The program of instruction in the department of Hispanic Languages and Literatures seeks, through the achievement of an accurate reading knowledge, adequate aural comprehension, and conversational proficiency, to prepare students to understand and appreciate the language, literature, and culture of the Spanish-speaking world. Upon completion of the basic courses, students are expected to have a thorough, practical command of Spanish, including an ability to understand more fully the culture or cultures which that language reflects.<br><br>Spanish is the official language, not only of Spain, but also of Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean islands of Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, and most of South America. Spanish, with approximately 320 million speakers, is the fourth most spoken language on the planet and the United States is now officially the fifth largest Spanish-speaking country in the world Spanish is spoken as a first or second language by approximately 10% of the total population of the United States (over 30 million people). The ability to read and speak Spanish allows you to communicate in one of the major languages of international business and finance and with the NAFTA agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico, Spanish has become even that much more essential in the world of international commerce. It also gives you access to original works, studies, reports and other written materials, as well as television and radio channels which broadcast in Spanish.<br><br>Career opportunities exist in business administration, commerce, banking, public relations, translation services, publishing, journalism, the tourist industry, hotel management, as well as in secondary and post- secondary teaching. Outside the department, students can complement their Spanish studies with a number of fields, such as history, political science, business, geography or anthropology. Since Spanish is spoken in so many countries around the world, highly qualified bilingual graduates are in demand by the international business community, the Foreign Service and by international agencies such as the World Bank, the World Health Organization and the United Nations.