ABSTRACT
Mr. Beaudet is teaching his American Studies class in Akron, Ohio. Let’s observe his students, who are in the middle of a discussion about government eavesdropping:
Students in Mr. Beaudet’s classroom are considering a case where the government has arrested an individual based on monitored telephone conversations. Students are expressing their opinions with each other about the conflicting values that shape this particular public policy. On the one side are those who believe the primary responsibility of government is to provide security and to protect individuals from external threat-in this case, a terrorist organization. Others, however, see things differently and argue for the importance of maintaining freedom and privacy. The teacher is using jurisprudential inquiry, a model of teaching designed specifically for this type of inquiry situation.
