About the field of Spanish Studies: Studying another culture can be a complicated undertaking, but many people start with the language and literature of that culture. If you can speak a language, you can communicate with others who speak that language and thus learn far more than a book or a lecture can ever tell you. Similarly, learning the literature of another culture enables you to hear the stories of that people in their own words. Language studies can cover anything from basic vocabulary to advanced linguistics , while literature can touch on the range of issues facing a particular society. For those studying Spanish, there are a variety of Spanish speaking locations in the world including Spain and much of Latin America and the Caribbean. Many people studying the language or culture of these locations will choose to visit there so that they can immerse themselves in the language and truly experience the culture. Spanish is also one of the major world languages and spoken by over 350 million people. The U.S. is actually the third largest Spanish speaking country in the world. Spanish is therefore an extremely practical language to study. For those interested in studying other languages and cultures, there are a variety of related fields available including: African Studies , Asian Studies , French Studies , German Studies , Italian Studies , Middle Eastern Studies , Portuguese Studies , and Russian and Slavic Studies . Spanish studies may also encompass a range of other issues related to Spanish culture including: history , politics , philosophy , art , and religion .