Mason Core | George Mason University Catalog

Mason Core | George Mason University Catalog
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Contact Information
Laura Wheeler Poms, Mason Core Director
Office of the Provost
Website:
masoncore.gmu.edu
Overview
Mason Core is George Mason’s general education program that builds the foundation for the Mason Graduate – an engaged citizen and well-rounded scholar who is prepared to act. Mason Core is a set of required courses that create the foundation of a student’s undergraduate degree. It provides a breadth of liberal education courses, complementing the depth of knowledge and skills students build in their majors and minors. All undergraduates seeking a baccalaureate degree must complete Mason Core requirements.
Mason Core prepares students for work in their majors and minors, for their careers, and for life-long learning. Foundation courses build key knowledge and skills needed for academic success. Exploration courses provide a breadth of learning across the university. Integration courses include upper-division courses that are designed to integrate knowledge and skills learned from Foundation and Exploration courses into the major. Courses are designed around learning outcomes that help develop the qualities we expect of all students graduating with a
Bachelor’s
degree from George Mason University.
Foundation Requirements (12 credits)
Foundation requirements help ensure that students master the tools and techniques necessary to succeed in college and throughout their lives and careers. These courses emphasize skills—in writing, speaking, and working with numbers and technology—that can be applied to any major field of study and career
Written Communication (lower-level, 3 credits)
The Mason Core curriculum offers students a unique opportunity to develop writing competencies across their educational experience that prepare
them to participate in academic, professional, and civic communities. It does so in part by providing students with a “vertical” writing curriculum: a carefully sequenced series of courses designed to facilitate the long-term growth of writers as they develop expertise in the production and circulation of knowledge across a range of contexts and
audiences
tudents begin this process at the Foundation level and build higher-level skills at the Integration level in upper-level written communication and in
Writing Intensive
courses in their majors.
As the first course in George Mason’s vertical writing curriculum
students learn to see writing as a social, rhetorical act and are taught to effectively analyze and respond to a variety of writing
situations in academic and non-academic contexts through analyzing, researching, and producing texts of varying genres that engage a range of
audiences
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completing the Written Communications (lower-level) course, students will be able to:
Analyze and respond to a range of rhetorical situations with increased awareness of the purposes, audiences, and contexts of writing.
Develop strategies for anticipating and using audience response as they engage in and reflect upon a recursive writing process that includes exploration, inquiry, and invention, as well as drafting, organizing, revising, peer-reviewing, and editing.
Gain emerging college-level proficiency in critically reading and writing nonfiction genres to develop analysis, reflection, exposition, argumentation, and research skills.
Use research strategies for topic exploration and refining research questions; locate, select, evaluate, synthesize, and document sources; and incorporate outside facts,
perspectives, and ideas in their writing to complicate and extend their own ideas.
evelop knowledge of linguistic structures and writing conventions through critical reading and practice (writing and revision)
by composing
different types
of texts based on gen
re and audience
Required:
One approved course.
Course List
Code
Title
Credits
ENGH 100
Composition for Multilingual Writers
(Mason Core)
ENGH 101
Composition
(Mason Core)
ENGH 123
Language-Enhanced Composition for Multilingual Writers
(Mason Core)
Oral Communication (3 credits)
Oral Communication courses provide
foundational skills in public speaking and interpersonal communication that are applicable across disciplines and careers.
Through this category,
students
will be able to
develop and deliver well-organized presentations that are supported by credible evidence and tailored to specific audiences, purposes, and contexts.
Students will learn to communicate clearly and confidently through both verbal and nonverbal strategies
and to engage in meaningful dialogue
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completing an Oral Communication course, students will be able to:
Use high-quality evidence to effectively support the speaker’s message in oral presentations.
Demonstrate effective verbal and nonverbal communication in presentations.
Adapt oral communication messages so that they are
appropriate for
specific audiences, purposes, and contexts.
Explain the principles of interpersonal communication that can be used when presented with perspectives that may differ from one's own.
Required:
COMM 101 should be taken by
all
students unless their degree program specifies a different requirement.
Course List
Code
Title
Credits
COMM 100
Public Speaking
(Mason Core)
COMM 101
Fundamentals of Communication
(Mason Core)
DANC 454
Methods of Teaching Dance
(Mason Core)
INTS 101
Narratives of Identity
(Mason Core)
INTS 202
Public Speaking and Critical Thinking Skills
(Mason Core)
Transfer credit for COMM 100 will fulfill the Mason Core Oral Communication requirement.
Quantitative Reasoning (3 credits)
Quantitative Reasoning courses develop critical thinking skills using mathematical and statistical concepts (i.e., formulas, graphs, tables, models, and schematics) to analyze and make sense of data, patterns, and relationships. By learning to evaluate problems using quantitative reasoning, students will be better equipped to make well-supported decisions in personal, academic, and workplace situations
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completing a Quantitative Reasoning course, students will be able to:
Interpret quantitative information (i.e., formulas, graphs, tables, models, and schematics) and draw inferences from them.
Formulate a given problem quantitatively and use appropriate arithmetical, algebraic, and/or statistical methods to solve the problem.
Evaluate logical arguments using quantitative reasoning.
Communicate and present quantitative results effectively.
Required:
One approved course.
Course List
Code
Title
Credits
BUS 210
Business Analytics I
(Mason Core)
CDS 292
Introduction to Social Network Analysis
(Mason Core)
EDRS 220
Introduction to Applied Quantitative Analysis
(Mason Core)
HNRT 125
Applied Quantitative Reasoning
(Mason Core)
MATH 106
Quantitative Reasoning
(Mason Core)
MATH 108
Introductory Calculus with Business Applications
(Mason Core)
MATH 110
Introductory Probability
(Mason Core)
MATH 111
Linear Mathematical Modeling
(Mason Core)
MATH 113
Analytic Geometry and Calculus I
(Mason Core)
MATH 115
Analytic Geometry and Calculus I (Honors)
(Mason Core)
MATH 124
Calculus with Algebra/Trigonometry, Part B
(Mason Core)
MATH 125
Discrete Mathematics I
(Mason Core)
MATH 272
Mathematics for the Elementary School Teachers II
(Mason Core)
SOCI 213
Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences
(Mason Core)
STAT 250
Introductory Statistics I
(Mason Core)
Information Technology and Computing (3 credits)
Information technology and computing can significantly augment humans' ability to produce, consume, process, and communicate information. Thus, students need to understand ways to use such technology to enhance their lives, careers, and society, while being mindful of challenges such as security, source reliability, automation, and ethical implications. These factors have made it essential for students to understand how to effectively navigate the evolving technological landscape.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completing an Information Technology and Computing course, students will be able to:
Understand the principles of information storage, exchange, security, and privacy and be aware of related ethical issues.
Consume digital information critically, capable of selecting and evaluating appropriate, relevant, and trustworthy sources of information.
Use appropriate information and computing technologies to organize and analyze information and use it to guide decision-making.
Choose and apply appropriate algorithmic methods to solve a problem.
Required:
One approved course that meets all IT&C requirements or an approved sequence of courses that meet all IT&C requirements.
