Course guide of Political Systems in the Maghreb (21211F1)
Grado (bachelor's degree)
Branch
Module
Subject
Year of study
Semester
ECTS Credits
Course type
Teaching staff
Theory
- Guillermo López Rodríguez. Grupo: B
- Guadalupe Martínez Fuentes. Grupo: B
- Raquel Ojeda García. Grupo: A
Prerequisites of recommendations
A satisfactory level of competence in English is highly recommended to get the most from lectures, seminars, debates and readings.
In the case of using AI tools for the development of the subject, the student must adopt an ethical and responsible use of them. The recommendations contained in the
document "Recommendations for the use of artificial intelligence in the UGR" must be followed. It is published here:
https://ceprud.ugr.es/formacion-tic/inteligencia-artificial/recomendaciones-ia#contenido0
Brief description of content (According to official validation report)
This course offers an explanation of both the evolution of the political regimes in the region (Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya) and their evolving relations with the European Union and the USA.
General and specific competences
General competences
- CG01. Capacity for analysis and synthesis.
- CG02. Organizational and planning skills.
- CG03. -
- CG04. Development of computer skills related to the field of study.
- CG05. Information management skills.
- CG06. Problem solving skills.
- CG08. Ability to work in a team.
- CG09. Interpersonal relationship skills.
- CG10. Recognition of diversity and multiculturalism.
- CG11. Critical thinking skills.
- CG12. Development of autonomous learning.
- CG13. Adaptation to new situations.
- CG14. Ability to develop creative activities.
- CG16. Knowledge of other cultures and customs.
- CG18. Motivation for quality.
- CG19. Development of the ability to carry out a process well based on guidelines.
Specific competences
- CE02. Describe, explain and analyze the structure and functioning of political systems.
- CE03. Describe, explain and analyze the structure and functioning of political institutions.
- CE04. Analyze the behavior of political actors and citizens.
- CE09. Analyze the economic environment and evaluate public financing.
- CE11. Analyze international and European Union policy.
- CE15. Use information and communication technologies and analyze their impact on the political system.
- CE16. Be interested in current theoretical and methodological debates on the need to move towards more pluralistic, integrative and comprehensive approaches in Political Science and Administration.
- CE17. To acquire a critical and analytical attitude towards political events.
- CE18. To appreciate the importance of collaborating, participating and getting involved in the analysis of political processes, actors and institutions, as a guideline for the improvement of decision making.
- CE19. To foster an open, flexible and understanding attitude towards the complex, dynamic, social and ideological nature of politics and public administrations.
Objectives (Expressed as expected learning outcomes)
- Identification of national and international dimensions in the Tunsian, Libyan , Moroccan, Algerian and Mauritanian political processes.
- Identification of political, economic, social, and religious dimensions in the Tunsian, Libyan , Moroccan, Algerian and Mauritanian political processes.
- Identificación of regimes, regime changes and changes within the regime in the Tunisian, Libyan , Moroccan, Algerian and Mauritanian political processes.
