English and Modern Languages
Here’s how students get to know us and we get to know them:
- First-Year Composition Classes
- Foreign Language Classes and Activities
- Creative Writing, Literature, and Other Upper-Division Classes
- Affiliated Programs (Gender and Women’s Studies; National Writing Project)
Grounded in the Humanities: Our Mission and Vision
Are you a prospective student? Enlace para la Licenciatura en Español (Spanish B.A.)
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Alumni Spotlight: Harley Smith (2015)
Department News
Shepherd University’s Rude Mechanicals Medieval and Renaissance Players announce auditions for Greek tragedy at its most outrageous! The Rudes will be staging Euripides’ Greek tragedy The Bacchae this summer. Auditions will be held on Wednesday, May 10th, and Thursday, May 11th, from 7:30 to 10:oo p.m. in Reynolds Hall. There are multiple roles, both large and small, for all genders and all levels of experience. A diverse cast is highly desirable. Tech crew, dancers, musicians, and visual and video artists are also needed. Community members 16 years of age and older are welcome to audition. Performances will take place June 22nd through the 25th. For more information, contact Dr. Betty Ellzey (304 876-5208 or bellzey@shepherd.edu.)
On Sunday, April 23rd, the Department of English and Modern Languages celebrated our students’ accomplishments with an award ceremony. This year’s award recipients include:
- Outstanding Overall English Major: Lee DiFante
- Outstanding English Major, Creative Writing Concentration: Kim Cano
- Outstanding English Major, Literature Concentration: Maddie Malin
- Outstanding English Major, English Education Concentration: Olyvia Thompson
- Outstanding English Minors: Dylan Parry and William Prudnick
- Outstanding Spanish Major: Joanna Hernandez
- Outstanding Spanish Minors: Lucy Blue and Gabrielle Robinson
- Catherine C. Fix Essay Award, First Place: Monte Dempster, “An African American School in 1917 and the Silver Lining”
- Catherine C. Fix Essay Award, Second Place: Alec Dunham, “The Effects of Community Against Systematic Poverty”
- Catherine C. Fix Essay Award, Third Place: Cynthia Huston, “Housing Developers Need to Stop Cutting Corners”
English major Lee DiFante, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, attended the Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society convention in Denver, Colorado, March 29th through April 1st. Lee presented a paper titled “The Use of Witches and Witch Tropes in Toni Morrison Novels” that provides an in-depth look at the use of symbols and concepts associated with witchcraft and magic across in a number of Toni Morrison’s novels. Lee also chaired a session at the convention. Funding from the Department of English and Modern Languages and the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences made the trip possible for Lee. Way to go, Lee! We’re very proud of you, and thanks for representing Shepherd!
On Sunday, April 23rd, the English Capstone presentations will be taking place in the Byrd Center auditorium. The presentations will begin after student awards are distributed and new members of Sigma Tau Delta, the international English honor society, are inducted. The events will start at 1:00 p.m. This year’s presenters include
- Kim Cano—”Sweetness in Decay”
- Lee DiFante—”The Use of Witches and Witch Tropes in Toni Morrison Novels”
- Brynae Harrod—”Dante’s Inferno: A Criticism of the Catholic Church”
- Madison Malin—”Translation from Literature to Cinema: The Visual Feminist Perspective of Jane Eyre and Little Women“
The Capstone presentations and the ceremonies are free and open to the public. Bring family and friends and come celebrate our graduating English majors!
The final gathering of Stammtisch for the current academic year will be on Friday, April 14th, at 5:00 p.m. It will be held at the home of Dottie Gillwald in Ranson. Stammtisch is a conversation group for those interested in German language and the culture of the German-speaking peoples. Stammtisch is open to faculty, staff, students, and community members. Everybody is welcome to attend, from native speakers to those just learning the language. For more information, including Dottie’s address, please contact Dr. Rachel Krantz (rritterb@shepherd.edu).