“Performing Arts and Society” (2022–2023) and “Socially Engaged Art as Research” (2024–2025) were two academic-year-long honors research seminars at Michigan State University exploring research methods and community-based art. Students studied prominent examples of social practice in the arts, including the music of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, the improvisatory theatre games of Viola Spolin, and the public art of Suzanne Lacy, as well as contemporary examples of ongoing projects. They then applied their developing knowledge to actual projects in partnership with a wide range of community organizations, including the Allen Neighborhood Center, the East Lansing Public Library, the Ingham County Youth Center, Lansing Parks and Recreation, NAMI Lansing, Peoples Church, and Potter Park Zoo.