Courses meeting IT&C requirements
Course List
Code
Title
Credits
ANTH 395
Work, Technology, and Society: An IT Perspective
(Mason Core)
AVT 110
Digital Design Studio
(Mason Core)
AVT 180
New Media in the Creative Arts
(Mason Core)
CDS 130
Computing for Scientists
(Mason Core)
COMM 320
Digital Innovations in Professional Communication
(Mason Core)
CS 100
Principles of Computing
(Mason Core)
CS 108
Intro to Computer Programming, Part A
(Mason Core)
CS 112
Introduction to Computer Programming
(Mason Core)
CYSE 130
Introduction to Computing for Digital Systems Engineering
(Mason Core)
ELED 257
Integrating Technology in PreK-6
(Mason Core)
ENGH 210
Equitable AI
(Mason Core)
GOVT 300
Research Methods and Analysis
(Mason Core)
HIST 390
The Digital Past
(Mason Core)
INTS 203
Inquiry for Action: Facilitating Change
(Mason Core)
INTS 249
Digital Literacy
(Mason Core)
IT 104
Introduction to Computing
(Mason Core)
MIS 303
Introduction to Business Information Systems
(Mason Core)
MUSI 259
Music in Computer Technology
(Mason Core)
PHYS 251
Introduction to Computer Methods in Physics
(Mason Core)
SOCI 410
Social Surveys and Attitude and Opinion Measurements
(Mason Core)
SYST 130
Introduction to Computing for Digital Systems Engineering
(Mason Core)
UNIV 182
AI for All: Understanding and Building Artificial Intelligence
(Mason Core)
The following must be taken in sequence:
PSYC 300
Statistics in Psychology
PSYC 301
Research Methods in Psychology
(Mason Core)
PSYC 372
Biopsychology
Please note: Due to the specific design of COMM 320 as an IT&C course at George Mason,
students who transfer credit for
COMM 320 from another university will not receive IT
&C
credit
Exploration Requirements (22 credits)
Exploration requirements help ensure that students become acquainted with the broad range of intellectual domains that contribute to a liberal education. By experiencing subject matter and ways of knowing in a variety of fields, students will be better able to synthesize new knowledge, respond to fresh challenges, and meet the demands of a complex world.
Note:
ourses within Mason Core can count for more than one category, if approved by the Mason Core committee. Students
will be
allowed to double count two courses (up to six credit hours) to fulfill their Mason Core requirements. Courses that qualify for double counting will be listed in their individually approved sections.
Arts (3 credits)
George Mason courses in the film making, visual, and performing arts stress generative, inquiry based learning through direct aesthetic and creative experience in the studio environment. Art history courses address the intrinsic relationship of personal and cultural creativity, and the manifestation of aesthetics, visual culture, and visual narrative within historical contexts.
Learning Outcomes:
Courses in the Arts category must meet the first learning outcome and a minimum of two of the remaining learning outcomes
Upon completing an Arts course, students will be able to
Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship among artistic process, a work's underlying concept, and, where appropriate, contexts associated with the work.
Identify and analyze the formal elements of a particular art form using vocabulary and critique appropriate to that form.
Analyze cultural productions using standards appropriate to the form, as well as the works cultural significance and context.
Analyze and interpret the content of material or performance culture through its social, historical, and personal contexts.
Engage in generative artistic processes, including conception, creation, and ongoing critical analysis.
Required:
One approved course.
Course List
Code
Title
Credits
ARTH 101
Introduction to the Visual Arts
(Mason Core)
ARTH 102
Symbols and Stories in Art
(Mason Core)
ARTH 103
Introduction to Architecture
(Mason Core)
ARTH 104
Design in the 20th Century
(Mason Core)
ARTH 200
History of Western Art I
(Mason Core)
ARTH 201
History of Western Art II
(Mason Core)
ARTH 203
Survey of Asian Art
(Mason Core)
ARTH 204
Survey of Latin American Art
(Mason Core)
ARTH 206
Survey of African Art
(Mason Core)
ARTH 303
National Traditions
(Mason Core)
1-3
ARTH 311
Design of Cities
(Mason Core)
ARTH 315
Modern Architecture
(Mason Core)
JS
ARTH 317
The Black Pharaohs: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Nubia
(Mason Core)
ARTH 321
Greek Art and Archaeology
(Mason Core)
ARTH 322
Roman Art and Archaeology
(Mason Core)
ARTH 324
From Alexander the Great to Cleopatra: The Hellenistic World
(Mason Core)
ARTH 333
Early Christian and Byzantine Art
(Mason Core)
ARTH 334
Western Medieval Art
(Mason Core)
ARTH 335
Arts of Medieval England
(Mason Core)
ARTH 340
Early Renaissance Art in Italy, 1300-1500
(Mason Core)
ARTH 341
Northern Renaissance Art
(Mason Core)
ARTH 342
High Renaissance Art in Italy, 1480-1570
(Mason Core)
ARTH 343
The Art of Venice
(Mason Core)
ARTH 344
Baroque Art in Italy, France, and Spain, 1600-1750
(Mason Core)
ARTH 345
Northern Baroque Art, 1600-1750
(Mason Core)
ARTH 350
History of Photography
(Mason Core)
ARTH 360
Nineteenth-Century European Art
(Mason Core)
ARTH 362
Twentieth-Century European Art
(Mason Core)
ARTH 370
Arts of the United States
(Mason Core)
JS
ARTH 371
American Architecture and Material Culture
(Mason Core)
ARTH 372
Studies in 18th- and 19th-Century Art of the United States
(Mason Core)
ARTH 373
Studies in 20th-Century Art of the United States
(Mason Core)
ARTH 375
Indigenous Arts of the US and Canada
(Mason Core)
ARTH 376
Twentieth-Century Latin American Art
(Mason Core)
ARTH 382
Arts of India
(Mason Core)
ARTH 383
Arts of Southeast Asia
(Mason Core)
ARTH 384
Arts of China
(Mason Core)
AVT 103
Introduction to the Artist's Studio
(Mason Core)
AVT 104
Two-Dimensional Design and Color
(Mason Core)
AVT 105
Three-Dimensional Design and Beyond
(Mason Core)
AVT 215
Typography
(Mason Core)
AVT 222
Drawing I
(Mason Core)
AVT 232
Painting I
(Mason Core)
AVT 243
Printmaking I
(Mason Core)
AVT 252
Darkroom Photography I
(Mason Core)
AVT 253
Digital Photography I
(Mason Core)
AVT 262
Sculpture I
(Mason Core)
AVT 385
EcoArt
(Mason Core)
DANC 101
Dance Appreciation
(Mason Core)
DANC 119
Dance in Popular Culture
(Mason Core)
DANC 125
Modern/Contemporary Dance I
(Mason Core)
DANC 131
Beginning Jazz Technique
(Mason Core)
DANC 145
Ballet I
(Mason Core)
DANC 161
Beginning Tap Dance
(Mason Core)
DANC 225
Modern/Contemporary Dance II
(Mason Core)
DANC 231
Intermediate Jazz Technique
(Mason Core)
DANC 245
Ballet II
(Mason Core)
DANC 301
What is Dance?
(Mason Core)
DANC 331
Advanced Jazz Dance
(Mason Core)
DANC 390
Dance History I
(Mason Core)
DANC 425
Advanced Modern/Contemporary Dance I
(Mason Core)
1-3
DSGN 102
Design in the Modern World
(Mason Core)
ENGH 270
Introduction to Screen Cultures
(Mason Core)
ENGH 315
Folklore and Folklife
(Mason Core)
JS
ENGH 370
Documentary and Non-Fiction Film/Media
(Mason Core)
ENGH 371
Global TV
(Mason Core)
ENGH 372
Introduction to Film
(Mason Core)
ENGH 374
Screening the Global City
(Mason Core)
ENGH 396
Introduction to Creative Writing
(Mason Core)
FAVS 204
Film Art
(Mason Core)
FAVS 225
Introduction to World Cinema
(Mason Core)
FAVS 280
Screenwriting: Introduction
(Mason Core)
GAME 101
Introduction to Game Design
(Mason Core)
HIST 316
History of Modern Architecture
(Mason Core)
JS
INTS 103
Human Creativity: Science and Art
(Mason Core)
INTS 245
Visual Culture and Society
(Mason Core)
INTS 346
Art as Social Action
(Mason Core)
MUSI 100
Fundamentals of Music
(Mason Core)
MUSI 101
Introduction to Classical Music
(Mason Core)
MUSI 102
Popular Music in America
(Mason Core)
MUSI 106
Fundamentals of Rock, Blues, and Jazz
(Mason Core)
MUSI 107
Jazz and Blues in America
(Mason Core)
MUSI 280
Athletic and Ceremonial Ensemble
(Mason Core)
0-1
MUSI 301
Music in Motion Pictures
(Mason Core)
MUSI 302
American Musical Theater
(Mason Core)
MUSI 380
Wind Symphony
(Mason Core)
0-1
MUSI 381
University Chorale
(Mason Core)
0-1
MUSI 382
Piano Ensemble
(Mason Core)
MUSI 383
Symphonic Band
(Mason Core)
0-1
MUSI 385
Chamber Singers
(Mason Core)
0-1
MUSI 387
Symphony Orchestra
(Mason Core)
0-1
MUSI 389
Jazz Ensemble
(Mason Core)
0-1
MUSI 485
Chamber Ensembles
(Mason Core)
0-1
PHIL 156
What Is Art?
