Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Social sciences

Unification and Dissociation of Sensibility

Understanding the Concepts

The terms "unification of sensibility" and "dissociation of sensibility" are closely related but distinct concepts in literary criticism and cognitive philosophy. They explore the relationship between the individual (subject) and the world (object), particularly in the context of poetic expression.

Continuity vs. Discontinuity:

• Continuity: This perspective suggests a seamless connection between the subject and object, where emotions and experiences are directly intertwined with the external world.
• Discontinuity: This view posits a separation between the subject and object, where the individual's thoughts and feelings are distinct from the external stimuli that evoke them.

T.S.

Text Structure

Sequence of sentences, but not any sequence of sentences is a text.

Considered a text, if it is coherent and if it complies with certain norms which are typical of a text.

Texts must have:

• Cohesion: formal, grammatical relations between sentences in a text.
• Coherence: interaction between the text and the real world. It relates to the mental and conceptual aspects of the given information.
• Recurrence (repetition), progression (sequence) and connectivity (connectors).

Textual Competence

Capacity to construct well-formed texts. Capacity to interpret well-formed texts or accept messages. This competence can be evidenced in different situations: monologs/dialogs, oral/written discourse, face to face/distance interactions, simultaneous/differed... Continue reading "Text Structure and Textual Competence" »

Acquisition

is the process of internalizing a language in a context where that language is used as the usual means of communication. It is a subconscious process of which the individual is not aware. A language is acquired when the process occurs naturally or when the process is not externally guided.

Learning

is the process of internalizing a language as a result of formal study, typically in a classroom situation. It is a conscious process, much like what one experiences in school.

SL:

refers to any language acquired after the mother tongue or native language (the one acquired in the family), regardless it is second, third, etc. Normally, it is officially spoken in one’s country.

FL:

refers to any language learned after the native language.... Continue reading "Language Acquisition and Learning: Theories and Processes" »

Rewriting and Literary Reception

Rewriting significantly influences the reception, acceptance, or rejection of literary texts. Several factors empower 'rewriting persons' such as translators, historiographers, anthologists, critics, and editors. These influences are primarily ideological and poetological.

Ideological Influence

A crucial consideration is the translator's ideology or the ideology imposed by patronage.

Poetological Influence

This involves two components:

• Literary Devices: Genres, symbols, leimotifs, narrative plots, and formalized characters.
• The Role of Literature: The concept of literature's role within the social system in which it exists.

The Literary System

Professionals within the literary system, such as critics, reviewers, academic... Continue reading "Rewriting and Power Dynamics in Literary Translation" »

Power in Global Politics

Power is a central concept in global politics. It's the ability to effect change within social organizations, not a unitary force. Understanding power dynamics is crucial, especially with growing globalization and contested relationships between people and groups.

Sovereignty

Sovereignty is a state's independence, territorial control, and self-governance. How states use this power is key. Some argue globalization erodes sovereignty, while others believe states retain significant power in their national interest.

Legitimacy in Governance

Legitimacy is the basis for governance and exercising power. Democracy and constitutionalism, where citizens choose their leaders, are widely accepted sources. Other sources exist where this... Continue reading "Power, Sovereignty, Legitimacy, and Interdependence in Global Politics" »

The Left-Right Political Spectrum

The origins of the left-right political division are debated. While most sources place its birth in the first weeks of the French Revolution, the exact day remains a point of disagreement.

Defining the Political Left

In political science, the Left refers to the group of people who support a doctrine or ideology that advocates progressive social and economic transformations, often standing in opposition to conservative ideas.

Being left-wing often represents a political position contrary to traditional governments and is associated with liberal ideology. The primary purpose of the Left is to reduce economic gaps between the poor and the rich, based on the belief that society should help everyone through collective... Continue reading "Political Left: Origins, Ideology, and Latin America" »

Nowadays, with the aim of making undergraduate students more familiar with the labour market, “Estudios Ingleses” degree is now offering internships as an optional subject to all students on their last academic year. Therefore, it is quite frequent for students to consider which option would be more suitable for them. The aim of this essay is to compare and contrast similarities and differences between making an internship as an optional subject or choosing other optional subjects.

Both ways of studying share some similarities, being one of them learning about the subject you have chosen. They will obtain the same content in both cases and also, they will expend the same time.

The second similarity would be that they are able to get a job.

With robots becoming more common each and every day, it is important to understand both the advantages and disadvantages that robots have. This will help enable people to better determine when to use and when to not use robots.

The Advantages of Robots

Cost: The most obvious advantage of robots is their cost. Robots are cheaper than most human counterparts, and their costs are still decreasing.

Abilities: Robotic abilities, what robots can do, are now extremely vast and growing.

Productivity: Robots do not tire and can work very long hours without service or maintenance. As a result, robots can be significantly more productive than people.

Precision: Robots can be much more precise than people. For instance, robots should not tremble or shake as... Continue reading "Advantages and Disadvantages of Robots: Cost, Abilities, and More" »

Industrial Revolutions: First and Second

Similarities Between Revolutions

• Both were part of a transition from an agrarian society to an industrial one.
• Manual labor was replaced by factories, machines, and a new class of industrial workers.
• Both utilized fossil fuels (*e.g., coal*, *oil*).
• Both contributed to increased production and global trade through improved transport.
• Both fostered the development of new types of economic investment.

First Industrial Revolution (1750-1840)

Period and Countries

It started in England in the early 1750s and spread to Belgium and Germany between 1780 and 1840.

Sources of Energy

Fossil fuels, primarily coal.

Type of Energy

Mechanical energy produced by steam engines.

Transport Advances

• Rail transport (from 1830)
• Maritime

Equality

Egalitarian theories are based on a concept of equality that all people, or groups of people, are seen as having the same intrinsic value. Equality is therefore closely linked to justice and fairness, as egalitarians argue that justice can only exist if there is equality. Increasingly, with growing polarization within societies, equality is also linked to liberty, as different people have differing possibilities to be free and autonomous.

Development

Development is a sustained increase in the standard of living and well-being of a level of social organization. Many consider it to involve increased income; better access to basic goods and services; improvements in education, healthcare and public health; well-functioning institutions;... Continue reading "Key Concepts: Equality, Development, Globalization, Inequality, Sustainability" »