Programs
Undergraduate
Degree Type: BA
Fostering Your Imagination
Are you an enthusiastic writer thinking about turning your passion into a career? Develop your voice in Ashland University’s Creative Writing program.
A degree in Creative Writing is an asset to nearly any career you pursue because it helps you develop critical thinking and clear expression.
Undergraduate
Degree Type: BA
Join Us on a Literary Journey
Are you passionate about literature and language? Join the English Department at Ashland University to start your literary journey across centuries and around the globe.
Undergraduate
Degree Type: BA
Passing Your Love of Language On
Do you have a love of language and literature and want to teach? Bring your passion to life for the next generation of high school students in the Integrated Language Arts program at Ashland University.
This program prepares you for teacher licensure in Integrated...
Undergraduate
Advantages of Minoring in Spanish
Minoring in Spanish at Ashland University can be very rewarding to your future career. Why? It shows you are flexible, work well with diversity, excel in challenging situations, and have strong communication skills. Knowledge of a foreign language can land you a job and can...
Graduate
Degree Type: MFA
Expand your writing practice and refine your craft within the supportive community of Ashland University’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program.
Curriculum
Faculty & Staff
Dr. Hilary Donatini
Chair, English Department, Associate Professor of English
306, Center for the Humanities of Bixler Hall
419.289.5224 / hdonatin@ashland.edu
Department of Languages and Literatures
306, Center for the Humanities of Bixler Hall
419.289.5224 / hdonatin@ashland.edu
Department of Languages and Literatures
Dr. Maura Grady
Associate Professor of English, Director of English Composition Program
316, Center for the Humanities of Bixler Hall
419.289.5670 / mgrady3@ashland.edu
Department of Languages and Literatures
316, Center for the Humanities of Bixler Hall
419.289.5670 / mgrady3@ashland.edu
Department of Languages and Literatures
Dr. Richard Gray
Assistant Chair, Department of Languages and Literatures, Associate Professor of French
210, Center for the Humanities of Bixler Hall
419.289.5792 / rgray6@ashland.edu
Department of Foreign Languages , Department of Languages and Literatures
210, Center for the Humanities of Bixler Hall
419.289.5792 / rgray6@ashland.edu
Department of Foreign Languages , Department of Languages and Literatures
Dr. Christian Kiefer
Director of the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
101, Center for the Humanities of Bixler Hall
/ ckiefer2@ashland.edu
Department of Languages and Literatures
101, Center for the Humanities of Bixler Hall
/ ckiefer2@ashland.edu
Department of Languages and Literatures
Dr. Joe Mackall
Retired Professor of English
Center for the Humanities of Bixler Hall
Department of Languages and Literatures
Center for the Humanities of Bixler Hall
Department of Languages and Literatures
Dr. Sharleen Mondal
Associate Professor of English
302, Center for the Humanities of Bixler Hall
419.289.5393 / smondal@ashland.edu
Department of Languages and Literatures
302, Center for the Humanities of Bixler Hall
419.289.5393 / smondal@ashland.edu
Department of Languages and Literatures
Dr. Kelly Sundberg
Assistant Professor of English
314, Center for the Humanities of Bixler Hall
419.289.5199 / ksundber@ashland.edu
Department of Languages and Literatures
314, Center for the Humanities of Bixler Hall
419.289.5199 / ksundber@ashland.edu
Department of Languages and Literatures
Dr. Jayne Waterman
Associate Professor of English
312, Center for the Humanities of Bixler Hall
419.289.5284 / jwaterma@ashland.edu
Department of Languages and Literatures
312, Center for the Humanities of Bixler Hall
419.289.5284 / jwaterma@ashland.edu
Department of Languages and Literatures
Dr. Russell Weaver
Professor of English
310 , Center for the Humanities of Bixler Hall
419.289.5117 / rweaver3@ashland.edu
Department of Languages and Literatures
310 , Center for the Humanities of Bixler Hall
419.289.5117 / rweaver3@ashland.edu
Department of Languages and Literatures
Department News
Senior Creative Writing Majors Give Reading; Yeaste Wins Snyder Award
Dr. Charles Carlise, Tia Shanklin, Sarah Yeaste, Kayti Bowles, and Dr. Kelly Sundberg
On Tuesday, April 25, the senior creative writing majors shared portions of their capstone projects at a public reading. Kayti Bowles's project, The Exquisite Corpse, is a chronological, confessional book of poetry that navigates the ups and downs of life into adulthood. The final section is a personal address to her children through poems regarding the conditions of womanhood, the pitfalls of their bloodline, and more. Tia Shanklin's The Holders is a fantasy/adventure novel that will become a five-book series. It is a series full of magic, adventure, revenge, and an underlying message of inclusivity and breaking free from labels. Sarah Yeaste's The Phantom and the Monster is a young adult dystopian/fantasy novel that explores the question of whether there is such a thing as good or evil.
