Department Overview

Spanish is the second most widely spoken language in the world. In 2015, approximately 6.7% of the world’s population spoke Spanish (compared with Russian: 2.2%, French: 1.1%, and German: 1.1%). It is estimated that by the year 2030, 7.5% of the world’s population will speak Spanish.

Any picture of the United States would be incomplete without an understanding of the Spanish language and the cultures of Latin America and Spain. The United States has the second largest Spanish-speaking population in the world, second only to Mexico. A study done by Spain’s Instituto Cervantes estimates that by the year 2050, the United States will have become the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world.

If you are looking for some informal practice to keep up with your Spanish, each year, there is a Spanish Language Associate (LA), typically from either Spain or Peru, who organizes cultural activities and biweekly Spanish conversation tables during lunch. The department also participates in Carleton’s International Film Forum, presenting Spanish and Latin American films, and brings film directors and authors to campus to give workshops. We strongly encourage students — majors, minors and non-majors alike — to participate in the many activities we organize.

For those students who are looking for work on campus while practicing Spanish, we encourage them to apply for a position in the Spanish department as Research Assistants, Teaching Assistants, or tutors. Students can work as a Research Assistant to a specific professor, as Teaching Assistants for beginning level Spanish classes, or as tutors to more advanced students.

Our students are as diverse as our faculty. Many of our alumni have gone on to pursue careers in medicine, education, literature, law, translation, international business, and in the non-profit sector. Our students have been Fulbright recipients and have done internships abroad (specifically in Peru and in Spain through departmental connections).