University of Languages and International Studies, VNU Hanoi

FACULTY OF LINGUISTICS AND CULTURES OF ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES

Division of International Studies

INTRODUCTION TO BRITISH & AMERICAN STUDIES

GUIDELINES FOR REVIEWING THE COURSE

STRUCTURE OF THE FINAL EXAM

The final exam would last 80 minutes. It consists of two compulsory parts and one experimental
element.
The first compulsory part (Part 1/ 5 points) estimates your ability to understand common
references and conversations about the UK and the US. It includes short questions about the
course’s key concepts and facts.
The second compulsory part (Part 2/ 5 points) mobilizes your in-depth understanding of a
socio-political and cultural phenomenon in the UK or the US as well as your capacity to produce
clear and effective written English. It asks you to write a short essay of 400 words to address one
or some of the issues discussed in the seminars.
You can choose whether to respond to the experimental element, which elicits your
interpretation of figurative expressions related to the course contents. If your response is of good
quality as judged by the examiners, you will receive a bonus point.
REVIEW QUESTIONS

PART 1
Instead of providing ready-made short questions to appear in the real exam, this review
guidelines only offer suggestions that will be used to develop the questions in Part 1 of the final
exam. Some of the suggestions might seem to be about trivialities; however, from the course
designers’ perspective, these details are among those defining the events, periods, or processes
that one should know. See the sample test to have a sense of the kinds of questions you will
encounter in the real exam.

Chapter 1: Organizing Concepts

● What is a nation state? Distinguish the nation state from other forms of social
organization such as non-sovereign state, tribe, empire, city-state, theocracy, etc.
● What is a nation? What is national identity?
● What is identity politics?
● Identify and elaborate on at least two different meanings of culture.
● According to Foucault, what is power? Give examples of sovereign power, disciplinary
power, pastoral power, and bio-power.

Chapter 2: History of the UK & the US

General understanding
● What is historiography?
● Why is it possible to say that the most popular version of the history of the US is
Eurocentric?
Formation of the UK
● What did the Treaty of Union in 1707 do?
● What did the Acts of Union 1800 do?
American Revolution
● What was the American Revolution about?
● The Boston Tea Party (1773) was a significant event in the growth of the American
Revolution and later became an iconic event of American history. What prompted the
event? How did it happen?
● During what years was the American Revolutionary War fought?
 ● What are some of the major contents of the Declaration of Independence? Who was its
main author? In what year was it adopted?
● What did the Peace of Paris in 1783 do?
The Victorian Era
● When did the Victorian era start and end? Name three key features of the era.
American Civil War
● Name the major debate that motivated the American Civil War.
● During what years was the Civil War fought?
● What were the two opposing forces in the American Civil War? What was the name of
the secessionist faction of the Civil War?
● Who was the President of the US at that time?
● The Civil War resolved two matters that vexed Americans since 1776. What are they?
World War I
World War I (WWI or WW1), also known as the First World War, the Great War, or the
War to End All Wars, was a global war originating in Europe. It was one of the deadliest
conflicts in history, and paved the way for major political changes, including revolutions in many
of the nations involved. Unresolved rivalries still extant at the end of the conflict contributed to
the start of World War II only twenty-one years later.
● During what years was the war fought?
● How did the UK enter World War I?
● How did the US enter World War II?
● Who was the US president during the war?
● Did the US join the League of Nations?
American First Red Scare
● What prompted the 1919–1920 Red Scare in the US?
First-wave Feminism
First-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity and thought, that occurred within
the time period of the 19th and early 20th century throughout the world. It focused on legal
issues, primarily on gaining women's suffrage (the right to vote).
● When did women in the UK and the US first have the right to vote?
Roaring Twenties
The Roaring Twenties was a period of sustained economic prosperity with a distinctive
cultural edge in the US and Western Europe, particularly in major cities such as Berlin, Chicago,
London, Los Angeles, New York City, Paris, and Sydney.
● What war ended right before the start of the Roaring Twenties?
● What is often said about the spirit of the Roaring Twenties?
 ● In the US, what style of music became popular during the Roaring Twenties?
● What event brought the Roaring Twenties to a grinding halt?
The Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that took place
mostly during the 1930s, originating in the United States. The timing of the Great Depression
varied across nations; in most countries it started in 1929 and lasted until 1941. It was the
longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of the 20th century.
● What were some of the major causes of the Great Depression?
● What was the New Deal in the US? What were the key contents of the New Deal?
World War II
World War II (often abbreviated to WWII or WW2), also known as the Second World
War, was the most widespread war in history, and directly involved more than 100 million
people from over 30 countries. The war led to the formation of two opposing military alliances,
the Allies and the Axis, and a new world order.
● In what years was the war fought?
● How did the UK enter World War II?
● Who was the British Prime Minister during the war?
● How did the US enter World War II?
● What happened to the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9,
1945, respectively?
● Name the conference where the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were established.
● Name the conference where the United Nations was formulated and negotiated among
international leaders.
UK Decolonization
● Describe the UK’s policy towards its colonies after World War II.
Cold War
● What does the Cold War refer to?
● When did the Cold War start and end?
American Second Red Scare
● What does the American Second Red Scare refer to?
Vietnam/American War
● By 1969 the US forces in Vietnam totaled almost 550,000 individuals. Who was the US
president during the escalation of the War from 1963 to 1969?
 ● Who was the US president that pursued a policy of Vietnamization, which gradually
replaced American soldiers with Vietnamese?
Jim Crow Era
● What were Jim Crow laws?
American Civil Rights Movement
● What were the goals and achievements of the Civil Rights Movement that happened
between 1954 and 1968 in the US?
Second-wave Feminism
● As a period of feminist activity, when is the wave thought to have first begun in the US?
How did it differ from the first-wave feminism?
War on Terror
● According to US President George W. Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, what
was the mission of the 2003 invasion of Iraq?
● The Iraq Inquiry (also referred to as the Chilcot Inquiry) was a British public inquiry into
the nation's role in the Iraq War in 2003. What are some of the key conclusions of the
inquiry?

