"Bestow great attention on this and endeavor to acquire an accurate knowledge of it. Our future connections with Spain and Spanish America will render that language a valuable acquisition... Spanish is highly interesting to us, as the language spoken by so great a portion of the inhabitants of our continents, with whom we shall have great intercourse ere long." Thomas Jefferson, 1787

The Spanish department offers a six-year course of study. Students who demonstrate unusual ability and interest during the first year are invited to join an accelerated sequence. The language of the classroom is Spanish, and extensive use is made of the Language Learning Center. Students learn to understand, speak, read and write the language, and also are given a comprehensive introduction to the literature and culture of Spain and Latin America. The department offers three programs of study and travel abroad to enhance a student's language experience: School Year Abroad in Zaragoza, a trimester exchange in Burgos, and summer programs in Salamanca and the Dominican Republic. More information is available through language instructors. Upon completion of any fourth-year course sequence or combination, a student will be prepared to take the AP Language Exam.