Extra! Extra!
Newspapers looking to get into the classroom

by Joe King

Two of the nation's leading newspapers are offering faculty at Northern Illinois University opportunities to incorporate the news of the day into lesson plans.

Representatives from the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune were on campus recently to discuss ways that those publications can be integrated into a curriculum, at little cost to students or faculty.

"This is a wonderful benefit the papers are offering — especially considering the cost of textbooks and the fact that newspapers provide such a great classroom resource," said Lois Self, chair of the Department of Communication. "The in-depth analysis provided in newspapers can complement the study of a variety of disciplines and a wide range of topics."

While it is easy to envision how a newspaper could be incorporated into a journalism class, the possibilities are much broader. Some of the ways newspapers are incorporated into class work at other universities include:

• Political Science/Government/World Affairs - Stories, analysis and opinion about vital issues, present day debates about constitutional issues, government regulation, budgets, etc. may illuminate issues touched upon in textbooks. 
• English/Composition - Stories stimulate critical thinking and improve writing skills. 
• Sociology - Issues of concern to sociology students (i.e. gender, race, religion, immigration) are often in the news. 
• Business and Economics - Daily fluctuations of the market and analysis of the forces at work are examined.

The New York Times even provides a monograph in which leading educators outline their strategies and experiences in incorporating newspapers into the curriculum. There also are several course-specific teaching guides available.

For the last two years, copies of various newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and London Times have been made available to students in the residences halls. Student Housing and Dining Services paid for the program, using that department's portion of the Pepsi pouring rights funds.

"It was our hope, that if we could get to students in the first year or two, we might help them develop a habit that will be useful to them for years," said Michael Coakley, executive director of Student Housing and Dining Services.

From that program grew the idea of seeing the newspapers integrated into classwork.

A luncheon discussion on that topic attracted about 20 faculty from various departments around campus. There was enough interest among those in attendance that Director of Faculty Development Murali Krishnamurthi said that department may put together a workshop on ways to incorporate newspapers into the classroom if enough faculty express an interest. Those wishing to pursue the idea should contact Krishnamurthi at 753-6502 or Lois Self at 753-7028.