Department of Philosophy welcomes new Assistant Professor, Dr. Shannon Fyfe

Department of Philosophy welcomes new Assistant Professor, Dr. Shannon Fyfe

The Department of Philosophy is proud to announce that Dr. Shannon Fyfe is joining us as a new Assistant Professor this Fall. Dr. Fyfe is also a new Fellow of the Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy (IPPP). Professor Fyfe’s expertise is in philosophy of law, social and political philosophy, and ethics, with particular interests in international criminal law, criminal justice, human rights, and accountability for terrorism, genocide, and sexual violence.

Dr. Fyfe brings a wealth of experience with her to Mason: she has a JD and a PhD in Philosophy from Vanderbilt University, is qualified before the bar in Virginia, and has worked as a practicing lawyer. She is a former Law and Gender Fellow at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre, Washington, DC, and in 2008, undertook an internship with the Prosecutor’s Office of the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

‘We’re delighted that Dr. Fyfe is joining us, and our students are excited about working with her,” said department chair, Dr. Rachel Jones. “Dr. Fyfe’s expertise will allow us to strengthen the Department’s BA concentration and minor in Philosophy and Law, and will add to the range of scholarly projects in which our students can be involved, allowing them to engage with key issues of contemporary concern such as political violence or mass incarceration.”

Dr. Fyfe is currently working on several projects related to prosecutorial discretion in domestic and international criminal law, as well as a project about bystander accountability for mass sexual violence. “George Mason feels like a special place already," she notes, "I can’t wait to start working with the students here and using what I’ve learned by combining philosophy and law to help them find ways to respond to the most pressing social problems.”