(Mason Core)
RELI 237
Religion and Art
(Mason Core)
THR 101
Theater Appreciation
(Mason Core)
THR 150
Global Theater Histories I
(Mason Core)
THR 151
Global Theater Histories II
(Mason Core)
THR 210
Acting I
(Mason Core)
THR 230
Fundamentals of Production
(Mason Core)
THR 411
Great Film Directors
(Mason Core)
THR 412
Great Film Performances
(Mason Core)
JS
This course also fulfills Just Societies learning outcomes.
Global Contexts (3 credits)
The goal of the Global Contexts Mason Core requirement is to enable students to explore global connections through a disciplinary lens and to understand how global systems have created both interdependence and inequalities that engaged citizens must understand in order to work toward an equitable and sustainable future.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completing a Global Contexts course, students will be able to:
Identify and explain how patterns of global connections across nations and/or cultures have shaped societies to create interdependence and inequality.
Use a disciplinary lens to demonstrate knowledge of how at least one nation and/or culture participates in or is affected by global contexts.
Apply an understanding of one’s own positionality within a globally interdependent and unequal world to analyze solutions to global problems.
Required:
One approved course.
Course List
Code
Title
Credits
ANTH 309
Peoples and Cultures of India
(Mason Core)
JS
ANTH 313
Myth, Magic, and Mind
(Mason Core)
ANTH 317
East Asian Cultures
(Mason Core)
ANTH 320
Global Africa
(Mason Core)
ANTH 331
Refugees
(Mason Core)
ANTH 382
Urban Anthropology
(Mason Core)
ARTH 320
Art of the Islamic World
(Mason Core)
BUS 200
Global Environment of Business
(Mason Core)
CEIE 100
Environmental Issues and Solutions Around the World
(Mason Core)
JS
COMM 305
Foundations of Intercultural Communication
(Mason Core)
JS
CONF 340
Global Conflict Analysis and Resolution
(Mason Core)
CRIM 405
Law and Justice around the World
(Mason Core)
JS
CULT 320
Globalization and Culture
(Mason Core)
JS
ENGH 270
Introduction to Screen Cultures
(Mason Core)
ENGH 374
Screening the Global City
(Mason Core)
EVPP 336
Tackling Wicked Problems in Society the Environment
(Mason Core)
JS
FAVS 300
Global Horror Film
(Mason Core)
FOLK 100
Global Folklore
(Mason Core)
GCH 205
Global Health
(Mason Core)
JS
GEOC 109
Global Gateway Global Contexts
(Mason Core)
GEOC 150
International Experience: Global Contexts
(Mason Core)
GERM 315
German for the Global World
(Mason Core)
GGS 101
Major World Regions
(Mason Core)
GGS 317
Geography of China
(Mason Core)
GLOA 101
Introduction to Global Affairs
(Mason Core)
JS
GOVT 132
Introduction to International Politics
(Mason Core)
GOVT 133
Introduction to Comparative Politics
(Mason Core)
GOVT 134
Grand Challenges to Human Security
(Mason Core)
JS
HIST 261
Survey of African History
(Mason Core)
HIST 262
Survey of African History
(Mason Core)
HIST 271
Survey of Latin American History
(Mason Core)
HIST 272
Survey of Latin American History
(Mason Core)
JS
HIST 308
Nineteenth-Century Europe
(Mason Core)
JS
HIST 317
Nazi Germany
(Mason Core)
HIST 318
Holocaust: History and Meaning
(Mason Core)
JS
HIST 329
Modern Russia and the Soviet Union
(Mason Core)
JS
HIST 346
Sport History and Film
(Mason Core)
HIST 356
Modern Japan
(Mason Core)
HIST 357
Postwar Japan
(Mason Core)
HIST 364
Revolution in Latin America
(Mason Core)
HIST 377
The Vietnam War
(Mason Core)
HIST 378
History of Aviation
(Mason Core)
JS
HIST 384
Global History of Christianity
(Mason Core)
JS
INTS 390
International Internship
(Mason Core)
1-6
INTS 406
Global Leadership
(Mason Core)
JS
INYO 105
U.S. American Cultures
(Mason Core)
INYO 261
Mentoring Multilingual Learners
(Mason Core)
JS
MUSI 103
Musics of the World
(Mason Core)
NEUR 355
Cross-Cultural Studies in Scientific Inquiry
(Mason Core)
PSYC 379
Applied Cross-Cultural Psychology
(Mason Core)
RELI 100
The Human Religious Experience
(Mason Core)
RELI 211
Introduction to Religions of the "West"
(Mason Core)
JS
RELI 212
Introduction to Religions of Asia
(Mason Core)
JS
RELI 310
Judaism
(Mason Core)
JS
RELI 312
Islam
(Mason Core)
RELI 313
Hinduism
(Mason Core)
JS
RELI 322
Religions of Africa
(Mason Core)
RELI 368
Islam, Democracy, and Human Rights
(Mason Core)
JS
RELI 383
Holocaust: History and Meaning
(Mason Core)
JS
RELI 384
Global History of Christianity
(Mason Core)
JS
SOCI 120
Globalization and Society
(Mason Core)
SOCI 320
Globalization and Social Change
(Mason Core)
JS
SOCI 332
The Urban World
(Mason Core)
SPAN 212
Intermediate Spanish II: Local and Global Contexts
(Mason Core)
SPMT 346
Sport History and Film
(Mason Core)
SYST 202
Engineering Systems in a Complex World
(Mason Core)
JS
THR 359
World Stages
(Mason Core)
TOUR 210
Global Understanding through Travel and Tourism
(Mason Core)
WMST 100
Global Representations of Women
(Mason Core)
JS
This course also fulfills Just Societies learning outcomes.
Global History (3 credits)
By focusing on historical experiences that reflect the diversity of George Mason’s student body, students will be able to see how their families and communities fit within, and contribute to, global history from the pre-modern period to our present day. These courses offer a long-term historical perspective on structural issues challenging our world today, including demographic and environmental changes, national and global inequalities, and the underrepresentation of marginalized groups. Students will gain an understanding of how interconnections and inter-dependencies have been forged through the global movement of people, pathogens, goods, and ideas.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completing a Global History course, students will be able to:
Identify major chronological developments in global history from the pre-modern period (before 1400 CE) to the present.
Communicate a historical argument through writing, speech, and/or digital media using a variety of primary and secondary sources.
Apply historical knowledge and historical thinking to contemporary global issues.
Required:
One approved course.
Course List
Code
Title
Credits
HIST 125
Introduction to Global History
(Mason Core)
HIST 394
Globalization and History
(Mason Core)
Registration limited to students with Junior or Senior standing. Incoming first year students should plan to take HIST 125 to meet this requirement.
Literature (3 credits)
Courses in the Literature category develop students’ abilities to read for comprehension, detail, and nuance; identify specific literary qualities of language as employed in texts they read; analyze the ways specific literary devices contribute to the meaning of a text; identify and evaluate the contribution of the social, political, historical, and cultural contexts in which a literary text is produced; and evaluate a critical argument in others’ and one’s own context.
Learning Outcomes:
Courses in the Literature category must meet a minimum of three learning outcomes
. Upon completing the Literature
category, students will be able to
Read for comprehension, detail, and nuance.
Identify the specific literary qualities of language as employed in the texts they read.
Analyze the ways specific literary devices contribute to the meaning of a text.
Identify and evaluate the contribution of the social, political, historical, and cultural contexts in which a literary text is produced.
Evaluate a critical argument in others' writing as well as one's own.
Required:
One approved course.
