I.

INTRODUCTION (Geography)
- 7 continents: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, ,
Europe, Australia
- 4 oceans: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic
- U.S population:
+ One birth every 8 seconds
+ One death every 11 seconds
+ One international migrant every 35 seconds
+ Net gain of one person every 14 seconds
→ Population rank 2019: 3
- Highest population density city: New York
- Immigration ↑
- Foreign born residents:
+ North America and Western Europe ↓
+ Mexico (highest), South/East Asia, other Latin America ↑
- Highest crime rate states: Louisiana (highest), Mississippi, Oklahoma,
Hawaii, Texas, Arizona, Alabama
- Ethnicity:
+ Non-Hispanic White (highest) ↓
+ Hispanic ↑
+ Non-Hispanic Black
+ Non-Hispanic Asian & Pacific Islander ↑
- Religion: Protestant (highest), Roman Catholic, other Christian
- Size of US:
+ 4800km in length and 2400km in width
→ The 3rd largest country in the world in land race
+ 50 states: 48 continental (contiguous) states, Alaska, Hawaii (an
archipelago)
+ US territories in the Pacific and Caribbean
+ 5/16 territories are inhabited: Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the
U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands
+ Associated territorial waters and airspace
- Biggest/smallest states:
Areas Population
Biggest Alaska California
Smallest Rhode Island Wyoming
- Land border:
+ 4 US states border Mexico: California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas
+ 13 US states border Canada: Washington, Idaho, Montana, North
Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York,
Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Alaska
- Maritime border: with Russia, Cuba and the Bahamas in addition to Canada
and Mexico
- The capital: Washington D.C.
+ D.C. stands for District of Columbia
+ The District of Columbia is not a state
- Flag:
+ 13 stripes, 50 stars
+ 9 rows of stars staggered horizontally
+ 11 rows of stars staggered vertically
+ Nickname: ‘Stars and Stripes’, ‘Old Glory’, ‘The Star Spangled
Banner’
+ Designed by a high school student
- Symbols of the US; the Liberty Bell (icon of freedom, Philadelphia’s
Independence Mall), the U.S flag, the bald eagle, Uncle Sam (John Bull in
the UK), the Statue of Liberty
- Speciality:
+ Highest point: Denali (Mount McKinley) in Alaska
+ Lowest point: Badwater Basin (Death Valley)
+ Longest river: Missouri River
+ Largest Lake: Lake Michigan
- Mountain ranges:
+ In the East: Appalachian Mountains
+ In the West: Rocky Mountains, Cascade Mountains, Sierra Nevada
Mountains
+ In the Middle: Great Plain
- Rivers:
+ In the East: Missouri, Ohio, Mississippi
+ In the West: Colorado, Rio Grande
- Lakes: Great Lakes
- 4 major deserts in the western position:
+ Great Basin
● The largest, very cold with snow
● Sierra Nevada Mountains form a shield → little rain
+ Chihuhuan Desert
● Along the border between Mexico and US
● Rio Grande River cuts through
+ Sonoran Desert
● In Southern California, Arizona and Mexico
● The Colorado and Gila rivers run through
+ Mojave/Mohave Desert
● Has extreme elevations → a wide range of temperatures
● Death Valley is the hottest in the US

II. TOPOGRAPHY
- Varied topography:
+ Eastern regions: hills and low mountains
+ Central interior: vast plain (Great Plains)
+ West: high rugged mountain ranges
+ Alaska: rugged mountains and river valleys
+ Hawaii: volcanic topography
- Climate: varied topography → varied climate
 + Mostly temperate
+ Tropical in Hawaii and Florida
+ Arctic in Alaska
+ Arid in the Great Basin of the southwest
- Natural advantages
1) Climates favourable for agriculture
2) Extensive internal waterways
+ Drinking water
+ Crop irrigation
+ Transportation
+ Hydroelectricity
+ Industrial production
3) Shallow waters along the coastline
+ Commercial
+ Sport fishing
4) Abundant natural resources

