Teaching cultural competency in the language classroom can be a challenge. This study explores the effectiveness of task-based instruction (Lee, 2000) on the learning of culture by students in college-level Spanish language courses. Students were required to record oral presentations, write essays, and make comparisons between the culture and language they studied with their own. A critical pedagogy framework (Leonardo, 2004) was used to analyze the content of student reflections. The analysis indicated that task-based learning in language studies is beneficial in helping students achieve linguistic and cultural learning objectives. Advanced students outperformed elementary students in most task categories. Using electronic portfolios, elementary students reflected more on the limitations of their language skills while advanced students demonstrated a higher level of critical thinking skills in grasping fundamental connections between language and culture learning, suggesting that students progressed through critical thinking as they were exposed to Freire's (2000) principles of critical pedagogy.