Detailed syllabus
Theory
- Tunisian political system, actors, politics and policies
- Libyan political system, actors, policies and policies
- Moroccan political system, actors, politics and policies
- Mauritania political system, actors, politics and policies
- Algerian political system, actors, politics and policies
Practice
Teamwork
Rol play
Press Review
Reaction Paper/Advisory Report
Bibliography
Basic reading list
TUNISIA
Boubekeur, Amel (2016) "Islamists, Secularists and Old Regime Elites in Tunisia: bargained Competition", Mediterranean Politics, 21(1):107-127, DOI:
10.1080/13629395.2015.1081449
Colombo, Silvia and Nathalie Tocci (2012), “The EU Response to the Arab Uprising; Old Wine in New Bottles?”, in Riccardo Alcaro and Miguel Haubrich-Seco (eds) Re-thinking Western Policies in Light of the Arab Uprising: http://www.iai.it/sites/default/files/iairp_04.pdf
Debuysere, Loes (2015) "Tunisian Women at the Crossroads: Antagonism and Agonism between Secular and Islamist Women’s Rights Movements in Tunisia",
Mediterranean Politics, 21(2), 226–245. DOI: 10.1080/13629395.2015.1092292
Desrues, Thierry and Eric Gobe (2025): "Kais Saied’s governance: the Tunisian President’s drift from inclusive populist constitutionalism to ‘Caesarism’", The Journal
of North African Studies, DOI: 10.1080/13629387.2025.2469056
El Amran, i Issandr (2012), “The US Response to the Arab Uprising: Part of the Problem?”, in Riccardo Alcaro and Miguel Haubrich-Seco (eds) Re-thinking Western Policies in Light of the Arab Uprising: http://www.iai.it/sites/default/files/iairp_04.pdf
Forfod Yssen, Selma Sofia and Kristian Stokke (2024) Resisting autocratization? Civil society’s response to the autocratic turn in Tunisia, Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift -
Norwegian Journal of Geography, 78:4, 234-248, DOI: 10.1080/00291951.2024.2424943
Gobe, Eric (2009) "Deceptive Liberal Reforms: Institutional Adjustments and the Dynamics of Authoritarianism in Tunisia (1997–2005)", Democracy Building & Democracy Erosion. Political Change North and South of the Mediterranean Saqi, p. 93-111,.
Schraeder, Peter J. and Hamadi Redissi (2011) "The Upheavals in Egypt and Tunisia: Ben Ali's Fall", Journal of Democracy, 22 (3): 5-19. https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/the-upheavals-in-egypt-and-tunisia-ben-alis-fall/
LIBYA
Barmin, Yury (2022) "Revolution in Libya", in Jack A. Goldstone, Leonid Grinin and· Andrey Korotayev (eds) Handbook of Revolutions in the 21st Century. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/96681268/2022_Goldstone_et_al_Revolutions-libre.pdf?1672661580=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DHandbook_of_Revolutions_in_the_21st_Cent.pdf&Expires=1748974831&Signature=eACSmDeZ7f4xsfZ2zckmV23npORgnPhqNm5viV51buX7i-oNu4sLziOHrE8x~FxQH969mEmeoVtKlmhGwVLjXiXTT2gE8VeRJLaDdnQU~TgTWtz9VCRpSYIRKc~qqggTm549GpPurX2~4H8rKkctrqfruD7fWBvSvnfMN6qgw-hRz~rB9n8saeXAAeEXysitdKq3LRgrUpZ8-9cvKWHJx2A8bwYnSE~iw0zuv2QU6omq9PPex9INP2F1xa7DGl~le8lDXMYB8FE66sa2C00VCVEesJCSiveDAN1PatPvutlz99Ne9WNcIYqEIbVcf4Z02lVAIqeThNDt7x9kVevIfg__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA#page=723
Ben Lamma, Mohamed (2017) The tribal structure in Libya: factor for fragmentation or cohesion? Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique. https://www.frstrategie.org/web/documents/programmes/observatoire-du-monde-arabo-musulman-et-du-sahel/publications/en/14.pdf
Cecil, Charles O. (1965) “The Determinants of Libyan Foreign Policy”, Middle East Journal, 19 (1). https://search.proquest.com/docview/1290785693/fulltextPDF/65F9795244654AC8PQ/1?accountid=14542
Kuperman, Alan (2013) “Lessons from Libya: How Not to Intervene”, Quarterly Journal: International Security, https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/lessons-libya-how-not-intervene
Hinnebusch, Raymond A. (1984) "Charisma, Revolution, and State Formation: Qaddafi and Libya", Third World Quarterly , 6 (1): 59-73. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/3991227.pdf?casa_token=-svGFREkh-cAAAAA:dQIqY0s807tHo3A5TgLcmFIl0H2pPTM6OhacrM39GVERB_i569ovC0Uy6wHmN1a9DsU6czIn4wKwLsNeeuAzumx1cZr8OYF27ELtydIbYLfq8QMRsSI
Joffé, George & Emanuela Paoletti (2011) “The foreign policy process in Libya”, The Journal of North African Studies, 16 (2): 183-213 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254253718_The_foreign_policy_process_in_Libya
Romanet Perroux, Jean-Louis (2019) T"he Deep Roots of Libya’s Security Fragmentation", Middle Eastern Studies, 55(2): 200-2024. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48543847
Sawani, Youssef Mohammad (2012) "Post-Qadhafi Libya: interactive dynamics and the political future", Contemporary Arab Affairs, 5:1, 1-26, DOI: 10.1080/17550912.2012.650007
MOROCCO
•ALLAN, Joanna. 2016. "Natural Resources and Intifada: Oil, Phosphates and Resistance to Colonialism in Western Sahara." Journal of North African Studies 21 (4):1-22.