Course List
Code
Title
Credits
ARAB 325
Major Arab Writers/Stories
(Mason Core)
ARAB 365
Black and Minority Cultures in Arabic Literature
(Mason Core)
CHIN 310
Survey of Chinese Literature
(Mason Core)
CHIN 311
Modern Chinese Literature in Translation
(Mason Core)
CHIN 325
Major Chinese Writers
(Mason Core)
CHIN 328
Asian American Women Writers
(Mason Core)
CLAS 250
Classical Mythology
(Mason Core)
CLAS 260
The Legacy of Greece and Rome
(Mason Core)
CLAS 340
Greek and Roman Epic
(Mason Core)
CLAS 350
Greek and Roman Tragedy
(Mason Core)
CLAS 360
Greek and Roman Comedy
(Mason Core)
CLAS 380
Greek and Roman Novels
(Mason Core)
ELED 258
Children's Literature: Exploring Stories, Art, and Power of Picturebooks
(Mason Core)
ENGH 201
Reading and Writing about Texts
(Mason Core)
ENGH 202
Texts and Contexts
(Mason Core)
ENGH 203
Western Literary Tradition
(Mason Core)
ENGH 204
Western Literary Traditions
(Mason Core)
ENGH 206
Literature in the Creation of Just Societies
(Mason Core)
JS
FREN 325
Major French Writers (Topic Varies)
(Mason Core)
FREN 329
Problems of Western Civilization in French Literature
(Mason Core)
FRLN 330
Topics in World Literature
(Mason Core)
GERM 325
Major Writers
(Mason Core)
HIST 334
American Scriptures
(Mason Core)
HIST 381
Remembering Histories of Violence: Narrative Engagements with Difficult Pasts
(Mason Core)
HIST 403
Revolutionary Era in American History, 1763-1812
(Mason Core)
INTS 101
Narratives of Identity
(Mason Core)
INTS 363
Social Justice Narratives
(Mason Core)
ITAL 320
Topics in Italian Film and Literature
(Mason Core)
ITAL 325
Major Italian Writers
(Mason Core)
JAPA 340
Topics in Japanese Literature
(Mason Core)
KORE 311
Modern Korean Literature in Translation
(Mason Core)
PHIL 253
Philosophy and Literature
(Mason Core)
RELI 235
Religion and Literature
(Mason Core)
RELI 333
Spiritual Autobiography
(Mason Core)
RELI 334
American Scriptures
(Mason Core)
RELI 338
Qur'an and Hadith
(Mason Core)
RELI 339
The Bible as Literature
(Mason Core)
RUSS 325
Major Russian Writers
(Mason Core)
RUSS 326
19th-Century Literature in Translation
(Mason Core)
RUSS 327
20th-Century Literature in Translation
(Mason Core)
SEED 370
Young Adult Literature in Multicultural Settings
(Mason Core)
SPAN 325
Major Hispanic Writers
(Mason Core)
JS
This course also fulfills Just Societies learning outcomes.
Natural Science (7 credits total)
Natural Science courses engage students in scientific exploration; foster their curiosity; enhance their enthusiasm for science; and enable them to apply scientific knowledge and reasoning to personal, professional, and public decision-making. Natural Science Lab courses must meet all five learning outcomes. Natural Science Overview (non-lab) courses must meet learning outcomes 1 through 4.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completing the Natural Science courses, students will be able to:
Understand how scientific inquiry is based on investigation of evidence from the natural world, and that scientific knowledge and understanding: a) evolves based on new evidence, and b) differs from personal and cultural beliefs.
Recognize the scope and limits of science.
Recognize and articulate the relationship between the natural sciences and society and the application of science to societal challenges (e.g., health, conservation, sustainability, energy, natural disasters, etc.).
Evaluate scientific information (e.g., distinguish primary and secondary sources, assess credibility and validity of information).
Participate in scientific inquiry and communicate the elements of the process, including: a) making careful and systematic observations, b) developing and testing a hypothesis, c) analyzing evidence, and d) interpreting results.
Required:
Seven (7) credits in total
Four (4) credits must include
laboratory experience, either as an approved combination of lecture and lab or as a
4 credit
course with lab. The remaining 3 credits
ar
fulfilled
by
any approved Natural Science course
, with or without lab
Approved combinations of lecture and lab sections (4 credits)
Note: The lecture components of the approved combinations listed below can be taken alone to fulfill 3 credits of the Natural Science requirement, or they can be paired with the lab component to fulfill 4 credits of the Natural Science lab requirement. The lab components of the approved combinations below must be taken after or concurrently with their approved lecture.
Course List
Code
Title
Credits
ANTH 135
ANTH 136
Introduction to Biological Anthropology
(Mason Core)
and Introduction to Biological Anthropology Lab
(Mason Core)
JS
ASTR 103
ASTR 112
Astronomy
(Mason Core)
and The Solar System Lab
(Mason Core)
ASTR 103
ASTR 114
Astronomy
(Mason Core)
and Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe Lab
(Mason Core)
ASTR 111
ASTR 112
The Solar System
(Mason Core)
and The Solar System Lab
(Mason Core)
ASTR 113
ASTR 114
Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe
(Mason Core)
and Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe Lab
(Mason Core)
BIOL 103
BIOL 105
Introductory Biology II-Survey of Cell and Molecular Biology
(Mason Core)
and Introductory Biology II Laboratory
(Mason Core)
BIOL 107
BIOL 106
Intro Biology II Lecture
(Mason Core)
and Introductory Biology I Laboratory
(Mason Core)
CDS 101
CDS 102
Introduction to Computational and Data Sciences
(Mason Core)
and Introduction to Computational and Data Sciences Lab
(Mason Core)
CHEM 211
CHEM 213
General Chemistry I
(Mason Core)
and General Chemistry Laboratory I
(Mason Core)
CHEM 212
CHEM 214
General Chemistry II
(Mason Core)
and General Chemistry Laboratory II
(Mason Core)
CHEM 271
CHEM 272
General Chemistry for Engineers Lecture
(Mason Core)
and General Chemistry for Engineers Lab
(Mason Core)
CLIM 101
CLIM 103
Global Warming: Weather, Climate, and Society
(Mason Core)
and Global Warming: Weather, Climate, and Society Laboratory
(Mason Core)
CLIM 111
CLIM 112
Introduction to the Fundamentals of Atmospheric Science
(Mason Core)
and Introduction to the Fundamentals of Atmospheric Science Lab
(Mason Core)
CLIM 111
PHYS 112
Introduction to the Fundamentals of Atmospheric Science
(Mason Core)
and Introduction to the Fundamentals of Atmospheric Science Lab
(Mason Core)
EVPP 108
EVPP 109
Ecosphere - Introduction to Environmental Science I-Lecture
(Mason Core)
and Ecosphere- Introduction to Environmental Science I- Lab
(Mason Core)
EVPP 112
EVPP 113
Ecosphere: Introduction to Environmental Science II-Lecture
(Mason Core)
and Ecosphere: Introduction to Environmental Science II–Lab
(Mason Core)
GEOL 101
GEOL 103
Physical Geology
(Mason Core)
and Physical Geology Lab
(Mason Core)
GEOL 102
GEOL 104
Historical Geology
(Mason Core)
and Historical Geology Laboratory
(Mason Core)
GEOL 120
GEOL 121
The Changing Ocean
(Mason Core)
and The Changing Ocean Laboratory
(Mason Core)
GEOL 134
GEOL 104
Evolution and Extinction
(Mason Core)
and Historical Geology Laboratory
(Mason Core)
PHYS 111
CLIM 112
Introduction to the Fundamentals of Atmospheric Science
(Mason Core)
and Introduction to the Fundamentals of Atmospheric Science Lab
(Mason Core)
PHYS 111
PHYS 112
Introduction to the Fundamentals of Atmospheric Science
(Mason Core)
and Introduction to the Fundamentals of Atmospheric Science Lab
(Mason Core)
PHYS 160
PHYS 161
University Physics I
(Mason Core)
and University Physics I Laboratory
(Mason Core)
PHYS 170
PHYS 161
Introductory and Modern Physics I
(Mason Core)
and University Physics I Laboratory
(Mason Core)
PHYS 243
PHYS 244
College Physics I
(Mason Core)
and College Physics I Lab
(Mason Core)
PHYS 245
PHYS 246
College Physics II
(Mason Core)
and College Physics II Lab
(Mason Core)
PHYS 260
PHYS 261
University Physics II
(Mason Core)
and University Physics II Laboratory
(Mason Core)
PHYS 262
PHYS 263
University Physics III
(Mason Core)
and University Physics III Laboratory
(Mason Core)
PHYS 270
PHYS 261
Introductory and Modern Physics II
(Mason Core)
and University Physics II Laboratory
(Mason Core)
Natural Science with Lab (4 credits)
Note: For additional options, see the list above for approved course pairings.
