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)
Grounded in the Humanities: Our Mission and Vision
Are you a prospective student? Enlace para la Licenciatura en Español (Spanish B.A.)
Connect with us on social media: 
Alumni Spotlight: Marta Senn (2012)
Department News
Dr. James Pate, Associate Professor of English, recently published a poetry collection titled Mineral Planet. The experimental/surrealist book explores climate change, the pandemic, and recent global catastrophic events, often employing the imagery of Hades and underworlds to do so. The book was published by Schism Press, and copies can be found at Four Seasons Books, 116 W. German St., Shepherdstown. Congratulations, James!
On Friday, September 16th, Sigma Tau Delta, the international English honor society, is hosting a “Pizza, Poetry, and Palling Around” party to serve as a meet and greet for new, incoming English, Spanish, and Modern Languages majors and minors. The event will be from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. in Knutti Hall room 202. There will be not only pizza and poetry, but baked goods from our one and only Clara Monson, as well as drinks and games, so be sure to stop by on Friday to meet old friends and new (and also for free food)!
The next meeting of Shepherd University’s Stammtisch will be on Wednesday, September 7th, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. It will be held here in Shepherdstown at the home—or in the garden, if the weather is nice—of one of the newest participants, Joya Subudhi. Anyone interested in participating should go through the gate marked “Private Entrance” next to the Lost Dog Café on German Street. Stammtisch is a conversation group for those interested in German language and the culture of the German-speaking peoples. It 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, please contact Dr. Rachel Krantz (rritterb@shepherd.edu).
Shepherd University’s Stammtisch group will be getting together on Wednesday, August 17th, from 6:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the Blue Moon Café. (If the weather is nice, the group will gather outside in the back garden.) Stammtisch is a conversation group for those interested in German language and the culture of the German-speaking peoples. It 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, please contact Dr. Rachel Krantz (rritterb@shepherd.edu).
Shepherd University’s Rude Mechanicals Medieval and Renaissance Players announce auditions for William Shakespeare’s romantic tragicomedy The Winter’s Tale on Wednesday, August 24th, and Thursday, August 25th, from 8:00 to 10:30 p.m., in Reynolds Hall. There are multiple roles, both large and small, for all genders and levels of experience. A diverse cast is highly desirable. Tech crew, dancers, musicians, and video artists are also needed. Community members 16 and older are welcome to audition. Performances will take place November 5th through the 13th. For more information, contact Betty Ellzey (304-876-5208, bellzey@shepherd.edu).