Historically, developments in the United Kingdom shaped much of the modern world, and many current developments in the country continue to make for fascinating areas of study for scholars and students in many disciplines. In Britain Today – Challenges and opportunities in the age of globalization, topics and key subjects are chosen to reflect the most important social, political and cultural issues in Britain today, with a focus on those that Scandinavian lecturers and students will find particularly important and engaging. Avoiding overly descriptive approaches, the book provides introductions to prominent ideas, social, political and cultural critique and responses, all of contemporary relevance. In addition to providing the necessary basic and factual information, the book and its homepage suggest student assignments, topics for presentations and essays, and literature for further reading. It thus sets stages that will enable students to critically relate to attitudes and ideas, and inspire their own in-depth exploration. Throughout the book, we aim to avoid the conventional jargon of the field and its implied understandings. Consequently, students with little or no experience with British studies should find the texts both engaging and easy to relate to. The chapters of the book are organized thematically and arranged in balanced and substantial modules. This means that each chapter can stand alone and need not be read or taught as part of a particular sequence. This allows lecturers to easily design a course on the basis of Britain Today according to their own preferences or curricular demands.