III. PEOPLE AND SOCIETY

- Two views: melting pot and salad bowl
+ Scholars who see the US as a ‘salad bowl’ emphasize the many
differences between different racial and ethic groups in the US.
+ Today ethnic groups in the US consider themselves as part of the
American culture in varying degrees, often depending on how similar
their culture is to the majority.
- Motto: ‘E pluribus unum’ = From many, one
→ ‘In God we trust’ (since 1956)
- Dominant culture:
+ English-speaking (there isn’t one official language)
+ Western European
+ Protestant
+ Middle-class
- Values:
+ Individual freedom and self-reliance (The people of France gave the
Statue of Liberty to the US as a symbol of friendship.)
+ Equal of opportunity and competition
+ Material wealth and hard work
→ Immigrants have come to the US
- Typical American
+ Difficult to find typical American
+ National characteristics:
● Friendliness and hospitality
● Strong sense of community
● Informality (no class barriers)
● Politeness
 Famous people
1. George Washington (founding) (quarter)
- 1st president
- ‘The Father of Our Country’
- Commander in chief during the American Revolutionary War
Revolution:
- 1775, Revolutionary War at Massachusetts
- July 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence
- 1783, American won with the help of France → The treaty of peace in
Paris → the USA
- 1788, the US constitution
- 1789, George Washington: 1st president
2. Thomas Jefferson (growth) (nickel)
- Farmer, lawyer, scientist, inventor, philosopher, architect
- Wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1776
- 3rd president
- Bought Louisiana
- Died on July 4th,1826(50 years after signing)
3. Theodore Roosevelt (development)
- ‘Teddy’
- After William McKinley’s assassination
- 26th president
- Youngest: 42
- Home-schooled → Harvard College
- Panama Canal
- 1906 Nobel Peace Prize (ended the Russo-Japanese War)
4. Abraham Lincoln (preservation) (penny)
- 16th president
- Civil War
- Freed the salves with the Emancipation Proclamation
- ‘A house divided against itself cannot stand." I believe this
government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.’
- Assassinated in 1865
Civil war (1861 - 1865)
- 1800s: Northern and Southern states
The North (Union) The South (Confederate)
- Industry → no slaves - Agriculture → slaves
- Abraham Lincoln - Jefferson Davis
- Jefferson Davis on Monument Ave, Virginia
5. Alexander Hamilton ($10)
- Founder: financial system, Federalist Party, the world’s first voter-based
political party, and The New York Post.
- 1st Secretary of the Treasury
6. Andrew Jackson ($20)
- 7th president
- The Indian Removal Act
7. Ulysses S. Grant ($50)
- 18th president
- Protected African-American friendship
8. Benjamin Franklin ($100)
- Author, printer, political theorist, scientist, inventor, diplomat
9. Franklin D. Roosevelt (dime)
- 32nd President (12 years)
- Great Depression (1929 - 1939) and World War II
→ Bring national recovery with ‘New Deal’ (Relief, Recovery, and Reform)
10. John F. Kennedy (half)
- Catholic
- Youngest elected president (43)
- Against Communism
- Assassinated, 1961 - 1963
11. Sacagawae (dollar coin)
- Helped Lewis and Clark Expedition across the West
12. Martin Luther King (1929 - 1968)
- Leader in the civil rights movement
- 1955, bus boycott
- 1963, ‘I Have a Dream’ speech
- 1964, Nobel Peace Prize (youngest person ever to win at the age of 35)
- 1968, was assassinated (at the age of 39)
13. Barack Hussein Obama
- 44th President (2009 - 2017)
- 1st African American
- Civil rights attorney, lecturer
- ‘Obamacare’
14. Donald John Trump
- 45th President (2017 - )
- Oldest, richest

Rushmore Mountain
Washington Jefferson Roosevelt Lincoln

$10 Alexander Hamilton $1 George Washington

$20 Andrew Jackson $2 Thomas Jefferson
$50 Ulysses S. Grant $5 Abraham Lincoln
$100 Benjamin Franklin

Penny (1 cent) Abraham Lincoln

Nickel (5 cent) Thomas Jefferson
Dime (10 cents) Franklin Roosevelt
Quarter (25 cents) George Washington
Half (50 cents) John Kennedy
Dollar coin ($1) Sacagawae with her child
 IV. IMMIGRATION HISTORY
I. Native Americans
- American Indian, Indian, Indigenous, American
- Over 500 tribes
- 20.000 years from Asia
- Since 16th C: disease, warfare, slavery, removal
- > 5 million native Americans now

