An Introduction to

Spanish 
Spoken by more than 300 million people in the Iberian Peninsula, the Americas, 
North Africa, and the Philippines, the Spanish language can claim a present and 
future as significant as its past. With Spanish now in wide use in the U.S., many 
people study Hispanic language, literatures, and cultures for practical and 
professional reasons. Spanish courses at Harvard draw on a history rich in 
adventures and encounters: from the time of Spain's multicultural past, through 
the Christian Reconquest and global expansion, struggles for independence and 
democracy in Spain and in the Americas, to the growth of vibrant Spanish-
speaking communities in North America. Courses in both Spanish and Latin 
American literature explore such areas as the relationship between history and 
fiction, popular culture and film, poetic and narrative traditions and 
experimentation, the construction of national and social identities through 
literature, and women's writing. 
The Office of International Education (OIE), the Harvard Summer School, and 
the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) offer several 
opportunities for study and work in Spanish-speaking countries. In addition to 
its office in Cambridge, the David Rockefeller Center has overseas offices in 
Santiago, Chile and São Paulo, Brazil. These offices help organize comprehensive 
academic and extracurricular/work experiences for Harvard students in many 
different Latin American countries.
For specific information regarding programs and opportunities available to 
students, visit the following websites:
David Rockefeller Center: 
http://drclas.harvard.edu/pages/resources-students
 
Office of International Education: 
http://oie.fas.harvard.edu/
 
Harvard Summer School: 
http://www.summer.harvard.edu/programs/study-
abroad/