This book examines the role of the visual and performing arts in higher education and argues for the importance of socially engaged transdisciplinary practices, not just to the college curriculum but also to building an informed and engaged citizenry. The first chapter defines and offers an outline for conducting transdisciplinary research. Chapters two through five present examples of transdisciplinary projects facilitated in Central Florida between 2017 and 2022. Topics and methodological frameworks include ecocriticism and climate change, migration, poverty, and displacement, ageing and disability, and systemic racism and mass incarceration. Each chapter includes descriptions of the projects and outlines how they integrated the essential learning outcomes articulated by the American Association of Colleges and Universities in the Liberal Education and Americas Promise report. A concluding chapter offers reflections on the value of transdisciplinary collaborative work and poses questions for further discussions on the role of the arts in higher education. The book is designed for graduate and undergraduate students, faculty, and non-academics interested in engaging in transdisciplinary projects to address complex societal issues.

Julia Listengarten, Pegasus Professor of Theatre and Artistic Director of the School of Performing Arts, University of Central Florida, USA

Keri Watson, Associate Professor of Art History and Director of the Florida Prison Education Project, University of Central Florida, USA

1. Introduction.- 2. Crafting Transdisciplinary Collaborations.- 3. Bringing Ecocriticism to Life: A Look at Floridas Changing Landscape.- 4. Finding Home: Staging Refugee Stories and Creating Spaces for Social Engagement.- 5. Challenging the Narrative of Decline: An Intergenerational Creative Community of Care. 6. Our Carceral Landscape: Imagining a Thirdspace of Social Justice.- 8. Concluding Thoughts.