Why Study Spanish?

Spanish is the second most widely spoken language in the world and the most studied foreign language in the English university system. Over 400,000,000 million people speak Spanish as their first language and many more speak it as a second language. Native speakers of Spanish can be found across five continents and more than twenty countries. This diversity, both in human and geographical terms, offers Spanish graduates a wealth of opportunities for their professional future.

Spanish culture is always an exciting proposition for new and old students. From classic literary masterpieces (i.e.: Cervantes's Don Quixote; Calderon de la Barca's Life is a Dream; Lope de Vega's Fuente Ovejuna, etc.) to the great painters of the Golden Age (i.e.: El Greco, Velasquez, etc.), the 19th Century (i.e.: Francisco de Goya) and the contemporary era (Picasso, Dali, etc.), to the innovative and fascinating novels produced in Latin America since the 1950s (One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa, The House of the Spirits by Isabell Allende, The president by Miguel Angel Asturias, just to mention a few), students can be assured they will find real engaging projects in this field of studies.

If traditional culture is not what gets you excited, the Spanish speaking world offers an array of popular culture expressions. From the always fascinating rhythms of Latin America (salsa, cumbia, merengue, lambada, etc.) that make the world dance, to the exotic cuisines of the different countries, to cinema and telenovelas, the Spanish peoples have something to offer to the younger generations.

The Spanish speaking world also opens wonderful opportunities for those who want to do business overseas. With vibrant new economies flourishing all over Latin America, and Spain's important membership in the European Community, opportunities to invest and work abound in most Hispanic countries.