Carleton College Offers Students Breakfast with the Times

For most people, breakfast with The New York Times usually connotes a leisurely morning perusal of the newspaper over a cup of coffee.

But for seniors at Carleton College, it signifies something quite different.

Professor Martha Paas, chair of the economics department, is leading a new course at Carleton titled “Breakfast With the Times.” Though coffee is consumed during this 8:30 a.m. class, reading of the newspaper is anything but leisurely. Designed to spark discussion and debate of American policy based on events covered by The New York Times, the course aims to break down the critical processes of debate and argument while simultaneously enhancing students’ persuasion skills and their appreciation of the power of language.

Students come to class each Tuesday morning prepared to discuss the major economic and foreign policy news reported in The New York Times during the past week. Topics for discussion are determined by short papers the students write stating what they think is the most important or most interesting issue to discuss out of each day’s Times.

During each class, three to four topics are discussed in depth, a discussion made possible, and lively, by the highly diverse students that participate. The nine men and eight women boast as broad an academic background as only a liberal arts college can, ranging from students of economics to geology to theater. Such a wide range of knowledge, according to Paas, is what makes the class a success.

“By the time they are seniors, Carleton students have expertise in their majors and highly developed critical analysis skills,” Paas said. “Analyzing the news with such a diverse group of students allows all of us to simultaneously recognize the assumptions we bring to a news story while sharing our expertise on a particular subject.”

Such wide-ranging expertise is brought to light in each class period, Paas said.

“Today we were discussing endangered plant species. We debated at what level one approaches, then argues the topic-from an economic standpoint or a scientific one, or both. At one point, we even had the scientists and economists in their own debates.”

While Paas credits a suggestion by Carleton President Stephen R. Lewis, Jr., as the initial inspiration for the class, she adds that the idea went into action after reading Giandomenico Majone’s book, “Evidence, Argument and Persuasion in the Policy Process.” Excited by the author’s suggestion that policy analysts do something about their rhetorical and dialectic skills in order to recognize the critical argumentative function of policy analysis, Paas saw the course as an opportunity to use discussion of current policy debates as a way to self-consciously develop the skills of persuasive discourse.

“Truly, I feel that this is a valuable course. Learning must be an active process, and this class is certainly that,” Paas said.

Bill Martin, a senior economics major from Indianapolis, Ind., saw the class as a great way to develop the habit of reading the newspaper each day as well as a chance to learn from his peers.

“Having students with so many different majors allows discussion with a wide variety of perspectives,” Martin said. “It’s a really useful course to take.”

Based on the overwhelming popularity of the course-the College’s registrar closed the waitlist of students after it reached 47-and the successful results already achieved this term, Paas looks forward to offering the course every term.