•Allan, Joanna; Ojeda-García, Raquel. 2021. “Natural resource exploitation in Western Sahara: new research directions”. The Journal of North African Studies, DOI: 10.1080/13629387.2021.1917120
•SAUL, Ben. 2015. "The Status of Western Sahara as Occupied Territory under International Humanitarian Law and the Exploitation of Natural Resources." Global Change, Peace and Security 27 (3):301-322.
MAURITANIA
•FAKIR, Intissa, O’KEEFE, Abby (2020). “Can Mauritania Protect its Political Stability?”. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. https://carnegieendowment.org/2020/09/17/can-mauritania-protect-its-political-stability-pub-82735
•OJEDA-GARCÍA, Raquel, LÓPEZ-RUÍZ, Samara (2019), “Mauritania: ¿el fin de la era Abdelaziz?” Afkar/Ideas. Verano 2019: 43-46.
ALGERIA
•GHANEM, Dalia (2020). The country’s leaders are seeking to put an end to the popular protest movement, but it’s just not working. https://carnegie-mec.org/diwan/83154
•VOLPIE, Frédéric (2006). “Algeria's pseudo-democratic politics: Lessons for democratization in the Middle East”. Democratization, 13(3): 442-455.
•ABDERAHMANE, Yacine (2020). “Identity belonging and Constitutional reform in Algeria: Reconciliating Ideologies for a Peaceful Transition”. Arab Reform Initiative. https://www.arab-reform.net/publication/identity-belonging-and-constitutional-reform-in-algeria-reconciliating-ideologies-for-a-peaceful-transition/
Complementary reading
ALVAREZ-OSSORIO, Ignacio (Ed.): Sociedad civil y contestación en Oriente Medio y Norte de Africa, Barcelona, CIDOB, 2013. CPS/297 ALV soc.
ALVAREZ-OSSORIO, Ignacio (Ed.): La primavera árabe revisitada. Reconfiguración del autoritarismo y recomposición del islamismo, Navarra, Thomson Reuters, Aranzadi, 2015.CPS/297 ALV pri
ÁLVAREZ-OSSORIO, Ignacio, BARREÑADA, Isaías y MIJARES, Laura (Eds.): Movilizaciones populares tras las Primaveras Árabes (2011-2021), Madrid, La Catarata, 2021. CPS/956 ALV mov.
AMOUR, Philipp O. (Ed.) : The Regional Order in the Gulf Region and the Middle East, Nueva York Palgrave Macmillan, 2020. Pedido a Biblioteca 8-VII-2020
AZAOLA, Bárbara, DESRUES, Thierry, De LARRAMENDI, Miguel Hernando, PLANET, Ana y RAMÍREZ, Ángeles (Eds): Cambio, crisis y movilizaciones en el Mediterráneo Occidental, Granada, Comares, 2022. CPS/926.21 AZA cam.
CAMAU, Michel (Dir.): Changements politiques au Maghreb (Extrait de l'Annuaire de L'Afrique du Nord), París, Editions du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifi¬que, 1991. CPS/323.1 CHA cha.
CAMAU, Michel y VAIREL, Frédéric (S.d,): Soulèvements et recompositions politiques dans le monde arabe, Montreal, les Presses de l’Université de Montréal, Montreal, 2014. CPS 323.2 CAM sou.
DE LARRAMENDI, Miguel Hernando y LOPEZ GARCIA, Bernabé (Coor.): Sistemas políticos del Magreb actual, Madrid, Mapfre, 1996. CPS/321 SIS sis.
