In Schooled in Stereotypes, Zoe Zdrodowski examines how education, far from being a neutral force, can equip individuals with the tools to exploit racial and cultural stereotypes for personal gain.

Through a close analysis of Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction and R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface, the essay argues that higher education doesn’t just open doors to opportunity—it also teaches characters like Monk and June how to navigate, manipulate, and commodify identities to satisfy market demands. Zdrodowski shows how both works expose the unsettling reality that success often depends not on authenticity, but on the strategic performance of identity, ultimately raising urgent questions about privilege, morality, and the costs of academic and societal ambition.

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