GMU-Korea opened its door in Spring 2014 in Songdo, a newly-developed town on land reclaimed from the sea and a part of the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) in the Incheon Metropolitan City. The program has grown rapidly since the first English composition course was offered. In addition to multiple sections of ENGH 100 and ENGH 101, the campus began to offer ENGH 302 in Fall 2017; during the Spring of 2018, Mason Korea is offering three composition courses and three literature courses.
The curriculum for ENGH 302 was specially designed by a faculty team led by Anna Habib, Associate Director of Multilingual Composition, during Spring 2017, as part of the Learning Community professional development initiative funded with Students as Scholars funds.
Along with course offerings, the number of ENGH faculty has also grown significantly. Four faculty bring unique strengths to the program. Jason Kifer has brought experience working closely with students at a local university, and has been teaching Pathway ENGH 100 courses and helping out with GMU-K tutoring services. Alice Wrigglesworth, who joined the program in Fall 2017, has background in Applied Linguistics, and is teaching ENGH 100 and ENGH 101 in the spring semester. P.J. Magellan brings his experience teaching both Composition and Literature courses at the main campus, and will teach ENGH 201 and ENGH 302 in the spring. Hyun Young Cho brings her background in early modern British literature, and taught freshman writing courses for many years before joining the GMU program. Hyun Young Cho has served as ENGH Course Coordinator since Spring 2016, and will teach ENGH 202, ENGH 300, and ENGH 302 in Spring 2018.
This exciting new initiative has been successful thanks to the collaboration and coordination from composition faculty working together to develop and maintain high curriculum standards and to innovate in response to the unique needs of the GMU-Korea campus.
Mason faculty interested in teaching at GMU-K for a semester or a year should contact Anna Habib at ahabib@gmu.edu.
February 26, 2018
