Yingyi Ma offers a multifaceted analysis of the new wave of Chinese students based on research in both Chinese high schools and American higher-education institutions. She argues that these students’ experiences embody the duality of ambition and anxiety that arises from transformative social changes in China. These students and their families have the ambition to navigate two very different educational systems and societies. Yet the intricacy and pressure of these systems generate a great deal of anxiety, from applying to colleges before arriving, to studying and socializing on campus, and to looking ahead upon graduation.

Part of the Sociology Department's Speaker Series. Co-Sponsored by the Sociology Department, Global Studies Program, and Asian Studies Program.