4722440030 – Nguyễn Ngọc Phương Trâm

ASSIGNMENT – INDIVIDUAL VIDEO

SUMMARY

UNIT 1 : American Values and Assumptions. We have all 9

values and assumptions.
Individualism: the most important thing to understand about Americans is probably
their devotion to individualism. They are trained from early age in their views to
consider themselves as separate individuals who are responsible for their own situations
in life and their own destinies.
Competitiveness: individualistic Americans neutrally see themselves as beings in
competition with others. It is obvious in the attention given to athletic events and star
athletes who are praised for being real competitors.
Privacy: privacy is also closed associated with the major American value and
individualism. Americans assume that people need some time to themselves or some
time alone to think about things or recover their spent psychological energy.
- Equality: Americans are also instructive in the degree to which they believe in the ideals
as started their Declaration of Independence that all are created equal. In the US, men
and women are considered equal under the law.
- Informality: the sense of equality makes the Americans to be informal. Idiomatic speech
(commonly called "slang") is heavily used on most occasions. People of almost any
station in life can be seen in public wearing jeans, sandals, or other informal attire.
- The Future, Change and Progress: the Americans ignore the past and focus on future.
Look ahead is their main slogan. They never regret for the past but see the future. They
have the idea that what happens in the future is within their control, or at least subject
to their influences. Besides, they believe in changed through the effort of the people.
Time: for the American “motion is progress and labor is money”. They appreciate the
people who make well use of time and well organized people get social respect. They
believe that time is resource and money. They never waste their time.
- Achievement, Action, Work, and Materialism: Americans are hard-working people
who believe in their action to achieve their goal. They are materialistic people who work
hard for materialistic prosperity.
- Directness and Assertiveness: the Americans are open minded and they speak directly
to others. Their words, the tone of their voices, or their facial expressions will usually
reveal what they are feeling--angry, unhappy, confused, happy or content.

UNIT 2: FAMILY LIFE

- What Foreigners Notice:
 Babies are less often carried against their parents’ bodies than they are carried in
backpacks or pushed about in strollers.
 Babies have their own beds (called cribs) and do not routinely sleep with their
parents.
 The man of the house (if there is one) may be responsible for—or share
responsibility for—childcare, cooking, washing clothes, or doing other household
chores.
 Children of any age may argue with parents, make demands of them, or loudly
express their disapproval of parental decisions they dislike.
- The Changing Family:
 During the 1950s, the traditional American family included a husband, wife, and
their two or more children.
 The man went to work every morning during the week and on the weekend
relaxed or did home repairs or yard work. The woman took care of the house and
the children.
 American families have changed in many ways since the 1950s:
• Families are becoming smaller. The average American household in 2009 included
about 2.5 people, down from about 3.2 as recently as 1985.
• There are more single-parent families; that is, households containing only one parent—
usually a woman—and one or more children.
• => All these changes in living arrangements and family structure seem to reflect and
reinforce cultural values that emphasize individualism and freedom.
- Parenting:
Parental Hopes and Expectations
  Most American parents is to prepare their children to be independent, self-reliant
individuals who will be able to manage their own lives by the time they reach age
18.
 American parents will complain if their children are given “too much homework”
when that work is seen as infringing on their extracurricular activities, friendships,
or part-time jobs, which are considered as important as schoolwork in producing
the ideal “well-rounded child.”
Child - Centeredness
 They play with young children.
 They buy things that children want.
 Children often have their own bedrooms and increasingly have their own
computers, cell phones, and televisions.
 As parents become less important in the lives of their growing children, their peer
groups become more influential.
Punishing Children
- giving the child positive reinforcement
- positive redirection
- “time-out”: During a time-out, children who are misbehaving are required to sit,
often in another room, until they can behave properly again.
Preparing Children for Adulthood:
 Preparing children for adulthood in America involves equipping them with the
skills, knowledge, and values they need to navigate the challenges and
opportunities of life as independent individuals.
 The children are ready to move out of the parents’ house by the age of 18—that
is, when they have completed secondary school. They may “go to college” or they
may seek a job.

