Building Community Through Ethnography in Action to Catalyze Student, Faculty, and Community Collaborations

Abstract

Since its initial conception in 2017, the University of Denver Ethnography Lab (DUEL) has aimed to catalyze collaborations between students, faculty, and community organizations. Inspired by community–campus partnerships implemented in the past across the United States, DUEL seeks to cultivate a community of practice centered on ethnography in action, and to draw on strengths and opportunities specific to our university. In this article, we present the process that channeled the energies and ideas of 30 faculty and students from 10 different departments into the creation of DUEL, we share examples from our experience so far, and we identify challenges and opportunities for DUEL's future.