A1 SEMINAR 8 Multiculturalism STARTER – Task 1 – Link the quotes to their possible authors and discuss your views about them. 1 All major religious traditions carry basically the same message – that is love, compassion and forgiveness; the important thing is they should be part of our daily lives. 2 I have a dream – that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. 3 The problem of the burka is not a religious one; it's a problem of liberty and women's dignity. In our country, we can't accept women prisoners behind a screen, cut off from all social life, deprived of all identity. 4 I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ. 5 America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles of justice and progress, tolerance and the dignity of all human beings. MARTIN LUTHER KING MOHANDAS GANDHI BARACK OBAMA DALAI LAMA NICOLAS SARKOZY VOCABULARY – Task 2 – Religion Quiz 1. While Christians pray to and worship their God in churches, Muslims attend mosques / shrines / minarets. 2. Mecca, Jerusalem and the Taoist Mountain Tai Shan are all places of masses / pilgrimage / burial cult. 3. Women living in convents are called nuns; male monasteries are inhabited by bishops / rabbis / monks. 4. The name Buddha means saviour / the awakened one /prophet. 5. In Northern Ireland, Presbyterianism is the dominant sect / belief / denomination. WORD STUDY – Task 3 – Tolerance – a plus (+) shows that the component is part of the meaning of the word. . an unreasonable dislike a great dislike a strong opinion in favour or against those who are of a different race who are of a different religion who are foreigners prejudice (against) + + + bias (against /towards /in favour of + + bigotry (towards) + + racism + + xenophobia + + + 1. The growing tide of bias / xenophobia forced many foreigners to leave the country. 2. Much of the racism / prejudice against Muslims was a result of the events of 9/11. 3. Many children of mixed marriages face bias / xenophobia in schools. 4. Bigotry / racism towards people of non-European origin is fuelled by nationalism and fear of the unknown. 5. The songs sung by African American rappers are full of angry words about inequalities, racism / bias and poverty. READING – Task 4a – Read column A or B on Should Immigration be Stopped? A · Immigrants disturb the social balance of a nation, bringing with them cultures and religions that are fundamentally incompatible with those of the host population. · That host population were never given a chance to vote on whether the new arrivals should have come in the first place. Now that they have, and more arrive every day, we are seeing the rise of some very nasty parties. Unless we stop immigration, they will get bigger and bigger. · Immigrants are more likely to be unemployed, claim welfare benefits and get involved in crime. Even those who are law-abiding and get jobs to support their families place a strain on public services – healthcare and education – and the housing stock. They also hold down the wages of those who are already badly off and discourage government and employers from upskilling their native workforces and introducing technology to improve productivity. Moreover, they are only a short-term answer to an ageing population, because they get old, too. · Immigrants and their descendants represent a security threat. B · It is doubtful whether individual states ever possessed unified cultural identities. The idea that they can continue to do so in a globalized world is ridiculous. To operate successfully in that world, especially economically, it is essential to have as many points of contact: multiculturalism is not only inevitable, it is functional. · It was elected governments that allowed immigration to occur and there are now parties that campaign to stop it: they receive relatively little support and there is no correlation between numbers of newcomers and the success of such parties. · The bulk of immigrants and their descendants get jobs and pay far more in taxes than they ever take out. Without immigrant workers, many of Europe’s basic services would collapse from garbage collection to healthcare. The evidence that their cheap labour force undercuts native workers and reduces the pressure on the state and on firms to provide training and technology is scanty. And just because they aren’t the answer to the worker-pensioner ratio, they are a part of the answer. · It is not immigrants but the violent ideologies that a tiny minority of people will always buy into that pose a terrorist threat. READING COMPREHENSION – Task 4b – Find a partner who has read the other column. Decide together which text argues the following points. A B 1. There is a crucial conflict between immigrant religions and host societies. 2. Societies in the globalized world benefit from multicultural contacts. 3. Immigration contributes to the growth of extreme parties. 4. Education systems suffer under immigration. 5. Europe’s basic services are maintained by immigrants. 6. Immigrants cannot help ageing populations. 7. Ideologies rather than immigrants represent a danger. SPEAKING – Task 4c – In your own words, summarize the YES / NO arguments above. In small groups, discuss the immigration situation in the Czech Republic. Take notes to present to the class. GRAMMAR – Task 5a – Verbs + Infinitive or Gerund – Fill in the gaps. 1 It is not easy (handle) ___________ prejudices. 2 Would you mind (have ) ____________ a foreigner as a neighbour? 3 Some people seem (be) ___________ very intolerant. 4 There is no point in (complain) ___________ about racism. 5 I prefer (pray) ___________ at home to (attend) ______________ the church. 6 He decided (become) ____________ a monk. 7 Xenophobia keeps (grow) ___________ even in many developed countries. 8 It is much better (prevent) _____________ racist attacks than to (deal) __________ with their consequences. 9 The monks spend many hours a day (meditate) ____________. 