UNIT 3: EDUCATION
Guiding Ideals:
• All fifty U.S. states have “compulsory attendance” laws requiring young people to
attend school or to be homeschooled.
 • A second ideal underlying the U.S. educational system is that of producing a
society that is 100 percent literate.
• Finally, the American educational system seeks to turn out “well-rounded people.”
(Such people might have specialized knowledge in one area, but they are also
expected to have a general acquaintance with many disciplines.)
SOCIAL FORCES AFECTING AMERCAN EDUCATION
A few aspects of the social context surrounding the American educational system are
worth mentioning. These include the social status of people in the education field,
financial support, politics, and anti-intellectualism.
 Social Status of Educators and Students:
- Many American teachers would say that they do not enjoy a particularly high
status in society. They are not especially well paid, and their working conditions
are usually less comfortable than those of workers in many other occupations.
- Students, even graduate students, with the possible exception of students in
doctoral programs, are rarely accorded special respect in the USA.
 Financial Support:
- Some states consistently devote a higher percentage of their budgets to education
than others do, but (despite much talk by politicians about its value) none
consistently give education highest priority.
- Most educators believe their institutions are always underfunded.
 Politics:
- In some states and communities, contemporary political conflicts are directly
reflected in the administration of primary and secondary institutions. State
legislators who view government negatively argue that state support for
education should be in the form of vouchers given to parents so they can choose
which school, public or private, they want their children to attend.
 Anti-Intellectualism:
- Americans place a high value on professional fields of study such as engineering,
medicine, computer science, and business, which they see as leading to high-
paying or available jobs and place a relatively low value on fields such as literature,
philosophy, history, and art, which many consider a "waste of time."
Advantages and Disadvantages of the U.S. Education System:
 Advantages
 - The U.S. education system offers a wide range of courses and majors across its 50
states. With English as the universal language, international students have the
flexibility to choose any area of study at any university.
- U.S. universities allow students to experiment with different courses during their
first two years of education. This flexibility enables students to explore various
subjects before specializing in a specific field.
- Studying in the U.S. provides global exposure and recognition.
 Disadvantages
- While the U.S. system provides formal education to a large population, the quality
may not be consistent across all institutions.
- Decentralization allows local schools to adapt curricula to their specific needs but
can also lead to controversies and low standards.
- The U.S. system aims to produce well-rounded citizens with broad knowledge.
However, this approach may not fully prepare students for specific occupations
that require deeper specialization.

UNIT 4: SOCIAL RELATIONSHIP

Meeting new people
Some of countries, people usually only talk to each other after being introduced by a
mutual friend or colleague unlike in the United States where acquaintanceships can begin
without formality.
The American concept of friendship
 The Nature of Friendship:
With the exception of their immediate families, they often remain apart from others,
because they most likely have not learned to do otherwise.
The most important characteristic of a close friendship, in the American sense, is the
ability to discuss and share private, personal matters with another person in confidence,
as well as to persist the relationship over time and distance.
 Compartmentalized Friendships
Interaction with friends is briefer in America than in other countries.
Americans typically assume that when people gather to socialize, they will undertake
some activity together.
It may be because of their emphasis on "doing things" with friends that Americans tend
to form compartmentalized.
  Staying in Touch with Friends
Technology is also seen to both support and undermine social interaction among friends:
cell phones, in particular, can provide a convenient way for individuals to make
arrangements to meet and spend time together.
RELATIONSHIPS PRESCRIBED BY ROLES
Americans do have certain rituals that they follow, and expect others to follow, in specific
situations:
+ Customers: When interacting with sales clerks, waiters, and other service people, they
treat such individuals as being more or less equal to themselves.
+ Tenant: The relationship between tenant and landlord is entirely formal.
+ Neighbor: the rule toward neighbors is “mind your own business”.
+ Coworker: people in an office environment are cordial and respectful to one another
regardless of rank or status.
Courtesy, Schedules, Gifts
 Courtesy:
- Acknowledging another person’s presence or arrival, either verbally ( say hi, hello,
some such greeting ) or nonverbally, with a direct look, a nod, or a brief smile.
- Participating in at least a bit of small talk with people.
- Using vocabulary, tone of voice, and vocal volume no less respectful than those
used with peers; never “talking down” to others, issuing commands in an officious
way, or in any way treating others as though they were inferior.
- Saying “please” when making requests and “thank you” when requests are
granted by anyone.
- Saying “you’re welcome” in response to a “thank you”.
- Taking a place at the end of the line and waiting patiently when a group of people
have lined up for service or attention.
 Schedules
- In terms of schedules, Americans will seem very casual as compared to certain
other cultures.
- But there are a few guidelines that should be considered, and a guarded posture
against doing certain things at certain times.
 Gifts
- Americans give gifts on a relatively small number of occasions, gifts are generally
given on specific occasion, such as birthday, graduation or Christmas.

UNIT 5: SPORTS AND RECREATION

Sports
- Not all Americans are interested in sports.
- Football and basketball coaches at major universities are paid higher salaries than
the presidents of their institutions, and athletic department budgets are in the
millions of dollars.
- Sports here are popular with participants, but the majority are still men, what’s
special is that sports is also popular for people with physical disabled.
- The most popular sports here are still American football, baseball, basketball, and
in some states, hockey—games that are not played in large numbers of countries.
Recreation
- Much American recreational activity, however, seems to international visitors to
be approached with a high degree of seriousness, planning, organization, and
expense.
- In the American’s view, all these activities are generally fun and relaxing, or are
worth the discomfort they may cause because they contribute to health and
physical fitness and may also offer opportunities to socialize.
- Some activities are done regularly, daily or multiple times per week, regardless of
weather conditions.
- Much American recreation is highly organized. Classes, clubs, leagues, newsletters,
contests, exhibitions, and conventions are centered on hundreds of different
recreational activities.
- Recreation is big business in America. Many common recreational activities
require clothing, supplies, and equipment that can be quite costly (equipment,
clothing)
- A final point that astute international observers notice is the relationship between
social class and certain recreational activities. Golf and yachting are associated
with wealthier people, tennis with better-educated people, and outdoor sports
such as camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, and boating with middle-class people.