Observing Uno: Practicing participant observation through a card game

In this article, I want to share and reflect upon a classroom activity that I have developed to practice participant observation skills with undergraduate students: a modified version of the card game Uno, in which some students are cast as players, while others slip into the role of observers. I have found this be a playful but effective way of creating a shared understanding of what it takes to do participant observation research. After sketching out the aims of the exercise and describing how it practiced in our class, I will reflect on some take-away lessons and adaptations.