This article describes a year-long doctoral course on ethnographic case study research in which a communities of practice approach helped non-traditional students manage the challenging identity negotiations of entering a new academic field. Co-taught by faculty in two disciplines--Rhetoric and Composition and Teaching, Learning, and Culture--the course enabled the students who were from both disciplines to work in research teams as they applied what they were learning about ethnographic research to actually conducting research in the site of required first-year university writing classes. The article describes the process of setting up the course, along with the challenges encountered. Excerpts from two students' research notebooks and student interviews offer insights into how this pedagogical approach can assist non-traditional students in navigating their initial forays into research.