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Federal Judge Lawrence McKinney will preside at a mock trial examining "Education on Trial: Confucius in the Classroom" as part of Spirit & Place.
The hypothetical case involves the school board of "Anytown USA," which is determined to impose a values-oriented K-12 curriculum throughout its community school system. The plan is based on the Confucian model used in Japan, where the focus is on personal attitudes, social virtues and behavioral consequences. Controversy erupts when a citizens' group objects to the plan. The citizens engage a team of attorneys, and the case is brought to trial.
Four Indianapolis trial lawyers--Ron Ellberger, Joan Irick, John Maley and Susan Tabler will contest the case.
Sheila Suess Kennedy, assistant professor of law and public policy at the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs, will speak for the plaintiffs. She is the former director of the Indiana Civil Liberties Union. Barbara Weaver Smith appears on behalf of the defendants. Smith is president of Smith Weaver Smith, a consulting firm specializing in accelerating cultural transformations. She is the former president of the Indiana Humanities Council and dean of the University College at Ball State University.
The event is free and open to the public. It is scheduled at the auditorium of the new Indiana Historical Society in downtown Indianapolis at 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 13.
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