《美國社會文化》旨在為中國的英語學習者和美國文化愛好者提供一幅以美國文化理念和價值觀為主線、以美國人民族特性和行為方式為內容、以美國社會結構和地區(qū)特色為襯托的“美國社會文化全景圖。。眾所周知，語言的背后是文化，文化的背后是良知，良知的背后是人性。因此，無論是從現(xiàn)實主義或者實用主義，還是從道德良知或者人文精神的角度來說，知曉和領悟美國文化不僅有助于我們對英語的切實掌握和靈活運用，而且有助于我們人文素養(yǎng)的提升和思想情操的修煉。
《美國社會文化》在了解和詮釋美國社會文化的精神之旅中，我們不僅可以解讀英語文字中的文化信息，更可以以英語文字為載體透視美利堅民族之魂。通過學習美國社會與文化，可以更加系統(tǒng)、完整地理解和把握美國文化，進而在理性層面對英語語言既“知其然”，又“知其所以然”，最終自覺使用正確、地道的英語。
目前，我國外語教學界正日漸形成這樣一種共識，即外語教學與外國文化教育密切相關，不可割離。圍繞語言教學與文化教育的關系問題，學術界主要有三種觀點。一種觀點認為，語言與文化是一種從屬關系，即語言為主，文化為輔，英語表述為langtrage teaching with a cultural dimen-sion。另一種觀點提出，語言教學與文化教育應齊頭并進，不分主次，互為補充，英語表述為culture teaching as a paralle to language teaching。還有一種觀點主張，語言教學與文化教育構成一個不可割裂的整體，英語表述為culture teaching as an integral part of language teaching。盡管這三種觀點側重點相異，對文化在語言教學過程中的權重認識不一，但它們的共同點還是顯而易見的，即三者都強調文化教育對語言教學的影響和作用。以此推論，即便了解和掌握一國文化不是學好其語言的必要條件，至少也是有助于語言學習和運用的。
正是基于這一認識，本人用英語編寫了這本《美國社會文化》，旨在為中國的英語學習者和美國文化愛好者提供一幅以美國文化理念和價值觀為主線、以美國人民族特性和行為方式為內容、以美國社會結構和地區(qū)特色為襯托的“美國社會文化全景圖”。眾所周知，語言的背后是文化，文化的背后是良知，良知的背后是人性。因此，無論是從現(xiàn)實主義或者實用主義，還是從道德良知或者人文精神的角度來說，知曉和領悟美國文化不僅有助于我們對英語（至少是美國英語）的切實掌握和靈活運用，而且有助于我們人文素養(yǎng)的提升和思想情操的修煉。毋庸說，我們不必把美國文化“照單全收”，更沒有必要仿而效之，而應該采取取其精華、去其糟粕的態(tài)度，一方面探尋美國人的文化精神，另一方面尋求全人類的共同關懷。在了解和詮釋美國文化的精神之旅中，我們不僅可以解讀英語文字中的文化信息，更可以英語文字為載體透視美利堅民族之魂。
長期以來，本人在講授英語語言技能的同時教授美國文化課程。近三十載的教學實踐告訴我，英語語言教學必須輔以文化內容，即language teaching with a cultural dimension。這是最基本的要求，否則語言學習只能流于表面，無法深入內層。事實上，對英語國家文化的生疏和無知不僅阻礙語言習得過程，而且影響甚至制約對語言的準確理解和完整掌握。
王恩銘，出生于1957年，教授，博士生導師，上海外國語大學美國研究中心負責人。
1982年7月畢業(yè)于原上海外國語學院英語系英語語言文學專業(yè)，畢業(yè)后留校任教至今。1982至1983年在上外“美國學助教進修班”研修一年。1985年獲美國富布賴特青年學者獎學金赴美國Universityof WIscomm Mdison攻讀美國學碩士學位，于1987年回國。1992年作為富布賴特高級訪問學者，再赴University of Wisconsin Madison，作為期一年的研究。1996年，獲美國“全國人文基金會”資助，赴美國University of Kansas Laurence，參加為期兩個月的“美國學暑期研討班”。2000年，獲美國斯塔爾基金會資助，在香港大學美國研究中心做了10個月的訪問學者。2004年1月，受香港城市大學的邀請，做了一個月的“高級研究員”。2004年9月，獲斯塔爾基金會獎學金，赴香港大學美國研究中心，作6個月的研究工作。在上海外國語大學期間，主要從事美國學領域的教學和研究工作，主要方向為美國史，美國文化與社會，現(xiàn)代美國婦女研究。近八年來，參加高級英語和高級口譯的課程教學。從1985年至今，發(fā)表美國學方面的論文30多篇，主要有《美國歷史上的政教關系》、《從政治邊緣走向政治中心》、《美國的新自由主義》、《美國60年代的反正統(tǒng)文化運動》和《美國新左派運動》。出版的論著包括：《20世紀美國婦女研究》、《當代美國社會與文化》、《美國文化與社會》和《美國名校風采》。參加的教材編寫有《高級翻譯教程》。此外，還有譯著《危機》和《美國人的生活和社會制度》。2002年獲上外“申銀萬國科研”一等獎；2002年被評為“上外十佳青年教師”。參加的學術組織包括：中華美國學會，中國美國史研究會和上海美國研究學會。
Chapter One Out of the Past
Learning Objectives
1.1 The Birth of a New Nation
1.2 The Growth of the-New Republic
1.3 The Civil War and the Reconstruction
1.4 Growth and Transformation
1.5 The Progressive Thrust
1.6 War， Prosperity， and Depression
1.7 World War II and Its Impact
1.8 Decades of Change： 1960-1980
1.9 America at the Turn of the Century
Summary
Essay Questions
Chapter Two The American Identity
Learning Objectives
2.1 The Anglo-Saxons
2.2 White Ethnic Americans
2.3 African Americans
2.4 Latinos/Hispanies
2.5 Asian Americans
2.6 Native Americans
Summary
Essay Questions
Chapter Three Religion in America
Learning Objectives
3.1 Religion in America： A Brief History
3.2 "In God We Trust"
3.3 Church， State and Polities
3.4 Popular Religion
3.5 Civil Religion and Beyond
Summary
Essay Questions
Chapter Four American Beliefs
Learning Objectives
4.1 Primary Beliefs of American Culture
4.2 Immigrant Beliefs
4.3 Frontier Beliefs
4.4 Religious and Moral Beliefs
4.5 Social Beliefs
4.6 Political Beliefs
4.7 Beliefs on Human Nature
Summary
Essay Questions
Chapter Five American Values and Assumptions
Learning Objeetives
5.1 Individualism and Privacy
5.2 Equality
5.3 Informality
5.4 Achievement， Action， Work， and Materialism
5.5 Directness and Assertiveness
5.6 Cooperation and "Fair Play"
Summary
Essay Questions
Chapter Six Cultural Regions in America
Learning Objectives
6.1 New England
6.2 The South
6.3 The Midland
6.4 The Midwest
6.5 The Far West
Summary
Essay Questions
Chapter Seven Education in America
Learning Objectives
7.1 Initial Efforts in Promoting Education
7.2 Education as Philanthropy
7.3 The Birth of Public Schools
7.4 The Emergence of the Academies
7.5 Colleges： Private and Public
7.6 The Arrival of the University
7.7 Progressivism in Education
Summary
Essay Questions