Chapter 3: National Beliefs and Values

● What does the phrase “a city upon the hill” refer to?
● What is the American Dream?
● What is American exceptionalism? What are some examples of American
exceptionalism?

Chapter 4: Political Systems

● What is a constitution?
● What is a constitutional monarchy?
● What is a parliamentary democracy?
● What is a representative democracy?
● What does ‘separation of powers’ refer to?
● What is a bill?
● Describe the political systems of the UK & the US in terms of constitution, form of
government, branches of government, political parties, and election.
● How are powers divided in American federalism?

Chapter 5: Economic Systems

 ● Explain some common metrics to measure economic activities (eg. GDP, GDP per capita,
inflation rate, unemployment rate)
● What type of economy do the UK and the US have? What is the role of the government
in that economy?
● What are these two countries' main trade partners?
● What sectors and industries are most important to the economy of the UK and the US?
● What have been the key structural shifts in the British and American economies?
● What is the importance of the finance sector for the British economy?
● What factors help explain the US industrial and economic growth?
● What is Thatcherism?
● What is the New Deal?
● What are the key challenges facing the UK economy and the US economy nowadays?

Chapter 6: Education Systems

● According to David Labaree (1997), what are the three goals of the American education
system? Illustrate each goal with examples of educational practices in the US.
● What is educationalization?
● How did the 1944 Education Act change the education system in England and Wales?
● Progressive education is a pedagogical movement that began in the late nineteenth
century and has persisted in various forms to the present. What was/were characteristic of
progressive education?
● What is the significance of the Brown v. Board of Education case?
● In the US, what is affirmative action in education?
● What are the features of No Child Left Behind?
● What are ongoing problems in education of the UK and the US?

PART 2
Issue 1. Democracy is a Western concept, generally understood as the power or the rule of the
people. When the US Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion, reversing
Roe v. Wade, an article in the Guardian called the ruling “a mockery of democracy”.
Write an essay of about 400 words to discuss the issue. Your answer should make clear what the
decision means, whether you think it is undemocratic and why/why not, and how Americans can
exercise democracy in this matter within the social and political reality of the US?
Issue 2. What were the main economic arguments for Brexit? Are these arguments supported by
evidence? Write an essay of about 400 words to answer these questions. Reference the relevant
economic outcomes of Brexit when possible.

Issue 3. A recent study* suggested that Brexit voters were more motivated by identity than
economics. Specifically, individuals with stronger British identity are more supportive of Leave.
In addition, those who claim to be British only are less pro-Leave than those who see themselves
as English only or British and English.
Write an essay of about 400 words to discuss this issue. Your answer should summarize the
voting pattern of the different regions of the UK and its aftermath, and explain why identity may
help explain this voting pattern.
* See the study (full text available) at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1468-
4446.12790?af=R

Issue 4. The documentary ‘Waiting for Superman’ suggests that public schools in the US are
failing and that charter schools are a better alternative than traditional public schools.
Write an essay of about 400 words to discuss this issue. Your answer should articulate how you
agree or disagree with the argument. It should distinguish charter schools and traditional public
schools, summarize the achievements and problems of charter schools, and discuss the impact of
expanding charter schools on the existing public school system. Use specific examples and
evidence to support your answer.

