The Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, and Research (OSCAR) is home of undergraduate research and creative activities at George Mason University. We are located on the second floor of the Johnson Center in room 228.

OSCAR provides students the opportunity to connect with faculty and to the research and creative mission of the institution. Students will see their education as a process of discovery, inquiry, and synthesis; these are the core values of the Mason student experience. Faculty engage students in current and relevant activities using new paradigms of instruction and active modeling of critical thinking.

Our Values
Community, Learning, Equity, Collaboration, Compassion, and Justice

Our Mission
To connect Mason students and faculty with community to support student learning and the development of civically engaged and well -rounded scholars committed to positive social change through partnership with community.

Our Vision
By embedding community and civic engagement into academic and co-curricular experiences, we will equip students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to:

• Understand themselves as agents of change.
• Identify and disrupt racist practices.
• Work collaboratively towards positive social change.

Source: CECiL website

Expand your network and enhance your time at Mason by joining a Schar School learning community. Our faculty-led communities bring students together to learn and grow through shared interests. Whether you’re looking for a residential learning community for your first year at Mason, hoping to develop your research skills, or ready to tackle a global policy issue, you can benefit from a Schar School community.

Broaden your perspective and understanding of today’s most pressing issues

• Develop valuable skills and knowledge you can apply to your career

• Build lifelong personal and professional connections

• Forge strong relationships with the faculty director
• Earn class credit

Make the most of your first year at George Mason University with the Schar School of Policy and Government’s living-learning community, “the Democracy Lab.” This academic community is an immersive environment that will broaden your perspective and hone your ability to engage on difficult topics.

In partnership with Mason’s Housing & Residence Life, the Schar School’s “Democracy Lab,” is a learning experience open to all first-year Mason undergraduate students living on campus. Through the learning community, you will engage with the issues that define the journey of democracy in the United States and around the world. Plus, you’ll build a strong network of students, professors, mentors, and advisors that will stay with you throughout your time at Mason and long after you graduate.

The Global Politics Fellows program is a 15 credit academic program for selected students interested in Government and International Politics and Global Affairs at George Mason University. The academic program is based at the Mason Square campus and incorporates a significant internship experience into the semester.

The Global Politics Fellows make up a small cohort of 20 to 30 students, all interested in the role of government in society, here in the United States and abroad. The smaller classes allow for more student discussion and the opportunity to delve deeper into the issues the world faces today. The internship provides students the chance to immediately apply what they are learning and offers students greater insight into their future career in the arena of government and global affairs.

Go to this GPF webpage to apply to be a fellow for the fall semester. Go to the Arlington Fellows website to view more fellowship opportunities such as the Peacebuilding Fellows and Next System Fellows programs.

The Next System Fellows, part of Mason’s prestigious undergraduate Arlington Fellows program, involve:

• Internships with a partner organization, union, or research group, or with Mason’s own Democratizing NOVA project.
• Preparation for a career in social and public service, organizing, research, technology development, cooperative and social entrepreneurship, teaching, and more.
• Learning about and engaging directly with real world next system projects such as worker cooperatives and solidarity economy initiatives, community owned enterprises and services, campaigns for abolition and political democracy, transition and resilient communities, democratic and sustainable technologies, non-violent conflict resolution and restorative justice projects, and more.
• Joining a cohort of students taking four courses together for 15 credits:The Next System Fellows are the newest additions to Mason’s prestigious undergraduate Arlington Fellows program. Their fellowships involve:

The Peacebuilding Fellows program is an academic program for selected students interested in gaining hands-on experience and understanding communities that are struggling to live peacefully together. Fellows have the opportunity to step outside the normal academic schedule, engage with Carter School faculty, and expand learning through impactful co-curricular experiences.

Program Benefits

• Field experience that lets you immediately apply what you’re learning and offers insight into a career path
• Discussion-based classes with a small group of students
• Networking opportunities through events with Carter School graduate students and faculty
• The chance to meet practitioners, researchers, and professionals working as peacebuilders
• Assistance with professional development

Students enroll in academic courses focusing on conflict theories and techniques, conflict resolution practice, and community engagement.

Students interested in the study of global affairs at Mason have the opportunity to participate in two of the few truly interdisciplinary global studies degrees in the United States. The Global Affairs Program at Mason draws upon faculty and courses across the university to provide students with comprehensive yet specialized degrees.

Global Affairs students examine transnational and international processes in a wide range of areas. Students also study specific regions, languages, and investigate the ways particular parts of the world experience global phenomena.

The best way to resolve conflict is through open discussion and communication.

At the Point of View International Retreat and Research Center (POV), we’ve created an atmosphere in which people feel free to have honest conversations about issues on which they disagree. POV’s spaces are welcoming, engaging and supportive, and we encourage and expedite collaborative problem solving.

Our facility, set on 120 acres of pristine wooded land in Lorton, Virginia, is dedicated to peacebuilding practice, teaching, and research.

Source: Website