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

The Ancient Regime: System to Be Destroyed

The term Ancient Regime was used by the French revolutionaries to define the system they wanted to destroy. It was the political, economic, and social system used in France during the 17th and 18th centuries. This system was based on:

• An absolute monarchy.
• A society divided into privileged and non-privileged groups (the estates society).
• An economy based on agriculture and controlled by the State.

Political Structure: Absolute Monarchy

Politically, the system featured an absolute monarchy, where the king held all powers. Revolutionaries sought to establish a representative government and enforce the separation of powers (executive, legislative, judicial).

Social Structure: The Estates

Society was rigidly divided... Continue reading "French Revolution's Ancient Regime: Politics, Society, Economy" »

Social media: Pros/contra: The technologies which allow us to share information, pictures and ideas among others things are what we call social media. However, one thing is sure that social media has become an integral part of the lives of people of all ages today. Therefore, it is important for all to understand the advantages as well as disadvantages of social media in order to make the right choice for themselves.

:) Social media has made communication a lot more easier than ever before. Now, with a touch of a button people could communicate with anybody any where in the world. Websites such as Facebook makes communication with others an easy task. Social Networking makes it possible to reach many people in a very short time. This has led... Continue reading "The Impact of Social Media on Youth: Pros and Cons" »

Analysis Process Framework

When analyzing a company, we should divide the analysis in two points: External and Internal. The focus of these analyses is to find their main Strengths, Weaknesses (internal analysis), Opportunities, and Threats (external analysis). After research we can finally build our SWOT analysis of the company.

External:

• Trends = PESTLE - allows the company to make specific choices when planning the company's future, from how the brand should be presented, to any changes within the structure of the company's organization, to the development of new products.
• Sector = Porter’s 5 forces - Analytical model used to help identify the structure of an industry, and to help companies determine their competitive strategies.

Internal Analysis:

Multilingualism

Multilingualism is the ability of individuals to use more than two languages in their everyday life. It exists when multiple languages coexist and are necessary for communication. These languages may have different statuses, such as majority or minority languages, both within the community and internationally. Some languages are primarily used in private domains, while others are used in public domains like work or school.

Factors Influencing Third Language Acquisition (TLA)

Four factors can influence TLA:

• Sociolinguistic Context: Opportunities for language exposure, attitudes towards language learning, the status of different languages in society, and time devoted to different languages at school.
• Psycholinguistic Processes: TLA

Possibilities for Integration

Use the Work in the Language Class to Work in Other Subjects

For example, if the children make a survey in the English class to use the expression “by car”, “by bus”, etc., they can use the information in the mathematics class to make diagrams, schemes, etc.

In this way, we are relating language with the content in other subjects, which provides the language with a double value.

Use the Techniques in Other Subjects to Improve the Language Class

For example, the teacher makes questions in English in the mathematics class, questions like “who is wearing jeans?” “who is wearing a T-shirt?” “who is wearing jeans and a T-shirt?” that they will organize in diagrams.

Then, the information will be worked... Continue reading "Integrating Language Learning Across Subjects: Strategies and Benefits" »

Terrorism: Global Challenge and US Policy

Terrorism is an international problem in today's global community. Many nations are affected, whether directly or indirectly. Most nations oppose terrorism, while others condone or even support active, brutal terrorism and terrorist groups.

Defining Terrorism

Terrorism is defined by the US State Department based on four key elements:

1. A threat of violence or an act of violence.
2. A political objective.
3. The violence and threat of violence is a direct attack on civilians, making civilians a primary target.
4. It is perpetrated by a sub-national group or individual, often supported by a nation or nations.

Terrorism vs. Acts of War: Case Studies

Two examples often used to distinguish terrorism from non-terrorism are the... Continue reading "Global Security, Travel Dreams, and Effective Communication" »

Confrontation:

In this stage, it is focused on winning/losing, forcing the positions against the counterpart, the positions are inflexible, the parts have little time to resolve the problems, so the negotiation will be easier for me, due to the power control that I have. Example: “Mr. Ballmer expressed a belief that Microsoft and Nokia could innovate more quickly in the mobile market if their products were produced by a single company, Microsoft”

Subordinated:

In this stage, the company is submitted to the interest of the other party, it tries to get something from the situation, it is a conflict without an exit, and I have to accept it. One party can make a concession. Example: “The future is likely to be relatively grim for employees

The culture of the United Kingdom is influenced by the UK's history.

As a developed island country, a liberal democracy and a major power, it has a predominantly Christian religious life. It is composed of four countries: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, each of which has distinct customs, cultures, and symbolism. The wider culture of Europe has also influenced British culture, including Humanism, Protestantism, and representative democracy developed from broader Western culture.

British literature, music, cinema, art, theatre, comedy, media, television, philosophy, architecture, and education are important aspects of British culture. The United Kingdom is also prominent in science and technology, producing world-leading scientists