BUFFY: This is gonna be great. I thought it might be a little weird being back, I mean, it is weird, but like a good kind of weird.

WILLOW: There's the teacher, Mike. You'll like Mike.

BUFFY: You call your teacher Mike? Boy, school sure has changed since my day.

MIKE: Social Construction of Reality. Who can tell me what that is? Rachel.

RACHEL: A concept involving a couple of opposing theories, one stressing the externality and independence of social reality from individuals.

MIKE: And the flip side? Steve?

STEVE: That each individual participates fully in the construction of his or her own life.

MIKE: Good, and who can expand on that? Chuck?

CHUCK: Well, those on the latter side of the theoretical divide stress...

BUFFY: (whispers) Will, I'm not following this too well.

WILLOW: Oh. The trick is to get in the rhythm, kinda go with the flow.

BUFFY: Flow-going would be a lot easier if your classmates weren't such big brains.

WILLOW: Buffy, that's ridiculous! They are no smarter than you or me.

MIKE: Willow.

WILLOW: Because social phenomena don't have unproblematic objective existences. They have to be interpreted and given meanings by those who encounter them.

MIKE: Nicely put. So, Ruby, does that mean there are countless realities?

WILLOW: (notices Buffy's look) What?

(Cut to later)

WILLOW: You're not dumb. Just rusty.

BUFFY: Maybe I should ease back in with some non-taxing classes, like, introduction to pies, or maybe advanced walking.

TARA: Hey! How'd it go?

WILLOW: She did fine! Sociology, not a big fave.

TARA: She didn't like Mike?

BUFFY: No, look, it's fine. I just need to spend a little more time re-acclimating. You know, to get back into the swing of things.

• Academics

written by: David Fury and Jane Espenson; transcribed by Joan the English Chick (pisces@englishchick.com). action descriptions shortened by me.. Full transcript at:
http://www.studiesinwords.de/105lifeserial.html