The Conversation: This course uses crime novels to teach critical thinking

by Junna Base November 11, 2024

As part of The Conversation’s Uncommon Courses series, Distinguished Lecturer in English Sally Harris discusses her course Whodunit?: Detective Stories.

What sparked the idea for the course? I had just read a novel by Dorothy Sayers – Gaudy Night, which I think is one of her best crime novels starring Harriet Vane and Lord Peter Wimsey. A colleague and I were discussing Harriet’s ability to delve into the mysteries of an Oxford women’s college when I realized that I would have loved a crime fiction course as an undergraduate.

Although professors enjoyed talking about crime stories throughout my college years, I had never heard of a course that focused solely on crime stories. When the English department where I teach asked for suggestions for new courses, I submitted one. It also seemed like a good way to connect with students. They could become literary detectives – reading carefully, finding clues and forming theories. It also gave me the opportunity to research and teach stories that I have enjoyed for years.

Read the full article at The Conversation.

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