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

The Realistic Novel

A realistic novel fulfills a social need, arising as a reaction to the idealistic novel. It portrays the society of the time, reflecting real problems. Its characters are of low social status and it often takes place in cities. It serves as both entertainment and social commentary. The picaresque novel is the most representative example of this genre.

Picaresque Novel

The rogue is a humble character, driven to crime by need and hunger. The picaresque novel is often autobiographical, intends to moralize, and provides a critical view of society.

The Baroque Period

Historical Background

• Political Crisis: The political system was characterized by absolute monarchy, with governments often in the hands of favorites.
• Economic Crisis:

Functions and Objectives of Primary Health Care

Health Promotion

Health promotion is a crucial function, aiming to maintain population health levels. It emphasizes healthy habits as a major element of human well-being. Health education, both individual and collective, is a primary tool for health promotion.

Disease Prevention

Prevention and promotion are complementary. Prevention activities are selectively directed to avoid specific diseases, such as through vaccinations.

Treatment of Health Problems

This function has been traditionally developed by health systems. The modern perspective allows primary health care (PHC) to integrate assistance with preventive and health promotion activities.

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation should be understood broadly,... Continue reading "Primary Health Care: Functions, EU Rights & Spanish System" »

What is Technology?

Building objects by establishing a consistent process is a form of art.

Technology is the body of knowledge and techniques humans use to create products that meet our needs and improve our living conditions.

Object Analysis

Anatomical and Aesthetic Analysis

This considers the shape, size, color, texture, and components of an object.

Functional Analysis

This studies the object's operation to determine if it fulfills its intended purpose.

Technical Analysis

This involves evaluating the materials and techniques used in the object's construction, including mechanical, electrical, electronic, and chemical aspects.

Economic Analysis

This studies the costs associated with manufacturing and marketing an object, which determine its price.

Ergonomic

The Era of Democracy

Pretended democratic regimes require the effective participation of citizens in politics. This supposes:

• Organizing states according to the principles of voting and respect for freedoms and rights.
• Advocating for access to information and culture.

Between 1870 and 1914, the expansion of democratic regimes took place in Western Europe. Gradually, authoritarian regimes disappeared, and freedoms restricted voting.

Suffrage

The right to vote was extended to a growing number of citizens. In the last third of the 19th century, the vote was censitary and masculine. The female vote was not yet implemented.

Universal male suffrage became a reality in Europe and America, with advances and setbacks.

The Constitution

The constitution is a set... Continue reading "Democracy's Rise in the 19th Century: Suffrage and Rights" »

Linguistic Families and Language Contact

A linguistic family consists of related languages that originate from the same source; i.e., they have emerged from the diversification of a common source language (proto-language or mother tongue).

Language Contact: Pidgins and Creoles

Languages, besides undergoing diversification, are also subject to convergence phenomena where several languages exchange some of their elements. This process intensifies when two or more languages are in contact within the same territory. This contact can lead to the creation of new languages:

• Pidgins (Sabir): These are languages that arise spontaneously between groups with diverse linguistic backgrounds needing to communicate, usually when there is no dominant language

Establishment, Incorporation, and Loss

Changing Lexicon

• Words alter their shape and/or subject.
• New words are created.
• Some words disappear.

Hometown

Estate Glossary

Many words come from Latin. For example, "son" comes from the Latin word filius.

Learned Words

These words come from Latin and have not evolved. For example, fabulare (to speak) and fables are doublets.

Substrate Words

These words come from languages that were spoken in the Iberian Peninsula before Roman colonization. For example, chatarra (scrap) comes from Euskera (Basque).

Loanwords

These words come from people who have lived alongside Castilian speakers (Arabic, etc.) and languages with which Castilian has maintained political and social contact. The lexicon of the language has been adding... Continue reading "Spanish Language Evolution: Lexicon, Morphology, and Semantics" »

Geography

Geography is the description of the land, including land survey systems (Geosistema) and the interrelationships of its component elements. These elements can be biotic or abiotic, and encompass the atmosphere (air), lithosphere (rocks), hydrosphere (water), and pedosphere (soil, a mixture of the aforementioned). This includes aeromass, hydromass, biomass, lithomass, and artifactomass (the total mass of elements built by humans).

Economic Geography

Economic Geography is the study of the location and distribution of different activities that are part of the economic process.

Economic Activities

Economic activities represent an effort to meet human needs through the wise use of resources. They involve the economic issue, the production process,... Continue reading "Economic Geography: Activities, Systems, and Spatial Organization" »

Pere Quart's Plagiarism Trial: A Parody

Comparing Quart and Espriu

Pere Quart's Plagiarism Trial at the Tavern is a parody of Salvador Espriu's Song in the Temple Essay, a work reflecting the cultural and spiritual climate during the Franco regime. Both poems share a three-part structure:

1. Part 1 (v. 1-7): The author's situation is explained.
2. Part 2 (v. 8-13): The situation is presented to others.
3. Part 3 (v. 14-20): A conclusion is presented, along with the decision and reasoning.

The key difference lies in tone. Espriu uses a solemn tone, while Quart employs irony and sarcasm. However, both remain faithful to their pàtria. A comparison reveals an opposition in the adjectives used; Espriu's and Quart's choices establish antonymous relationships... Continue reading "Pere Quart's *Plagiarism Trial*: A Parody of Espriu" »

Ortega y Gasset: What is Philosophy?

What is Philosophy? is a posthumous book based on the lessons of a course given by Ortega y Gasset in 1927-28. In it, he vindicated philosophy as unavoidable knowledge. Unlike the positive sciences, philosophy is knowledge that must justify its own object. It possesses a universal character in contrast to the fragmentation of science, and it is ultimate knowledge compared to the provisional nature of scientific learning.

Lesson X: The Radical Data of Philosophy

In Lesson X, Ortega asked what the radical data, the object of philosophy, should be. Ortega criticizes the naive realism of the Greeks, for whom the radical reality was things independent of the self. Equally, he critiques idealism where reality is... Continue reading "Ortega on Life & Marx on Historical Materialism" »

Understanding Linguistic Variation

Diatopic (Geographical) Varieties

These relate the speaker to their territorial origin. A distinction exists between language, dialect, and local speech:

• Language: A system characterized by significant linguistic differentiation, often serving as an important vehicle for literary tradition. Sometimes, one language system has been imposed over others of the same origin.
• Dialect: A system of signs derived from a common language, with specific geographical limitations.
• Local Speech: Refers to linguistic peculiarities specific to a local character.

Diastratic (Social) Varieties

Diastratic varieties, also called sociolects, relate to the social distribution and stratification of speakers. These varieties are influenced... Continue reading "Linguistic Varieties: Geographical, Social, and Situational Factors" »