It was good to see everyone in class today. Remember that the first two assignments have already been given: 1) go to news.google.com and personalize that page with the key phrases a) american values and b) american life AND 2) read through page 62 of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. It’s important that you get the edition at the bookstore because we’ll be using some of the material at the end of the book.
Friday I’ll lecture on what we mean when we use the term “values” and relate that concept to the idea of national identity and everyday life. Recall that the word value is etymologically related to “wield”– that’s an important collateral meaning as it indicates that values aren’t merely abstractions hovering somewhere in the aether, but that they are, above all, emplaced, embodied and practiced. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask them in the comment section of this entry.
analepsis 
Dear Mr. Connelly:
I would like to commend your efforts to tackle “high theory” in a classroom setting for inclusion in Report 2009-R4-68D (West). We, here at the Center for Industrial & Extraterrestrial Research (CIER), have begun incorporating high theory into our abduction programs. The complexity of the various theories promotes a high confusion index perfect for scattershot scrambling of short-term memory allowing for effective reintroduction of the abductees into civilian society with minimal memory recall of less than 5% in most test subjects with an effectiveness up to 72-hours. Compare this with the previous use of hallucinogenic drugs which allowed for varying degrees of recall under controlled conditions, such as institutional drug therapy or deep hypnosis, leading to many unfortunate, though easily deniable and/or ludicrous and unbelievable, claims by the test subject once outside of our control. In this regard, please institute Class Seven surveillance patterning with follow-up reports to CR4 (West/mail code 34). Please note appropriate deadlines. All requests for additional material should go to CR4-YCB (West/mail code 78A).
We look forward to working with you and deeply appreciate your cooperation.
Sincerely,
C.G.B. Spender
Dear Mr. Spender:
Oddly enough I am writing a lecture on the cultural legacies of the Indian Captivity Narrative and I came across the case of Betty and Barney Hill. Am I to assume that your organization dosed these unfortunate abductees with high levels of Jacques Derrida’s On Grammatology? Please respond with a coded message via my microwave.
yours,
S. Connelly