George Mason University’s campus in Korea was established to help extend the global impact of Mason’s research and educational opportunities. But it was also established to help bring the world to Mason’s US campuses.
Two stories in this month’s Messenger provide examples of the value that Mason’s campus in Korea adds to the education of Mason students back in the United States.
Because of the pandemic, we have all become more accustomed to learning over video streams. Two George Mason University professors, one located here at Mason Korea, and the other located in Fairfax, VA, took advantage of the online instructional format. For two months during this spring semester, they joined their separate sections of the same Global Affairs course into one, large, cross-continental group.
Meeting over video, students based in Korea and in the US had a chance to share perspectives on the course content. Students from each country commented on how this opportunity engaged and energized them. Professor Jennifer Ashley, located on the Fairfax campus, commented that in Global Affairs courses, “it's important to be able to consider how the same global issue might be viewed differently from another part of the world. Our students had the chance to practice that skill every week.”
This successful shared course between Korea and the US offers a model for future semesters whose value will last long after the pandemic. We hope to have many such opportunities for students at both campuses in the years to come.
Despite the pandemic, a record number of George Mason students from the US are studying at Mason Korea this spring. Another story in this month’s Messenger features Kelly Byrd, who is majoring in foreign languages with a concentration in Korean. George Mason is one of relatively few US universities offering a full major in Korean. We are delighted to support the Korean program at Mason by providing its students a chance to practice their language skills in Korea.
A number of native speakers of Korean on campus have expressed to me how well these Korean majors already speak their language. We hope to welcome many more Korean majors to our campus and get to know them as they spend a semester taking their fluency in the language to the next level.
Whether over video or in person, the conversation and learning between students in the US and here in Korea will continue. We look forward to it.