By Sloane Barlow
Honors Research Seminars (UGS200H) offer students opportunities for hands-on, cutting-edge research projects under the supervision of faculty members. For second-year Honors student Brayden Chrisman, this seminar inspired him to expand his research to include community engagement.
As an English education student, Chrisman said he felt limited in finding research opportunities in the humanities. But then he found UGS 200H, specifically Professor David McCarthy’s section titled Socially Engaged Art.
“As a national leader in providing undergraduate research opportunities to students and home to students from every academic major, the Honors College is committed to sponsoring scholarly engagement in all fields of study,” said Honors College Assistant Dean Justin Micomonaco, who oversees undergraduate research opportunities.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have talented faculty partners like Dr. McCarthy partnering with us to ensure that the arts and humanities are well represented in these offerings,” Micomonaco continued.
From data collection to connection
Chrisman, inspired by his community within Lansing’s underground music scene, decided to focus his research on the history of punk rock in MSU’s neighboring state capital. He said he was shocked to discover a rich past, along with its lack of recognition.
“Loads of my favorite national punk acts like Black Flag, Bad Brains, or Minor Threat played here in their heyday, and local bands (like The Fix), zines, and even record labels (such as Touch and Go) were nationally recognized in hardcore punk at the time,” Chrisman said. “Yet almost nothing in our community recorded or acknowledged this amazing history.”
Under the guidance of McCarthy and the course organization of UGS200H, Chrisman began interviewing prominent figures and reading whatever he could find to better understand the scene’s extent, as well as how much it has changed over time.
“I felt like I had spotted a gap in the collective memory of Lansing, and I was eager to fix that,” Chrisman said.
He was then given the opportunity to independently do a funded Community Partner Project as the main product of UGS200H. Chrisman had sources around MSU and through his research interviews that helped him connect with Captial Area District Libraries (CADL) Local History, a local punk-ethos community center called The Fledge, and several local hardcore punk bands.
“Eventually, I had myself in a network of people involved in the old scene, people preserving it today, and modern Lansingites continuing their mission,” Chrisman said.
“That’s when I realized this could be synthesized into a major event that got this history in front of people,” he continued.
Expanding research to community-engagement
Chrisman organized and hosted a community-wide event on Friday, February 28 called “Crashing the Capital: History of Punk Rock in Lansing”, with support from his section of UGS 200H and in collaboration with CADL Local History, The Fledge, and the MSU Honors College.
“Crashing the Capital” took place at The Fledge community center and featured a gallery walk with archives of fliers, zines, and concert footage. In addition, Chrisman hosted a panel discussion with local figures that was followed by a music performance recreating a show inspired by the height of the 80s scene.
“The interactions between my generation and the older generation of punks, sharing stories about how much has changed and, surprisingly, how much has stayed the same – mostly cops shutting down our shows – were as fun as they were eye-opening to what our scene is capable of,” Chrisman said.
“I think it was a great reminder to the younger that they’re part of something much greater than this moment, and to the older that the torch is still being carried, even if it looks quite a bit different,” he continued.
Every Honors Research Seminar offers the opportunity to present at the University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF) in April. Chrisman will be presenting “Crashing the Capital” at UURAF, showcasing his work with the community based on his research of Lansing’s history of punk rock.
“The Honors Research Seminars are a wonderful entry point for our students into the world of research and creative scholarly activities,” Micomonaco said. “Our faculty thoughtfully design these courses to expose students to the scholarship in their area of expertise and enable them to make a contribution to the field through the development of a scholarly product.”
Interested in supporting Honors College student research? Contact Tonya Frisbey at frisbey2@msu.edu.