Course List
Code
Title
Credits
ASTR 115
Finding New Worlds
(Mason Core)
BIOL 102
Introductory Biology I-Survey of Biodiversity and Ecology
(Mason Core)
CHEM 103
Chemical Science in a Modern Society
(Mason Core)
CHEM 104
Chemistry for Changing Times
(Mason Core)
CHEM 155
Introduction to Environmental Chemistry I
(Mason Core)
CHEM 156
Introduction to Environmental Chemistry II
(Mason Core)
CLIM 102
Introduction to Global Climate Change Science
(Mason Core)
GGS 121
Dynamic Atmosphere and Hydrosphere
(Mason Core)
INTS 311
The Mysteries of Migration: Consequences for Conservation
(Mason Core)
INTS 401
Conservation Biology
(Mason Core)
INTS 403
Conservation Behavior
(Mason Core)
PHYS 103
Physics and Everyday Phenomena I
(Mason Core)
PHYS 104
Physics and Everyday Phenomena II
(Mason Core)
Natural Science Overview (non-lab) (3 credits)
Note: For additional Natural Science Overview (non-lab) options, please see the list of approved course pairings above. The lecture components of the approved course pairings can be taken alone for non-lab credit.
Course List
Code
Title
Credits
ASTR 302
Foundations of Cosmological Thought
(Mason Core)
ASTR 303
Black Holes
(Mason Core)
BIOL 140
Plants and People
(Mason Core)
CHEM 101
Introduction to Modern Chemistry
(Mason Core)
CHEM 102
Chemistry for Changing Times
(Mason Core)
COS 301
Great Ideas in Science
(Mason Core)
EVPP 201
Environment and You: Issues for the Twenty-First Century
(Mason Core)
FRSC 101
Principles of Forensic Science
(Mason Core)
GEOC 151
International Experience: Natural Science Non-lab
(Mason Core)
GGS 102
Physical Geography
(Mason Core)
JS
INTS 103
Human Creativity: Science and Art
(Mason Core)
INTS 210
Sustainable World
(Mason Core)
INTS 211
Introduction to Conservation Studies
(Mason Core)
3-6
INTS 301
Science in the News
(Mason Core)
INTS 410
Contemporary Health: Intersections in Science and Society
(Mason Core)
NEUR 101
Introduction to Neuroscience
(Mason Core)
NUTR 295
Introduction to Nutrition
(Mason Core)
PHIL 271
How Science Works
(Mason Core)
PHYS 106
The Quantum World: A Continuous Revolution in What We Know and How We Live
(Mason Core)
JS
This course also fulfills Just Societies learning outcomes.
Social and Behavioral Sciences (3 credits)
Students will develop the ability to explain how individuals, groups, or institutions are influenced by contextual factors;
demonstrate
awareness of changes in social and cultural constructs; and use
appropriate methods
and resources to apply social and behavioral science concepts, terminology, principles, and theories in analysis of significant human issues, past or present.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completing a Social and Behavioral Science course, students will be able to:
Explain how individuals, groups, or institutions are influenced by contextual factors.
Demonstrate awareness of changes in social and cultural constructs.
Use appropriate methods and resources to apply social and behavioral science concepts, terminology, principles, and theories in the analysis of significant human issues, past or present.
Required:
One approved course.
Course List
Code
Title
Credits
AFAM 200
Introduction to African American Studies
(Mason Core)
ANTH 114
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
(Mason Core)
ANTH 120
Unearthing the Past: Prehistory, Culture and Evolution
(Mason Core)
ANTH 121
People of the Earth: Humanity's First Five Million Years
(Mason Core)
ANTH 135
Introduction to Biological Anthropology
(Mason Core)
JS
ANTH 363
Humans, Disease, and Death
(Mason Core)
ANTH 365
Scientific Racism and Human Variation
(Mason Core)
JS
ANTH 396
Issues in Anthropology: Social Sciences
(Mason Core)
BUS 100
Business and Society
(Mason Core)
CONF 101
Conflict and Our World
(Mason Core)
CONS 410
Human Dimensions in Conservation
(Mason Core)
CRIM 100
Introduction to Criminal Justice
(Mason Core)
ECON 100
Economics for the Citizen
(Mason Core)
ECON 103
Contemporary Microeconomic Principles
(Mason Core)
ECON 104
Contemporary Macroeconomic Principles
(Mason Core)
ECON 105
Environmental Economics for the Citizen
(Mason Core)
ECON 367
Money, Markets, and Economic Policy
(Mason Core)
EDEP 110
Academic Success Through Self-Regulated Learning
(Mason Core)
EDEP 350
Perspectives on Achievement Motivation
(Mason Core)
EDSE 203
Disability in American Culture
(Mason Core)
EDSE 230
Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorders
(Mason Core)
EDUC 200
Introduction to Education: Teaching, Learning and Schools
(Mason Core)
GCH 325
Stress and Well-Being
(Mason Core)
GGS 103
Human Geography
(Mason Core)
GGS 301
Political Geography
(Mason Core)
JS
GGS 304
Population Geography
(Mason Core)
GOVT 101
Democratic Theory and Practice
(Mason Core)
GOVT 103
Introduction to American Government
(Mason Core)
JS
GOVT 150
Introduction to Technology Policy
(Mason Core)
JS
GOVT 367
Money, Markets and Economic Policy
(Mason Core)
HDFS 200
Individual and Family Development
(Mason Core)
HEAL 230
Introduction to Health Behavior
(Mason Core)
HIST 121
Formation of the American Republic
(Mason Core)
HIST 122
Development of Modern America
(Mason Core)
HIST 314
History of Germany
(Mason Core)
HIST 321
Modern France
(Mason Core)
INTS 203
Inquiry for Action: Facilitating Change
(Mason Core)
INTS 300
Law and Justice
(Mason Core)
INTS 304
Social Movements and Community Activism
(Mason Core)
INTS 316
Introduction to Childhood Studies
(Mason Core)
INTS 317
Issues in Family Relationships
(Mason Core)
INTS 319
Contemporary Youth Studies
(Mason Core)
JS
INTS 321
Parent-Child Relations
(Mason Core)
INTS 331
The Nonprofit Sector
(Mason Core)
INTS 334
Environmental Justice
(Mason Core)
INTS 336
Poverty, Wealth and Inequality in the US
(Mason Core)
INTS 347
Gender Representation in Popular Culture
(Mason Core)
3-6
INTS 362
Social Justice and Human Rights
(Mason Core)
INTS 371
Food Systems and Policy
(Mason Core)
INTS 434
Research for Social Change
(Mason Core)
INTS 436
Social Justice Education
(Mason Core)
INTS 437
Critical Race Studies
(Mason Core)
INTS 438
Representations of Race
(Mason Core)
LING 100
Human Language
(Mason Core)
LING 306
Introduction to Linguistic Analysis
(Mason Core)
PSYC 100
Introduction to Psychology
(Mason Core)
PSYC 211
Lifespan Development
(Mason Core)
PSYC 231
Social Psychology
(Mason Core)
PSYC 333
Psychology in the Workplace
(Mason Core)
RMGT 210
Recreation and Leisure in Life
(Mason Core)
JS
SOCI 101
Introductory Sociology
(Mason Core)
JS
SOCI 308
Race and Ethnicity in a Changing World
(Mason Core)
SOCI 315
Contemporary Gender Relations
(Mason Core)
SOCI 352
Social Problems and Solutions
(Mason Core)
SOCI 355
Social Inequality
(Mason Core)
SOCI 360
Youth Culture and Society
(Mason Core)
SOCI 371
The Individual and Society
(Mason Core)
SOCW 200
Introduction to Social Work
(Mason Core)
JS
SPAN 430
Spanish in the United States
(Mason Core)
TOUR 311
Women and Tourism
(Mason Core)
UNIV 381
Foundations for Building a Just Society
(Mason Core)
WMST 200
Introduction to Women and Gender Studies
(Mason Core)
WMST 208
Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies
(Mason Core)
JS
JS
This course also fulfills Just Societies learning outcomes.
