innovative classes

To Kimberly Foecke, studying the past doesn’t need to be a passive experience.  The George Mason University assistant professor of anthropology believes in the importance of hands-on learning so much that she created the ANTH 599 Contemporary Issues in Anthropology course on experimental archaeology to help bridge theory and practice. 

Launched in the spring 2026 semester, the Innovation and Design Lab for Business and Government (MBA 797) is a new experiential MBA course offered at the Costello College of Business at George Mason University.

As one of the key focal points of George Mason University’s Grand Challenge Initiative, building a climate-resilient society requires not just innovation in sustainable infrastructure, but innovation in how the university prepares future leaders in sustainability.

These learning design and technology courses pair graduate students with real startup clients to apply learning experience design (LXD) and UX research skills in hands-on consulting projects.

Mason Day, George Mason University’s largest and longest-standing tradition, brought the community together for a carnival with games, rides, food, and music. This year’s concert headliner was hip-hop artist JT from City Girls, with support from indie pop band The Aces. The annual event—sponsored by University Life’s Student Involvement unit and free for George Mason students, faculty, and staff—attracted a record-setting 7,420 attendees.

George Mason University adjunct professor Jennifer Lewis created two special topics courses in George Mason’s Environmental Science and Policy Department (ESP)—EVPP 490 Conservation Storytelling and EVPP 490/505 Media Production for Environmental Science and Policy.

A project in a health administration graduate course, taught by Associate Professor Renee Geschke, built AI literacy and deepened students’ understanding of how AI influences leadership, communication, and team dynamics in health care.

When students step into AVT 496 Intro to VR for the Artist, they’re not just walking into another studio course—they’re entering entirely new worlds of their own making. George Mason University’s School of Art launched the course this spring, marking its first-ever deep dive into virtual reality (VR) as an artistic medium. 

Gabrielle Tayac, an associate professor in the Department of History and Art History in the College of Humanities of Social Sciences, has received a grant from NPS to lead Phase Two of Tribal Nations and the Revolutionary War, a community-driven research project that will examine the Revolutionary War and its aftermath from the perspectives of tribal nations.

George Mason University will launch the Space Forward Frontiers Seminar Series in spring 2026, a one-credit, in-person course developed with Northrop Grumman and the College of Engineering and Computing that is open to students of all majors interested in the space industry.