The authors consider the U.S. Department of State Diplomacy Lab as a venue for research instruction of graduate social work students in advancing practice with refugees, especially in understanding their contributions to community quality of life, which served as the focus of the lab. The first author, the instructor of the course, worked with Master of Social Work students in implementing the one-semester Diplomacy Lab in a community located in the southern region of the United States. The authors identify the tension the instructor faced in ensuring student involvement in the inquiry even though she undertook significant presemester activities in establishing the feasibility of the project since the U.S. Department of State required its project completion in one semester.