Just Societies (optional flag)
In addition to covering content related to the designated category, Exploration-level courses that are marked with an optional Just Societies "flag" are specifically designed to help students learn how to interact effectively with others from all walks of life, including those with backgrounds and beliefs that differ from their own. These courses focus on understanding key terms commonly used in society and the workplace today, engaging with peers effectively while using these terms, and collaboratively identifying processes for change when warranted.
While not required, students who wish to increase their knowledge and skills in this area may choose to enroll in a Just Societies-flagged course. Students interested in this approach to completing their Mason Core Exploration Requirements should work closely with their advisor to identify the appropriate Just Societies-flagged courses.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completing a Just Societies-flagged course, students will be able to demonstrate the following competencies:
a) Define key terms related to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion as related to this course’s field/discipline and
b) Use those terms to engage meaningfully with peers about course issues.
Articulate obstacles to justice and equity, and strategies for addressing them, in response to local, national, and/or global issues in the field/discipline.
Course List
Code
Title
Credits
ANTH 135
Introduction to Biological Anthropology
(Mason Core)
ANTH 309
Peoples and Cultures of India
(Mason Core)
ANTH 365
Scientific Racism and Human Variation
(Mason Core)
ARTH 315
Modern Architecture
(Mason Core)
ARTH 370
Arts of the United States
(Mason Core)
CEIE 100
Environmental Issues and Solutions Around the World
(Mason Core)
COMM 305
Foundations of Intercultural Communication
(Mason Core)
CRIM 405
Law and Justice around the World
(Mason Core)
CULT 320
Globalization and Culture
(Mason Core)
ENGH 206
Literature in the Creation of Just Societies
(Mason Core)
ENGH 315
Folklore and Folklife
(Mason Core)
EVPP 336
Tackling Wicked Problems in Society the Environment
(Mason Core)
GCH 205
Global Health
(Mason Core)
GGS 102
Physical Geography
(Mason Core)
GGS 301
Political Geography
(Mason Core)
GLOA 101
Introduction to Global Affairs
(Mason Core)
GOVT 103
Introduction to American Government
(Mason Core)
GOVT 134
Grand Challenges to Human Security
(Mason Core)
GOVT 150
Introduction to Technology Policy
(Mason Core)
HIST 272
Survey of Latin American History
(Mason Core)
HIST 308
Nineteenth-Century Europe
(Mason Core)
HIST 316
History of Modern Architecture
(Mason Core)
HIST 318
Holocaust: History and Meaning
(Mason Core)
HIST 329
Modern Russia and the Soviet Union
(Mason Core)
HIST 378
History of Aviation
(Mason Core)
HIST 384
Global History of Christianity
(Mason Core)
INTS 319
Contemporary Youth Studies
(Mason Core)
INTS 406
Global Leadership
(Mason Core)
INYO 261
Mentoring Multilingual Learners
(Mason Core)
RELI 211
Introduction to Religions of the "West"
(Mason Core)
RELI 212
Introduction to Religions of Asia
(Mason Core)
RELI 310
Judaism
(Mason Core)
RELI 313
Hinduism
(Mason Core)
RELI 368
Islam, Democracy, and Human Rights
(Mason Core)
RELI 383
Holocaust: History and Meaning
(Mason Core)
RELI 384
Global History of Christianity
(Mason Core)
RMGT 210
Recreation and Leisure in Life
(Mason Core)
SOCI 101
Introductory Sociology
(Mason Core)
SOCI 320
Globalization and Social Change
(Mason Core)
SOCW 200
Introduction to Social Work
(Mason Core)
SYST 202
Engineering Systems in a Complex World
(Mason Core)
WMST 208
Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies
(Mason Core)
Integration Requirements (9 credits)
Integration requirements represent the culmination of knowledge and skills learned throughout a student's undergraduate career at George Mason, both through the Foundation and Exploration levels of Mason Core and through the coursework within their majors. Within a disciplinary context, students further refine the communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills that are imperative for their careers, for engaging in the world around them, and for life-long learning.
Written Communication (upper-level, 3 credits)
As
the
second course in George Mason’s vertical writing curriculum
, students build on their understanding of rhetorical and genre awareness and writing processes begun in Foundation-level Written Communication through advanced rhetorical analysis, inquiry-based research into a variety of scholarly and public perspectives, and writing oriented toward investigating, engaging with, and responding to
meaningful disciplinary questions in a variety of academic and non-academic writing
contexts
Across the Foundation and Integration-level Written Communication courses, students learn to use writing to explore, construct, and communicate knowledge
. These skills are built upon in
Writing Intensive
courses
where students
engage with increasingly complex rhetorical and field-specific problems, issues, or areas of inquiry and creativity.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completing the Written Communication (upper-level) course, students will be able to:
Analyze rhetorical situations–audience, purpose, and context–in order to recognize the expectations of readers and understand the main purposes of composing across multiple contexts relevant to their fields of study.
Understand the conventions of academic and non-academic genres, to include usage, specialized vocabulary, format, and attribution/citation systems.
Apply critical reading strategies that are appropriate to advanced academic and non-academic texts of relevance to their fields of study.
Identify and synthesize multiple perspectives in articulating and refining a research question relevant to their fields of study.
Engage in a recursive process of inventing, investigating, shaping, drafting, revising, and editing to produce a range of academic and non-academic texts of relevance to their fields of study.
Required:
One approved course.
Course List
Code
Title
Credits
ENGH 302
Advanced Composition
(Mason Core)
Writing Intensive (usually 3 credits)
As part of the university's commitment to student writers in all undergraduate programs, at least one upper-division course in each major
is
designated as fulfilling the Writing Intensive (WI) requirement.
As the third course
in George
Mason’s vertical writing curriculum,
WI courses build upon the knowledge and skills that students develop in their written communication courses at the Foundation level and at the Integration level. To do so, WI courses further
integrate rhetorical and field-specific
knowledge
as students engage the specific writing, critical thinking, and problem-solving methods
of their chosen fields
across
a range of academic, professional, and civic
contexts
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completing a Writing Intensive Course, students will be able to:
se informal or formal writing in ways that deepen their awareness of the field of study and its subject matter (Writing to Learn)
ompose
one or more written genres specific to the field of study in order to communicate key ideas tailored to specific audiences and purposes; genres may be academic, public, or professional (Writing to Communicate).
raft and revise written works based on feedback they receive from instructors and peers, using strategies
appropriate to
the genre, audience, and purpose (Writing as a Process).
Required:
One approved course.
Note: Students MUST select the course approved for their major.  See specific degree program for details.