DE LARRAMENDI, Miguel Hernando y MAÑE ESTRADA, Aurelia (Eds.): La política exterior española hacia el Magreb: actores e intereses, Madrid, Ariel, 2009. CPS/961 HER.
DESRUES, Thierry y MOYANO, Eduardo (Coord.): Cambio, gobernabilidad y crisis en el Magreb, Córdoba, CSIC, 1997. CPS/61 CAM cam.
FLORENSA, Senén (Dir.): The Arab spring in comparative perspective. Barcelona, IEMed, 2015. CPS/297 FLO ara
GONZÁLEZ DEL MIÑO, Paloma, Tres años de revoluciones árabes, Madrid, La Catarata, 2014. FLA/HCO/297 TRE tre
GONZÁLEZ DEL MIÑO, Paloma (Ed.) La Primavera Arabe ¿una ®evolución regional?, Madrid, Universidad Complutense, 2013.
GUTIÉRREZ DE TERÁN GÓMEZ-BENITA, Ignacio, Las revoluciones árabes. Relato de un proceso en desarrollo, Madrid, Editorial Síntesis, 2017.
IZQUIERDO BRICHS, Ferran (Ed.): Poder y regímenes en Mundo Árabe contemporáneo, Barcelona, CIDOB, Barcelona, 2009. CPS/297 IZQ pod.
https://www.cidob.org/es/publicaciones/serie_de_publicacion/interrogar_la_actualidad/poder_y_regimenes_en_el_mundo_arabe_contemporaneo
IZQUIERDO BRICHS, Ferran (Coord.); Islam político en el Mediterráneo: transformaciones y adaptación en un contexto cambiante, Revista CIDOB d’Affers Intenationals, nº 93-94, 2011.
http://www.cidob.org/ca/publicacions/revistes/revista_cidob_d_afers_internacionals/islam_politico_
en_el_mediterraneo_transformacion_y_adaptacion_en_un_contexto_cambiante
IZQUIERDO BRICHS, Ferran (ed.): Political Regimes in the Arab Worl, Oxon y Nueva York, Routledge, 2013.CPS/297 IZQ pol.
IZQUIERDO BRICHS, Ferran (ed.), Islam político en el Mediterráneo. Radiografía de una evolución, Barcelona, Fundació CIDOB/Bellatera, 2013.
KHADER, Bichara: Europa por el Mediterráneo: de Barcelona a Barcelona (1995-2009), Barcelona,
Icaria, 2009. Centro Doc. Europea CDC/CDE.
LACOMBA, Joan: Emergencia del islamismo en el Magreb: las raíces sociopolíticas de los movimientos islamistas, Madrid, Los Libros de la Catarata, 2000. CPS/961LAC eme
LAMCHICHI, Abderrahim: Islam et contestation au Maghreb, París, L’Harmattan, 1989. CPS/297 LAM isl.
LEVEAU, Rémy: Le sabre et le turban. L’avenir du Maghreb, París, François Bourin, 1997. CPS/961 LEV sab.
LOPEZ GARCIA, Bernabé: El mundo arabo-islámico contemporáneo, Madrid, Síntesis, 1997. CPS/61 LOP mun.
MARTÍN, Gema: El Estado árabe. Crisis de legitimidad y contestación islamista, Barcleona, Bellaterra, 1999. CPS/297 MAR est.
MONTABES PEREIRA, Juan: Las otras elecciones. Los procesos y los sistemas electorales en el Magreb, Madrid, MAE, ICMA, 1999. CPS/961 MON otras.
OJEDA, Raquel, VEGUILLA, Victoria y FERNANDEZ, Irene (Coords.): Global, Regional and Local Dimensions of the Western Sahara’s Protracted Decolonization. When a Conflict Gets Old, Nueva York, Palgrave, 2017. CPS/964 OJE glo.
PAREJO FERNANDEZ, María Angustias (Coord.): Entre el autoritarismo y la democracia. Los procesos electorales en el Magreb, Barcelona, Bellaterra, 2010. CPS/961 PAR ent.
