Course guide of Spanish Foreign Policy (21211G1)

No prerequisites are established for taking this course. Nonetheless, it is advisable to:

• Work with the selected bibliography.
• Keep up with what is happening in the world by regularly reading different news sources.
• Complete the required readings before the class date to which it is attached.
  

Foreign Policy of Spain: fundamentals, structures, processes, material areas, and geographic spaces.

On successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

• Gain knowledge, skills, and analytical capacity for understanding foreign policy
• Stimulate curiosity about the evolution of foreign policy
• Analyze foreign policy critically, identifying actors, interests, and potential developments
• Develop the ability to build and defend arguments about international issues ethically and rigorously

This syllabus is based on Prof. Diego J. Liñán’s «Política Exterior de España» course, and has been updated in 2025 and adapted by Professors Javier Roldán Barbero and Lucas J. Ruiz Díaz.

Topic 1. Introduction to the study of foreign policy.

1. Conceptual approaches to the notions of foreign policy and foreign action.

2. The objectives and principles of foreign policy.

3. Foreign policy decision-making.

4. Foreign policy instruments.

5. International and domestic law and foreign policy.

6. The study of foreign policy and its relationship with other scientific disciplines.

Topic 2. Spain’s foreign policy: a historical perspective.

1. Historical precedents.

2. The foreign policy under Franco’s dictatorship.

3. Normalization of foreign policy with the democratic system.

4. Consolidation of Spanish foreign policy: main lines of action.

Topic 3. The decision-making process in Spain’s foreign policy.

1. The guiding principles and constitutional limits.

2. The legal framework.

3. Representation, direction, management and execution of foreign policy: the pre-eminence of the Executive.

4. The other state actors in Spain’s foreign policy.

5. The control of foreign policy: parliamentary and jurisdictional control.

6. The participation of the Autonomous Communities.

7. The role of lobbies and organized civil society.

Theme 4. State bodies for foreign policy.

1. Central administrative bodies and the diplomatic service.

2. Permanent and ad hoc external bodies.

3. Multilateral diplomacy.

Theme 5. Spanish external action and the European Union.

1. Spain's obligations and role as a member of the European Union.

2. The articulation of Spanish foreign policy within the framework of the Common Foreign and Security Policy

3. The European External Action Service.

Topic 6. The material areas of Foreign Policy.

1. Economic relations.

2. Development cooperation and humanitarian aid.

3. The promotion of human rights in the framework of Spain's foreign policy.

4. Spain's contribution to the maintenance of international peace and security and the management of international crises.

Topic 7. The geographical areas of Spain's foreign policy.

1. Europe.

2. The United States.

3. Spain and Latin America.

4. Spain and the Middle East.

5. Asia-Pacific.

6. Other geographical areas.

Students who opt for the continuous assessment system (sistema de evaluación continua, SEC) ‒which is considered the ordinary or general assessment system according to the regulations of the University of Granada‒ will have to participate in the practical training activities or seminars that will be organised throughout the semester, following the instructions of the teaching staff. Detailed information about the training activities will be explained at the beginning of the semester by the teaching staff responsible for each group, and published on PRADO for the knowledge of the students.

There is no doctrinal work that is fully adapted to the content of the programme of the subject, so it is essential for the preparation of the same the use of several works according to the indications of the teacher responsible for each of the topics and / or sections of the theoretical and practical syllabus. Recommended works for the preparation of the subject:

• ALCAIDE FERNÁNDEZ, J.; PETIT DE GABRIEL, E. W., (eds.): España y la Unión Europea en el Orden Internacional, Tirant lo Blanch, Valencia, 2017.
• ANDRÉS SÁENZ DE SANTAMARÍA, P.; DÍEZ-HOCHLEITNER, J.; MARTÍN Y PÉREZ DE NANCLARES, J.: Comentarios a la Ley de Tratados y otros Acuerdos Internacionales (Ley 25/2014, de 27 de noviembre), Civitas/Thomson Reuters, Madrid, 2015.
• BENEYTO, J. M., Política exterior española, Tecnos, Madrid, 2023.
• BENEYTO, J. M.; PEREIRA, J. C. (Dirs.): Política Exterior Española: un balance de futuro, Madrid, 2011.
• OFICINA DE INFORMACIÓN DIPLOMÁTICA: Actividades, Textos y Documentos de la Política Exterior Española, Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y Cooperación. Gobierno de España, 2017.
• ROLDÁN BARBERO, J.: Las relaciones exteriores de España, Ed. Dykinson, Madrid, 2001.
• TUSELL, J.; AVILÉS, J.; PARDO, R. (Eds.): La política exterior de España en el siglo XX, Biblioteca Nueva, Madrid, 2002.

• BARBÉ, E.: La política europea de España, Ed. Ariel, Barcelona, 1999.
• CALDUCH, R. (Coord.): La política exterior española en el siglo XX, Ed. Ciencias Sociales, Madrid, 1994.
• PEREIRA, J.C. (Coord.): La política exterior de España. De 1800 hasta hoy, Ed. Ariel, Barcelona, 2010.
• PEREIRA, J.C.: Historia de las relaciones internacionales contemporáneas, Ed. Ariel, Barcelona, 2009.
• RUIZ DÍAZ, L. J.: España en la construcción de la defensa europea. Repensar el futuro de la defensa a través de la cooperación estructurada permanente, McGraw Hill, 2020.

Throughout the course, the website of the United Nations and other international organisations, both universal and regional, relevant to the preparation of the course, will be used. Updated information on these sites will be available on the course's teaching platform (PRADO) for consultation during the course.