Course List
Code
Title
Credits
ACCT 461
Assurance and Audit Services
(Mason Core)
ACCT 493
Financial Planning and Wealth Management Capstone
(Mason Core)
ANTH 490
History of Anthropological Theory
(Mason Core)
ARAB 331
Reading and Conversation II
(Mason Core)
ARTH 400
Historiography and Methods of Research in Art History (Topic Varies)
(Mason Core)
ARTH 420
Advanced Studies in Ancient Art
(Mason Core)
ARTH 430
Advanced Studies in Medieval or Islamic Art
(Mason Core)
ARTH 440
RS: Advanced Studies in Renaissance and Baroque Art
(Mason Core)
ARTH 460
RS: Advanced Studies in 20th-Century European Art
(Mason Core)
ARTH 471
Advanced Studies in Art of the United States
(Mason Core)
ARTH 472
RS: Advanced Studies in 20th-Century Latin American Art
(Mason Core)
ARTH 474
Advanced Studies in Contemporary Art
(Mason Core)
ARTH 482
RS: Advanced Studies in Asian Art
(Mason Core)
ARTH 495
RS: Curating an Exhibit
(Mason Core)
ARTH 499
Advanced Studies in Art History
(Mason Core)
ASTR 402
RS: Methods of Observational Astronomy
(Mason Core)
AVT 395
Writing for Artists
(Mason Core)
AVT 396
Writing for Designers
(Mason Core)
BENG 360
Biomedical Imaging
(Mason Core)
BIOL 308
Foundations of Ecology and Evolution
(Mason Core)
BIOL 338
Lab for Fundamentals of Ecology and Evolution
(Mason Core)
BIOL 400
News Views: Selected Topics
(Mason Core)
BIS 390
The Research Process
(Mason Core)
CDS 302
Scientific Data and Databases
(Mason Core)
CEIE 301
Engineering and Economic Models in Civil Engineering
(Mason Core)
CHEM 336
Physical Chemistry Lab I
(Mason Core)
CHEM 465
Biochemistry Lab
(Mason Core)
CHIN 480
Fourth-Year Chinese I
(Mason Core)
CLIM 408
Senior Research
(Mason Core)
COMM 300
Writing and Rhetorical Criticism
(Mason Core)
CONF 302
Culture, Identity, and Conflict
(Mason Core)
CRIM 495
Capstone in Criminology, Law and Society
(Mason Core)
CS 306
Synthesis of Ethics and Law for the Computing Professional
(Mason Core)
CS 321
Software Engineering
(Mason Core)
CS 405
Synthesis of Ethics and Law for the Computing Professional
(Mason Core)
CYSE 491
Engineering Senior Seminar
(Mason Core)
DANC 390
Dance History I
(Mason Core)
DANC 391
Dance History II
(Mason Core)
ECE 333
Linear Electronics I
(Mason Core)
ECED 411
Assessment of Diverse Young Learners
(Mason Core)
ECON 365
Topics in Economic History
(Mason Core)
ECON 395
Effective Writing in Economics
(Mason Core)
ECON 485
Smithian Political Economy I
(Mason Core)
EDSE 452
Intersectionality and Disability
(Mason Core)
ELED 305
Foundations of Elementary Methods and Management
(Mason Core)
ELED 459
Researching Problems of Practice in Elementary Education
ENGH 305
Dimensions of Writing and Literature
(Mason Core)
EVPP 337
Environmental Policy Making in Developing Countries
(Mason Core)
FAVS 304
Film Forms
(Mason Core)
FAVS 380
Screenwriting: Television
(Mason Core)
FAVS 496
Screenwriting: Advanced
(Mason Core)
FNAN 477
Student Managed Investment Fund
(Mason Core)
FNAN 493
Financial Planning and Wealth Management Capstone
(Mason Core)
FNAN 498
RS: Contemporary Topics in Finance
(Mason Core)
FREN 309
Reading and Writing Skills Development
(Mason Core)
FRSC 302
Forensic Trace Analysis
(Mason Core)
GAME 332
RS: Story Design for Computer Games
(Mason Core)
GCH 411
Health Program Planning and Evaluation
(Mason Core)
GCH 611
Health Program Planning and Evaluation
(Mason Core)
GEOL 305
Environmental Geology
(Mason Core)
GEOL 317
Geomorphology
(Mason Core)
GEOL 334
Vertebrate Paleontology
(Mason Core)
GGS 415
Seminar in Geographic Thought and Methodology
(Mason Core)
GOVT 490
Synthesis Seminar
(Mason Core)
GOVT 491
Honors Seminar
(Mason Core)
GOVT 492
Computing Ethics, Law and Policy Seminar
(Mason Core)
HAP 465
Integration of Professional Skills and Issues
(Mason Core)
HIST 300
Introduction to Historical Method
(Mason Core)
HIST 499
RS: Senior Seminar in History
(Mason Core)
INTS 321
Parent-Child Relations
(Mason Core)
INTS 334
Environmental Justice
(Mason Core)
INTS 491
Senior Capstone
(Mason Core)
IT 343
IT Project Management
(Mason Core)
KINE 450
Research Methods
(Mason Core)
KINE 605
Research Methods in Kinesiology
(Mason Core)
KORE 370
Advanced Korean Writing
(Mason Core)
LAS 499
Research Seminar in Latin American Studies
(Mason Core)
MATH 300
Introduction to Advanced Mathematics
(Mason Core)
ME 444
Mechanical Design II
(Mason Core)
MGMT 313
Organizational Behavior
(Mason Core)
MIS 330
Systems Analysis and Design
(Mason Core)
MIS 431
Data Mining for Business Applications
(Mason Core)
MKTG 471
Marketing Management
(Mason Core)
MLAB 300
Science Writing
(Mason Core)
MUSI 332
Music History in Society II
(Mason Core)
MUSI 438
Music History in Society B
(Mason Core)
NEUR 411
Seminar in Neuroscience
(Mason Core)
NURS 465
Examination and Integration of Professional and Health Care Issues
(Mason Core)
NURS 480
Professional Issues in Nursing
(Mason Core)
NUTR 326
Food Systems
(Mason Core)
OSCM 456
Quality Management
(Mason Core)
PHED 340
Social and Cultural Issues in Physical Education
(Mason Core)
PHIL 421
Seminar
(Mason Core)
PHIL 422
Honors Seminar
(Mason Core)
PHYS 407
Senior Laboratory in Modern Physics
(Mason Core)
PHYS 410
Computational Physics Capstone
(Mason Core)
PSYC 301
Research Methods in Psychology
(Mason Core)
PSYC 304
Principles of Learning
(Mason Core)
PSYC 309
Sensation, Perception, and Information Processing
(Mason Core)
RELI 300
Theories and Methods in Religious Studies
(Mason Core)
RELI 420
Capstone Seminar in Studies of Religion
(Mason Core)
RUSS 325
Major Russian Writers
(Mason Core)
SOCI 303
Methods and Logic of Inquiry
(Mason Core)
SOCI 485
RS: Sociological Analysis and Practice
(Mason Core)
SOCW 471
Research in Social Work
(Mason Core)
SPAN 370
Spanish Writing and Stylistics
(Mason Core)
SRST 450
Research Methods
(Mason Core)
STAT 489
Pre-Capstone Professional Development
(Mason Core)
SYST 489
Senior Seminar
(Mason Core)
THR 350
Script Analysis
(Mason Core)
THR 351
Dramatic Theory and Criticism
(Mason Core)
THR 482
Advanced Screenplay Workshop
(Mason Core)
Mason Apex (minimum 3 credits)
Mason Apex courses or in some cases, sequence of courses, will provide George Mason students with a high-impact culminating experience, requiring students to utilize critical thinking skills and preparing them for life-long learning. Students are challenged to draw connections across their George Mason undergraduate academic experience. Mason Apex courses provide students opportunities to apply and communicate their knowledge, and involve integrative, applied, or experiential projects.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completing a Mason Apex course, students will be able to:
Integrate skills, abilities, theories, or methodologies gained across a Mason student’s undergraduate education to explore complex issues in original ways.
Communicate effectively the results of the student’s work with awareness of audience, purpose, and context using an appropriate modality (for example: written, oral, visual, material, embodied, multimodal).
Required:
A minimum of 3 credits at the 400-level. It is suggested that students enroll after completing 85 credits. These courses maintain a faculty/instructor/mentor-to-student ratio of no more than 1:35.
Note: Existing 300-level courses designated as Mason Apex within the current catalog will continue to meet the category requirements.
