Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Vol. 20, No. 2, October 2020,
pp. 122-126.
doi: 10.14434/josotl.v20i2.24386
Integrating the Daily Newspaper into the College Classroom
Zachary Schrank
Indiana University South Bend
Abstract: This Quick Hit discusses an exploratory approach to integrating print newspaper into the
college classroom as a method to connect journalism with theoretical knowledge. Daily copies of The
New York Times were provided to students in an Introductory Sociology course throughout the
duration of a semester. Working in groups, students regularly read articles in the paper and searched
for stories related to a wide variety of sociological issues. As a final project, students wrote detailed
summaries of several articles published throughout the semester that contained key sociological concepts
and themes studied in the class. Nearly all students in the course reported that consistent readership
over a 12-week period of the semester was an effective learning activity that expanded their
understanding and exposure to core sociological issues.
Keywords: newspaper readership, introduction to sociology, real-world application, current events.
Introduction
Newspaper readership has declined considerably over the past two decades among younger
generational cohorts (Poindexter 1979; Pew Research Center 2016). Only 16 percent of Millennials
and students of college age report reading any daily newspaper (Pew Research Center News Media
Indicators Database 2016). This development comes at a particularly vexing time with American
society highly polarized along political and cultural lines. Fake news also played a prominent role in
the 2016 general election and appears to be on the incline (Allcott and Gentzkow, 2017). Not only is
newspaper consumption on the decline, but much of today’s news is now filtered through online social
media platforms, highly fragmented, inaccurate, misleading, or purposely false (Gottfried and Shearer
2016). Over time, the public has become less aware of national and global events and people have
difficulty making connections between their lives and the larger social forces that influence their
surrounding circumstances.
This Quick Hit discusses an approach to teaching I use that incorporates daily digital and print
copies of the news into an Introductory Sociology class. I found that assigning a subscription to The
New York Times as supplemental reading engaged student interest and experiences in a way that assisted
in deeper conceptual understanding of the course material (National Research Council 1999, 10-17).
The New York Times frequently contains stories rich with sociological themes and previous studies have
found that students greatly benefit from newspaper readership throughout the semester as a way of
promoting active learning (Reinertsen and DaCruz, 1996; Knowlton and Barefoot, 1999; Mysliwiec,
Shibley Jr., and Dunbar, 2002). By integrating print and digital media into the course, students could
make tangible connections between abstract sociological concepts with stories about real people and
their external social experiences (Faust and Donald, 1998). Their comprehension of core sociological
issues (such as class, race, gender, culture, work, sexuality, and globalization) was matched with direct
examples of current events covered in the news.
Schrank
Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Vol. 20, No. 2, October 2020.
josotl.indiana.edu
The Project
I teach Introductory Sociology at a public university and decided to incorporate digital subscriptions
and print copy of The New York Times because of its extensive student readership programs. As part
of this class project, I required students to obtain a digital subscription and a hard copy of the paper
at least twice per week. Over the semester students were expected to read the paper regularly and be
alert to stories related to a list of sociological issues and concepts that we would discuss throughout
the class (see Table 1). When students came across articles that contained sociological content we
covered during the semester, they were instructed to cut them out and save them in a project folder.
One of the goals guiding the project was for students to get a sense of the vast amount stories
that were built around sociological themes. I organized the class into nine separate small groups with
five students in each. This teamwork helped students share ideas and cooperate on this active learning
project (Chickering and Gamson, 1989). Scholars of teaching and learning have also noted that the
process of “commenting on a relevant newspaper article” in small groups can make course material
easier for students to comprehend and apply (Billson, 1998:148). During class every few days, students
broke into their groups and discussed articles with sociological topics.
At the end of the semester each group was expected to select 25 unique stories comprised by
at least 15 different sociological topics. Groups were required to include a summary of each story that
explained the specific way a sociological concept was expressed, why it was important, and how it
provided the tools to better understand the content. Finally, each group arranged the print articles
along with summaries as a collage onto large poster boards. Groups presented these posters to the
rest of the class so that we could see a diverse cross section of “sociology in the news” over the
semester. In total, students in the class collected over 100 unique articles that contained the topics
listed Table 1.
Table 1. Sociological Topics Students Identified When Collecting Stories from
The New
York Times.
