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

Historical Materialism: Marx's Core Theory

Karl Marx's historical materialism posits the denial of the autonomy of ideas concerning the conditions of human existence, emphasizing the dialectical and historical character of the material base. Friedrich Engels, in fact, considered Marx's historical materialism (along with the theory of surplus value) among his most significant scientific findings. It is, fundamentally, a sociological theory rather than a purely philosophical one.

Key Tenets of Historical Materialism

1. The Economic Structure: The economic structure forms the real basis of society.
2. Production Relations: This structure consists of the relations of production, which are the relationships established between individuals according to their

Nouns: Words with Gender and Number

A noun is a word that has gender (feminine or masculine) and number (plural or singular).

Types of Nouns

• Common: chair, furniture, bed, piano, horse, etc.
• Proper: Antonio, San Juan, Malaga, etc.
• Concrete: Refer to material objects that are perceived by the senses (not just by sight): perfume, music, star, book, etc.
• Abstract: Designate intangible realities, which are included as concepts: sympathy, freedom, equality, etc.
• Singular: Refer to a single unit in the singular form: stylus, pond, person, etc.
• Collective: army, public, neighborhood, people, etc.
• Countable: Refer to existing objects that can be counted and numbered: home, planet, notebook, car, etc.
• Uncountable: flour, water, oil, salt, etc.

Determiners: Accompanying

B-institutional functions:

1. Recruitment and selection of political elites - Parties share the role of recruitment and training with top bureaucrats, business, or intellectuals. Some countries have a closed list system, where the party bureaucracy is very extensive. Parties do not necessarily select the best, but the most disciplined, those who identify more with partisan ideologies and those who criticize less. This phenomenon of co-option of selecting interests creates a bureaucracy within parties, leading to oligarchization. It is consistent with the interests of party professionals who are paid by work.
2. Organization and conduct of elections - Political parties organize the elections and we elect representatives submitted by the parties. The

Systems Approach to Public Administration

The systems approach explains the phenomenon of public administration by applying principles from general systems theory. Originally developed in biology, this theory now serves as a valuable viewpoint and analytical tool for understanding social phenomena and natural events. From this perspective, public administration is viewed as a set of interconnected elements that interact with their political system. It receives inputs, processes and transforms them under governmental guidance, ultimately translating them into public services and outcomes.

Public Administration as a Discipline

Defining Public Administration

• A discipline must possess its own body of postulates and theories to explain its object of

Treasures of the Earth

1. This text talks about an exhibition where you can see a model house in which you can locate materials. There is also an animated film where you can see the different geological periods. You can also see different minerals. You can also experience earthquakes and learn the history of the planet in a video.
2. Keywords: Exhibition, tools, lent, fractures.
3. • a) Samples from the collection are used to study the minerals.
   • b) "You ought to see the beautiful animated [film]," they said to us.
   • c) The exhibition contains a model house.
   • d) You can see a large model of a modern gold mine.
4. • a) This text comes from a leaflet about the exhibition. It was written by the person who organized the exhibition to tell people what the exhibition is about.

Key Elements of Effective Research

What Elements Define the Research Problem?

The core elements include:

• Pursuing well-defined research objectives
• Formulating clear research questions
• Establishing a strong rationale for the investigation
• Conducting a feasibility study
• Identifying and assessing gaps in the existing knowledge base

What Constitutes a Proper Literature Review?

A proper literature review involves a thorough selection and integration of references into the theoretical framework. To ensure its quality, consider these questions:

• Was a database query (manual or computer-based) performed, considering sources from at least the past 5 years?
• Were internet search engines and directories consulted?
• Were at least 4 relevant scientific journals consulted,

The communicative situation is the set of circumstances in which communication takes place. These elements are:

• Personality of transmitter and receiver
• Degree of formality
• Topic of communication
• Intentionality
• Interaction type
• Scope of social interaction

Language Registers

It is the individual use of language. It reflects the ability of people to adapt their language style based on their proficiency: the higher the degree and level of language, the easier it will be to change their style. There are two types of registers:

1. Formal register: Used in specialized fields and employs standard usage. The formal register is the standard register.
2. Informal register: Used in family and friendship settings. The most significant is the colloquial register.

The Colloquial

Question 1

Teachers should not replace "old technologies" with "new technology"; they should, first of all, ensure a good fit. That is, use each technology for what it is best suited, and therefore superior to the other. New technologies, when associated with good pedagogical teaching, learning, and assessment, are of great importance from the moment they are seen as educational tools that can facilitate learning and become mediators for students to construct their own knowledge. In this process, the student takes on an active role rather than a passive one, addressing their needs so they can become critical and reflective citizens in the context of current education. Given this reality, the idea that individuals must "be able to accomplish... Continue reading "Technology, Taxes, and Globalization: Key Issues" »

Historical Materialism

Historical materialism is a theory about society which posits that the basis of all social order lies in production. Humans differ from animals when they begin to produce their means of subsistence, thereby indirectly producing their material life. To achieve this, humans must work, with work being the cause of production. This work has always been social and collective, thus creating a series of links and relationships between all agents of production, known as social relations.

Production Factors

Production is the activity that creates material assets and is conditioned by the nature of the objects being processed. This production involves two key elements: the work process and the relations of production. These two elements... Continue reading "Historical Materialism: Production as Society's Basis" »

6) State Structure and the "First Device"

The Spanish Constitution (EC) in its Article 2 does not establish a definitive model of the state structure but is limited to establishing basic elements, allowing great flexibility in shaping the state model that has been shaped through the adoption of different Statutes of Autonomy.

The lack of definition of a closed state model shows that the EC does not determine whether the state should be formed by regions, how many, or which ones, nor what territory. Article 152 simply outlines its internal organization.

The constitutional uncertainty on these issues and the ability of the constituted territories to form new regional governments, while respecting constitutional limits, is what is called the "first... Continue reading "Spanish Constitution and Autonomous Regions" »