II. Explorers
1. Italian explorers
- 1492: Christopher Columbus, ‘Indians’ = native Americans
- 1499: Amerigo Vespucci → the New World
- America (1507) = South east of America (now)

2. Other European explorers

- The Spanish → South and Central America
- The British and the French → North America

III. Colonists
- 1565, Spanish built a fort in Florida
- 1607, Jamestown, Virginia: the first successful English settlement
- 1621, Massachusetts: the Pilgrims Fathers first set their foot on the
American soil to search for religious freedom → Thanksgiving
- 1624: Dutch founded New Netherland → Santa Clause, Easter Eggs
- 1664: King Charles II granted to Duke of York → New York
- 1862 - 1762: French settled Louisiana
- By 1732, 13 English colonies on the east coast of North America

IV. Other immigrants

- 1700’s: Protestant immigrants from Scotland, Ireland, Holland, Germany,
Sweden, Poland
- 1600’s to 1800’s: Black African slaves
- 1820 - 1880:
+ Irish Catholics (potato famine 1840’s)
+ German farmers + refugees (1830 - 1848)
- 1848 California Gold Rush: people from Latin America, Europe, Australia
and Asia
- 1850: Chinese (gold mining + transcontinental railroad)
- 1872: Chinese Exclusion Act
- 1880 - 1930: the ‘Great Migration’: new immigrants from Eastern and
Southern Europe
- After WWII: refugees:
+ 1958: thousands of Hungarians
+ 1960s: 150.000 Cubans
+ 1979: 20.000 Vietnamese refugees per month
- Today, most immigrants from Asia and Latin America

→ Racial, ethic, religious, cultural diversity

A nation of immigrants → Experimental temperament, pioneering spirit,

mobile (move 14 times on average), optimistic

V. EDUCATION
I. History
- Since early colonial times
- 9 colleges before Revolution
- World’s first compulsory free schools (from 1640s)
- 18th C: many academies
- By 1850: free public schools in every state

II. Control
- Right and obligation
- No national system
- Academic freedom at universities
- Quality varies
→ Education is a national concern, a state responsibility, and a local function.

III. Purpose
- Americanization
- Basic value
- Lifelong learning

IV. Course content

- Practical
+ Learn by doing
+ Critical thinking skills > facts
- Extracurricular activities
- Replace parents
- Bilingual Education Act 1968
- Special programs
- Search talent

V. Public and private schools

1. Public schools
- Board of Education
- Free kindergarten for 5-year-olds (K-12)
- Co-educational and nonsectarian
- Funded by tax
- Follow state guidelines (curriculum, teacher’s qualifications)
- Build a common culture
2. Private schools
10% attend private schools
- Parochial
- Elitist
- Secular

VI. Elementary and high schools

- Grades 1 - 12 (from age 6)
- School year: late Aug/ early Sept to mid-June
- School day: 7 hours, from Mon to Fri
- Vacations:
+ 2-week winter (Christmas, New Year’s holidays)
+ 1-week spring (Easter)
+ 2-month summer
- Uniform: few, dress code
1. Elementary schools
- Neighborhood
- Subjects: language, social studies, mathematics, science, PE, arts, home
economics
2. High schools
- Larger community → school bus
- Dual commitment:
+ Prepare for higher education: advanced class (AP) → college credit
+ Prepare for work: vocational courses
- Subjects: English, social studies, maths, science, foreign language
(Spanish, French, German), arts, home economics, health education, other
vocational courses
- Extracurricular activities
- Tracking system
a. AP classes
- Advanced Placement
- Run by College Board
- Gain college credit
- Strengthen college applications
b. Prom and Graduation

VII. Colleges and universities

The IVY League: Penn, Columbia, Harvard, Dartmouth, Yale, Cornell, Brown,
Princeton
1. Undergraduate level
- Admission: ACT/SAT + GPA
- Prepare for career + life
- > 3000, vary in size
- Public (state) and private
- Academic year (Sept - June): 2 or 3 terms
- Courses graded from A to F
 Freshman
Foundation
Sophomore
Junior
Major
Senior
→ Flexible: change majors
a. Community colleges
- Offer job training programs
- Offer the first two years of undergraduate studies
b. Four-year colleges
c. Universities
- Bigger than college
- Wide range of programs
- Offer both undergraduate and graduate studies

