“It can be difficult to incorporate current events into classes that don’t really pertain to them,” sophomore Adrianna Picard said.

Picard said if a course pertains to current events then the professor should include discussions. However, she said that can be more difficult with classes such as theology.

Students also welcome current topics as a way to apply the course material to their lives.

“When you incorporate current events into lectures and discussions, you keep the kids interested because they can relate,” freshman Melissa Mothel said.

Political science professor Raju Thomas seems to have found a way to integrate current events within the mold of the college requirements.

“I provide students with analytical tools, the historical background and underlying knowledge they need to understand current events more deeply,” he said. “If they don’t understand these things, their comprehension of current events is shallow and superficial. If students first have the historical background, then they are able to see current events in both the longitudinal and latitudinal spectrum.”

Not only do professors believe there is a need to address current events in the classroom, but some also think education continues outside the classroom.

“We ran discussions after events such as Sept. 11 as a sort of town hall meeting,” said political science professor Lowell Barrington. “I think you should be able to set up activities outside the classroom that provide a forum for students interested in certain topics and it should be interactive between professors and students.”

Educators are banning together to help each other find creative ways of discussing current events. One Web site, www.choices.com, provides teachers with curriculum resources and forums for classroom discussions, as well as workshops for teachers to attend.

“If a course is a valid course, the professor should be able to talk about current events, but they should be tied back to broader issues and topics,” Barrington said.

Still, most students agree that it is important to at least attempt to incorporate current events into the classroom.

“I think it’s important to include current events because it applies to so many classes, but I think it depends on what the class is,” freshman Amy Bauer said. “As long as it’s relevant, like if something big happened in Mexico and you were taking a Spanish class you should be able to talk about it. Or if it’s something so big, like Sept. 11, you should be able to tie it to any class.”