is not democratic: no one would call a system fair if 51 per cent of the population are permitted to oppress the remaining 49 per cent in the name of the majority. In a democratic society majority rule must be together with guarantees of individual or human rights that serve to protect the rights of minorities (ethnic, political, religious).
Democracy is more than a set of constitutional rules and procedures that determine how a government functions. Democracy includes not only government but also different institutions, political parties, organizations. This diversity is called pluralism, and it assumes that the many organized groups and institutions in a democratic society do not depend on government for their existence, legitimacy, authority.
These groups represent the interests of their members in many ways. They support candidates for public office, debate issues, try to influence policy decisions. With the help of such groups individuals have an avenue for participation both in government and in their own communities. The examples of such organizations are charitable organizations, churches, environmental groups, business associations and labour unions.
Pronunciation and Spelling
1. Watch the pronunciation and spelling of the following words
a. representative
b. representation
c. legislature
d. legislator
e. percentage
f. majority
g. minority
h. to function
i. authority
2. Check the pronunciation of the following words in the dictionary
a. issue
b. assembly
c. accountable
d. a guarantee
e. diversity
f. pluralism
g. legitimacy
Skimming
Skim through the text and answer the following questions:
a. What are two main types of democracy?
b. What do the two types assume?
c. What is meant by majority rule and minority right?
d. What are the characteristic features of democratic society?
Word Study
1. Find in the text English equivalents to the following words and word-combinations; restore the context of their use:
a. чиновник
b. собрание
c. принимать решение
d. профсоюз
e. большинство голосов
f. занимать пост
g. путь/ средство
h. допускать/ предполагать
i. законность/ легальность
j. законодательная власть
k. избирательный округ
l. общее количество голосов
m. вопрос/ аспект/ проблема
2. Match the words with their definitions. Use these words in the sentences of your own:
| a. to participate b. consensus c. a legislator d. a representative e. a guarantee f. human rights g. to function h. a procedure i. in the name of j. to be accountable to smbd for smth k. appointed l. to debate | 1. a person who has been chosen to speak, vote, or make decisions for someone else; 2. a formal and firm promise that smth will be done or will happen; 3. responsible for the effects of your actions and willing to explain or be criticized for them; 4. to discuss a subject formally when you are trying to make a decision or find a solution; 5. to work in the way something is supposed to; 6. the correct or normal way of doing smth; 7. to take part in an activity or event; 8. the basic rights which every person has to be treated in a fair, equal way without cruelty, especially by their government; 9. doing smth as someone else’s representative; 10. someone who has the power to make laws or belongs to an institution that makes laws; 11. chosen for a position or job; 12. the opinion that everyone in a group will agree with or accept. |
3. Fill in the gaps using the words and word-combinations from the exercises 1, 2
a. Elected or appointed _____ can meet in one room to discuss _____, _____ _____ by _____ or _____ _____.
b. On the national level _____ are chosen from _____ _____ that each elects only one _____.
c. Public _____ in _____ democracy _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ the people and are _____ __ the people _____ their actions.
d. This diversity is called _____, it _____ that different groups and institutions do not depend on government for their existence, _____, authority.
e. According to the principle of proportional representation, each political party is represented in the _____ depending on its percentage of the _____ _____ nationwide.
4. Complete the sentences
a. Democracy is …
b. In a direct democracy …
c. Ancient democracy practiced …
d. Nowadays the most common form of democracy is …
e. In this type of democracy citizens elect officials …
f. In a democratic society, majority rule means …
g. Pluralism is a variety of … , which assumes that … .
h. The organized groups represent …, support …, debate …, influence … .
After-reading questions
1. What is democracy?
2. What types is democracy divided into?
3. What does a direct democracy assume?
4. Why can this system be used only in small communities?
5. What is the procedure of making decisions in a direct democracy?
6. Why is a representative democracy the most common form of democracy nowadays?
7. How do citizens elect officials?
8. What is different about the system of elections? What does it depend on?
9. How do majority rules and minority rights operate in democracies?
10. What does democracy include?
11. What role do different groups play in the building up democracy?
Talking point
1. Study the following Pillars of Democracy. How do you understand them?
- sovereignty of the people;
- government based on consent of the governed
- majority rule
- minority right
- guarantee of basic human rights
- free and fair elections
- equality before the law
- due process of law
- constitutional limits on government
- social, economic and political pluralism;
- value of tolerance, pragmatism, cooperation and compromise.
2. Read the following extract, translate it into English using the active vocabulary of the topic “Democracy”:
Демократия – форма правления государством или политическая система, при которой власть осуществляется через прямое народовластие (прямая демократия) либо через представителей, избираемых народом или какой-то его частью (представительная демократия).
- Современное понятие демократии включает следующие гражданские права и свободы:
- свободу слова;
- свободу вероисповедания;