Fairfax Global Affairs Faculty

Hear what they have to say about Mason Korea

When you spend your year on the Fairfax campus, you will have an opportunity to study with many more faculty members of the Global Affairs major in Fairfax. Here are a few of these faculty and their thoughts about George Mason University, Korea.

Jennifer Ashley

Jennifer Ashley is a Term Associate Professor in the Global Affairs Program. She received her Ph.D. from the Department of Anthropology at Brown University. Her research focuses on media and political change in Latin America. Professor Ashley was awarded a 2017-2018 Fenwick Fellowship for her project "The Political Afterlife of the Chilean Plebiscite." She is currently developing a digital humanities site on this project, which can be found here: www.chile88.cl. She will be the fall 2020 Faculty Fellow at the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media. 

I had the privilege of spending the spring 2020 semester at Mason Korea. I was very impressed by the ability of our first-year students to draw on their readings regarding the political, economic, cultural, and ecological dimensions of globalization to produce insightful analyses of the pandemic. The rich discussions that emerged regarding appropriate humanitarian response highlighted what an engaged and intellectually rigorous student body we have. I look forward to going back as well as to welcoming those students to our Fairfax campus. – Jennifer Ashley

Lisa Breglia

Lisa Breglia is Senior Associate Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and is Associate Professor of Global Affairs. Her 2006 book, Monumental Ambivalence: the Politics of Heritage (University of Texas Press) examines the struggle over national patrimony between public interests and private sector development in Maya archaeological sites across the Yucatán Peninsula. Her second book Living with Oil (2013, UT Press) is an ethnographic investigation of the effects of Mexico's intensive offshore oil industry on Gulf coast communities. Her current research focuses on the relationship between resource security and citizen security in contemporary Mexico.

With multiple thematic and world region concentrations, the Global Affairs major offers an incredible degree of flexibility for students who wish to develop highly specialized knowledge and skills. Through different combinations of courses, foreign language skills, and research opportunities, Global Affairs offers each student their own toolkit for unpacking the complexities of today's global challenges. – Lisa Breglia

Cortney Hughes Rinker

Cortney Hughes Rinker is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and the Director of the Global Affairs program. She earned her Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of California, Irvine with emphases in Feminist Studies and Medicine, Science, and Technology Studies. She conducted long-term research on reproductive healthcare among working-class women in Rabat, Morocco, which turned into her book Islam, Development, and Urban Women’s Reproductive Practices (Routledge, 2013). Her second book Actively Dying: The Creation of Muslim Identities through End-of-Life Care in the United States (Routledge, forthcoming) examines the diverse experiences of Muslim patients and families in the Washington, D.C. area.

The Global Affairs major offers students an interdisciplinary approach to the study of historical and contemporary world issues and the interactions among people, states, organizations, and industries that have a tremendous impact on society. It is very exciting to think about the various opportunities to connect students from Mason Korea and George Mason so that we can learn from each other and brainstorm ways to address pressing global problems together. I believe it is only with these types of open, global dialogues that we can begin to truly think about how to make this world a better and more just place for all. – Cortney Hughes Rinker

Byunghwan Ben Son

Byunghwan Son is an Associate Professor in the Global Affairs Program and Director of Asia-Pacific and Northeast Asian Studies. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from University of Missouri (Columbia). His research interests lie in the intersection of political behaviors (individual and collective) and economic conditions. His recent research topics include democratization, democratic support, public confidence in governments, international reserves, currency crises, exchange rate regimes, Asian politics, and social science methodology. Before joining George Mason, he taught at the College of Wooster (Ohio) and the Korean Air Force Academy (South Korea).

It is such a joy to work with the students from Mason Korea. Their work ethic and enthusiasm always impress me. The fact that I have students coming from my home country along with, arguably, the most diverse group of students in America is in itself a great example of globalization that always stimulates exciting discussions. – Byunghwan Ben Son