American Ways An Introduction to American Culture

by Datesman, Maryanne Kearny; Crandall, JoAnn; Kearny, Edward N.

• ISBN13: 9780131500860
• ISBN10: 0131500864
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-12-29
• Publisher: Pearson Education ESL

Summary

American Ways: An Introduction to American Culture, Third Edition, by Maryanne Kearny Datesman, JoAnn Crandall, and Edward N. Kearny, focuses on the traditional values that have attracted people to the United States for well over 200 years and traces the effects of these values on American life.

Chapter themes include diversity, the family, education, government and politics, religion, business, and recreation. Cross-cultural activities --- from discussion topics to writing projects --- encourage high-intermediate to advanced students to compare their own values with those discussed in the readings.

New to the Third Edition:

• Expanded pre-reading exercises preview the chapter content and Academic Word List vocabulary.
• Improve Your Reading Skills helps students become independent readers.
• Build Your Vocabulary features collocations and exercises that expand on the Academic Word List.
• New Internet activities offer opportunities for further research and study.

 

Author Biography

Maryanne Kearny Datesman is the author of several ESL reading texts. She has taught ESL and administered programs at Western Kentucky University and American University, and she has taught also at Georgetown University. In Kentucky, she established and administered a private language school and directed programs for refugees. She was co-founder of Kentucky TESOL and is a former president of WATESOL.

JoAnn (Jodi) Crandall is a professor of education at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. At UMBC she had co-directed the master's program in ESOL/Bilingual Education and directed the interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Language, Literacy and Culture. She is a former president of TESOL and AAAL (American Association for Applied Linguistics) and a frequent speaker at national and international conferences.

Edward N. Kearny is professor emeritus of government at Western Kentucky University. He earned his Ph.D. in government from American University in 1968. He also holds a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's degree in psychology, and he has written a number of books and articles on American politics.

Table of Contents

To the Teacher	iv
About the Third Edition	v
The Book at a Glance	vi
Introduction: Understanding the Culture of the United States	1	(24)
Traditional American Values and Beliefs	25	(24)
The American Religious Heritage	49	(22)
The Frontier Heritage	71	(20)
The Heritage of Abundance	91	(24)
The World of American Business	115	(24)
Government and Politics in the United States	139	(24)
Ethnic and Racial Diversity in the United States	163	(24)
Education in the United States	187	(26)
How Americans Spend Their Leisure Time	213	(26)
The American Family	239	(24)
American Values at the Crossroads	263	(22)
Academic Word List	285	(3)
Bibliography	288	(8)
Credits	296