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

Understanding Political Systems and the State

State: A form of political organization of a society in which we speak of a system or political regime.

Democratic State: Political power belongs to the people.

Universal Suffrage: The right to vote for women and all adult people of the world.

Constitution: A document that outlines the rights of citizens and regulates the political organization.

Division of Powers in a Democracy

It is the division of democracy by 3 points:

• Legislation: Makes the laws.
• Executive: Exercised by the government, applying the laws and political decisions.
• Justice: Judges and resolves disputes in accordance with the law.

Political Parties: An association of persons intended to represent politics in one country.

Types of Democracies

Government: The organs of the state, comprising the executive (president, vice presidents, ministers, and other comparable bodies). Voting rules include: 1) Majority rule—the party with the most votes forms the government; other policy options are excluded. These governments tend to be more stable. 2) Proportional representation—the government is formed according to each party's vote share, often requiring coalitions.

Parliament and Political Parties: Three ways to influence government decisions:

• As a legislative body, preparing, discussing, and approving laws.
• Controlling the executive branch's actions.
• Using parliamentary debates to shape public opinion on economic policy (note that some economic policy instruments, due to the element of

Analysis of "Catalan Nationality" (1906)

The text presented for analysis is a political and historiographical work from 1906, written during the Spanish Restoration. This analysis constitutes a secondary source, as it was written in 1987 about the original 1906 document. The title, Catalan Nationality, reflects the political thinking of the era and articulates a principle of Catalan nationalism. It outlines two distinctive forms of this nationalism, differentiated by the relationship proponents believed Catalonia should have with Spain. It is important to distinguish this political nationalism from Catalanism, which primarily advocates for the preservation of Catalan culture and language.

The movement emerged during the Regency period in Spain,... Continue reading "The Origins of Modern Catalan Nationalism" »

Thirty Years of Literature: The 1930s

Catalonia's Literary Climax

The 1930s marked a climax in the construction of a modern national literature in Catalan. Following the fall of the Spanish monarchy in 1931, the new Republican regime established the Generalitat in Catalonia. This provisional government paved the way for the Statute of Autonomy in 1932.

Institutionalization and Cultural Policy

This period represented a new stage of institutionalization for Catalan culture. The government fostered cultural policies, educational initiatives, and a momentum for translation and cultural exchanges. Adhering to guidelines set by the Commonwealth (dissolved after General Primo de Rivera's coup in 1923), the Catalan language became the official language... Continue reading "Catalan Literature in the 1930s: Cultural Flourishing" »

Key Concepts: Expression and Content Levels

Understanding the relationship between the significant level of expression and the meaning or level of content is fundamental.

Levels of Linguistic Analysis

1. Phonics: Focuses on intonation and accents.
2. Morphology: Involves the study of morphemes and the various uses of nouns and adjectives.
3. Syntax: Concerns the use of simple and compound sentences.
4. Lexical-Semantics: Deals with polysemy (multiple meanings of words) embedded within the lexical level.

Understanding Paradigms

Paradigm: Refers to unanswered questions or a standard model that determines the functioning of a society and is established as correct; a model or example.

Linguistic Paradigm: A set of linguistic units or elements within a category that... Continue reading "Linguistic Analysis and Literary Interpretation Fundamentals" »

Bilingualism refers to the use of two or more languages by an individual or a community, or to communication between speakers of different languages. The term bilingualism designates very different cases:

Individual bilingualism

Individual bilingualism is the use of two languages by the same person. There is symmetrical bilingualism when a person speaks both languages equally; the opposite is asymmetrical bilingualism. Bilingualism can be instrumental when someone learns a second language for practical reasons. We also distinguish passive bilingualism, when one understands another language but does not speak it or does not want to speak it, from active bilingualism, when one both understands and uses the other language.

Territorial bilingualism

Territorial

Primary Causes of Social Exclusion

• Fragmentation of society: This becomes more complex due to the aging population and migration.
• New post-industrial economy: This economy gives more value to information and knowledge production; consequently, finding a steady job for young people has become slower.
• Flexibility in production processes: These create new jobs, but they are often of lower quality and more precarious.

Five Priority Areas for Social Inclusion

• Promote access to employment: This involves promoting participation in the labor market and the fight against poverty and social exclusion (this is directly related to our occupation).
• Ensure minimum economic resources.
• Achieving an equitable education.
• Support the social integration of immigrants.

Understanding Social Classes

Social classes are not just fundamental social structures; they are also the result of social stratification. They are sets of individuals with similar power, incomes, and occupations at different levels in a stratified society. This means that social classes are defined by their varying wealth, participation in the economy, social status, and power within a given society. It does not involve strict, deliberate classification, as no one intentionally points to a class with established purposes. Rather, it refers to a set of people with a similar economic situation.

Levels of Public Administration

In all modern countries, the size of the administration is considerable. In our country, administration is divided into... Continue reading "Foundations of Society and Governance" »

Understanding State Concepts and Governance

Defining State Welfare

State welfare, also known as the welfare state, refers to a system where governments intervene in the economy and society to ensure that all citizens enjoy decent living standards and reduce inequalities. This often involves establishing services like education and providing subsidies.

The Role of Parliament

Parliament possesses legislative power. It is the body responsible for passing laws and controlling the actions of the government.

Executive and Judicial Powers

The Government holds executive power, while the Judiciary holds judicial power.

Understanding Dictatorships

In a dictatorship, a single person or group concentrates all state powers, often coming to power through a coup... Continue reading "Governmental Structures and Regional Autonomy in Spain" »

Access to Education and the Printing Press

Formerly, only certain privileged classes had access to education, culture, and knowledge. The circulation and distribution of hand-copied books were rather limited. After the invention of the printing press, literacy rates increased in most industrialized and developing countries. Through education, we could say we are more free. Universities and schools can be considered the backbone of education in our society today, although there are other spaces where knowledge is also provided.

The Rise of Distance Education

A few years ago, around the 1960s, what might be called the classic system was imposed. This involved a physical space, such as a college or university, where people (students) gathered, and... Continue reading "Evolution of Education: From Hand-Copied Books to Online Learning" »