The overarching goal of the second-year program is to prepare students for study abroad alongside native speakers of Spanish. This preparation is realized through increasing focus on presentational discourse, with emphasis on academic and professional registers of the language.

As in the first year of Spanish study, program objectives revolve around three key axes:

(1) Presentational Objectives: Using academic language to, e.g.,

• write reports of increasing length and complexity, including persuasive papers and a research paper of 5-7 pages by the end of the third quarter
• give increasingly lengthy and more extemporaneous oral presentations, of 10 to 20 minutes in length
• compare and analyze extemporaneously

(2) Interpretive Objectives: Understanding Spanish in order to, e.g.,

• analyze and synthesize the main ideas and supporting data in authentic written texts
• follow and summarize shifting topics in a conversation
• compare different regional varieties and registers of Spanish

(3)Interpersonal Objectives: Interacting with others with, e.g.,

• socially appropriate expression of respect, politeness, gratitude, friendliness, and distance
• appropriate use of tú and usted
• increasing sophistication in discussions of academic and professional topics

Important Note: The complete objectives of each course can be found on that courses individual page. Click on the buttons at left for more specific information on the course that interests you.

Different “Tracks” in the Second-Year Spanish Program

The second-year program includes three series of courses and one stand-alone course designed to suit the needs and interests of different students. Any SPANLANG 13 course (C or R) or SPANLANG 23B satisfies the two-year requirement for international relations majors.

The Cultural Emphasis series (SPANLANG 11C, 12C, and 13C) integrates the study of culture and language. For further information, contact María Cristina Urruela at murruela@stanford.edu.

The International Relations series (SPANLANG 11R, 12R, and 13R) integrates the study of geopolitics, socioeconomics, and language. For further information, contact Vivian Brates at vbrates@stanford.edu or Ana Sierra at asierra@stanford.edu.

The Spanish for Home-background Speakers (SBHS) series (SPANLANG 21B, 22B, and 23B) is designed for students whose greatest exposure to Spanish has been in the home or community versus the classroom. The SHBS program is pedagogically and methodologically structured to develop the oral and written language skills of Spanish home-background speakers, building on the linguistic knowledge that home-background speakers already bring to the classroom to rapidly develop their skills in a supportive and positive environment. For further information, contact Ana Sierra at asierra@stanford.edu.