2.Graduate level
- ‘The more you learn, the more you earn’
- Admission: GRE (Graduate Record Examination)
- Duration
+ Master’s degree: 1 or 2 years
+ Doctorate degree: > 3 years beyond master’s
- Fee
+ Public: $10,000 → 80% attend
+ Private: $15,000 to $50,000 per year
Total cost (4 years: including books, room and board:
+ Public: $112,000
+ Private: $162,000

3. Life on campus
− Interesting and lively
− ‘student union’
− Athletics is important → league champion
− Financial aid: scholarships, loans, student employment

VIII. Standardized tests for college admissions

1. Students without high school education
- GED (Test of General Educational Development)
- HiSET (High School Equivalency Test) and TASC (Test Accessing
Secondary Completion) in some states
2. High school grads to enter university
- ACT (American College Test)
- SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test)
+ GPA
3. Non-native students: provide proof of English proficiency
- Test of English as a Foreign Language Paper-based Test
- TOEFL internet-based Test
- International English Language Testing System
- Pearson Test of English Academic Test
- Eiken English Proficiency Exam

VI. POLITICS
I. The Constitution
- 1781, Articles of Confederation: the fiest constitution of the 13 original
states
- 1787, Constitution. The Constitution tries to give each branch enough
power to balance the others.
- 1791, Bill of Rights (first 10 amendments): the fundamental rights of any
American. The first amendment assures freedom of religion, speech.

II. System of government

- Democratic republic
- Systems
+ Federal
+ State
+ Local

III. The federal system

1. Legislative branch (Congress)
a. The Senate = the Upper House
- 2 senators each state
- Elected every 2 years for 6-year term
b. The House of Representatives = the Lower House
- 1 representative from 1 Congressional district
- Consists of 435 seats
- Elected every 2 years for 2-year term
c. Bill → law
- Both houses can introduce legislation.
- Both houses of Congress + the president approve
- Congress can override a presidential veto with a two-thirds majority in
each house.

2. Executive branch
a. President (potus)
- ‘Mr. President’
- First Lady
- The White House
- Term: 4 years, no more than 2 terms in a row
Powers of President
- Executive Powers
+ Chief Executive: executes the laws, appoints key federal officials
+ Commander-in-Chief: sends troops, declares war
+ Chief diplomat: negotiates with foreign countries
- Legislative Powers
 + Sends message to Congress
+ Introduces, signs or vetoes bills
+ Issues orders (Ordinance power)
- Judicial Powers
+ Grant pardon
+ Appoints Judges of Supreme Court (approved by Senate)
+ Works with Congress on the budget
b. Vice-president
- Indirectly elected
- Replaces president
c. Cabinet
- Vice president
- Heads of 15 departments (State, Interior, Homeland Security)
+ Homeland Security: expedited in response to the Sept 11 attacks and
responsible for protecting the US from terrorist attacks and natural
disasters
- Chosen by the president with approval of the Senate
d. Independent federal agencies

3. Judicial branch (Federal courts)

3 levels of federal courts:
- 94 District Courts (Trial Court)
- 12 Circuit Courts of Appeals (Appellate Court)
- Supreme Court:
a. 8 associate justices
+ Appointed by President
+ Hold office for life
+ Removed only by resignation or by impeachment
b. 1 chief justice
+ Elected by the justices

IV. Federal election

The president and congress are chosen in separate elections.
1. Voters
- American citizens at least 18 years old
- Register as voters
→ More interested in local politics
2. Candidates
a. President
- Born in the US
- Citizen of the US for at least 14 years
- At least 35 years old
b. Senators
- Inhabitant of the state they represent
- Citizen of the US for at least 9 years
- At least 30 years old
c. Members og House of Representatives
- Inhabitant of the state they represent
- Citizen of the US for at least 7 years
- At least 25 years

