For several weeks now, the national media has lambasted the current generation of college students for their relative lack of concern for the events in Kosovo.

Candlelight vigils and letters to the editors of campus papers, they write, pale in comparison to the anti-war protests of the Vietnam era.

But professors find that instead of voicing their opinions in protests and demonstrations, students are bringing their concerns to class.

"A surprising number of undergrads in [my course] have raised Kosovo in conversations with me, "wrote Associate Professor of Government Andrew M. Moravcsik in an e-mail message. Moravcsik reaches Historical Studies A-12, "International Conflicts in the Modern World" with Kaneb Professor of National Security and Military Affairs Stephen P. Rosen '74.

Moravcsik says one goal of Historical Studies A-12 is to teach students to apply their skills to the study of current events.

"[In the course,] we always do a final session or sessions relating current events to the historical cases and theoretical ideas developed in this course-including a debate between Professor Rosen and myself," he says.

But, says Wendy E. Franz, head teaching fellow for Historical Studies A-12, courses that touch on themes relating to the NATO bombing must take care to keep newspaper headlines from taking over.

"The most important thing to note is that current events do not drive [a history course]," Franz says.

Other instructors say the classroom provides a more balanced and thorough forum for discussing current issues than the news media, which often merely skims the surface of complicated developments.

In her course, History 1519, "The Modern Balkans," Visiting Professor of History Maria N. Todorova says she attempts to show students the tools and background knowledge needed to address conflicts with "patience and diplomacy."

Todorova points out that the media can present the public with only a limited and non-contextual understanding of events.

"Only by having a systematic knowledge of the region can we reach condusions...which are not irresponsible," she says.

A. Nathaniel Chakeres '02, a student in Historical Studies A-12, also says he feels media coverage of the events in Yugoslavia is far from complete and reliable.

"I don't think we can really talk about the situation intelligently right now," he says. "The news is largely full of NATO-screened information and speculation on the part of journalists. Very little of what is out there is unaltered fact. When we criticize...the decisions of military commanders when we don't have all the facts, we are shooting from the hip."

In the classroom, instructors attempt to fill in the gaps left by media coverage.