# SPANSH 11 - Introduction to the Spanish-speaking World II: Social, Cultural, and Sustainability Topics Semester: Spring | Year offered: 2026 | Link: [Course Website](https://locator.tlt.harvard.edu/course/colgsas-125058/2025/spring/12221) Spanish 11 is the second course in the Beginning Spanish sequence (SPAN 10-SPAN 11). In this course, students explore a host of social, cultural, and environmental sustainability issues that have historically impacted the lives and livelihoods of local and foreign Spanish-speaking communities. Throughout the semester, students interact constantly with instructors, peers, and native Spanish speakers around the world as they explore culturally and linguistically rich content. Through discussions and critical analyses of authentic multimodal texts (e.g., written, audiovisual, visual) from many different sources (e.g., social media, newspapers), students develop a wide array of linguistic functions, such as the ability to make detailed descriptions or to narrate in different time frames. By the end of this class, students a) will have further advanced their linguistic competence, and b) will have deepened their understanding of the cultures and worldviews of Spanish-speaking communities in the United States, Latin America, and Spain. --- ## Course Head [### María Luisa Parra ](/people/maria-luisa-parra) Senior Preceptor in Romance Languages and Literatures (Spanish) Co-Director of Language Programs Undergraduate Advisor in Spanish, Latin American, and Latino Studies Research Interests: Spanish as a heritage language and Pedagogy, Second Language Acquisition and Pedagogy; Child Language Development and Bilingualism; Latino Families and Immigration; Immigration and Education Dr. María Luisa Parra has a B.A. in... ![parra](/sites/g/files/omnuum8296/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-04/maria_luisa_at_desk_1-3.jpg?itok=UH7-nHfl) See also:- [ Language ](/class-categories/language) - [ Spanish language ](/keywords/spanish-language) - [ Spanish ](/language/spanish) - [ María Luisa Parra-Velasco ](/language-instructor/maria-luisa-parra-velasco) - [ Spring 2026 ](/class/term/spring-2026)