Curriculum and Instruction PhD Candidate recieves Best Graduate Student Paper Award

Weijian Wang, PhD Candidate in the Dept of Curriculum and Instruction, is the recipient of the Best Graduate Student Paper Award from the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) for his article "Not learning in a learning space: spatializing embodied experiences of rural Chinese youth" published in the Journal of Youth Studies. This research challenges Western-dominated narratives about rural Chinese youth through a spatial and embodied analysis, offering a nuanced understanding of their disengagement from academic learning. It calls for rethinking the placement of rural bodies in the Chinese education system. The awards committee noted Wang's "significant contribution to dialogues on rural education, resistance, and the politics of space and embodiment." Weijian Wang is advised by Professors; Vichet Chhuon, PhD and Timothy J. Lensmire, PhD.