10 It takes many months (learn) __________this mediation technique. Note: Some common verbs can be followed either by the infinitive form (to + verb) or the gerund (verb + –ing), but the choice of infinitive or gerund affects the meaning. Compare: He stopped smoking for religious reasons. (He had been a smoker and then he stopped smoking.) He stopped to meditate for a few minutes. (He stopped whatever he had been doing and then he meditated for a few minutes.) She can't find a job. She tried looking in the paper, she tried asking friends and family, and she also tried going shop to shop. (She was using different methods to find a job). She tried to abstain from alcohol. (She wanted to abstain, but did not succeed.) Task 5b – Choose the most appropriate form in each sentence, answer the questions in pairs, and then discuss the differences in meaning. 1 What do you remember doing / to do on your first visit to a church? 2 If you are a man, what should you always remember doing / to do when you enter a synagogue? 3 Is there anything in the past that you regret saying / to say to your priest? 4 I regret saying / to say that I don’t believe in God. 5 If you were holding a religious fast, how long would you stop eating / to eat? 6 He stopped working/to work to say a prayer. 7 He welcomed the new members of the group and then went on explaining / to explain the rules. 8 How long do you intend to go on working / to work for the mission? 9 I meant going/to go to the mass but I couldn’t. 10 If you want to go to Holy Communion, it will mean going/to go to confession first. 11 Don’t forget saying/to say a prayer before every meal. 12 I forgot being told/to be told about his son’s christening. LISTENING & NOTE TAKING – Task 6 – Major Religions of the World Religion Buddhism Christianity Confucianism Hinduism Islam 1 Time & place of foundation 2 Founder of the religion 3 Lived from ____ to____ 4 Religious texts 5 Number of followers today and where practised 6 Other information Sources consulted: Mary Waters and Alan Waters, Study Tasks in English, CUP, 1995. SPEAKING – Discussion Questions 1. Are there some similarities between the 5 religions? 2. Do you think that those different religions can co-exist in one country? If so, how? 3. Are there some religious conflicts taking place in the world right now? 4. How important is religion in your country? What different religions are there? 5. What are the important religious places / places of pilgrimage in your country? 6. What are the main religious festivals in the neighbouring countries? 7. Is religion nowadays less important than it used to be? 8. Should religions reflect the changes in the modern globalized societies? SUPPLEMENTARY READING – Task 7a – Catholic Priests’ Celibacy The Brazilian cardinal, Claudio Hummes, has said the Catholic Church might have to think again in the future about the issue of celibacy. His statement comes two weeks after the Vatican again confirmed that it will not allow priests to marry. The BBC’s Christian Fraser reports from Rome: The number of men joining the priesthood has been falling steadily for years. The question many in the church are asking is whether the demand the Vatican makes on its priests, to be chaste and celibate, is forcing young men to ignore the calling. Cardinal Hummes, who takes over the congregation for the clergy this month – and he must try in his new role to re-energise the seminary – believes there is a debate to be had. Celibacy is a discipline, he said; it’s not a dogma of the church. Certainly the majority of the apostles were married and in this modern age the church must observe these things; it has to advance with history. The seventy-two year old cardinal is viewed by some as a potential successor to Pope Benedict. His comments will be taken seriously. But two weeks ago, senior figures in the Vatican met for three hours to discuss this issue and they reaffirmed the need for solid Christian and human training. Roughly a hundred and fifty thousand men world-wide have left the priesthood to marry. The church considers them outcasts. But in the Middle Ages, there was no formal ban on marriage for the clergy. In fact many Popes had wives, including the 9^th century pope, Hadrian the Second. Christian Fraser, BBC News, Rome, 04 December, 2006 – Published 14:56 GMT TEST PRACTICE – Synonyms – Task 7b – In the text above find equivalents to the following words: progressively approximately go forward if sanction likely gain endorsed VOCABULARY 1. to believe in God věřit v boha 2. to go to church chodit do kostela 3. to go to mass chodit na mši 4. to pray modlit se 5. to worship uctívat 6. to be (deeply) religious být (silně) nábožensky založený 7. to be christened být pokřtěn 8. to be baptized být pokřtěn 9. christening křest 10. Christianity křesťanství 11. to be a (believing) Christian být (věřící) křesťan 12. Islam islám 13. Muslim/Moslem muslim 14. mosque mešita 15. temple chrám 16. shrine svatyně 17. polytheism polytheismus 18. to belong to an organized religion patřit k organizovanému náboženství 19. to practice one’s religion praktikovat své náboženství 20. to spread religion šířit náboženství 21. church ceremony církevní obřad 22. religious sect náboženská sekta 23. denomination denominace 24. to be an atheist být ateista 25. to confess zpovídat se 26. to go to confession jít ke zpovědi 27. to go to Holy Communion jít ke svatému přijímání 28. to crucify ukřižovat 29. to resurrect vzkřísit 30. resurrection vzkříšení 31. to sacrifice obětovat 32. sin hřích 33. divine boží 34. sacred svatý, posvátný 35. profound, deep hluboký, vážný 36. pagan pohanský 37. enlightened osvícený 38. compassion soucit 39. pilgrim poutník 40. place of pilgrimage poutní místo 41. altar oltář 42. aisle ulička (v kostele) 43. indigenous religion původní, domorodé náboženství 44. to revere, to have reverence vážit si, chovat v úctě 45. restraint sebeovládání