• MD01. Lecture/exhibition 
• MD02. Discussion and debate sessions 
• MD05. Field practicum 
• MD07. Seminars 
• MD08. Simulation exercises 
• MD09. Analysis of sources and documents 
• MD10. Group work 
• MD11. Individual work 

In general, and in accordance with art. 7 of the Regulations for assessment and grading of students at the University of Granada, the teaching staff will use one or some of the following assessment techniques:

• Written test: objective tests, problem solving, cases or assumptions, short answer tests, tests, text analysis.
• Oral test: objective tests, presentations of oral work in class on the contents of the subject.
• Techniques based on student attendance and active participation in theoretical and practical classes and tutorials.

In relation to the assessment criteria, the following aspects will be taken into account in the assessment:

• Substance: extent, clarity and understanding of the knowledge of the Programme theory and practices; ability to relate and interpret concepts; notions of international current affairs.
• In terms of form: correct oral and/or written expression; precision and thoroughness in the use of terms and concepts of International Relations.

The written or oral tests of theoretical content will account for between 50% and 70% of the final grade, the remaining percentage representing the value of the practical part (i.e. between 50% and 30%). In any case, in accordance with current regulations, none of the tests or activities that make up the assessment may account for more than 70% of the final grade for the subject. The grading system will be expressed by means of a numerical grade in accordance with the provisions of art. 5 of R. D. 1125/2003, of 5 September, which establishes the European credit system and the grading system for university degrees. Specifically, the overall grade will correspond to the weighted score of the different aspects and activities that make up the assessment system and the passing of each one of the parts (theoretical and practical). This weighting will be sufficiently specified by the teaching staff responsible for each group in the first days of the four-month period, as well as the specification of the assessment criteria and elements for the ordinary call depending on whether students are attending (subject to the continuous assessment system) or not, subject to the single final assessment system according to university regulations. This information will be explained in class in the first session and published in PRADO for the knowledge of students.

The evaluation in the extraordinary call will consist of an evaluation test of theoretical and practical contents that will constitute 100% of the final grade.

The single final assessment, both in the ordinary and the extraordinary call, will consist in an assessment test of theoretical and practical contents that will constitute 100% of the final grade. Students who opt for this system must formally request it at beginning of the semester through the UGR's Electronic Register following the regulations in force.

Timetable:

This subject has, according to the planning of the Faculty's teaching schedule for the academic year 2025- 2026, an attendance coefficient of 30%. This means that the distribution of the sessions is as follows:

• 30 hours of class with the whole group (large group)
• 15 hours of class with half of the group (small group 1)
• 15 hours of class with the other half (small group 2).

Call for exams:

The official exams indicated for the ordinary and extraordinary exams will take place on the dates set by the Faculty of Political Science and Sociology for the academic year 2025/2026.

Students are reminded that the teaching staff of the Department will publish -for each of their groups- a call for exams, specifying, among other information, the place, time or modality of the exam following the indications of the Faculty. These exam dates will be published in advance on the PRADO platform of the respective subject. It is the responsibility of each student to consult this information at.

The modification of the evaluation system (extraordinary evaluation by Tribunal) or of the date of the evaluation tests (coincidence with other subjects, reasons of mobility or incidences) that the students can request according to the Regulations of evaluation and of qualification of the students of the University of Granada will take place in accordance with the calendar and the procedure regulated by the General Regulations of examinations of the Department, which are published in the page of each subject in the web of the Department.

Students admitted to take any of the aforementioned exams ‘not ordinary’ should bear in mind that the type of exam may not coincide with that of the group in which they are enrolled, as it will be, as a general rule, a written exam with development questions, taken from the Programme of the subject, which will be aimed at checking their knowledge, both theoretical and practical.

Exams for students with disabilities or other specific educational support needs:

In compliance with the corresponding regulations of the University of Granada, the teaching staff of the Department of International Public Law and International Relations will ensure that the assessment tests of students with disabilities or other specific needs are adapted to these needs, in accordance with the recommendations of the Secretariat for Inclusion and Diversity of the UGR, by establishing as many methodological, temporal and/or spatial adaptations as necessary for this purpose.

Open Education and professionalisation:

Throughout the academic year, students will be informed of those programmes or workshops offered by the Faculty within the framework of Open Education and other outreach activities organised by other units of the UGR that can complement the contents of the programme or guide students in their professionalisation. Mainly through PRADO, the teaching staff will keep the students informed of this type of complementary activities that can complement the contents of the programme. The UGR has a number of guidance and support units for students, which can be developed through specialised workshops or seminars, or through orientation for professionalisation, including in the international sphere, such as those organised by the European Documentation Centre.

Guidance and help for students:

In order to attend to certain specific needs of students, in the majority of the cases that arise during the academic year, the UGR has various units of guidance and support for students. More information at: https://ve.ugr.es/servicios/asistencia-estudiantil/

When using AI tools for course assignments, students must adopt an ethical and responsible use and must follow the recommendations contained in the document "Recommendations for the Use of Artificial Intelligence at the UGR," published at: https://ceprud.ugr.es/formacion-tic/inteligenciaartificial/recomendaciones-ia#contenido0"

Información de interés para estudiantado con discapacidad y/o Necesidades Específicas de Apoyo Educativo (NEAE): Gestión de servicios y apoyos (https://ve.ugr.es/servicios/atencion-social/estudiantes-con-discapacidad).