Jihye Moon
Jihye Moon
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Associate Professor
Korean: second language acquisition, heritage language acquisition, bilingualism, Korean linguistics, translation studies, language assessment, language pedagogy
Jihye Moon holds a Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition from the University of Maryland, College Park, and joined the Korean program at George Mason University in 2014. She has played a pivotal role in developing its curriculum since the launch of the Korean major in 2019. She has designed and taught a wide range of core and elective courses in Korean culture, linguistics, and translation. Dr. Moon also established co-curricular initiatives, community-based internships, and Mason Undergraduate Student Conference in Korean Studie (MUSCKS) to support the diverse interests and career goals of students pursuing Korean studies. She was awarded a federal grant as a Co-PI to run Project GO Korean, a U.S. Department of Defense initiative that promotes critical language education nationwide. She was recognized for excellence in teaching and invited to serve as an inaugural Career Faculty Fellow to better align academic curricula with career pathways to support student success. She is the review editor of Epic Korean and the lead author of Topics in Korean Language and Culture (Routledge, 2024-2025).
Selected Publications
Moon, J., Cho, H., Shin, H. Y., & Lee, J. H. (2025). Topics in Korean Language and Culture: Volume Two. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
Moon, J., Cho, H., Shin, H. Y., & Lee, J. H. (2024). Topics in Korean Language and Culture: Volume One. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
Grants and Fellowships
Summer Team Impact Project Grant (Co-PI), The Office of Undergraduate Education, George Mason University, 2025. Link
University Life Career Faculty Fellowship, George Mason Universtiy, 2024. Link
Project Global Officer Grant (Co-PI), The Defense Language and National Security Education Office, Institute of International Education, Washington, D.C., 2021-2024. Link
Best Presentation Award, “Implementing Film Projects in Language Classrooms.” The Foreign Language Association of Virginia, 2021.
Mason Core Award, George Mason University, 2021.
Online Course Development Grant, The Stearns Center, George Mason University, 2021.
CHSS Term Faculty Development Grant, George Mason University, 2020.
Adjunct Faculty Teaching Excellence Award, The Stearns Center, George Mason University, 2017.
4-VA Course Development Stipends, George Mason University, 2016 & 2018.
Faculty Recognition Award, Montgomery College, Maryland, 2013.
Dissertation Research Grant, The University of Maryland, College Park, 2011.
Courses Taught
FRLN 385 Multilingualism, Identity, and Power (Mason Core Apex)
KORE 101/102/110 Elementary Korean
KORE 201/202 Intermediate Korean
KORE 300 Exploring Korean Culture Codes (Non-Western Culture)
KORE 301 Advanced Korean Language & Culture
KORE 321 Korean Proficiency through Visual Culture
KORE 321 Webtoon-Based Korean Drama
KORE 331 Korean Folklore and Folktales
KORE 332 Oral Proficiency in Korean
KORE 370 Academic Purpose Writing (Mason Core Writing Intensive)
KORE 385 Introduction to Korean Linguistics (Non-Western Culture)
KORE 410 Topics in Korean Linguistics: Korean Morphology and Syntax
KORE 440 Topics in Korean Translation: Film and Translation
KORE 440 Topics in Korean Translation: Media and Translation
KORE 440 Topics in Korean Translation: Lyrics and Poetry
KORE 490 Internship in Korean Studies
Education
Ph.D., Second Language Acquisition, University of Maryland, College Park
Ed.M., Educational Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
B.A., History, Seoul National University
Recent Presentations
Selected Paper Presentations
"Fostering Communities of Practice through Student-Faculty Collaboration and Community Engagement." MLA Forum on Second-Language Teaching and Learning, January 2026.
"Engaging Learners in Cultural Translation through Korean Pop Culture." GWIKS Signature Conference on Linguistic Influence of K-Pop: Global Impact and Pedagogical Opportunities, March 2025.
“Developing Adult L2 Prosody through Musical Notes.” American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), November 2023.
“A Pedagogical Model for Teaching Native Spoken Grammar.” American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), November 2022.
“Enhancing Intercultural Competence through Pedagogical Translation.” National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages (NCOLCTL), April 2022.
“Exploring the Teachability of Native Spoken Grammar in Everyday Casual Conversation.” National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages (NCOLCTL), April 2022.
