This is a section of the website intended to provide help in locating information and materials in the British Studies Resource Points.

• The list of the British Council Resource Points is HERE.
  
• The list of books available from the Resource Points is HERE.

Some issues of the web magazine contain a selected annotated bibliography on the subject of the issue based on some of the publications and other materials provided in the Resource Points which relate to the main theme. The bibliography starts with some of the more accessible ELT British Studies materials often used by schools and finishes with a selection of specialised texts suitable for more specific academic research. A brief guide is provided for your use.

Please let us have your feedback on this new section.

Here are some books suitable for use in secondary/high schools:

• Crystal, D. (1995) The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of the English Language Cambridge University Press  (ISBN 424437)
• Lavery, C. (1993)  Focus on Britain Today Prentice Hall  (ISBN 0333566696)
• Mc Dowall, D. (1989)  Illustrated History of Britain Longman  (ISBN 74914X)
• Mc Lean, A. (1993)  Profile UK Heinemann  (ISBN 0435280384)
• Nation, M. (1991)  A Dictionary of Modern Britain Penguin  (ISBN 0140810137)
• O'Driscoll, J. (1995)  Britain Oxford University Press  (ISBN 19432429)
• Vaughan-Rees, M. (1995)  In Britain Chancerel  (ISBN 1899888004)

1. Nicholas Abercrombie, Alan Warde, Keith Soothill, John Urry, Sylvia Walby, Contemporary British Society, Polity Press, reprinted 1995 (ISBN 07456 1067 6)


An excellent textbook which covers a number of topics related to contemporary Britain such as families, households, health, class, work, culture and the media, ethnicity, deviance and politics. Clearly written and drawing on recent statistical and empirical data, this book could be used directly with advanced students as a source of  information and interesting analysis.
 

2. edited by Roger Jowell, Sharon Witherspoon and Lindsay Brook, Social and Community Planning Research, British Social Attitudes (13th Report), Gower Publishing Company Ltd., Aldershot 1996 (ISBN 1855 216 078)


A very useful selection of statistical data  about Britain with short interpretative reports on topics such as attitudes to national identity, values, friendship and kinship, Northern Ireland during the ceasefire, the labour market, and taxation and public spending. Could be used directly with  students - particularly if roughly comparable Polish data could be obtained.
 

3. Hugh Kearny, The British Isles: A History of Four Nations, CUP, 2nd edition (Canto version) 1995 (ISBN 0 521 48488X)


A history book of a manageable size which challenges more traditional accounts of supposedly "British" (but in fact predominantly English) versions of history, and problematises the relationships between the histories of the nations which constitute Britain. Could be used with advanced students, or as background for teachers.
 

4. edited by Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger, The Invention of Tradition, CUP, 2nd edition 1992, reprinted 1995 (ISBN 0 521 43773 3)


A collection of essays on topics such as the construction of the Highland tradition of Scotland, and the invention of some of the traditions of the British Monarchy. Definitely more for the teacher than the student, but the idea of the "inventedness" of national traditions would be a useful way of exploring attitudes to stereotypes of Britain, as well, as, perhaps, of Poland.
 

5. Raymond Williams, Keywords, Harper Collins, London 1988 (ISBN 000 686 1504)


A classic book, with interesting definitions of various words (such as "culture") and their cultural histories which could be used as the basis for some interesting cross-cultural discussions with students.

• A range of newspaper titles including The Guardian, The Times, The Telegraph are available on CD from Chadwyck-Healey
• Microsoft Encarta British Edition
• The Hutchinson Multimedia Encyclopedia 1997