Ramon Llull: Life, Doctrine, and Literary Works
Ramon Llull: Doctrinal Literature
Christian doctrine expresses all the ideas that were defended during the Middle Ages. The church was dedicated to educating all sectors of society, especially the most powerful, such as kings, nobles, and knights, to Christianize the ruling feudal class. Christian ideas were spread among a largely illiterate audience, an audience that *listens*. Theatrical presentations became a valuable resource to capture the attention of believers: first through religious ceremonies
Read MoreSemantic Changes, Adverbs, and Linguistics
Semantic Changes: Words that, over the years, maintain their signifier but take on a different meaning. There are different linguistic causes for this:
- Historical: Changes due to shifts in reality.
- Psychological: Hatred or sympathy for certain animals has led to positive or negative qualities being applied to people.
- Social: Positive or negative reviews of societal actions and situations involving humans. Example: My sister is a “social ant.”
- Taboos: Words that, for various reasons, speakers are reluctant
Plato’s Anthropology & Marx’s Historical Materialism
Plato’s Anthropology: Body and Soul
Plato’s anthropology presents a dualistic view of the human being, composed of a body and a soul. This division stems from an ‘accident’ where the soul, having behaved improperly in the world of Ideas, falls into the world of senses and is incarnated in a body, which becomes its prison.
- The Soul: Immaterial, immortal, and pre-existing, it is the principle of life and reason.
- The Body: Material, lifeless, and mortal, it represents a negative aspect in Plato’s philosophy.
Urban Morphology and City Types in Spain
Cities in Spain
Urban Geography
Urban Geography is the study of urban spaces. It examines cities within their geographical context, including their historical background, building types, land uses, functions, organization, management, and the problems of urban agglomerations. Most countries define a ‘city’ based on a minimum population threshold, which varies by country. In Spain, a metropolitan area is generally considered a city if it has over 10,000 inhabitants. However, this criterion is incomplete
Read MoreExpository and Argumentative Texts: Structure
Expository Texts
Exposition: A type of oral or written text that presents information, ideas, and concepts that have some complexity. Its purpose is to convey information faithfully and accurately and must be made with order, clarity, and simplicity. Exposition is sometimes mixed with argumentation, but it is different because it does not try to convince anyone. Therefore, it should use an objective tone.
Structure of Expository Texts
The basic structure of expository texts is:
- Introduction: The topic
Environmental Economics and Policy in the US
Environmental Economics and Policy
“If domestic gas prices rise to $5 per gallon, conservation will increase, alternative fuels will be developed, and energy efficiency and our quality of life will improve.” This view is consistent with environmental economics.
International Environmental Policies
International environmental policies arise from international conventions or treaties.
Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI)
Which of the following includes volunteer work and damage from pollution in its measure
Documenting Qualitative Research Findings
The report does not respond to a single communication pattern. It must consider the participant, the research methods, and the intended audience. Each report addresses a hypothetical reader, and this varies according to who requests or requires the report. For example, a report communicating scientific aspects of an investigation differs from one for managers or policymakers, who need very synthetic results to make a decision.
The Problem of Documenting Qualitative Findings
Qualitative research reports
Mastering English: Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening
Mastering English: Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening
Reading Skills
Reading subskills:
- Fluency
- Decoding
- Predicting (using cultural background)
- Inferring
- Reading actively (using a dictionary)
- Scanning (for specific information)
- Skimming (for general idea)
- Cohesion
- Reading for detail (intensive reading – to get as many details as possible)
- Reading for general meaning (knowing the meaning of words)
Processes in reading:
- Bottom-up: Decoding a text to understand. Focus is on words and meanings.
- Top-down: Using
Understanding Realism and Naturalism: Key Concepts and Figures
Realism in 19th Century Literature
Realism: This artistic trend, prominent in the mid-nineteenth century, particularly in pictorial and literary arts, is defined by its commitment to representing reality as it is, without embellishment. The influence of scientism and the emergence of photography were major factors in shaping realistic aesthetics.
Origin and Expansion
Realism emerged in France around 1830 with the publication of Stendhal’s The Red and the Black, considered the first realist novel. It
Read MoreProprioception & Touch: Sensory Mechanisms
Proprioception and Touch: Sensory Mechanisms
Proprioception
Proprioception refers to the sense of the position of joints, tension in muscle fibers, and the overall position of the body.
Touch
Touch involves the perception of spatial and temporal patterns of pressure on the skin.
- Deformation of the capsule surrounding sensory nerve fiber endings leads to stretching of the membrane.
- This stretching increases the probability of opening stretch-sensitive cation channels.
- A net influx of Na+ leads to depolarization