British Civilization: An Interdisciplinary Introduction

Literary Figures

• William Shakespeare was born in 1564 and died in 1616, and is considered the most famous literary figure of the 16th and 17th centuries.
• He wrote 154 sonnets and approximately 38 plays.
• His prominent works include Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, King Lear, The Tempest, and Romeo and Juliet.
• Other important literary figures include George Bernard Shaw, T.S. Eliot, Charles Dickens, and William Blake.

UK Politics

• The two largest political parties in the UK are the Conservative and Labour parties.

Liverpool

• Liverpool is a city with a rich sporting history.
• It is internationally known for its music and is recognized by Guinness World Records as the World Capital City of Pop.
• The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed bands in pop music, hail from Liverpool.

British Culture

• A double-decker is a type of two-storey bus.
• Fish and chips are the most popular food in Britain.

British Civilization

• The course aims to provide students with the basic concepts of contemporary British civilization.
• It covers aspects of present-day British society, including government, law, education, social class, ethnicity, gender, international relations, media, and the arts in a multicultural Britain.
• The course helps students gain knowledge and skills to understand contemporary life in Britain and identify different cultural patterns in the target community.

The Royal Family and Government

• The current monarch is King Charles III, who ascended the throne on 8 September 2022, upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
• Prince William is next in line to the throne.
• The monarch has limited powers, including bestowing honours and appointing the prime minister, and is also the Head of the British Armed Forces.
• The monarch officially resides in Buckingham Palace.

UK Geography

• The four countries that make up the United Kingdom are England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
• The Thames is a famous river that flows through London.

Economy

• The current currency of the United Kingdom is the Pound.
• The UK has not switched to the Euro, which has helped keep the country financially strong.