Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Arts and Humanities

American Symbols: Contrasting Views

The Statue of Liberty: A Unifying Symbol?

Most American citizens seem to share a common opinion of the Statue of Liberty. They think that it is a symbol of hope, faith, democracy, freedom, and equality, although the reality is sometimes different.

The American Flag: A Divisive Symbol?

On the other hand, Americans hold two distinct points of view regarding the American flag. Some believe that the stars and stripes represent unity and equality; these individuals may feel content with their lives in America. Others feel that the American flag does not live up to their expectations and are ashamed of it. These people might feel compelled to disrespect the flag, wanting to burn it or drag it through the mud. As a... Continue reading "American Symbols, the Dream, and Narrative Perspectives" »

Verb tenses and moods: The indicative use of this timeless, conditional (arguably...), and attenuated expressions (e.g., "we suggest..."). There is a solo verbal dominance of the third person to expose impersonality, as well as the use of the first person plural.

Adjectives and resources: Use of specified adjectives, descriptive and explanatory appositions, switches, and other resources.

Lexical-Semantic Characteristics

Scientific and technical texts are characterized by the use of specific terminology and the presence of semantic phenomena such as hyperonymy, hyponymy, synonymy, and antonymy. Technicalities are all expressions which are called own notions of an area of knowledge.

Types of Techniques

• By their origin: Words of ordinary language of

SAMPLE ESSAY

There are many different kinds of advertising: on the radio, on television, in newspapers, in magazines, and on billboards. In your opinion, which one of these kinds of advertising is the most effective? Why? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

All advertising media share a common goal: to reach as many consumers as possible and convince them to buy a certain product. They all employ similar strategies to achieve this objective, but some are more effective than others. In my opinion, television is the most effective because of several advantages it has over other advertising media.

For one thing, I believe television advertising has a greater power to engage its audience than print and radio media have. While... Continue reading "The Effectiveness of Television Advertising in Marketing" »

Vocabulary

1. AMBIGUITY: Doubtfulness or uncertainty as regards interpretation.
2. NEPOTISM: Giving jobs to relatives.
3. ETHNOCENTRIC: The belief in the inherent superiority of one's own culture.
4. INVEST: To put money, time, or feelings into something.
5. ENLIGHTENMENT: Clear thinking that is free from delusion.
6. COURTSHIP: Time when one person pursues the other for marriage.
7. DECLINE: To reduce or to say no.
8. UNPREDICTABLE: Something that behaves in unexpected ways.
9. BRANCH OUT: To expand or extend, as in business activities.
10. SECULARISM: The view that public education and other matters of civil policy should be conducted without religious elements.
11. BIAS: Inclination, prejudice, viewpoint.
12. CONTROVERSY: A prolonged public dispute, debate, or contention.
13. STEREOTYPE: Opinion

The Narrative Verbal Icon /2

A Brief Overview of the History of Narration

• Phase 1: Mythic narration = "histories" of the world. Very ancient stories, which are signs of the thinking man. They are a kind of documentation about how people think. This was the narrative of fictitious cultures. The heroes were divine beings, outstanding humans who were able to do things which others are unable to.
• Phase 2: High Mimetic narration = imitating a culture which is superior to another, connecting the stories with historical facts. The producers of heroic epics found a tradition and storytellers followed them. (primary=oral, secondary=written). The journeys of Odysseus and Aeneas belong here. The focus is on the journey made by the characters (mostly without)

Advertising and Health Claims

Health Claim: A statement on a product ad that says it’s good for your health.

• To pitch: Persuade someone to buy something.
• To soothe: To make someone feel calmer.
• A filter trip: Filter to remove impurities.
• The T-Zone: Area of the face.
• A testimonial: A formal statement.
• An interloper: Someone who is not wanted or who doesn’t belong.
• To coin (a phrase): To invent a new expression.
• To sue (someone): To start a legal case against someone.
• To crack down: To become stricter.
• To tout something: To sell something; to convince that it is good.
• Up the ante: To risk more.
• The ad that ran: The advertisement that was broadcast.
• Winking: Closing one eye briefly.
• To be portrayed: To be represented.
• To feature: To show.
• Appeal to: To attract.

Literary devices Jane Austen uses in her novel Pride and Prejudice.

Dramatic Irony

Definition: In literature, a plot device in which the audience’s or reader’s knowledge of events or individuals surpasses that of the characters. The words and actions of the characters therefore take on a different meaning for the audience or reader than they have for the characters. This may happen when, for example, a character reacts in an inappropriate or foolish way or when a character lacks self-awareness and thus acts under false assumptions.

Alliteration

Definition: Alliteration is a literary device where words are used in quick succession and begin with letters belonging to the same sound group. Whether it is the consonant sound or a specific vowel... Continue reading "Literary Devices in Pride and Prejudice" »

PL/SQL Package: gestionEmpleados Specification

CREATE OR REPLACE PACKAGE gestionEmpleados
AS
  -- Cursor to get average salary per department
  CURSOR curMediaSueldo IS
    SELECT AVG(salario) "media", dept_no 
    FROM emple 
    GROUP BY dept_no;

  -- Cursor to select all employees
  CURSOR curEmpleados IS 
    SELECT * 
    FROM emple;

  -- Cursor to select all departments
  CURSOR curDepartamentos IS 
    SELECT * 
    FROM depart;

  -- Package variables
  nombre VARCHAR2(40);
  media NUMBER;
  departamento VARCHAR2(20);

  -- Function declaration to get department name
  FUNCTION nomDepart(numeroDpt depart.dept_no%TYPE) 
    RETURN gestionEmpleados.departamento%TYPE;

END gestionEmpleados;

PL/SQL Package Body: gestionEmpleados

CREATE OR

The Coming of International Relations

The First Great Debate

The emergence of international relations as a distinct field of study is intertwined with the rise of social sciences like economics, sociology, and political science. A group of scholars, often referred to as liberals, idealists, Wilsonians, or utopians, played a pivotal role in shaping early IR thought. They championed the establishment of international institutions, the expansion of international trade, and the practice of open diplomacy guided by experts. This belief in the power of international cooperation and institutions stemmed from their conviction that war was primarily a consequence of flawed thinking by politicians and diplomats.

These early IR thinkers argued that secrecy... Continue reading "The Rise of International Relations as a Social Science" »