Sarah Yeaste, pictured above with Dr. Kelly Sundberg, was honored with the Richard Snyder Award for outstanding senior creative writing major. The award comes with a cash prize. Congratulations to Sarah for this award and to Kayti and Tia for completing their capstone projects! ...Read more
On Tuesday, April 25, the senior creative writing majors shared portions of their capstone projects at a public reading. Kayti Bowles's project, The Exquisite Corpse, is a chronological, confessional book of poetry that navigates the ups and downs of life into adulthood. The final section is a personal address to her children through poems regarding the conditions of womanhood, the pitfalls of their bloodline, and more. Tia Shanklin's The Holders is a fantasy/adventure novel that will become a five-book series. It is a series full of magic, adventure, revenge, and an underlying message of inclusivity and breaking free from labels. Sarah Yeaste's The Phantom and the Monster is a young adult dystopian/fantasy novel that explores the question of whether there is such a thing as good or evil.
Sarah Yeaste, pictured above with Dr. Kelly Sundberg, was honored with the Richard Snyder Award for outstanding senior creative writing major. The award comes with a cash prize. Congratulations to Sarah for this award and to Kayti and Tia for completing their capstone projects! ...Read more
Outstanding Students Recognized at Honors Convocation
Reagan Morse, Jillian Beun, and Hannah Coon
Three students from the Department of Languages and Literatures—all Integrated Languages Arts majors—were recognized at the AU Honors Convocation on Sunday, April 23. Jillian Beun was chosen by department faculty as the Outstanding Sophomore, Hannah Coon as Outstanding Junior, and Reagan Morse as Outstanding Senior. We are proud of their achievements and grateful for their contributions to our department community.
...Read more
Graduating Senior Spotlight: Part Two
The Department of Languages and Literatures wishes its graduating seniors the best as they apply for jobs and begin the exciting transition to the next chapter of their lives! This post is the second and final installment in a series to spotlight these seniors, who generously shared their favorite memory of being a major in the department and their post-graduation plans. Kayti BowlesI began my journey at Ashland University in a very unconventional way. Having already attended four years of undergrad at a previous university from 2015-2019, returning to college was by no means the next step in my five-year-plan. I found myself feeling overwhelmingly unfulfilled though, grappling with the fact that my passions had no place in my career. After much contemplation, I turned to AU in hopes that I could become the writer I’ve always wanted to be. While I’ve had the experience I came to AU looking for, I’ve found so much more, too. My time in the Department of Languages and Literatures has not only improved my creative writing skills, but provided me a place to feel validated and encouraged by many professors and like-minded students. A further passion for classic literature has been fostered in me, as well. I will never forget reading Slaughterhouse-Five with Dr. Waterman in particular, a few months into my own PTSD diagnosis. I felt understood for the first time. Upon finishing the book, she showed the class her necklace; it was a line from the text which reads “so it goes.” I began to see that even when a story is confusing and messy, someone like her could pick it up, appreciate the words, and see art in it. I look at my own life story more gracefully now… So it goes.After graduation, I plan to focus...Read more
Graduating Senior Spotlight: Part One
The Department of Languages and Literatures wishes its graduating seniors the best as they apply for jobs and begin the exciting transition to the next chapter of their lives! This post is the first installment in a series to spotlight these seniors, who generously shared their favorite memory of being a major in the department and their post-graduation plans.Angela Manasieva
I initially came to Ashland University as an Integrated Language Arts Education major. I soon realized that Education just was not my passion and was not right for the eighteen-year-old version of myself. However, I will never regret this decision, as within this major, I was able to find my passion and appreciation for literature and writing. I changed my major to English my sophomore year and added Creative Writing as my minor soon after. This program and department have been so beneficial to me and have helped me picture where I want to go. Not only did I meet literatures of all kinds, but I also got to know some of the most supportive and kindest people I have ever met. I must shout out Dr. Waterman, who not only stepped into the role of being my professor and academic advisor, but also went above and beyond. I will never forget the conversations we had my senior year after class when she was my biggest support system, motivating me to keep going and doing my best. These conversations that I had with her and several of my other professors truly helped shape me into the motivated, goal-driven woman I am. I thank all of my professors in the English department for your expertise, and all of your hard work that helped get me where I am now. As a first-generation student born to immigrant parents, it means a...Read more
I initially came to Ashland University as an Integrated Language Arts Education major. I soon realized that Education just was not my passion and was not right for the eighteen-year-old version of myself. However, I will never regret this decision, as within this major, I was able to find my passion and appreciation for literature and writing. I changed my major to English my sophomore year and added Creative Writing as my minor soon after. This program and department have been so beneficial to me and have helped me picture where I want to go. Not only did I meet literatures of all kinds, but I also got to know some of the most supportive and kindest people I have ever met. I must shout out Dr. Waterman, who not only stepped into the role of being my professor and academic advisor, but also went above and beyond. I will never forget the conversations we had my senior year after class when she was my biggest support system, motivating me to keep going and doing my best. These conversations that I had with her and several of my other professors truly helped shape me into the motivated, goal-driven woman I am. I thank all of my professors in the English department for your expertise, and all of your hard work that helped get me where I am now. As a first-generation student born to immigrant parents, it means a...Read more
