From the Back Cover Communicatión Y Cultura is an exciting intermediate Spanish course that features high interest topics, an effective and uniquely sequenced review of selected grammatical points, and a thorough integration of language and culture. Chapter topics reflect issues of interest and of concern to today's college and university students, providing students with many opportunities to make connections with what they're discussing in other courses.The second edition consists of a Lección preliminar, followed by twelve Lecciones. Each of the twelve Lecciones is divided into three Primera Parte, Segunda Parte, and Así Lo Expresamos.Each Lección of the student text synthesizes the development of language skills and cultural awareness through the active use of art, music, and literature from the Spanish-speaking world. Activities are designed to foster involvement, participation, and exchange in discussion and compositions. Active, personalized, and real communication about actual issues and experiences is at the heart of Conexiones. Eduardo Zayas-Bazan is a native of Camaguey, Cuba. He holds an M.S. in foreign languages from Kansas State Teachers College, Emporia, KS, and a Doctor en Derecho degree from Universidad Nacional Jose Marti, Havana, Cuba. He is a Professor Emeritus in Foreign Languages from East Tennessee State University, where he was chair of the Foreign Language Department from 1973 to 1993. Over the course of his distinguished career, Zayas-Bazan has received numerous awards in recognition of his professional achievements and has held noteworthy positions within many organizations dedicated to teaching Spanish. In addition to writing numerous articles in regional and national journals, he is the co-author, co-editor, and translator of seventeen books, including "Conexiones," an intermediate Spanish textbook published by Prentice Hall. Susan M. Bacon earned her Ph.D. in Foreign Language Education and Spanish Linguistics from The Ohio State University. She has taught at the University of Cincinnati since 1985 and is currently Professor of Spanish and Acting Director for the Institute for Global Studies and Affairs. She has been Project Director of a four-year grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and a Fulbright-Robles Scholar in Mexico. She has published extensively in the area of foreign language acquisition and methodology, particularly in the use of authentic listening and reading text. In addition to "Arriba!," she has co-authored "Conexiones" and "Leyendas del mundo hispano," Holly J. Nibert earned her Ph.D. in Spanish Linguistics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2000. She has eighteen years of experience teaching Spanish language and linguistics at threedifferent institutions, including UIUC, Penn State University at University Park, and Western Michigan University (WMU) in Kalamazoo. Presently, she is Associate Professor of Spanish Linguistics and Director of the First-Year Spanish Language Program and TA Training at WMU. Nibert has published various articles on Spanish phonol-ogy and phonetics (on intonation in particular) and the use of technology in teaching Spanish.