In this block we introduce a course on optimization. The optimization paradigm is a new model to solve many problems of real practice. The main ingredients are that they include constraints that must be imposed to the feasible solutions, so that it is guaranteed that they satisfy a minimum set of conditions, and also that they optimize the solutions using an objective function that permits to compare different solutions and decide which one is the best. We enumerate the topics to be studied in the course: linear programming, mon-linear pprogramming, mixed-integer programming, how to use of GAMS software, duality, sensitivity analysis and examples of applications. The course is practically oriented with many examples and its most original part is the sensitivity analysis, in which closed formulas for evaluating the sensitivity of the objective function and primal and dual variables with respect to the parameters are given.”