Inequality
Wealth, Poverty, and Social Mobility
Class
Immigration
The American Dream
Wages and Productivity
Sex and Gender
Female Representation
The Glass Ceiling
Gender Typing in the Economy and Female Labor
Integration
Work and Employment / Jobs
Corporations
Family
Race/Ethnicity and Racism
Religion
Scapegoating
Prejudice and Discrimination
Racial Segregation and Structural Inequalities
LGBT Inclusivity
Age
Culture
Deviance and Crime
Globalization
Technology
Population
Environmentalism
Media and Communication
Socialization
Consumerism and Branding
Innovation and Change
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Reflections on the Project
Persistent readership of The New York Times enhanced students understanding of sociology in their
lives and helped them become more aware of diverse social conditions. Many of the stories students
read were about struggles for basic survival, the experience of war and migration, human rights abuses,
and deep inequality. Several students stated that before they had been exposed to the content of the
newspaper they did not care about national and global events simply because they were not aware of
them and had no idea how they applied to their personal lives. However, when connecting these
stories with sociological concepts, students often voiced desire to use what they were learning in the
classroom to take positive social action to address social problems. For example, one student
explained:
“It made me super aware of things going outside my inner circle, and the things that were
happening around me affected me, and I need to be knowledgeable so I can stand up against
these issues that are affecting me and others negatively.”
At the conclusion of the semester students were asked to complete an optional anonymous
questionnaire regarding their experiences reading the newspaper. 35 of the 45 students who enrolled
in the course responded with qualitative remarks. 29 of the students who responded felt “positive”,
“interested”, or “enjoyed” the working through the project. Some even expressed a desire to continue
subscribing to a newspaper in the future:
“Reading the NY Times helped me learn about a lot of issues that America faces that I
wouldn't have known without reading the NY Times. I will continue my subscription even
after this class.”
Other students explained that they had developed a greater appreciation for reading the paper after
the completion of this project:
“I normally would never have even glanced at a newspaper. But with this project I found
that there are some really interesting stories in the paper.”
“I am not one who sits down often enough to read the paper. I did not realize how
much I was out of touch with world issues before taking this class. I hope to do better
about staying informed through sources like The New York Times in the future.”
Most students discussed their experience with the project in very positive terms. Many noted that
reading this paper nicely complemented the sociological issues we covered over the semester and
enhanced their understanding of course material. For example, two additional students provided the
following thoughts:
“It was interesting to hear about world events that actually related to what I was
learning about in class. It made learning more intriguing and held my attention
better.”
“I was surprised to see what is happening around the world, because before taking
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this class I never read the newspaper and, therefore, never knew how much really
went on in our world.”
In many ways, persistent readership also illuminated the extensive nature of sociology itself. Students
were surprised with the numerous examples and ways in which social processes we learned about in
class were enacted throughout the world. Perhaps this was one of the greatest strengths of the project.
It demonstrated to students that sociology is everywhere and we can encounter it in nearly every
sphere of society. Here are three student comments that highlight this strength:
“I never really realized how much sociology is in our lives every day until after hearing
the professor talk about it and connecting it with current events. After taking this class,
I see things I didn't see before, especially because of the newspaper project.”
“I enjoyed reading The New York Times because it allowed my sociological
imagination to grow. It helped me learned about my community and the places
around me.”
“Reading The New York Times helped me to relate real-world situations to
sociological concepts and helped me understand how sociology impacts many
aspects of my life.”
In this regard, the project served a dual purpose for students. It activated their conceptual
understanding of sociology through the encounter of the daily flow of events. In return, this
understanding helped bring meaning to the news itself. It also forced students to examine their
individual lives and experiences by considering structures that influence human behavior and life
outcomes in ways that are difficult to detect.
Conclusion
Integrating print copies of The New York Times into the college classroom, particularly an Introductory
Sociology course, is a great way to expand the scope of class discussion and analysis. It is also an
excellent way to encourage students to become more aware of the expansive social world that
influences their daily lives and build an effective sociological imagination to understand social forces
and processes. Current events can often appear random, feel chaotic, and be difficult to interpret
without foundational historical and sociological competency. Concurrently, sociological concepts can
be abstract and challenging to comprehend if they are disconnected from real-world events and
activities. However, combining credible news reporting and analysis with sociological concepts can
yield promising results in building a student’s perspective and enhancing their understanding of our
incredibly diverse world. Students in this exploratory project, many of whom had never read The New
York Times, found it to be a rewarding way to discover sociology. It was a fun and exciting method for
introducing sociological concepts and is likely an effective way to inspire students to become more
active and knowledgeable citizens in our democracy.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank UCET (University Center for Excellence in Teaching) at IUSB for the MALT
(Materials for Active Learning Techniques) Grant I used to fund the delivery of newspaper
subscriptions for students in the class where I developed this project.
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Schrank
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