Ethnographic Tracings of Educational Methodologies and Processes

Etymologically, ?university? connotes space, totality, society, truth. But who belongs to this universe, within its gatekeeping? I answer this question of epistemic access in academia from my three-month ethnographic plunge that started June 2018. As a Visiting Fellow to the Cape Town university, I participated in its post-graduate curricular intervention, a Linguistics course reimagining multilingualism. I analyze how discourses/practices of decoloniality unfold and reflect on the importance of autoethnography. To broaden access through the historically disadvantaged university, the research group interrogates the role of language in colonialism and fosters interdisciplinary research toward a truly post-apartheid new Humanities.

Colleges recognize the importance of providing students career information and a strong understanding of work. Yet, learning about work remains on the margins of the curriculum. This lack of attention serves to intensify the class and racial divide. We will share ethnographic findings from Guttman Community College?s (CUNY) career-preparation alternative in Ethnographies of Work (EOW). This required course provides the opportunity to improve student engagement in career-focused learning and offer traditionally underserved students?low income, first generation, and students of color?the opportunity to gain a sense of agency as they explore their work futures with an ethnographic lens.

This paper describes an ethnographic study of the Converge Theatre Project, a cross-disciplinary collaboration between science education researchers and theatre educators. The team created a science-based play for middle-school youth that aims to dismantle stereotypes about participating in science and becoming a scientist. The ethnography aimed to identify factors that contribute to successful cross-disciplinary collaboration and how the collaboration between Converge Theatre Project team members evolved over time. This paper considers implications for what is necessary for other cross-disciplinary collaborations, in terms of what is necessary for fruitful collaboration.