English Department


Contact Person: Raquel Arenz
Office Location:Canyon 106B
Direct Phone: 208-732-6853
Email: rarenz@csi.edu

Zaagoza SpainCSI welcomes you to its Spanish Program! CSI offers a rich selection of lower division Spanish courses where you will be introduced to the culture of the Spanish speaking world and all the necessary components of the language: grammar, reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. Our curriculum addresses current and relevant topics, such as the impact of globalization on society, the environment, arts, literature, immigration and social justice. Learning is enhanced through multimedia technology, and study abroad opportunities. Students discover that by learning Spanish, they not only gain useful skills, they also obtain new insights on the world to facilitate the intercultural exchange between the English and Spanish-Speaking worlds.

Why Study Spanish?

There are over 400 million people in 21 different countries who speak Spanish. This is about the equivalent of the population of the United States. Next to English, Spanish is the most used language in the US.

It is the third most widely used language for international business.

PeruIt is the official language of 21 countries.

Bilingual employees are valued and often earn more than their coworkers who only speak one language.

13% of the population of the United States speaks Spanish.

Approximately 100 million people worldwide speak Spanish as their second language.

Spanish is spoken in major countries including Mexico, Argentina, Spain and almost all of the countries in South America, not to mention parts of Europe as well. Spanish is definitely a big player in the world's speaking list.



  • Spanish is the mother tongue of approximately 388 million people in 21 countries (Mexico: 102 million, USA: 45 million, Spain: 44 million, Colombia: 44 million, Argentina: 39 million, Venezuela: 28 million, Peru: 28 million...) It is also widely spoken in many more where it is not an official language.



  • 29 million US residents above the age of 5 speak Spanish at home. That's approximately 1 of every 10 US residents, an enormous consumer and business-to-business market.

  • "The world is rapidly becoming multilingual and Arabic and Spanish are both key languages of the future" said language researcher David Graddol, commenting on a report presented to the British Council.

(Source: http://www.donquijote.org/english/whyspanish.asp)