Engaging Culture: Ethnography as a Model for Service-Learning Practice

Recent studies have explored the relationship between ethnography and service-learning. While many scholars assert that service-learning enhances the teaching of ethnography by helping students to relate class material to real-life settings (Diamente & Wallace, 2004; Hathaway & Kuzin, 2007; Hebert, 2008; Keene & Colligan, 2004; Sanday & Janowitz, 2004), others explore the ways in which ethnographic practice benefits service-learning (Camacho, 2004; McCabe, 2004). Building on this research, this chapter explores the ways in the concept of culture and recent trends in ethnography assist scholars in conceptualizing, designing, and implementing community projects. This chapter explores the link between contemporary ethnography and service-learning as a symbiotic relationship.