This document summarizes research on rhodium-catalyzed carbon-carbon bond activation reactions between quinolinyl ketones and Michael acceptors. The goal is to develop new methods for selective bond activation using a quinolinyl ketone directing group. A proposed mechanism is presented. Reaction scope has been examined for a variety of quinolinyl ketone and Michael acceptor substrates, with many reactions proceeding in good yields. Future work will focus on improving isolation results, expanding the scope of directing groups and substrates examined, and moving beyond quinolinyl ketones.