Francois Dengah

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology

Soon after arriving at USU Dr. Dengah established the Collaborative Anthropological Research Laboratory (CARL) with the mission of teaching ethnographic field methods through student engagement in collaborative research projects. His CARL students are currently focusing on two projects: investigating the cultural construction of religious gender roles of USU students, and studying the idioms of distress among internet gamers. More than a dozen undergraduate students from USU have been involved with these projects. These students are benefitting from meaningful professional development activities that not only enrich their educational experience at USU, but also enhance their capacities to pursue graduate education and/or employment opportunities.

Another example of Dr. Dengah’s efforts to engage undergraduate students in his research is the study abroad group he and his USU colleagues directed this past summer. They traveled with a group of undergraduate students to Brazil where they examined how experiences of race and class both contribute to social marginalization–as well as provide opportunities for empowerment and solidarity–among Brazilians.