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

Early 18th Century: Imported Fairy Tales

The early 18th century saw the import of fairy tales from France, mirroring the 19th-century trend with German tales. Louis XIV's court favored literary folk tales. Charles Perrault's collections, including Histories or Tales of Past Times (1729), introduced English readers to Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots, and Cinderella.

Shifting Educational Goals

Children's reading objectives evolved from religious education to social education. By the 19th century, the focus shifted to social advancement through practical knowledge.

Key Changes in the 18th Century

Emphasis on Children's Education

The growing middle class recognized children's need for education and enjoyment.

Social Education

Adults prioritized a sheltered... Continue reading "Evolution of Children's Literature in the 18th Century" »

Language Families: Origins and Global Spread

Languages that share a common origin belong to the same linguistic family and are considered siblings. The source language is called a mother tongue (e.g., Latin for Romance languages). All Iberian Romance languages, except Basque, derive from Latin.

According to linguistic proximity, Galician is the closest language to Portuguese.

Latin belongs to the Indo-European family. Germanic, Celtic, Baltic, Slavic, and Greek languages are also of Indo-European origin. Some Indo-European languages spread overseas due to colonialism.

Mandarin Chinese has the most speakers globally. Due to its former colonial empire, Portuguese spread to various regions worldwide. Today, it is spoken by around 200 million people... Continue reading "Linguistic Diversity: Language Families, Iberian Peninsula, and Spain" »

Socialist traditions aim to establish equality of material conditions. Socialists are especially concerned with freedom and believe responsibility lies in controlling the market. A market and individual freedom should align with actual conditions, addressing the absence of equality and the need for market intervention.

The goal of socialism involves controlling goods, means of economic production, and distribution. Property rights should be the responsibility of society and administered for the benefit of all. The State, therefore, should not be merely a guarantor of freedom but a representative of collective interests.

Social and Democratic State of Law

The social and democratic state of law, as seen in Spanish law, values freedom, justice, social... Continue reading "Understanding Socialism, Civil Society, and the State" »

Equality Law Objectives

• Ensuring comprehensive equality treatment across all public policies: employment, social, educational, cultural, and more.
• Establishing balanced participation of men and women in electoral lists, public administrations, and boards.
• Improving training, employment, and permanence in the labor market for women.
• Eradicating any harm or discrimination resulting from sex.
• Eliminating gender wage differentials.
• Adopting positive measures to protect vulnerable women.
• Promoting the reconciliation of work and family life.
• Implementing gender-neutral language in the administrative field.

Promoting Equal Opportunities

• Employment policies aim to increase the participation of women in the labor market.
• In the agricultural sector, a "shared ownership"

The School as a System

A school system is defined as a set of interconnected elements forming a cohesive structure, with processes of interaction that produce results over time. These results are integrated within a larger system or environment, much like a computer, a car, a living being, or human society.

Key Features of Systems

• They are formed by interconnected elements.
• Each element has a specific function and relates to others.
• The relationships between elements evolve over time.
• When multiple elements coordinate, they can perform new functions.
• Systems both receive and generate information from their environment.

Systemic Perspective in Schools

Applying a systemic perspective to schools highlights several specific aspects:

• Communication
• Interrelation
• Globality
• Dynamism
• Self-

The Schuman Declaration and the Birth of European Integration

Following the devastation of the Second World War, numerous proposals emerged aimed at fostering cooperation among European states. While ambitious plans, such as converting Europe into a large federal state, failed, other initiatives gained traction. Early steps included the creation of NATO and strong economic integration among the BENELUX countries (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg).

The most successful proposal, however, was rooted in the idea of progressive integration designed to prevent future conflicts, particularly between France and Germany. This concept led to the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the European Economic Community (EEC), and the... Continue reading "The Genesis of the EU: Schuman Declaration and ECSC History" »

Organization: A Key Phase in the Administrative Process

Defining Roles and Structure for Operational Success

Organization is the second phase of the administrative process. Through it, the system determines the division of labor and the structure necessary for its operation.

With its principles and tools, it establishes levels of authority and responsibility and defines the functions and duties of units, individuals, or groups of people.

Who will do what? How will they relate to others? By what authority? In what physical environment? The organization leads to the last detail what planning has pointed out regarding how a social organism should be.

Organization is continuous, as it is subject to constant change.

Benefits of Effective Organization

• Reduces

Rise of Factories and Early Industry

New factories meant a concentration of capital and labor. The first companies were textiles. Increased production and consumption were driven by population growth, changes in agriculture, and trade volumes. This also brought changes in the structure of production and the relationship between owners and workers.

All these processes developed mainly in the textile industry. Factories represented the union of capital and labor under one roof. Workers followed a schedule and received a wage, losing the autonomy they had in agriculture. Traditional manufacturing was centralized in factories under one roof, where spinning machines operated alongside workers in various trades.

Wool vs. Cotton: Industry Shifts

Traditional... Continue reading "Industrial Revolution Textile Transformation" »

Industrial Society: Classes Emerge

The old estate society gave way to class society, mainly structured into two main groups: the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.

The Rise of the Bourgeoisie

The bourgeoisie became the hegemonic group, owning the industries and businesses. There was a large middle class composed of bankers, investors, and owners. There was also a semi-liberal bourgeoisie made up of professionals, officials, and traders. Below this, a large number of employees and shopkeepers formed the petty bourgeoisie.

Sometimes mixing with the old nobility, the bourgeoisie became the center of social life. Richly decorating their homes with domestic servants, their dress, entertainment, and values were imposed as the social model to imitate.

The

Challenges of Modern Social Integration

Many individuals face significant difficulties accessing housing and stable employment. Precarious job contracts and unworthy working conditions contribute to widespread insecurity. Furthermore, the solitude many people feel today highlights a growing sense of isolation. A trend toward individualism—fighting solely for one's own interests—often leads to increased levels of aggression, violence, anxiety, and high stress. Discrimination against those who are different remains a major barrier to full social inclusion.

Primary Causes of Social Exclusion

• Economic: The most common cause, typically related to employment status.
• Formative: Issues such as illiteracy and school failure.
• Health: Challenges including