PEREZ BELTRAN, Carmelo y RUIZ ALMODOVAR, Caridad (Coord.): El Magreb. Coordenadas socioculturales. Granada, Grupo de Investigación Estudios Arabes Contemporá¬neos. Universidad de Granada, 1995. CPS/964 MAG mag.
PICARD, Élizabeth (S.d.): La politique dans le monde arabe, París, Armand Colin, 2006. CPS/ 961 PIC pol.
PRENANT, André y BOUZIANE, Semmoud: Magreb y Oriente Medio: espacios y sociedades, Granaada, Universidad de Granada, 2006. CPS/961 Pre mag
POSUSNEY, Marsha Pripstein y ANGRIST, Michele Penner: Authoritarianism in the Midlle East: regimes and resistence, Lynne Rienner Publishers. Boulder, Londres, 2005. CPS/956 AUT ant.
ROMANET PERROUX, Jean-Louis: “The Deep Roots of Libya’s Security Fragmentation”, Middle Eastern Studies, 2019, 55:2, 200-224.
SEGURA I MAS, Antoni: El Magreb, del colonialismo al islamismo. Universitat de Barcelona. Barcelona, 1994. CPS/964 SEG mag.
SZMOLKA, Inmaculada (Ed.): Political Change in Middle East and North Africa. After the Arab Spring, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press, 2017. CPS 297 SZM pol
TROIN, Jean François, BISON, Jean (S.D.): Le Grand Maghreb, París, Armand Colin, 2006. CPS 961 TRO gra.
VOLPI, Fréderic : Revolution and Autoritarianism in North Africa, Londres, Hurst &Company, 2017. CPS 961 VOL rev
ZOUBIR, Yahia y AMIRAH FERNANDEZ, Haizam (Coords): El Magreb. Realidades nacionales y dinámicas regionales. Editorial Síntesis, Madrid, 2008.CPS/961 ZOU mag.
ZOUBIR, Yahia y AMIRAH FERNANDEZ, Haizam (Eds.): North Africa: politics, region and the limits of transformation, Londres, Routledge, 2008. CPS/961 ZOU nor.
Recommended links
British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies
http://www.tandfoline.com/toc/cbjm20/current
Contemporary Arab Affairs
http://www.tandfoline.com/toc/rcaa20/current
Journal of Islamic Studies
The Journal of Modern African Studies
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-modern-african-studies
Mediterranean Politics
http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/13629395.asp
Middle East Policy
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14754967/2018/25/2
Democratiation
Teaching methods
- MD01. Lección magistral/expositiva
- MD02. Sesiones de discusión y debate
- MD03. Resolución de problemas y estudio de casos prácticos
- MD05. Prácticas de campo
- MD06. Prácticas en sala de informática
- MD07. Seminarios
- MD08. Ejercicios de simulación
- MD09. Análisis de fuentes y documentos
- MD10. Realización de trabajos en grupo
- MD11. Realización de trabajos individuales
Assessment methods (Instruments, criteria and percentages)
Ordinary assessment session
The course consists of two terms. Class attendance is compulsory in both terms.
In the First Term assignments are as follows:
• (Theory) Advisory Report (teamwork): written exercise representing 60% of the first term grade. The grade for this exercise ranges from 0 to 6.
• (Practice) Press review (individual work): oral presentation or written exercise representing 20% of the first term grade. The grade for this exercise ranges from 0 to 2.
• (Practice) Contribution to role play activities (teamwork): oral presentation and written exercise representing 20% of the first term grade. The grade for this exercise ranges from 0 to 2.
In order to pass the term, students must get a grade equal to or higher than 5 points out of 10, irrespective of whether that result stems from theoretical or practical assigments.
Second term assignments are as follows:
• (Theory) Advisory Report (teamwork): written exercise representing 60% of the second term grade. The grade for this exercise ranges from 0 to 6.
• (Practice) Political Index review (individual work): oral presentation or written exercise representing 20% of the second term grade. The grade for this exercise ranges from 0 to 2.
• (Practice) Contribution to role play activities (teamwork): oral presentation and written exercise representing 20% of the second term grade. The grade for this exercise ranges from 0 to 2.