Issue 5. What does the movie All or Nothing (2002) allow you to see about the struggles of ‘the
working class’ in the UK in the early 2000s? What does the movie suggest as the redeeming
characteristic in their life? Write an essay of about 400 words to address the question. Your
answer should attend to their economic and domestic conditions and one aspect of material
culture. It should additionally address the overall theme of the movie. Use specific examples and
evidence to support your answer.

Issue 6. Boyhood (2014) has been described as a portrait of a ‘normal’ or ‘ordinary’ American
family. In which way the family portrayed here is ‘normal’ and in which way is it not? Write an
essay of about 400 words to discuss the issue. Your answer should rely on an understanding of
being ‘normal’ in an American context and specific examples to demonstrate how the
phenomenon of attention is normal or not.
PART 3
Below are just some figurative expressions that invite your interpretation.

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/78883430948269518/
Source: https://bambooinnovator.com/2013/12/29/britain-must-look-beyond-london-and-put-
faith-in-manufacturing/

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/330662797626657894/

Source: http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs168/1109485758145/archive/1110703396417.html
Source: http://otherwords.org/segregation_ghost/
SAMPLE TEST

PART 1
Section 1: Choose the best answer (A, B, C or D) to each of the following questions (1.5 points)

1. Which definition BEST describes nation-building?

A. The process of drawing new borders for countries
B. The effort to build a sense of national identity among citizens
C. Conquering a neighboring nation
D. Giving sovereign power to a different group of people

2. What does the Victorian Era mean to British history?

A. The shortest and poorest era
B. The era of flourishing development in many fields
C. The era in which new modern lifestyle is popular
D. The era of the only queen so far

3. Britain is described as having a ‘two-party’ system because _______________ .

A. there are only two parties in the Parliament
B. the government only accepts votes from members of the two main parties
C. the two main parties occupy almost all the seats in the House of Commons
D. under the current electoral system, only two parties can have MPs

4. What was the name of the secessionist faction of the Civil War?
A. The Union
B. The Confederate States of America
C. The United States of America
D. The Free Southern Territories

5. Which of the following notions shows Americans’ belief in competition?

A. Acquiring a large number of material possessions is of great importance.
B. Receiving financial support from charity, family, or the government is never admired.
C. Moving about from place to place is a common and accepted practice.
D. Much of life is seen as a race for success, and everyone is entitled to enter and win.

Section 2: Decide whether these statements are TRUE or FALSE (1 point)

6. The initial response of the U.S. government to the outbreak of both World Wars was maintaining a
neutral policy.

7. Britain has an unwritten constitution.

8. From 1945 until 1980, the general trend in the UK was for the state to have less and less control over
economic planning.

9. Currently, manufacturing is a key driver of British GDP growth.

Section 3: Fill in each blank with NO MORE THAN THREE words (1.5 points)

10. ____________________ is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom which includes the
Crown, House of Lords and House of Commons.

11. ____________________ refers to the idea that the major institutions of state should be functionally
independent and that no individual should have powers that span these offices.

12. The intention of the 1944 Education Act in England and Wales was to provide
____________________ state primary and secondary education.

13. An election for President of the United States occurs ____________________ on Election Day, held
the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

14. The Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision struck down the principle of
____________________ education facilities for the races in 1954.
Section 4: Briefly answer the following questions in ONE or TWO sentences (1 point)

15. What is educationalization?

16. Why is it said that the Americans vote for their national leader indirectly?

PART 2

Section 5: Write an essay of about 400 words on ONE of the following issues (5 points)
Issue 1. Democracy is a Western concept, generally understood as the power or the rule of the people.
When the US Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion, reversing Roe v. Wade, an
article in the Guardian called the ruling “a mockery of democracy”.
Write an essay of about 400 words to discuss the issue. Your answer should make clear what the decision
means, whether you think it is undemocratic and why/why not, and how Americans can exercise
democracy in this matter within the social and political reality of the US?

Issue 2. What were the main economic arguments for Brexit? Are these arguments supported by
evidence? Write an essay of about 400 words to answer these questions. Reference the relevant economic
outcomes of Brexit when possible.

Issue 3. Boyhood (2014) has been described as a portrait of a ‘normal’ or ‘ordinary’ American family. In
which way the family portrayed here is ‘normal’ and in which way is it not? Write an essay of about 400
words to discuss the issue. Your answer should rely on an understanding of being ‘normal’ in an
American context and specific examples to demonstrate how the phenomenon of attention is normal or
not.

PART 3 (OPTIONAL)

Section 6: Write ONE or TWO sentences to interpret the following figurative expression (1 point)

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/16114511143796834/

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