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

Advanced Technology and Innovation

High-tech, state-of-the-art, cutting-edge, high-end, top-of-the-line, first-rate, innovative, revolutionary, novel, low-tech, wacky, unique, efficient, inefficient.

Political Systems and Definitions

Government: People who govern a country.
Politics: The art or science of government.
Constitution: A set of basic laws that cannot easily be changed.
Election: An occasion when people vote.
Vote: To show a choice by marking a paper or using a system.
Campaign: Actions intended to win an election.
Democracy: A system where every citizen can vote.
Monarchy: A country ruled by a king or queen.
Dictatorship: A system where one person has complete power.
Constitutional Monarchy: Ruled by a king but with limited power.

Political

Understanding the Fan: From Stereotype to Participatory Media Culture

Defining the Fan: Beyond Negative Connotations

To appropriately answer this question, one must first address the definition of ‘fan’. The term is an abbreviation of ‘fanatic’, which carries religious connotations, referring to devotees or those with secular faith. Historically, it has often been associated with negative societal perceptions.

Henry Jenkins and the Rejection of Fan Stereotypes

Henry Jenkins, an American media scholar and lecturer from the second half of the 20th century, extensively discusses various phenomena related to fans in his seminal book, Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture. Jenkins actively rejects common fan stereotypes,... Continue reading "Fandom Dynamics: From Consumption to Participatory Media Culture" »

NATO was created in 1949 during the Cold War as a military alliance of countries from Europe and North America. It is currently the most highly organized security organization with 28 member countries, and its purpose is to safeguard the freedom and security of its members through political and military means. After 1991, the main goal became to create democracies and a community of values by contributing to overall Euro-Atlantic security.

Political and Military Dimensions

On a political dimension, NATO promotes democratic values and encourages consultation and cooperation on defense and security issues. On the military level, if diplomatic efforts fail, the organization has the military capacity to undertake crisis-management operations.

Article

Types of nouns

Common noun A common noun is a noun that refers to people or things in general, e.g. boy, country, bridge, city, birth, day, happiness.

Proper noun A proper noun is a name that identifies a particular person, place, or thing, e.g. Steven, Africa, London, Monday. In written English, proper nouns begin with capital letters.

Concrete noun A concrete noun is a noun which refers to people and to things that exist physically and can be seen, touched, smelled, heard, or tasted. Examples include dog, building, coffee, tree, rain, beach, tune.

Abstract noun An abstract noun is a noun which refers to ideas, qualities, and conditions - things that cannot be seen or touched and things which have no physical reality, e.g. truth, danger, happiness,

After the Civil War, while the South was being physically and politically reconstructed, the North was being industrialized. In 1890, the frontier was closed when the Native Americans were displaced; they were finally defeated in the Battle of Wounded Knee (South Dakota). In 1893, the Columbian Exposition took place.

The Closing of the Frontier

The closing of the frontier had a psychological effect because it put an end to the national epic conquest of the West. On the one hand, it created a sense of being self-contained, meaning they couldn’t easily start from scratch as before. On the other hand, it brought the satisfaction of having defeated the wilderness.

Expansion and the Transcontinental Railroad

Connected with that were two events that... Continue reading "The Gilded Age and American Industrialization" »

Level of Democratization in Iran

The definition of an illiberal democracy is a democracy in which so-called democratic processes, such as elections, take place, but these are accompanied by limitations on civil liberties.

While Iran may have started out as an illiberal democracy, several factors point to significant repression:

• Prevalent executions
• Forcing women to wear the hijab
• Ill treatment of homosexuals (often officially denied as existing in Iran)
• Silence imposed upon religious minorities (such as Sunnis and Baha'is)
• Repression of political opposition
• Censorship of media, internet, and culture
• Oversight by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance

Political protests, such as the Green Revolution and the 2018 protests against the Ayatollah, may... Continue reading "Iran's Illiberal Democracy Structure and Civil Liberties" »

Classical Approaches to Social Change

Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

• Social Dynamics: The processes that operate within society.
• Social Statics: The study of the parts of society and their relations.

Herbert Spencer (1850-1903)

• Structures: Relationships that shape a society.
• Functions: The role played by each social group within the social system.

Basic Sociological Laws

• Laws of Coexistence: Why certain social phenomena invariably appear together.
• Inheritance Laws: Why certain social phenomena precede others.

Understanding Technological Change

Partial Technological Change

Occurs when there is a change in perception, use, or characteristics of a given technology:

• Change in the social perception of a given technology.
• Change in the types of uses of a given technology.

The Gilded Age: Capitalism, Corruption, and Tycoons

American finance fueled a series of peaks in American capitalism, characterized by intense moments of expansion and recession. This era of big business often fostered widespread corruption.

Defining the Gilded Age

The government strongly favored modernization and the rapid accumulation of wealth. This period was famously dubbed The Gilded Age by Mark Twain, who observed: “The golden gleam of the gilded surface hides the cheapness of the metal underneath.”

Economic Transformation and Rural Displacement

By the end of this golden period, ordinary farmers and veterans were increasingly displaced. This displacement was driven by financiers seeking to consolidate land and increase the size of their... Continue reading "The Gilded Age: American Capitalism, Corruption, and the Robber Barons" »

The United Kingdom: A Hybrid Governance Model

1. United Kingdom

• Hybrid between both models.
• All nations joined together in 1707 through the Act of Union.
• Devolution (1999): The central government granted legislative and political power to the three nations.
• The three nations established individual parliaments for their respective territories.

National Level

• Unitary state structure.
• Head of Government (HoG): Prime Minister; Head of State (HoS): Queen Elizabeth II.
• UK Cabinet: Comprised of 25 senior ministers, each assisted by a secretary of state (junior ministers) who operate with significant independence.
• Increased powers granted to Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

Regional Level

• Since 1999, the UK government devolved political power to the nations.

TEMA 3

TEMA 3 Renaissance 1: The decline of the M.A, divided in: The end of the 100 years war, the peasant revolts and church schism. The beginning of the new period in Europe: technological development like printing press, discovery of America, military development. In England: Tudor dynasty, the break with Rome, union between Wales and England (1536).

Humanism:

Reaction against M.A., the classical as models, critical attitude towards the court, centrality of man -> heliocentrism, ideal renaissance man -> justice, prudence, honor, pledge, foundation of universities, education is central, interest in man history...

The Reformation:

The Catholics vs. Protestants. - Theological issues: Basis of Salvation. - Protestantism: faith + free interpretation... Continue reading "The Renaissance: Literature, Theater, and Ideology" »