Course List
Code
Title
Credits
ANTH 400
Engaging the World: Anthropological Perspectives
(Mason Core)
ARAB 351
Media Arabic (Spoken and Written)
(Mason Core)
ARAB 440
Topics in Arabic Religious Thought and Texts
(Mason Core)
ARTH 494
The Museum
(Mason Core)
ASTR 402
RS: Methods of Observational Astronomy
(Mason Core)
ATEP 441
Senior Seminar in Athletic Training
(Mason Core)
AVT 385
EcoArt
(Mason Core)
AVT 453
Professional Practices
(Mason Core)
AVT 497
Senior Project
(Mason Core)
AVT 498
Senior Design Project
(Mason Core)
BAS 491
Applied Sciences Capstone
(Mason Core)
BAS 493
BAS Capstone
(Mason Core)
BENG 492
Senior Advanced Design Project I
(Mason Core)
BINF 354
Foundations in Mathematical Biology
(Mason Core)
BIOL 301
Biology and Society
(Mason Core)
BIOL 379
RS: Ecological Sustainability
(Mason Core)
BIS 490
RS: Senior Project
(Mason Core)
BUS 498
Capstone Course: Advanced Business Models
(Mason Core)
CDS 492
Capstone in Data Science
(Mason Core)
CEIE 490
Civil Engineering Senior Design Project I
(Mason Core)
1-3
CEIE 491
Civil Engineering Senior Design Project II
(Mason Core)
CHEM 460
Chemistry in the Kitchen
(Mason Core)
CHIN 318
Introduction to Classical Chinese
(Mason Core)
CHIN 355
Readings in Chinese Poetry and Poetics
(Mason Core)
CHIN 475
Chinese Popular Culture
(Mason Core)
COMM 454
Free Speech and Ethics
(Mason Core)
CONF 490
RS: Integration
(Mason Core)
CONS 490
RS: Integrated Conservation Strategies
(Mason Core)
CONS 491
RS: Conservation Management Planning
(Mason Core)
CONS 496
Research in Conservation
(Mason Core)
COS 310
Introduction to Science Policy
(Mason Core)
CRIM 495
Capstone in Criminology, Law and Society
(Mason Core)
CS 306
Synthesis of Ethics and Law for the Computing Professional
(Mason Core)
CS 405
Synthesis of Ethics and Law for the Computing Professional
(Mason Core)
CYSE 493
Senior Advanced Design Project II
(Mason Core)
DANC 490
Senior Dance Seminar
(Mason Core)
ECE 492
Senior Advanced Design Project I
(Mason Core)
ECE 493
RS: Senior Advanced Design Project II
(Mason Core)
ECED 490
Internship in Early Childhood Education
(Mason Core)
6-12
ECED 492
Internship in Early Childhood Education (Non-Licensure)
(Mason Core)
6-12
ECED 493
Internship in Early Childhood Special Education
(Mason Core)
6-12
ECON 491
Capstone in Economics
(Mason Core)
ECON 493
Capstone Internship
(Mason Core)
ECON 495
RS: Honors Thesis in Economics
(Mason Core)
3-6
EDSE 481
Internship: Professional Services
(Mason Core)
12
EDSE 482
Internship: General Curriculum
(Mason Core)
12
EDSE 483
Internship: Adapted Curriculum (Severe Disabilities)
(Mason Core)
12
EDSE 484
Internship: Blindness and Visual Impairments
(Mason Core)
12
ELED 480
Practicum in Elementary Education
(Mason Core)
ELED 490
Internship in Elementary Education
(Mason Core)
3-9
ENGH 401
RS: Honors Thesis Writing Seminar
(Mason Core)
ENGH 417
RS: Topics in Folklore Research
(Mason Core)
ENGH 458
RS: Topics in Literary Research
(Mason Core)
ENGH 470
RS: Topics in Screen Cultures Research
(Mason Core)
ENGH 484
RS: Writing Ethnography
(Mason Core)
ENGH 486
RS: Writing Nonfiction for the Public
(Mason Core)
ENGH 495
Capstone and Thesis
(Mason Core)
EVPP 378
RS: Ecological Sustainability
(Mason Core)
EVPP 480
Sustainability in Action
(Mason Core)
FAVS 352
Ethics of Film and Video
(Mason Core)
FAVS 496
Screenwriting: Advanced
(Mason Core)
FAVS 499
Career Seminar
(Mason Core)
FRLN 385
Multilingualism, Identity, and Power
(Mason Core)
GAME 490
Senior Game Design Capstone
(Mason Core)
GCH 465
Community Health Capstone
(Mason Core)
GCH 466
Physical Activity in Public Health Capstone
(Mason Core)
GEOL 420
Earth Science and Policy
(Mason Core)
GGS 485
Capstone in Geography and Geoinformation Science
(Mason Core)
GLOA 400
Global Affairs Capstone
(Mason Core)
GLOA 492
Honors Research Project in Global Affairs
(Mason Core)
GOVT 490
Synthesis Seminar
(Mason Core)
GOVT 491
Honors Seminar
(Mason Core)
GOVT 492
Computing Ethics, Law and Policy Seminar
(Mason Core)
HAP 465
Integration of Professional Skills and Issues
(Mason Core)
HAP 498
Health Administration Internship
(Mason Core)
HDFS 400
Advanced Family Processes
(Mason Core)
HDFS 499
Advanced Internship and Analysis in Human Development and Family Science
(Mason Core)
HIST 300
Introduction to Historical Method
(Mason Core)
HIST 499
RS: Senior Seminar in History
(Mason Core)
IT 492
Senior Design Project I
(Mason Core)
IT 493
Senior Design Project II
(Mason Core)
KINE 490
Kinesiology Internship
(Mason Core)
6-12
LAS 499
Research Seminar in Latin American Studies
(Mason Core)
LING 480
RS: First Language Acquisition
(Mason Core)
LING 497
Linguistics Apex Research
(Mason Core)
MATH 400
History of Math (Topic Varies)
(Mason Core)
MATH 401
Mathematics through 3D Printing
(Mason Core)
ME 444
Mechanical Design II
(Mason Core)
MUSI 324
Junior Recital
(Mason Core)
MUSI 424
Senior Recital
(Mason Core)
MUSI 489
Music Technology Capstone
(Mason Core)
MUSI 490
RS: Musical Communication in Context
(Mason Core)
MUSI 491
Musical Communication in Performance
(Mason Core)
MUSI 495
Internship in Music Education
(Mason Core)
6-12
NEUR 424
Sleep and Circadian Rhythms
(Mason Core)
NEUR 473
Current Neuroscience Research in Germany
(Mason Core)
NURS 465
Examination and Integration of Professional and Health Care Issues
(Mason Core)
NURS 490
Health Policy and Advocacy in Nursing
(Mason Core)
PHED 415
Student Teaching in Physical Education
(Mason Core)
12
PHIL 309
Bioethics
(Mason Core)
PHIL 343
Topics in Environmental Philosophy
(Mason Core)
PHIL 379
Perspectives on Time
(Mason Core)
PHIL 421
Seminar
(Mason Core)
PHIL 422
Honors Seminar
(Mason Core)
PHYS 407
Senior Laboratory in Modern Physics
(Mason Core)
PHYS 410
Computational Physics Capstone
(Mason Core)
PROV 342
The George Mason Debates in Current Affairs
(Mason Core)
PSYC 405
Mystery, Madness, and Murder
(Mason Core)
PSYC 406
Psychology of Communication
(Mason Core)
PSYC 427
Community Engagement for Social Change
(Mason Core)
PSYC 492
RS: Psychology Honors III
(Mason Core)
RELI 490
Comparative Study of Religions
(Mason Core)
RMGT 490
Recreation Management Internship
(Mason Core)
12
RUSS 353
Russian Civilization
(Mason Core)
SEED 492
Internship: Secondary Education English
(Mason Core)
SEED 493
Internship: Secondary Education Math
(Mason Core)
SEED 494
Internship: Secondary Education Science
(Mason Core)
SEED 496
Internship: Secondary Education Computer Science
(Mason Core)
SOCI 416
Internship in Sociology I
(Mason Core)
3-6
SOCI 485
RS: Sociological Analysis and Practice
(Mason Core)
SOCW 472
RS: Integrative Methods in Social Action and Social Change
(Mason Core)
SPAN 388
Introduction to Latina/o Studies
(Mason Core)
SPMT 490
Internship
(Mason Core)
12
STAT 490
Capstone in Statistics
(Mason Core)
SYST 495
Senior Design Project II
(Mason Core)
THR 440
Advanced Studies in Directing/Dramaturgy
(Mason Core)
THR 496
Text in Production
(Mason Core)
TOUR 490
Hospitality, Tourism, and Events Management Internship
(Mason Core)
12
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