“Transmedia Storytelling for Foreign Language Learners.” The Foreign Language Association of Virginia (FLAVA), October 2021.
“Using Authentic Materials in a Flipped Language Classroom.” The Innovations in Teaching & Learning (ITL), September 2020.
“More Than a Task, Less Than a Project?” The Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (NECTFL), New York City, February 2020.
“An Integrated Performance Assessment Model by Language Proficiency for Korean Classes.” International Association for Korean Language Education (IAKLE), July 2019.
“Comparing Self-Regulated Learning in Online and Hybrid Courses.” American Association of Teachers of Korean (AATK), University of Toronto, June 2018.
“Developing Informal Assessments in Korean Immersion Classrooms.” American Association of Teachers of Korean (AATK), University of Toronto, June 2018.
“Explaining the Variability in Heritage Language Proficiency.” American Association of Teachers of Korean (AATK), Michigan State University, June 2013.
“Maturational and Non-Maturational Factors in Heritage Language Acquisition.” American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL), Boston, March 2012.
“Nonselective Lexical Access in Different-Script Bilinguals.” The Second Language Research Forum (SLRF), University of Maryland, October 2010.
“Linguistic Correlates of Proficiency in L2 Learners and Heritage Speakers of Korean.” The Second Language Research Forum (SLRF), University of Maryland, October 2010.
Invited Talks and Lectures
"From Curriculum to Careers." Invited Workshop Co-Presenter (UL Faculty Fellows), Just for Influencers: By Faculty for Faculty, George Mason University Career Services, March 2025.
“Integrating Career Readiness into the Curriculum.” Invited Presenter, Career Readiness Workshop for Students of Languages, The George Washington University, August 2024.
“Making the Case for Language Study with or without a Requirement.” Invited Moderator, Imagining a Curriculum for the Future of the Humanities, MLA MAPS Leadership Institute, June 2024.
"The Landscape of Korean Language Education in the U.S." Invited Presenter, U.S. Department of Education & Korean Embassy Meeting, February 2024.
"The Case of Korean Program Evaluation at George Mason University" Invited Panelist, Empowering World Language Programs through Evaluation Conference, The Center for Applied Linguistics, January 2024.
"Tailored Teaching: Differentiated Instruction for All Levels." Invited Lecturer, The Korean Language Teachers' Workshop, Foundation for Korean Language and Culture in the USA, December 2023.
"Theme-Based Learning in Content-Based Instruction" Invited Lecturer, The Korean Language Teachers' Workshop, Foundation for Korean Language and Culture in the USA, December 2023.
“Implementing Film Projects in Foreign Language Classrooms.” Invited Speaker, The ACTFL Cinema Special Interest Group Webinar, September 2022.
“Implementing Project-Based Learning in Korean Language Classrooms.” Keynote Speaker, The Annual Korean Language Teachers’ Conference, Foundation for Korean Language and Culture in the USA, November 2021.
“Aligning Assessments with the ACTFL Standards for Foreign Language Learning.” Invited Speaker. The STARTALK Professional Development Webinar, October 2021.
“Managing Group Work and Collaborative Student Projects.” Panelist, The Annual Innovations in Teaching & Learning (ITL) Panel Discussion, September 2021.
“Transitioning Language Instruction to an Online Format.” Panelist, INTO Mason Academic English Program & MCL Panel Discussion, May 2020.
“Differentiated Instruction for Heritage and Non-Heritage Learners of Korean.” Keynote Speaker. The Annual Korean Language Teachers’ Conference, Foundation for Korean Language and Culture in the USA, Los Angeles, December 2019.
Opening Night for EuroAsia Shorts 2019, Panel Discussant, The Korean Cultural Center & Austrian Cultural Forum, Washington, D.C., June 2019.
“Integrating the Three Modes of Communication in Grammar Instruction.” Guest Speaker, The ACTFL Korean Special Interest Group Webinar, October 2018.
“Understanding Heritage Language Acquisition.” Guest Lecturer, Dr. Kira Gor’s SLA 773: The Heritage Speaker, The University of Maryland, College Park, Fall 2012.
“Evidence for Maturational Constraints in Heritage Language Acquisition.” Guest Lecturer, The BK21 Specialist Education Program Lecture Series, Sungkyunkwan University, Summer 2010.