For those who did (or did not) make it to the first class, a 'Prof Note' (with special commendation for the first person who derives the etymology of the double entendre): the 'entry exam' (aka, first hurdle) is due on Monday (now extended from noon to 5 pm). For those who did not receive a copy of the abstruse French article (Roland Barthes on 'Writers, Intellectuals, Teachers'), copies can be found in the Global Security office, Watson, 205. We're asking everyone to read the article,with particular focus on the limited choices facing the teacher ('conscientous functionary or free artist') in the theater of classroom speech ('language is always on the side of power....in the space of speech, no innocence, no safety'); and after providing a para about who you are (or might wish to be) and why you wish to be (or should be) in the class, register (watsonblogs.org/signup/class), and post on the blog (under the category of 'entry exam' to be found on right side of blog). We want to know your take on the tricky relationships of speech to writing, teacher to student, pedagogy to research, and the untimely, meaningless (what does that mean?), and hopelessly over-mediated death of Heath Ledger. To honor the ethos of shopping classes, we will keep a minimum of five slots open for those who were not able to come to the first class, but make it to the second. So...if you can navigate all that, you're probably in like Flint.

VTY
JDD (and JPS)