In order to pass the term, students must get a grade equal to or higher than 5 points out of 10, irrespective of whether that result stems from theoretical or practical assigments.
If both terms are passed, the final grade will be the average grade obtained in both terms.
Extraordinary assessment session
The conditions for the demonstration of competencies and grading in the extraordinary assessment are the same as in the ordinary assessment.
In the First Term assignments are as follows:
• (Theory) Advisory Report (teamwork): written exercise representing 60% of the second term grade. The grade for this exercise ranges from 0 to 6.
• (Practice) Press review (individual work): oral presentation of written exercise representing 20% of the second term grade. The grade for this exercise ranges from 0 to 2.
• (Practice) Contribution to role play activities (teamwork): oral presentation and written exercise representing 20% of the second term grade. The grade for this exercise ranges from 0 to 2.
In order to pass the term, students must get a grade equal to or higher than 5 points out of 10, irrespective of whether that result stems from theoretical or practical assigments.
Second term assignments are as follows:
• (Theory) Advisory Report (teamwork): written exercise representing 60% of the second term grade. The grade for this exercise ranges from 0 to 6.
• (Practice) Political Index review (individual work): oral presentation or written exercise representing 20% of the second term grade. The grade for this exercise ranges from 0 to 2.
• (Practice) Contribution to role play activities (teamwork): oral presentation and written exercise representing 20% of the second term grade. The grade for this exercise ranges from 0 to 2.
In order to pass the term, students must get a grade equal to or higher than 5 points out of 10, irrespective of whether that result stems from theoretical or practical assigments.
If both terms are passed, the final grade will be the average grade obtained in both terms.
Single final assessment
In order to pass the course, students who do not attend class regularly must pass an exam. The exam consists of a battery of questions related to the political systems of Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. To prepare for the exam, students should study the recommended readings for each term, which are listed in PRADO.
The test includes four questions. Two refer to the first term and two refer to the second term. In each block, one question will be theoretical and one will be a practical application of the theory. Theoretical questions will have a maximum mark of 3 out of 10. Practical questions will have a maximum mark of 2 out of 10.
To pass the exam, the student must obtain at least 5 points out of 10 in total. The value of the exam is 100% of the final mark.
Additional information
Profesional profile
The subject Political Systems of the Maghreb allows the development of skills required for analyst work in NGOs, think tanks and consultancy, among other sectors. To learn more about this subject, we recommend reading the following article: https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/POSO/article/view/90497
The University of Granada publishes a guide of career opportunities for all degrees aimed at students. In the following link you can read the Guide to Political Science and Administration. Particularly interesting are the sections: Professional fields, Occupations and Job prospects.
Guide of professional opportunities in Political Science and Administration: https://empleo.ugr.es/salidasprofesionales/grados/ciencias-politicas-y-administracion/
Originality of papers and tests.
The University of Granada will encourage respect for intellectual property and convey to students that plagiarism is a practice contrary to the principles governing university education. .
Plagiarism, understood as the presentation of a work or work done by another person as their own or the copying of texts without citing their source and giving them as their own elaboration, will automatically entail the numerical grade of zero in the subject in which it would have been detected, regardless of the rest of the grades that the student would have obtained. This consequence must be understood without prejudice to the disciplinary responsibilities that students who plagiarize may incur.
The works and materials submitted by the students must be signed with an explicit statement in which the originality of the work is assumed, understood in the sense that the student has not used sources without properly citing them.
Support and guidance services
The University of Granada offers to students support and guidance services, as follow:
Oficina de Prevención y Respuesta ante el Acoso de la UGR (OPRA): https://www.ugr.es/info/perfiles/estudiantes/atencion-social-igualdad-inclusion-sostenibilidad/igualdad-prevencion-respuesta-acoso
Unidad de Igualdad y Conciliación de la UGR: https://viis.ugr.es/areas/igualdad-conciliacion Gabinete Psicopedagógico/
Unidad de Orientación Académica de la UGR: https://ve.ugr.es/secretariados-y-unidades/orientacion
Servicio de Asistencia Estudiantil de la UGR: https://ve.ugr.es/servicios/asistencia-estudiantil/
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).