V. Presidential election
1. Primaries and caucuses
- Aim: to vote for party delegates at national convention
- Primaries: elections run by governments
- Caucuses: private events run by political parties
2. National conventions
- A competition between members of the same party
- 2 major political parties hold a national convention
+ Create party platform (party’s philosophy, goals)
+ Nominate prospective presidential candidates
3. General Election Campaigning
- Begins in Sept
- High costs → 2 major parties: Democrats and Republicans
4. Election
- Indirect: determined by electors of the Electoral College
- 538 Electors → Large states have more electoral votes than small states.
→ Winner: 270 electoral votes (435 Representatives + 100 senators + 3)
- ‘Winner-take-all’ system
→ Winning the popular vote but losing the election
- If no candidate gets 270 electoral votes
+ President: elected by the House from among the top three candidates
+ Vice-president: by the Senate from among the top two candidates

VI. Political parties

1. Major parties: Democrats and Republicans (since 1854)
a. Democratic Party: oldest in the US (1829)
- Associated with labor
- Equal rights for women and minorities
- Oppose nuclear weapons and military spending
- Favor less involvement of federal government
- Supported by poorer ad less-privileged Americans (Blacks, Hispanics)
b. Republican Party
− Associated with business and industry
− Against: social programs
For: military spending
− Favor a more active role of central government
− Nickname: Grand Old Party (G.O.P)
− Symbol: an elephant
2. Third parties: local election

VII. Checks and Balances

VIII. State government
- 3 branches
- Legislature: Senate + Assembly
- Head of Executive: Governor
- Constitution
- Direct democracy: recall
→ 55 different sets of laws
- 50 states
- 1 Federal Government
- 4 territories

IX. Federal vs State governments

Federal government State government
- Declare war - Fund public - Maintain police force
- Coin money project - Regulate transportation and
- Establish post - Maintain court trade within the state
offices systems - Establish schools
- Give patents - Regulate - Oversee local governments
- Make treaties with banks - Decide income taxes
other countries

X. City and local government

- City police force
- Sheriffs: elected
- Income taxes
- International airports
- Laws about gun, drug use, capital punishment, abortion, homosexuality are
settled by states and communities
FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) = British MI5 (Military Intelligence,
Section 5)
CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) = MI6

VII. BUSINESS
I. Business culture
1. Values
- Individualism
- Competitiveness
- Efficiency
- Informality
- Openness to innovation and change

2. Greetings
- First time: introductions, firm handshake and friendly smile
- Personal space
- Exchange cards casually
- Eye contact
- First name

3.Communication
- Style: informal + direct
- Put on your happy face
- Be generous with your compliments
- Be stingy with your complaints
- Small talk topics:
+ Food and drink
+ Shopping
+ Tourism
+ Entertainment
+ Work
+ Geography
- Eye contact
- Interruption
- Empty courtesy
+ ‘See you later.’
+ ‘We’ll have to get together.’
+ ‘Let’s do lunch.’

4. Meeting
- Punctual: a few minutes early
- Relaxed in manner + serious in content
- Interaction (quiet = unprepared)
- Statistics
- Summary + action plan

5. Etiquette
- Gift giving
+ A modest gift
+ A gracious written note
+ An invitation for a meal
- Dress codes
+ Men: socks, no hats indoors
+ Women: no noisy jewelry, no tight clothing
- Line up
- Fork and knife: ‘switch and switch’
- Toothpick: do it in private area
- Tipping

II. Economy
1. General facts
- Mixed economy
- The world’s largest economy by nominal GDP
- U.S. dollar
- Largest trading partners: China, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Germany
- Leading business
+ Airplane manufacturing
+ Walmart
+ Amazon

2. Employment
- Labor force: private sector 91%
- Services → manufacturing → government → construction → agriculture
- Employee income: 2nd highest average wage in the world → gap between
rich and poor
- Expenditure
- Labor union
- No legal right: paid vacation, paid sick days, paid family leave
3. Energy and transportation
- Rely on road transport: highest rate of automobile ownership (865 vehicles
per 1,000 Americans)
- Programs:
+ Car sharing
+ Car pooling
+ Pedestrian-friendly cities
- World’s busiest passenger airports
4. Cost of living
- 85.66% higher than in Vietnam
5. Social media
- Facebook → Pinterest → Twitter → LinkedIn → MySpace → G+