Chapter Eight The American Family
Learning Objectives
8.1 European Origins of the American Family
8.2 Separate Spheres and the Birth of the Modern American Family
8.3 Private Lives and Paradoxes of Perfection
8.4 The Contemporary American Family
8.5 Upper， Middle， and Working-Class Families
Summary
Essay Questions
Chapter Nine Mass Media
Learning Objectives
9.1 Books
9.2 Newspapers
9.3 Magazines
9.4 Films
9.5 Radio and Sound Recording
9.6 Television
9.7 The Internet and the World Wide Web
Summary
Essay Questions
Chapter Ten Popular Culture
Learning Objectives
10.1 Comic Art
10.2 Advertising
10.3 Automobile Culture
10.4 Dance
10.5 Music
10.6 Sports
Summary
Essay Questions
Chapter Eleven Capitalist Economy and Business Civilization
Learning Objectives
11.1 American Capitalism
11.2 The Cult of the Businessman
11.3 The Corporate Empire
11.4 Business and Its Satellites
11.5 Capital and Labor
Summary
Essay Questions
Chapter Twelve Social Services
Learning Objectives
12.1 American Values in Social Welfare
12.2 Social Services： A Brief History
12.3 Public Social Services
12.4 Health Care Services
12.5 Housing
Summary
Essay Questions
Chapter Thirteen Law and Legal System
Learning Objectives
13.1 The Sources of the Law
13.2 The Federal Judicial System
13.3 The State Judicial System
13.4 The Criminal Court Process
13.5 The Civil Court Process
Summary
Essay Questions
Chapter Fourteen American Women
Learning Objectives
14.1 Founding Mothers
14.2 Women in the New Republic
14.3 Womens Rights Movement
14.4 The Cult of Domesticity and New Women
14.5 Housewifery and Domesticity
14.6 A New Wave of Feminism
14.7 Gains and Uncertainties
Summary
Essay Questions
Chapter Fifteen Who Is an American?
Learning Objectives
15.1 The Puritan Thesis
15.2 The Frontier Thesis
15.3 The Melting-Pot Thesis
15.4 The Salad Bowl Thesis
15.5 Multiculturalism
Summary
Essay Questions
Bibliography
The city had many faces.Slums，criminals，beggars，and grafters displayed one side of urban life.Beautiful parks broad avenues lined with smart stores and find mansions，great churches，theaters，museums，and libraries showed another.The best hospitals and the best schools were to be found in the cities，as were also the intellectual nerve centers of the country the offices of the leading magazines，newspapers，and book publishers.It was part of the centralization of American life that the mores ophisticated manners and morals of the city should exert a steadily widening influence over the country as a whole.The city was the home of the rich no less than of the poor。but the rich were enjoying their golden hour in the city as the poor could not.For women，however，the city gave them new opportunities for indepen dencethat were nerve dreamed of.The narrow alternatives of earlier davs school-teaching，domestic service，factory work now broadened to offer employment to women doctors，lawyers，typists，telephone operators，librarians，journalists，and social workers.Particularly interesting were the opportunities in nursing.Excerpt in a few Catholic hospitals，femalenurses before the Civil War were an untrained and little-respected group.But by 1883，with the radical alteration of public attitudes，there were twenty-two training schools in the country.Urban conditions，the growing independence of women，and many other economic and social factors exerted their influence on American family life.Between 1860 and 1910，the birth rate declined from about 41per thousand to about 27.Smaller families were particularly characteristic of the urban professional and business classes，who found it increasinglyexpensive to give children the educational and other advantages that were considered necessary.Even more alarming to many moralists was the steady increase in divorce.In 1867，fewer than 10，000 divorces were granted in the whole country 0.3 divorce per thousand of population.In1914，there were over 100，000 divorces and the rate had risen to 1.0 perthousand inhabitants.
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